April 2021
FOR PEOPLE WHO SELL TO TEACHERS, PARENTS AND SCHOOLS
New Ideas for Changing Spaces • Products that Help Kids Learn & Grow • Making Plans to Meet Again • Reflections on a Hard Year for Retailers
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THE ISSUE
All Shook Up by Kevin Fahy
I have a memory, from when I was a very small boy, of my father teaching me how to shake hands. He made clear that it was an important and necessary step toward becoming a man. A handshake was the method by which we introduced ourselves to strangers, acknowledged acquaintances, made agreements, expressed congratulations or condolences, offered thanks and generally showed respect. It must be firm but not aggressive, businesslike but not curt. Eye contact was essential. The origins of the custom go back to ancient Greece, where we find several references in Homer, but they could go back much further. We know that handshaking was commonplace among the Romans. Presumably, the open hand was extended to demonstrate the lack of a weapon, in a literal sense, and also to symbolize peacefulness and transparency. I’m not sure what the shaking part was about. I’ve never asked them, but I doubt that my father ever gave a lesson in handshaking to my two sisters, and somehow I can’t picture my mother instructing them either. Women were not required to shake hands back then, but if a woman offered you her hand you were expected to grasp her fingers gently and briefly. By the time I started making my way in the business world 20 years later, things had changed. The women’s movement encouraged women in business to expect to be treated the same as men, and that extended to the handshake. Some
women went a little overboard with it, but that was all right. I chalked it up to the fact that they had missed my father’s instruction. Some women also chose not to participate in the practice, for whatever reason. Perhaps they were making some sort of sociopolitical statement, or perhaps they just didn’t like people grabbing their hands. At any rate, handshaking was the norm in business, until the world was turned upside-down approximately one year ago. At that point the Centers for Disease Control suggested that we use “other non-contact methods of greeting.” If you insist on touching you can use an elbow bump, which has to be about the most awkward human interaction yet devised. Back in April of 2020 Dr. Anthony Fauci, upon whose wisdom we are totally dependent, said that we should never shake hands again. “Not only would it be good to prevent coronavirus disease, it probably would decrease instances of influenza dramatically in this country.” That notion is not new. I am a lifelong tennis player, a sport like many others that has traditionally been concluded with a handshake. A half-dozen years ago, during the outbreak of a disease we have since forgotten about, the players in my circle of acquaintance adopted the fist bump as a more hygienic method of congratulating the winner and wishing each other well. It’s also used to acknowledge a particularly good shot by one’s partner, much in the manner of a high five. Fist bumps are still direct contact (continued on page 6) April 2021 — EducationalDealerMagazine.com 3
April 2021
FOR PEOPLE WHO SELL TO TEACHERS, PARENTS AND SCHOOLS
3
8
The Issue
All Shook Up by Kevin Fahy
Play: A Tool to Fight Pandemic Isolation and Loneliness
10
Space Jam
12
16
30
A survey by The Toy Association’s Genius of Play indicates that seven in 10 parents believe the year in quarantine will have long-term effects on their child’s growth and development. COVID has accelerated a much-needed design shift toward more separation and privacy in public spaces, explains furniture designer Joe Agati.
In Observance of the Coronaversary – a year in the life of Chicago Teacher Store
Facebook became a diary of sorts for storeowner Belinda Carucci, whose posts reflect her frustration with the pandemic and her mission to educate children.
Step 1: Collect Member Insight
Jim McGarry updates us on EDmarket’s progress as EDspaces transitions to new owners.
Endcap
Why Bouncy Band Works (and why we need it now more than ever).
