Author: McKenzie Ross

I'm just a mom with a teaching license, raising my kids, and writing for this blog! Someday I hope to be back teaching when they are older, but for now, I'm here and loving it!
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What You Can Find in Our Sensory Drawer

We have a sensory drawer in our house that has become very utilized! It’s a great resource for when my kids need to move and touch and have extra sensory input. It’s a drawer that I’m making a mental note of as it grows, changes, and adapts so that I can use a similar setup in my own classroom someday. Things come and go in the drawer, but these are the staples.

In our sensory drawer you’ll find: 

Pop its: Is there an official name for these? I’m not exactly sure. But we love them! We have a large variety of these, some big, some small, some tougher, and some softer. 

Fidget spinners: The OG fidget.

Pop tubes: Okay I know, these can get annoying because of the noise. But if it’s something you feel like you can handle in your home or classroom, there are a lot of possibilities with these! 

Silky scarves: These have come in handy when someone needs something smooth to run through their fingers and work great in pretend play, too! 

Moon sand: There is a special bin set aside with this stuff. I tried a few homemade versions, but none of them ended up how I wanted them. So we caved and spent the money on actual Moon Sand. It’s been our best purchase! It doesn’t dry out, doesn’t stick to your hands, and is easily picked up off the carpet when spilled. (I won’t even say “if” because we all know it’s a “when” it’s spilled, not “if” it’s spilled.)

Chewy tubes/ sticks: My son is a chewer! He will chew on anything and everything if we let him. So instead of toys and clothes getting ruined by chewing, we give him safe options to chew on instead. 

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This Teen’s Solution to the Lack of Recycling and Composting: How She’s Making a Difference

There’s no doubt that our world can always use more recycling and composting! However, sometimes it can be hard to get these practices implemented. A high school student in Minnesota is taking matters into her own hands by getting composting and recycling into her community. She writes, 

“An increasing number of businesses are investigating compost and recycling methods in regard to waste management in their establishments. Thus far, only a handful have actually implemented such methods. The sad truth is that not enough people care about the environment due to a lack of education in their upbringing.”

“To solve this problem, we can target what they do care about. We can emphasize the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of the implementation of composting and recycling on public property. If more restaurants, parks, stores, and trails had more easily accessible environmentally-friendly waste management, the public would be able to properly dispose of their trash in an appropriate manner. I am working to provide compost and recycling bins in public facilities. I am also working to educate citizens on how to properly dispose of their waste and take care of our planet. To accomplish this I’ve been making educational videos, telling friends and family about the project, and making time to speak with officials.” 

Her story is still unfolding and has so much potential to make a big difference to the people around her. We are excited for her final scholarship submission to see where this project takes her.

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Japanese Schools and What They Have to Offer

I don’t like saying that specific cultures are superior to others, I truly believe that every culture has something unique and incredible to offer our world. However, I think Japanese schools are one of those golden nuggets that are something unique and incredible to our world. 

First, the culture of the school. They are surrounded by and expected to be respectful, kind, and considerate. Overall, this is the vibe of the entire country, but especially in schools. They are expected to respect their elders. 

They take care of their school. When school is over, the students and teachers roll up their sleeves and get to work cleaning and maintaining the school. Boards and surfaces are wiped and cleaned, as well as walls, windows, doors, and floors. There are no janitorial jobs in schools because they work together as a community to keep their schools and streets clean. 

The students are responsible and independent. The train systems in Japan are very intricate, but it’s not uncommon to see children as young as elementary-aged students riding the trains by themselves to get to and from school and activities by themselves. They start riding the trains at such a young age that by the time they are in school, it’s not a big deal for them to hop on and off at their correct stops and make transfers when needed. 

Overnight field trips are common. Even in elementary school, it’s typical for students to attend overnight field trips with their schools. The goal of these trips is not only to experience new places around Japan, but to also utilize life skills such as navigating trains and buses, working together in groups of students, and being responsible for themselves outside of a school setting. 

Overall, they are held to a high standard. The students are expected to be respectful, try their best, and be good, upstanding citizens both inside their schools and out. 

The amount of respect within the country is astounding! It’s very cool to see how Japanese schools differ from our schools in America. There are many, many other countries with great schools, too! Finland and Singapore are two that easily come to mind, but each country has its own school systems that are equally fascinating to observe and compare. 

