Bouncy Bands Review

A few years ago I did a post called "Busy Feet" about active students and a device that my vice-principal came up with to keep the feet busy and the brain attentive.  While this device was helpful, it was noisy and it didn't keep the student engaged for very long. 

Last summer I was contacted by Scott Ertl at Bouncy Bands about reviewing his product.  It's different from the "busy feet" device because it allows the student to not only bounce their feet, but they can also push and pull the stretchy band. The resistance allows for the student to really work their legs and feet and control the energy. 

The original Bouncy Band
I have been using the first set since the beginning of the year. It's made with pvc pipe and the inner tube of a bike tire. The tube is tied tightly to the chair legs and the pvc pipe prevents the tube from slipping. After two days, my active student had loosened the knots and they had to be retied. I pulled them really tight and haven't had a problem since.

New and improved version:
Scott also sent me the new and improved version of Bouncy Bands which uses a heavy rubber rope that has loops on both ends to prevent coming untied. I am very pleased with the results of this product!

The loops on the rubber rope just slide right on the desk legs. If it's too long, just tie a knot in the rope to tighten it up! 

Great for test day!
An elementary principal has ordered Bouncy Bands for all of her 3rd-5th grade students to help them stay focused and attentive during testing! It started with one class where every student had a set, but they were so popular the principal decided to try them for everybody!

FAQ's Are Bouncy Bands only for students with ADHD?

No. While students with ADHD are extremely appreciative of being able  to move without getting in trouble, many other students who are not  diagnosed with ADHD benefit tremendously from Bouncy Bands as well.  Others who enjoy Bouncy Bands include students with: Test anxiety Learning disabilities Social anxiety Asperger's Syndrome  A need for movement instead of staying sedentary for hours Kinesthetic learning as a primary learning style

For more information please visit BouncyBands.com

Busy feet!

It seems like every year I have a student (usually a boy) who can't sit still or needs to be fidgeting with something in order to pay attention. It took me a long time to realize that when a student is twiddling with something in their desk, doodling, tearing up an eraser, or turned upside down in their chair, they are not just playing or trying to ignore me. In most cases, they are actually listening better than if I had made them sit quietly with their hands on their desk! Of course, all of this activity can be distracting and disruptive to the rest of the class, so the vice-principal at my school came up with an ingenious solution that requires a bungee cord with hooks on each end and a PVC pipe. Slip the pipe over the bungee cord and hook it to the desk leg.  The student has a place to keep his feet busy while keeping his bottom in the chair. I started using this with a student this year and it has really helped him stay focused and on task. Every once in a while I have to ask him to not be so noisy with it, but most of the time it is barely noticeable.

The feet stay busy while the student is engaged and on task!

Gender Specific Instruction - Boys!

Boys need to know they have what it takes.

Boys learn differently - how can we help them? Read more...