4 April 2021 — EducationalDealerMagazine.com
Departments
18
Cool & Hot
Innovations in the furniture & equipment category
22 Industry News 24 New & True 26 Eye on Education 28 Index of Advertisers
April 2021 — EducationalDealerMagazine.com 5
THE ISSUE (continued from page 3) though, so they are not acceptable conduct during the pandemic. Tennis players were quick to find an alternative that is not available to many athletes in other sports. We now touch rackets. It took a little practice, because tennis rackets are very hard, somewhat brittle and quite expensive, but eventually we got the hang of it. Irrespective of Dr. Fauci, I doubt that we will ever go back to a more tactile gesture. I play a lot of tennis, but I don’t suppose it will make much difference in my life whether we choose to shake hands or not. What we decide to do in business settings might be a little more consequential. As a salesman, I certainly shook my share of hands. It was the standard opening and closing of every sales call,
times the number of people I met on that call. I have no idea how many sales calls I made, but it’s been a lot of years since I left that life, so I guess I don’t need to figure out the new protocol. Up until the pandemic, there was still one venue at which I shook hands on a large scale, one I am hoping to return to this year. That would be tradeshows. Although I don’t know the exact number, I estimate that I attended approximately 150 tradeshows from 1978 to 2019. Most of them lasted about three days, and during an average day I guarantee that I shook at least 100 hands. That comes to 45,000 handshakes. In a typical year, there are more than 9,000 business-to-business tradeshows in the United States, making
6 April 2021 — EducationalDealerMagazine.com
it a $100 billion business. The total number of handshakes represented by those numbers is mind boggling. 2020 was not a typical year. Most of us had pretty severe problems in our businesses, of course, but the damage done by the pandemic was by no means evenly distributed. When you think about the sectors that were hit hardest, theaters, restaurants, airlines, hotels and cruise ships come to mind, but tradeshows would also be right up there. It’s going to take many years to assess the seismic changes to our culture that were caused by the virus, but some of them are surely related to our giant experiment in proximity. Out of necessity we were forced to figure out which human endeavors could be carried out from a distance, and which could not.
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Obviously, there are things that can only be experienced in person, like an airplane or cruise ship, and there are others that can be socially distanced (theoretically), like a theater or restaurant. Then there are the millions of office-based companies, like mine, that can completely separate all the employees from each other. We did that, with each person at home on a computer, and one person in the office coordinating everyone. Did it work? The short answer is yes. We produced quality products in a timely fashion. Everyone was conscientious and productive, and although people missed the interaction with colleagues, morale remained good. That reflected the experience of most companies throughout the U.S., leading to speculation that the traditional office setting was gone forever. Why pay for costly office space, particularly in precious markets like Manhattan? Why create all the greenhouse gases, traffic jams and car crashes that result from millions of commuters? We won’t know the long answer to all those questions for a long time, but I am of the strong opinion that physical interaction and collaboration are not just enjoyable but essential. A company with everyone distanced from each other is like an airplane on autopilot. It can fly all right, but it can’t really get anywhere. I feel the same way about trade shows. I’m sure the virtual shows are very sophisticated and will suffice to fill the void for right now, but long-term I am betting on face-to-face meetings to make a comeback. When I think back on those 150 conventions, it’s the personal connections that really mattered. Whenever in-person tradeshows return to the school supply industry, this company will attend. If you see me there, give me a fist bump.
You can e-mail Kevin at kfahy@fwpi.com. April 2021 — EducationalDealerMagazine.com 7
Play:
A Tool to Fight Pandemic Isolation and Loneliness by the team at The Genius of Play
According to new research commissioned by The Genius of Play and conducted by OnePoll, seven in 10 parents believe spending a year in quarantine will have long-term effects on their child’s growth and development.
An overwhelming majority (70 percent) also fear that their children under age 7 will not even remember a time before the pandemic. Here are more details and some positive play ideas to pass on to parents and teachers. Social Skills With the pandemic continuing to disrupt daily routines and keep us socially distant, parents with children ages two through 18 who were surveyed expressed concerns for their children’s ability to develop the critical social skills necessary to form relationships. The survey also found the following. • Nearly 70 percent of parents believe that their child’s social skills are stunted as a result of spending so much time in isolation. • More than 50 percent of parents worried that their child will have trouble connecting with people in-person in the future. • Forty-four percent of parents worried their child will have more difficulty playing with their peers. • Another 44 percent worried their child will have more difficulty making friends in the future. Managing Mental Health Just as The Genius of Play’s earlier research during the pandemic had indicated, children’s mental health continues to remain a central concern for parents. In this latest survey, four in 10 parents expressed these anxieties. • More than 70 percent of parents said they believe that in 2020, their child was lonelier than ever before. It was a feeling that carried over into their own lives – nearly 60 percent said they, too, felt lonelier during the pandemic. • Close to half of parents said they set up virtual playdates for their kids with friends to combat loneliness. • Half of the parents said they make sure kids spend time virtually with other family members.
