Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional sitting on a bouncing ball (a math miracle)

my 2e DS7 hates math compuation and has been putting up a fight all summer when i try to review his math facts (hard for him) .. we started doing online math with EPGY in hopes it would help and he balked immediately. Then I decided to go out and buy a big exercise ball for him to sit on- something i read about somewhere a while back. I wanted to tell everyone out there it worked like a miracle. He is now requesting to do math 2-3 times per day. After every correct answer he gets so excited he just naturally bounces up and down!
It gives me so much hope for the new school year that he will just bounce thru it without all the screaming and fighting over the dreaded math homework.
irene

Wow renie that sounds fantastic. I just love out of the box solutions. Well done!

Do you think it will work for writing:)

i am wondering the same thing myself (about writing) ... will have to experiment a bit to see if its possible to bounce and write at the same time! maybe bouncing breaks?
irene

Awesome Irene!
I bought one a while back but it is still in the box. Will it work there too? LOL J/K But I am going to pull it out tomorrow and please tell me if it works with writing/reading.... Thanks for the tip.

We have a little inside trampoline. That might be a good place for math or spelling drills at home. My son usally does laps around the kitchen island during drills which made me dizzy. thanks for the inspiration.

(some of them are very expensive. We got one from toys r us $35.00 and it hold up to 200 lbs.) It also give my son a inside place to jump instead of the sofa.

My DS6 LOVES his ball - we got one about a year ago and loves watching tv or even doing computer sitting it. We also have a mini trampoline that we got from sports authority on sale after the holidays that we pull in and out of the garage - the favorite though is his scooter (which yes, we allow in the house since it is mostly tile flooring)....he loves to zoom around the open kitchen area/island while I throw out math facts for him to complete at the "toll" stops :-)

My son liked to bounce on his exercise ball while doing mental math and practicing for a spelling bee a few years ago. He also liked doing math and spelling while jumping on a trampoline but there were too many days when it was too hot or too cold outside to use it. The exercise ball just seems like another part of our living room furniture now.

Cool idea. We have done other full body things with ds when studying, such as charades for spelling words (ok, we only worked on meaning, not spelling, but he learned the spelling too, incidentally). He LOVES charades.

In case anyone is interested in bringing this idea into their school, here are several articles that might be helpful in educating a school that is not yet familiar with this idea. I would add that although these articles are about entire classroom seating, there are also schools who have 2-3 per classroom as a seating option. It doesn't need to be "all or nothing"

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/e...-balls-replace-chairs-in-some-classrooms

http://wcco.com/education/stability.ball.classroom.2.991306.html

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-03-07-class-chairs_N.htm

http://www.wittfitt.com/kansascitystar2009.pdf

http://host.madison.com/news/local/article_0b81cae3-b10f-50fc-8c16-2b652fd978a7.html

I LOVED the article I read awhile back about the "motion" standing desks that many districts are using...of course not ours...but it is a desk that allows the students to stand to do their work if they feel like it and then if they want to sit, it comes with a stool and attached to the desk is a swing arm so that their feet can swing at the desk while they work. My DS6 would LOVE this idea.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/us/25desks.html?_r=2&th&emc=th

Wow Belle that would be great for DS6 too - its funny to watch him working even though we got him a wobble cushion for class he still spends most of his time standing over his desk, which obviously is not going to be good for his back long term and at home he kneels on my desk or the kitchen table when doing stuff.

I'm curious about the wobble cushion. How is that working out?

hi all
i haven't kept up much with the thread i started, but just read thru it. I love all the info and ideas, especailly the motion desks! My DD7 started second grade yesterday and i was so relieved to not have any "real" homework the first night. He was given an assignment to go around the house and collect items of importance to him to share with the class. Now thats my kind of homework!!

what did occur to me is that if he needs to bounce to concentrate on math, then i might be barking up the wrong tree with giving him manipulative math materials (montessori type) to help visualize his math homework. I picture the beads flying around... so thinking more a mental math approach might work. I remember this coming up on another thread and wonder if anyone here has had experience with mental math.. he can do the simple stuff like adding 12 + 13 in his head, which surprised him and me.. but i don't know how to teach beyond that.
irene

Hi Elisa

The wobble cushion was recommended by OT to help with his constant desire for proproceptive input (he did his WISC sat on the arm of his chair - a thin wooden arm and during his OT assessment he constantly rocked back and forth when required to sit for table work). Unfortunately he's given up on them - still prefers to kneel, stand or perch but his teacher has taken to throwing him a squishy ball during mat time otherwise he just can't concentrate long enough to take in the instruction. He always reports back to us and his teacher that he finds mat time really, really boring. Thank god for a great teacher that understands how these kids tick!