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More Thoughts on a 4-Day School Week

A while back I wrote a post about schools transitioning to a four-day school week. I tried to stay very neutral and simply line out the pros and cons of both 5 and 4-day school weeks. However, at the time I wrote the post, it wasn’t something even on my radar to worry about! It was purely just information I had researched. Our schools were doing the more typical 5-day school weeks. Then we moved to Idaho and everything changed. The school my oldest attends, as well as most schools in the state of Idaho, have transitioned to a 4-day school week. Now that we’ve experienced both, I have more opinionated thoughts and feelings on the pros and cons. 

If you’re looking for me to choose one side or the other- either 4-day school weeks or 5 days, then you’ve come to the wrong place. After experiencing both, I honestly cannot choose between the two. Both of them come with benefits and downsides. 

One concern I have with a four-day school week is the longer school days. Elementary school starts at 7:45 am and doesn’t get out until 3:45 pm. An 8-hour school day is long for those littles! Districts are required to meet a minimum requirement of school hours in a school year, so to make up for those missed hours by not going to school one day of the week, the school days and sometimes the school calendar year become longer and more stretched out to make up for those hours. 

This can be concerning for two big reasons I’ve personally found. First, meals. With school starting early in the morning, breakfast is naturally around 6:45- 7 am for us. My daughter (in kindergarten) then eats lunch at 10:45 am. Technically, the school is not expected to provide any other food besides optional breakfast for kids that need it, and lunch. So if they are not fed again, these kids go from 10:45 am until 3:45 pm without food. Yes, I know, food is a very privileged thing in a perpetual time of food scarcity. However, when little brains are working so hard on learning and growing, they need more. Luckily, most teachers in our school allow an afternoon snack, provided by the parents on an alternating schedule. But what about those schools or classrooms that aren’t providing extra food for those hours between lunch and going home? 

The next concern is for the older grades when it comes to after-school activities. If school is getting out close to 4 pm, then sports and arts and other extracurriculars start their practices after school is out. Our local high school has track practice from 4-6 pm. Once track practice is over, the kids go home and eat, work on homework, and accomplish any other household tasks they may have. Then they need a good night’s rest so they can be up around 6:30 am for school the next day. It makes for such long days when extra activities are considered! This isn’t even bringing in the factor that many high school students have part-time jobs, too!

However, when schools are on a 4-day school week schedule, they have one full day off of school and any extracurriculars can take up the space of that day. This is typically Fridays for most 4-day week schools. That means extra-long practices, tournaments, games, events and more can happen on Fridays when students are out of school, instead of cramming it all in on Friday evening/ Saturday. 

There’s also the bonus that even if students aren’t in additional school activities, there is space and time for family events and trips with an extra long weekend. We’ve enjoyed trips to the zoo and many local state parks because we don’t have to worry about attending school on Fridays. 

And in the same breath, there are also parents that have the burden of worrying about childcare on Fridays because they are still working parents and need a safe space for their kids to go to when they are out of school but the parents are still working. 

There are so many more thoughts and pros and cons I could add to this post, but it’s getting long-winded and I’m not here to bore you. When asked to choose between 4 or 5-day school weeks, I truly could not give you a straight answer. It’s such a double-edged sword! In some ways, I think either is the best and only way to do school! And in other ways, I think both are the wrong answer and make it harder than it’s worth. 

What are your thoughts? What other pros and cons have you seen from a 4 or 5-day school week? What are your kids on, and what would your preference be? 

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Vestibular Sensory Input Ideas for Kids

I have a child with high sensory needs. You can read more about it here. One area we discovered to be a struggle with was regulating his vestibular sensory input. He was having the hardest time eating meals, going to bed, listening to stories, and more. Once we realized his vestibular sensory input needed regulating before we attempted these tasks, it changed our lives! We get all of our kiddos involved with this sensory input and it helps all of them, even those without sensory needs. 

I can’t help but be grateful for figuring this all out before he starts kindergarten in a few years, instead of figuring it out when he starts school for the first time. This is not the story with many families, and it can make the transition to starting school that much more difficult. 

Instead of pulling sensory input ideas out of my head each time we needed something, I made a quick printed paper of options for my kids to choose from. We have one laminated full sheet of paper to look at, and one that I cut into strips and laminated for when we want to randomly draw them out of a cup. 