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Staying Positive While it may often seem difficult to find a silver lining for 2020, parents did report some positive outcomes of the pandemic. At the top of that list was spending more time playing with their child (46 percent). Here are some other positive outcomes parents reported. • 74 percents said they have encouraged their child to play more to balance out their feelings of loneliness. • 76 percent of parents said playing with their child has been a positive escape from the reality of the pandemic. • 49 percent of parents reported spending more time outside. Engaging children in board, card and dice games helps them learn waiting, turn taking, sharing, making conversation, compromising, how to cope with losing and much more. The Hoyle 6-in-1 Fun Pack from The United States Playing Card Company contains six classic card games, from Old Maid to Go Fish. Other good Hoyle games include Seal Squad, “the fishy game of cooperation”; Monkey, May I?, which emphasizes self-control, self-awareness, and making good choices; and Super Me! that helps develop empathy (see the ad on the inside front cover). Sum It Up and Go Figure! from Didax are so fun that players may not realize that they’re honing their math skills (see the ad on this page). Perfect for virtual playmates are question-andanswer games like Would You Rather? Made You Think! (see the book by middle school social studies teacher Lindsey Daly), and conversation starters like Table Topics to Go from Fat Brain Toys. From Children’s Factory is a set of four giant Nest ’N Stack blocks and a set of 60 big Snap Blocs that are ideal for parent-and-child interactive fun, both indoors and out.
The Genius of Play (geniusofplay.org) provides information and inspiration to make play an important part of a child’s day. Through its website and social media channels, it provides facts, useful tips and expert advice on how play can help kids build confidence, creativity, critical thinking and other skills. Genius of Play is managed by The Toy Association, the not-for-profit trade association representing businesses that design, produce, license, and deliver toys and youth entertainment products for kids of all ages.
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April 2021 — EducationalDealerMagazine.com 9
Space Jam by Tina Manzer
Since its inception in 1981, Agati has been known for designing innovative furniture for public spaces. Under the direction of patriarch Joe, the family-owned company found a niche designing for libraries where Agati tables, chairs and study carrels provide long-lasting durability in an artistic way. Over the years, Agati’s client list has expanded to include colleges, universities and airports. Joe’s son Joe S. Agati has taken the helm as design director and chief operating officer along the way. His development of products like the POD and POD Jr. (see page 5) reflect his observations of the way people behave in public spaces and his subsequent solutions for improving their experience. Our question to him was this: how on Earth do you design for the publicspace challenge that is COVID? Here is what he told us.
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10 April 2021 — EducationalDealerMagazine.com
Joe S. Agati: This might be surprising, but the pandemic has actually just solidified the direction we were already going in with our furniture design. We have been focused on making people feel comfortable in a space for a long time, and whether we are in a pandemic or in “normal times” (whatever that means!), there are fundamental human behaviors that need to be considered when designing for public spaces. As we’ve continued to focus on designing for these behaviors, we’ve just made small changes, such as increasing panel height or including wider elements to spread people out, so that we can also help address health and safety requirements. So “virus-safety design” hasn’t been restrictive, necessarily. Our team is a collection of problem-solvers at heart, so any time we have a unique challenge to overcome, we get energized by coming up with new solutions. I wouldn’t say the events of the past year have restricted our designs; however, this last year has increased general awareness of the kinds of design people need to feel comfortable in a space, placing more focus on the design of the product rather than just hitting a seat or table count. This awareness has allowed us to create meaningful environments as public spaces prepare for what’s to come. When we focus on human needs in our spaces, we create a more impactful and transformative experience for our community.
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Is virus-safety design here to stay? That’s a great question! In many ways, it’s always been here, but people were just not listening. Prior to the pandemic, there was a large trend to over-pack environments. Besides current health concerns, this simply makes people feel uncomfortable. Now that we have all gone through such a challenging experience, we are more sensitive to what everyone needs in terms of comfort inside a space. So to answer the question more specifically – there are some furniture elements that we might not see required in three-to-five years (or five to 10!), but I hope the principles for crafting intentional spaces that we’ve learned during this last year are here to stay. Agati is a specialist in library-furniture design. What innovations will we see from you going forward? Prior to the pandemic, we saw major trends like flexibility and versatility in public spaces, meaning the need for spaces to be able to do more than one thing. The pandemic has just accelerated these trends. As we go forward, this means we all need to be able to adapt and adapt quickly. As our team considers new designs, we push ourselves to create things that are not only highly adaptable for today’s challenges, but will also still be great products for tomorrow. That was the mission behind our most recent innovations like FrameWork, a collection of movable walls; and some adaptations of our signature POD Study Carrel design. You can expect us to continue innovating to help improve the adaptability and flexibility of spaces. What would you like school planners and architects to know about your company? Agati Furniture has been designing furniture for public spaces (particularly for educational spaces) for nearly 40 years. In our experience, we have learned that there is a common 80 percent between all institutions in a given market. The last 20 percent is where we find the unique elements that set apart that institution’s community, vision, and purpose. Here at Agati, our product designs start by addressing the 80 percent, and then we work with clients to understand their unique 20 percent so we can tailor customized solutions to serve their community effectively for years to come. When we are able to serve students and our greater community effectively, our mission as a company has succeeded.
