A Quad Cities organization is creating a kit called “Tools Not Toys Kits” to be used to promote inclusion in the classroom and other spaces.
The kits are being designed by the Hand in Hand organization, located at 3800 Middle Road, Bettendorf.
The kits include more than 20 items to be used as tools in the classroom to help students self-regulate and engage with their classroom. Items in the kit are adaptations to meet the needs of each student, Hand in Hand said in a news release.
Just as students rely on eyeglasses, hearing aids, and mobility devices, items in the kit are to be used to support a successful classroom experience. The kits were made with input from local teachers, administrators, occupational therapists and mental health therapists to provide tools to promote inclusion in the classroom.
“We are so excited to continue expanding our mission beyond our walls,” said Angie Kendall, CEO of Hand in Hand. “The kits not only provide many supportive tools but provide ways in which everyone can use those tools. We want to ensure that we continue to educate on accommodations and normalize adaptations, so each individual has their needs met.”
The kits consist of visual timers and liquid motion timers that help students visualize time. Often because of problems with executive functioning in the frontal lobe, students may have problems conceptualizing time, leading to anxiety about how long something will take or when something is going to occur.
All kits being handed out to local schools were made possible through funds from the Community Programs Assistance Fund and Empowerment Partners, Hand in Hand’s monthly donor group.
Empowerment Partner volunteers recently put together 50 kits at the first Empowerment Partners Monthly Giving meeting. The group will meet quarterly in the future to continue to learn more about Hand in Hand and do other service projects for the organization.
“Empowerment Partners are supporters who believe in our mission and are an active part in promoting a more inclusive Quad Cities. We are so proud to partner with this group of people who truly make our work possible and help us sustain our programs,” said Ms. Kendall.
In addition, the kit includes chair bands and wobble discs, both of which, allow students to have psychomotor movement while keeping distraction of others to a minimum. The kit also includes several fidgets which can help increase students focus and reduce psychomotor agitation caused by dysregulation. A variety is included so teachers can work with their students to find the best fit. Velcro also is included that the students can use as another fidget as well as for sensory input.
Kits are now being disbursed to teachers and other professionals in Hand in Hand’s network to test in their classrooms. The organization hopes to receive feedback from these professionals to improve future kits and hopes to receive future funding to distribute them to more area schools.
To learn more about Hand in Hand and how it is building a more inclusive Quad Cities or to become an Empowerment Partner, visit www.handinhandqc.org.
