Callaway Public Schools prides itself in providing the best education and support services possible for its students. So when opportunities become available to be able to acquire tools and equipment to help achieve those goals, the staff tries to take advantage of that.

Recently, kindergarten teacher Stephanie Ross and second grade teacher Crysta Anderson received notification that their application had been selected for a Mid Nebraska Community Foundation Applegate Training and Support Grant. Both teachers had submitted grant applications, and both were approved.

The kindergarten class received a sensory bike. “I needed it for a special student who just needed movement in her daily routine,” Ross explained. “Once her feet were busy her mind was engaged. She wasn’t the only one who would use it, and for each one it enhanced their understanding of what was being taught.”

Ross said she will be receiving another bike so she will have one for smaller kids and one for third and fourth grade ages. Though all of the kids get a turn on the bike at some point, she said it is not hard to tell the kids who need it and when. After 37 years of teaching littles, Ross has gained plenty of experience and insight.

Both Ross and Anderson shared that education has changed dramatically over the years, especially in the lower elementary level. “Kindergarten is not just play anymore. Preschool is play,” said Anderson.

“Preschool does a nice job of preparing kids for kindergarten,” Ross added. “They come in and know their numbers through 10, they can recognize 26 capital letters and 26 lower case, and know almost all of the sounds. When I started teaching we learned letters, numbers, colors, shapes, and sang songs. We had a nap. Now it’s none of that. This is very much a first grade level environment for most of our readers.”

Anderson shared that young children’s exposure to screens has created new challenges for teachers in the classroom. “We’re seeing more of those sensory things of kids needing to move and needing to regulate,” she said.

“We don’t change every 15 seconds like a video game does,” added Ross.

The grant provided the teachers with sensory supplies for their classrooms. Ross applied for the bikes while Anderson applied for what she calls “calm down corner” materials.

“I have a calm down corner in my classroom and students know that they can ask to go there and check in with how they are feeling. They can choose three to five minutes at that center,” Anderson explained.

She said that items purchased with grant funds for her room include sand trays, putty, a weighted lap animal, and a listening station. The student can choose what they want to use for that time. “Then they check out with me with a reflection page about how they were feeling, what caused them to feel like that, and three things they like or are thankful for. Then they are able to come back to the learning environment,” Anderson explained.

She said once the students were taught how to use the calm down corner it runs very seamlessly.

“For a child to just be able to understand how they feel and be able to verbalize that is a big part of what we are working with,” said Ross.

While the school has implemented programs such as Bear Down Time to help young students take a mental break from learning, Anderson said having these sensory materials in the classrooms is a big benefit for the teachers and the students. “We have a lot of content we have to get through, so if they are having big feelings it is important to address those quickly,” she said.

“And regulated students create learners, and hence our scores go up,” Ross added. “If you’re not feeling right on the inside, you’re not ready to be a learner, so we have to combat those issues before we can create the learner.”

Ross said that adding another bike through this grant will allow more students to benefit from the tool, and the bikes can be easily moved from one classroom to another or to various locations in the classroom as needed. It allows the student to remain in the classroom and be a part of what is going on.

The school had been the recipient of one of these grants about 15 years ago, Ross said, and she received dress-up materials for the kids to explore various occupations such as firemen, police officers, etc. “You can apply for it many times; it is open every year,” she said.

This is the first time they have received the grant since then. “It’s really nice to see people out there supporting education and the well-being of students,” said Ross The kindergarten classroom at Callaway school utilizes a stationary sensory bike similar to this one to help kiddos regulate themselves and focus.