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April 2021 — EducationalDealerMagazine.com 11
In Observance of the Coronaversary
Belinda wears her passion for education on her sleeve – she was a classroom teacher in the Chicago public-school system before she opened her store. Her knowledge of what kids need to learn and grow has been a driving force in the success of her business.
A year in the life of Chicago Teacher Store
Before COVID, Belinda Carucci’s 24-year-old Chicago shop was busy and thriving, thanks, in part, to her frequent and folksy posts on Facebook. Her large and loyal following of teachers and parents often tuned in for product recommendations and fun encouragement, and then followed up with visits to the store’s Bucktown location. But when the pandemic hit and wore on into the spring and summer, Facebook become a Chicago Teacher Store diary of sorts, in which Belinda honestly presented the disappointing stop-and-go flow of the crisis and the ways it wreaked havoc on her business. Here are just some of the posts she wrote. As small business owners yourselves, you’ll be able to relate to her desperation and her gratitude and hope that things will improve this year.
March 4, 2020 Don’t panic, just be smart! And maybe post this learning chart from Trend Enterprises as a quick reminder to take extra care when washing your hands. Purchase it this week and we’ll laminate it – in case someone sneezes on it! March 13, 2020 As classes and schools consider closing down for a week or two, remember Chicago Teacher has plenty of resources to keep kids busy and on track. We are diligent about wiping down our counters and communal space every 30 to 45 minutes. We plan on staying open as long as we can. March 19, 2020 Temporary store hours today are 1 to 4 p.m. Private shopping is available 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 4 to 5 p.m.
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March 22, 2020 We will offer private shopping only starting Monday to follow the governor’s order to close our doors. Consider these options. 1. Call Chicago Teacher or email us to set up a time to shop. 2. Call us/email us to request workbooks and learning material to pick up. 3. Link to our Facebook Shop or Instagram Bio to find our favorite workbooks and learning activities. Order and have them shipped to your house. Staff will be in the store tomorrow for private shopping and to man the phone. We want to thank those who chose to shop in our store the last week. Be safe. Be healthy. March 23, 2020 It was awesome to get our first Instagram orders today! Let’s keep the learning going! Full speed ahead!
March 30, 2020 It is possible that students will not go back to school at all this year. That is terrifying. Sacrifices are being made in every aspect of our lives right now; educating our students may be one of them, but it doesn’t have to be. Make sure your kids are not just filling time but making progress. We can discuss what your kids are missing, and you can search our web store for material that is in the curriculum, rigorous, and meets standards. DO NOT loose educational ground! April 2, 2020 We get a lot of donation requests in the spring – so many that we can’t fulfill them all. But if you have seen our crafts baskets, gift certificates, or puzzle packs at an event – and you are still getting paid – support us! Support your salon, your kids’ guitar teacher, and your child’s daycare. In 30 days, the small business landscape will be different. Your favorite places may not be there. We feel lucky that COVID did not hit in August. But we still worry, and three orders a day will not get us to August. April 15, 2020 Experts say 25 percent of all small businesses will not survive COVID 19. There seems to be more media
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exposure and financial help available for bars and restaurants, but what about the small independent shops that have worked for years to build a business, have paid their payroll taxes, their sales tax, their corporate taxes, and have followed all the rules and ordinances the city expects them to? Chicago Teacher has applied for SBA assistance offered from the federal, state, and city government. Now we wait. No government agency has come forward to help us yet. We are doing it all on our own. We are fortunate that we have planned well and have the funds to wait – for now. But this is not ending anytime soon. THANK YOU to those who reached out to us. A $50 sale paid our gas bill. A $100 sale paid our electric bill, and a $200 sale this week paid our Comcast bill. Every dollar means that something is being taken care of here. April 17, 2020 It’s been a very difficult day, week, month for our small
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shop. We found out today from the bank we have done business with for 15 years that there is no money left in the Payroll Protection Program. Also, two private shoppers were a no-show today. Thankfully, our last customer – who has shopped here for years – left more-thana-little-extra money on the counter when we weren’t looking. It made us feel like someone was in our corner. We’ll try again tomorrow because that’s what small businesses do. May 16 It’s a gorgeous day to #shopsmall! We need you now more than ever! Your favorite taco spot, boutique, hair salon, and countless other Chicago favs may not be there when this is over! June 5, 2020 Yesterday was technically our first OPEN day in 11 weeks. Lots of
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neighborhood moms stopped by to support us and shop for crafts, puzzles and fun stuff to keep kids busy. Thank you! We also want to thank the customers who scheduled private shopping sessions or placed online orders in the past few months. We have a stack of people’s names who helped pay our bills and kept our spirits up.
we are not as busy as we hoped to be. This is a difficult and uncertain time for teachers, but we need your support more than ever.
