Mt. Healthy Elementary School fifth-grade students may unwind through a dedicated space in their classroom.
Amy Nagel, who has taught at the school for 20 years, created an amygdala first aid station using a $555 grant she received this spring from the Bartholomew Consolidated School Foundation.
The station in the back of the classroom includes items such as fidget cubes, bean bags, weighted lap pads, resistance bands and bubble wrap. The area is also meant to provide self-regulation if someone is having a bad day, she said.
Nagel said self-regulation is the ability to control one’s emotions, noting that her students are able to identify if they need to take a step back and find a stress relieving item that works for them. Nagel added her students have their own preferences on what items they like to use.
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The weighted lap pad is supposed to be a calming device, Nagel said.
Nagel added that students typically use the amygdala station if they are upset. It is also used when something has happened to a student on the bus or during recess, she said.
“They can come over here at any time,” Nagel said. “If someone needs it, they get first priority.”
The amygdala first aid station, which doesn’t cause any noise in the classroom, has been popular among students.
“I want them to experience everything so if they are upset, they know what’s best for them,” Nagel said. “Everybody has their own thing.”
Nagel said she came up with the project after researching some ideas on Pinterest.
Nagel said she wasn’t certain how many amygdala first aid stations have been established across the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp., but noted that Mt. Healthy fourth-grade teacher Emily Harris has a similar station available in her classroom.
“I kind of wanted a space where they (students) could get away,” Nagel said.
Fifth-grade student Izzy Patterson is among those who has taken advantage of the first aid station and said she enjoys sitting on the beanbags since it allows her to relax.
Patterson said she likes coming over to the space during tests because she feels focused. Nagel said the space is for students to use if they are upset, but is available for anyone who wishes to use it based on a first-come, first-served basis.
Fifth-grade students may need to use the amygdala station if something happened to them at home or during recess that might have caused them to be upset, Nagel said.
One situation where a student might be upset is after playing an outdoor game known as Gaga, Nagel said. Students who might be eliminated from the game, but didn’t think they were supposed to be, could possibly be upset after recess, Nagel said.
The amygdala station is available to help students calm down in such instances, she added.
“I think it helps some kids to get away and focus on what they’re doing,” Nagel said of the amygdala station.
Lila Fox, another student who has also used the amygdala station since the beginning of the school year, said the space allows her to get through tests easier. The 10-year-old encouraged other students to look into using the space.
“They should consider it because it helps you calm down,” she said.
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The following are items in the amygdala first aid station in fifth-grade teacher Amy Nagel’s classroom at Mt. Healthy Elementary School:
Beanbag chairs
Fidget cubes
Weighted lap pads
Resistance bands
Paper
Bubble wrap
Five-minute fidget devices
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