Columbus, IN: Elem school has "dedicated space"/"first aid station" to calm students

Oct 22, 2018, Columbus (IN) Republic: No stress zone: Teacher creates classroom space to help students ease tension http://www.therepublic.com/2018/10/22/no_stress_zone_teacher_creates_classroom_space_to_help_students_ease_tension/ Healthy Elementary School fifth-grade students may unwind through a dedicated space in their classroom. Amy Nagel, who has taught at the school for 20 years, created an amygdala first aid station using a $555 grant she received this spring from the Bartholomew Consolidated School Foundation. The station in the back of the classroom includes items such as fidget cubes, bean bags, weighted lap pads, resistance bands and bubble wrap. The area is also meant to provide self-regulation if someone is having a bad day, she said. … The weighted lap pad is supposed to be a calming device, Nagel said. … Nagel added that students typically use the amygdala station if they are upset… The following are items in the amygdala first aid station in fifth-grade teacher Amy Nagel’s classroom at Mt. Healthy Elementary School: Beanbag chairs Fidget cubes Weighted lap pads Resistance bands Paper Bubble wrap Five-minute fidget devices