June 30, 2020 Bad news: We only had one customer today. Good news: We put together an amazing bulletin board!
September 14 Now that BTS is in the rearview mirror, we want to thank our customers who came in looking to create home classrooms for themselves and for their kids. It was a different kind of BTS – teachers did not need us like they usually do. We are very grateful for the new customers and friends we made this year, but we need our old ones, too. If you missed your trip to the teacher store this BTS, consider stopping in.
July 12, 2020 Shop small, you say? It’s a fight we will never win, especially since one of our favorite suppliers of classroom decor has started to sell to Target. They don’t understand what small teacher stores across the country have been going through, and they’ve forgotten how much business we have given them in the past three decades. It is devastating to watch our industry disappears as small mom-and-pop shops give up their fight. Chicago Teacher cannot compete with Target, but we appreciate, engage and enjoy our customers more. And we will find great product from other companies to include in our store. June 16, 2020 Studies continue to remind parents that work needs to be done over the summer to keep little brains sharp and running. We have more than summer loss to consider – students missed a lot of learning this spring. As exhausted as teachers and parents may be from e-learning, there is more to be done. Consider devoting 30, 60, or 90 minutes each day to reviewing core concepts and to strengthen what is right now percolating in your child’s brain. July 25 We were featured in a Chicago Tribune article! We are honored that they reached out to our little shop during the back-to-school season. Unfortunately,
August 9 We haven’t been open on Sunday since pre-COVID, but here we are, 11 to 3. Hope to see ya!
October 22, 2020 A small explanation of our quirky hours is in order. After years of running long distances and 24 years of standing at Chicago Teacher, my hip has given out! And with COVID, we are short staffed. Please check hours on our social media platforms or call ahead. November 10, 2020 For small businesses, the walls are falling in. We don’t cry or complain anymore – it is what it is. We just know that winter will be our final chapter. If you can support Chicago Teacher and your favorite shop or neighborhood joint in the coming months, you might have an impact. But if you don’t, they won’t be waiting for you in 2021. February 1, 2021 A shout out to The Barstool Fund for helping us through! In the past 10 months, we applied for multiple grants, reached out to congressmen, our governor, and our mayor and did not even receive an acknowledgement of our situation as a small business, much less any relief. Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool
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Sports, and his amazing grassroots organization has helped hundreds of small businesses, including Chicago Teacher, in as close to a Hail Mary as you can imagine. With his help, we can pay employees, cover the outrageous Illinois payroll taxes, and meet rent. We are also grateful to our landlord, who was kind enough to amend our current lease so that we can survive past June 2021. In 24 years, we have never missed a single rent payment. If you know Chicago Teacher, you know our staff is incredibly close. Hannah, Ann, Kristin, Ton, and Peter are all amazing. They have worked and covered shifts and afforded me the small luxury of Saturdays off with my family. February 27, 2021 Back to school, kinda. For some kids, this week will mark the first time they have been in a classroom since March 2020. Wonder what’s going on in their little minds? Are they (continued on page 21)
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Step 1:
Collect Member Insight In Ed Dealer’s last issue, we reported on the sale of EDspaces, the Education Market Association’s annual event, to tradeshow presenter Emerald Holding. In this issue, Jim McGarry, EDmarket’s president and CEO, updates us on the event’s transition to Emerald and the association’s first steps toward reinvention.
How would you rate the success of the virtual EDspaces last November? We were very pleased with the EDspaces Digital Experience. As a result of our AI-driven appointmentsetting software, there were more than 600 meetings that occurred between attendees and exhibitors. The education sessions were excellent and since they were all recorded, the industry will have the opportunity to continue to learn from the content.
Now that Emerald is managing EDspaces, what can attendees expect at the 2021 show? As the main sponsor of EDspaces, EDmarket is working very closely with Emerald to create a smooth transition. Attendees can expect the same great content since EDmarket is continuing to manage that process. The exhibit floor is close to being sold out and continues to be the largest display of educational furniture and equipment anywhere. As of now there are no significant differences being planned from previous EDspaces. However, Emerald does have some resources and connections that EDmarket did not, and in the future we believe the event will become an even more important resource for the educational facilities industry.
