At Sullivan Village, we have many students who have trouble regulating their emotions. Most of the time, all they need is a fidget or other sensory toy to help them calm down and gain control of their strong emotions. Unfortunately, most of the teachers in the building did not have a variety of sensory toys in their rooms. When the students were upset or experiencing anxiety, the students were sent to one of the counselors' offices to calm down. With the grant money, I bought sensory toys and fidgets for each classroom. Sensory stones, stretchy strings, stress coils, Play-doh, squeeze balls, liquid bubble relaxation timers, coloring books, and scented coins were just some of the things that I bought for the calming kits. I placed all of the items into labeled plastic bags. With the money, I was able to make 24 different calming kits.

When I delivered the kits to the teachers, they were all so happy. Many of them even said that they might need to use some of the fidgets periodically. All teachers, counselors, and the principal will have immediate access to the items in their kits and can give the items to the students to use as needed. Several teachers are setting up calming corners and including the kits in the corners. Hopefully, the students, who are regular visitors to the counselor's office, can now regulate their emotions in the classroom with the calming kits.

Thank you so much, Lawton Public Schools Foundation!!! I sincerely appreciate you and your support of teachers and students of Lawton Public Schools.