Ball Chairs in the Classroom

A fourth grade class at St. Simons Elementary School has traded in their standard classroom chairs for "ball chairs."  Ball chairs are similar to rubber exercise balls, but have prongs on the bottom to help keep them in place when not being used.  The classroom teacher, Jacqueline Tyre, reports that the balls have been a big hit with the students.  The balls have eliminated the problem of keeping feet off the chairs and allow the kids to have movement and flexibility during the day.  She allows the students to bounce on the balls during morning announcements, probably to get the "bouncing urge" out of the way.  Elementary kids are not made to sit still on chairs for most of the day and this seems like a good alternative to the stiff-backed chairs that I grew up with.  http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2010/11/03/mct_gaballchairs.html?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mrss