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In terms of the reinvention of the Education Market Association itself, what do you and the board have in mind? This is an exciting time for EDmarket as we investigate new value propositions for our members. In February, we reached out to our members and the industry at large about current challenges in order to identify some of the potential benefits we can offer to help address these issues. The response was very good and we are currently setting up subcommittees to evaluate the data and explore new programs. Any changes to the association’s mission? We envision that EDmarket will stay firmly focused on the intersection of pedagogy, space and technology. Unfortunately with COVID, embarking on a normal strategic planning process is a little more difficult. We are hopefully looking to bring the board and industry guests together in the early summer to engage in a very thorough process. Our current focus is making sure that the transition of EDspaces to Emerald is as seamless as possible for the industry. There are no tradeshows other than EDspaces
planned in the immediate future. We will wait for the strategic planning process to guide us going forward. How many members does EDmarket have currently? Who are they? We are pleased to say that our membership is holding very steady through a very difficult year for our industry. EDmarket currently has 450 members. They are mostly manufacturers, independent reps and dealers of educational products. We did expand our membership categories. It has allowed architects and designers, and school and college officials, to become members. What kind of growth and opportunity do you see for the education market going forward? As schools reopen for in-person learning there continue to be tremendous opportunities in the education market. The COVID experience has created many new challenges in the delivery of content, the technology used for distribution, and the physical space in which it is delivered. EDmarket plans to be highly engaged in helping our members explore these opportunities.
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Cool Hot innovations in the furniture and equipment category 1. The birch veneer Mobile Sensory Table from Children’s Factory features a convenient shelf and four clear trays and lids. Each is designed to hold up to 20 pounds of sensory accessories. childrensfactory.com.
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2. The 440SE Individual Student Desk from USA Capitol is lightweight yet durable, easy-to-clean, and totally customizable. It’s available in 22 laminate colors with a spray edge or hard plastic. A book basket and variety glides are optional. usacapitol.com
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3. The Sanitation Stations from Fun Company provide basic sanitary needs for any business. It works great in any location. Show your employees and customers that you care about their health and their business. funcomfg.com 4. See-Thru Student Desktop Shields from Jonti-Craft keep students and employees protected. The durable see-thru acrylic shields are available in multiple heights for maximum safety and visibility for users of all ages. jonti-craft.com
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5. The unique, granular Body Fluid Solidifier from Kore Designs quickly absorbs and solidifies body fluids such as blood, urine, vomit, feces and mucus. At the same time, it assists in eliminating odors thanks to the addition of all-natural thyme oil. Generally Recognized as Safe (G.R.A.S.) by the FDA. korestool.com
18 April 2021 — EducationalDealerMagazine.com
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6. The Wobble Chairs for Kids from Kore Designs have a gently-rounded bottom to encourage active sitting. Continuous movement increases secondary focus. They come in vibrant colors and multiple sizes ranging from 10 to 18.7 inches. They’re made in the USA with built-in antimicrobial protection. The new rubber pad provides anti-slip and floor protection. korestool.com 7. The Kids Adjustable Standard Wobble Chair from Kore Designs has a gentlyrounded bottom for active sitting. Continuous movement increases secondary focus. Using the Actuator Ring, seat height can adjust from 14 to 19 inches to grow with a child. It is assembled in the USA with built-in antimicrobial protection in the seat and base. New rubber pad adds anti-slip and floor protection. korestool.com 8. Use the new Time Timer WASH – a touchless visual timer for handwashing – to help teachers and students keep their classrooms safe by following CDC recommendations. 513-561-419 timetimer.com/distributors
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9. The Kids Sit-Stand Mobile Student Desk from Kore Designs transforms classrooms into active, flexible spaces. It’s easy to move to reformat seating configuration as needed. The adjustable height workspace has a sturdy antimicrobial plastic tabletop that tilts from 0-90 degrees flat. It takes up less space than a traditional desk and stacks neatly for storage or easy cleaning. korestool.com April 2021 — EducationalDealerMagazine.com 19
Cool Hot 10. C-Line’s Chair Cubbies in assorted colors instantly create additional storage for students at their desk. Simply slide one over the top of a chair to store binders, folders and more. Sized for chairs measuring 14 inches or less across the top. c-line.com
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11. With a roof and flower beds, the Outdoor Garden Center from Wood Designs (WD991519) offers children the opportunity for year-round play outdoors. The frame is constructed from durable and nontoxic acetylated wood that defies the elements in any season – no shrinking, warping or rotting. wooddesigns.com 12. The Portable Handwashing and Sanitizing Station (HWS-009S) from Monsam Enterprises is a single basin self contained model. It comes with all the sanitizing items needed to keep you safe, including the antibacterial countertop and hot/cold running water. portablesink.com
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13. AWT World Trade offers the widest selection of drying and storage racks anywhere, for all budgets and applications. They have hundreds of uses – drying, storing, transporting rigid or semi-rigid objects, and more. They’re perfect for the classroom, workshop, studio, home, print shop or office. sales@dryingandstorageracks. com, dryingandstorageracks.com
20 April 2021 — EducationalDealerMagazine.com
Chicago Teacher Store (continued from page 15) nervous? Excited? Determined? Set the stage for a positive experience. Create a fresh, warm, and safe space that welcomes them and makes them excited with their choice to return. Things will certainly be different. Make your classroom a place everyone wants to be – including you! March 1, 2021 If you shopped local at Chicago Teacher this weekend – THANK YOU. We need our teachers back shopping in-store as they head back into their classrooms this month. We have lots of cool products to light up your room and laminating is still available while you shop! Grab your mask and get in here! What issues are owners of independent teacher stores facing right now? Use Educational Dealer as a forum for sharing victories and disappointments by sending your comments to tmanzer@fwpi.com. Subject Line: EDforum
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33 33 new new items items to to help help teach teach social social emotional emotional learning, learning, a sense sense of of community, communit y, and and acceptance acceptance in in the the classroom! classroom!