It’s nothing special, just something I whipped together one afternoon. But if it’s something that can benefit your household or classroom in any way for those higher sensory needs kids (or any of your kids or students that just need a movement break), then here’s the free printable for you! Just click on the pdf to download and print. Enjoy! 

Sensory-ListDownload
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A Slice of History in Hiroshima, Japan

We recently visited the city of Hiroshima, Japan. Yes, Hiroshima as in, the city the Americans dropped the atomic bomb on during WWII. The city of Hiroshima which was considered unlivable for at least 70 years after the bomb was dropped because of the radioactive dangers surrounding the area. The city of Hiroshima was alive and well and thriving. 

It was incredible to step foot where so much history was present. Our first stop was the Peace Memorial park, a vast area dedicated to the atomic bombing. 

The A-Bomb building was absolutely haunting and humbling to see. It was the only standing building after the bomb went off and is currently maintained by the city so that it will be standing forever. It’s as if the city of Hiroshima is saying, “You tried to take everything from us, but this one last thing that did survive is ours and you’re not taking it too.” 

Where we ended up spending the majority of our time was the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. It was humbling. I had a heavy feeling in my heart from start to finish as I walked through each exhibit. 

Many parents donated their children’s items and stories to the children’s room within the museum. Many kids were on their way to school when the bomb hit and their bodies could be identified by name tags on their uniforms or by the lunch pails they were carrying. Just thinking about sending my kids to school only to have an atomic bomb drop on our city was overwhelming enough for me, I could not imagine the heartache those parents went through mourning their losses. 

It made me wonder why we have museums and memorials for heartbreaking moments in history such as the atomic bomb in Hiroshima or Nagasaki. Or WWII and Holocaust museums. Why are we spending time and resources to build these museums, and then our time and resources to walk through them? 

Because history is meant to be learned from. There’s a reason history in various forms and time periods is required in most schools! If we’re always looking back on history and satisfied with how everything played out, then we’re not studying it the right way. We do better with what we know and have learned from. 

And possibly the most important reason is that these individuals’ stories are meant to be told. They suffered and mourned and lived through important turning points in history, and for that, they should not have to be silenced. They deserve to have everyone hear them loud and clear as they tell their stories giving us the slightest glimpse of their lives during these times. This goes for every survivor at any point in time. 

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum was incredible and rich with information to learn and hear. It will forever be a life-changing moment for me. 

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8 Different Sensory Inputs in our Bodies

I learned in school when I was younger that there are five senses. When I realized my son was a sensory seeker, these five senses were what I had in mind when I realized I needed to give him more sensory input in his day. After more research, I realized there were actually eight sensory inputs our bodies have! 

There are professionals all over our world going to school and working in this field of study that know this information, and then mere uneducated individuals like me that are just now realizing that there’s more to our bodies than the five senses I learned in kindergarten! Wild! 

So just in case there are more of you out there like me that are new to this 8 senses game, I’m going to break down what each of the senses is in terms I understand, and hopefully you can too. 

Sight

Taste

Touch

Hearing

Smell

And then the three we don’t know as much about. 

Proprioceptive: This one is the “hard work” one in my mind. This sensory function utilizes muscles and ligaments in our bodies to move us through space. It also tells us where we are in space and in relation to other objects. Sensory seekers for this area are going to be pulling and pushing objects, carrying heavy things, or running, doing all of these things with as much force as possible. Sensory avoiders will be using their limbs and muscles the least amount possible. Things like lifting or pushing can feel very overwhelming to them. 

Vestibular: When I think of vestibular, I try to remember the “inner ear” because that’s the key point to vestibular sensory input. It’s spinning, swinging, and hanging upside down. Those that avoid vestibular input want their world to stay put. Anything that makes them dizzy or feels out of control is a no-go for this sensory input. Those that seek vestibular input are doing everything they can to throw their inner ear off balance- spinning, swinging, rolling, hanging upside down. 

Interoceptive: This is the feelings and senses that we have within ourselves. It’s within our brain letting us know how our body is doing and what we are feeling. And not just emotionally, but physically as well. This can be a headache from dehydration, it can be pain in your arm when it’s burned, or even just the feelings of a sad, broken heart. This sense can be incredibly strong for some and dull for others, meaning we all feel pain and emotion at different levels.  

I hope this mostly simplified version of the three new senses helps you understand them a little more. 

Do you have a sensory seeker or avoider in your home or your classroom?

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