April 2021 — EducationalDealerMagazine.com 21
INDUSTRY NEWS In 2020, C-Line, a leading developer and manufacturer of storage, protection and organization products, was busy developing new products and updating its look to position the company to better serve its customers. New in 2021 for the 70-year-old company are a re-designed logo and tagline– “Inspiring Organization Since 1949” – and new corporate colors. Using its new designs, C-Line is introducing new stylish packaging for its top retail products. Most recently, it unveiled a new catalog that infuses new products and categories with a bold new design. Among the new products are items perfect for the manufacturing industry, as well as the automotive, education, home, and office markets. The catalog is available for viewing in an easy-to-use flip book format at c-lineproducts.com/catalog.html “After a year of so much uncertainty and change, we are delighted to announce the launch of our new 2021 C-Line product catalog!” says Jennifer Krach, vice president of sales and marketing. “Breathing new life and energy into the C-Line brand is at the forefront of our marketing strategy this year and we believe the new catalog achieves this very goal. Bright product colors, crisp white backgrounds, and visually appealing images come together to inspire a true feeling of organization – at home, in the office, or at school.” Coming soon is the launch of a new C-Line website that incorporates more interactive features, Jennifer adds. C-Line is headquartered in Mount Prospect, Illinois. For more information contact Jean Andersen at 224-580-2049 or jandersen@c-line.com.
In 2020, the U.S. office supplies industry generated $12.6 billion in sales, down 0.3 percent compared to 2019, reports The NPD Group. Despite challenges that impacted the back-to-school selling season – including shifts to remote learning, delayed school openings, and a continually evolving learning structure (remote, hybrid, and in-person) – e-commerce, organizational products, mailing & shipping supplies, and coloring & art materials drove industry sales. 22 April 2021 — EducationalDealerMagazine.com
As has been the case in many industries, e-commerce sales saw strong gains in office supplies, up 35 percent year over year, as the pandemic caused temporary store closures and consumer hesitancy about in-store shopping. In fact, e-commerce sales made up 20 percent of retail sales in 2020 compared to 15 percent in 2019. A slow back-to-school season, with total sales down 10 percent versus 2019, played the biggest role in e-commerce growth. That period is typically an in-store growth driver. In addition to growing e-commerce sales, sales of products in the storage category (used for home organization) and mailing/shipping products were up in 2020 by 10 percent and 21 percent, respectively. Organizational products saw gains driven by the growing number of consumers that needed or wanted to revamp their living and working spaces to accommodate the increased amount of time at home. Top categories included shredders (+18 percent) and presentation boards (+13 percent). Mailing and shipping products benefited from the increase of items being shipped, including marketplace sellers that needed packaging materials, as well as Americans who chose to relocate during this time. For those who were looking for creative ways to pass the time at home in 2020, art and coloring products were a great fit. This category saw 17 percent revenue increases compared to the previous year. The paint and painting supplies subcategory was up 28 percent as consumers pursued various art trends through virtual classes. “Outside of the third quarter, the office supplies industry posted growth each quarter of 2020. Increases in categories related to lifestyle changes as a result of COVID drove this performance and helped offset the decline of school supplies purchases during the backto-school season,” said Leen Nsouli, executive director and office supplies industry analyst at The NPD Group. “We expect trends around moving, home office, home organization, and marketplace seller shipping activity to continue to accelerate into 2021 with the potential return to school and the workplace providing further bright spots heading into the fall.”
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On February 22, nearly 400 people tuned in to a lively town hall hosted by the Institute for Local Self Reliance (ILSR). The discussion centered on the ways Amazon’s growing dominance hurts independent businesses and what Congress can do to help them. The roundtable event entitled “Reining in Monopoly Power: Small Businesses and the Push to Strengthen Antitrust Laws,” was sponsored by 17 small business groups, including the American Booksellers Association, the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association, and the Independent Office Products & Furniture Dealers Association. Among the panelists were Zephyr Teachout, a Fordham University law professor and author; Stacy Mitchell, ILSR co-director; Mike Tucker, president & CEO of the Independent Office Products & Furniture Dealers Association; Derek Peebles, executive director of the American Independent Business Alliance; Dana Eness, executive director of StayLocal; Dan Cullen, senior strategy officer of the American Booksellers Association; and Congressman David Cicilline, House Antitrust Subcommittee Chair. Business owners, including a Kansas bookstore owner, a grocer from Alabama, and an office products dealer in Washington, D.C., shared their stories. They engaged the panelists with insightful questions, including how to break up Amazon. Rep. Cicilline assured the audience that he and his colleagues have a plan: “We intend, in Congress, to seize this moment … to address this monopoly challenge we face in our country, because our failure to do so is not an option.” To watch the event, visit ilsr.org.
Our tapes have been manufactured to be clean removable, pH Neutral, acid-free and conform to ASTM 4236 - so they’re SAFE to use on artwork, books, walls and more! Reach out to Steve Espinal at sespinal@protapes.com or call 1-800-345-0234 ext. 133 www.protapes.com
April 2021 — EducationalDealerMagazine.com 23
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Hot glue guns are dangerous in a classroom. UGlu from Pro Tapes is a nontoxic removable adhesive that is safe for students of all ages! protapes.com
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Liven up math instruction with the Play & Learn Math collections from Scholastic. The reproducible games and activities provide innovative, creative ideas for teaching key skills using standard classroom manipulatives. scholastic.com/trcatalog
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24 April 2021 — EducationalDealerMagazine.com
Eureka’s brand-new Healthy Habits bulletin board set helps students practice good hygiene, proper hand-washing techniques, strategies to feel better when feeling angry or frustrated, and more! It includes six healthy habits posters and 12 reminder markers to display throughout the classroom. 1-866-394-5047, eurekachool.com
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Sandtastik offers Peel ’N Stick Sand Art Boards in pre-cut designs or blank. They’re available in 5 by 7-inch and the NEW 8 by 10-inch size. Peel off the pre-cut top paper layer to reveal a sticky surface and sprinkle on colored sand. Designs include space, dinosaurs, flowers, holiday characters, and more! For ages 4+. Certified non-toxic and conforms to ASTM D 4236. sandtastikproducts.com
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The Thingamajig Fun Sensory Pillow Activity Toy from Bouncy Bands facilitates hands-on learning, improves focus, reduces anxiety and enhances fine motor skills, hand eye coordination and problemsolving abilities. bouncyband.com
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10 The realistic Pretend Play Teachers Set from LittiCity features everything tiny teachers need in their pretend classroom. In addition to a whiteboard, markers and eraser, this set features magnetic numbers, sticker rewards for the students, classroom signs, three sets of flash cards and a pointer stick. Completing the kit is a teacher bag, bell and eyeglasses! litticity.com
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Go Figure! from Didax helps build fluency with operations. The first player creates an equation with their cards; play continues as other players create new equations. The first to use all their cards wins! didaxdealer.com
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Sharks are Wild from Hoyle is great fun for kids and parents. Build simple five-card sequences around the number five. Stay sharp, because sharks are wild! Two levels of play create fun for beginners and advanced players. Easy, fun for all ages and great way to reinforce basic math concepts! carrie.devillez@ usplayingcard.com
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Removable Mounting Tabs from Miller Studio are perfect for school, office and dorms! The value pack includes 480 tabs, size 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch. Hang posters, charts, calendars and more. They’re easily removable and don’t damage walls. magicmounts.com
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The Wikki Stix Personal Learning Pak for Educational Activities is safe, clean, hands-on individual learning! No sharing! No touching! Adapts to most educational applications. info@ wikkistix.com
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EYE ON EDUCATION College Admissions Scandal Gets the Hollywood Treatment
“Is there any risk that this thing blows up in my face?” asks one parent in “Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal,” a new Netflix documentary that debuted March 17. In this ripped-from-the-headlines exposé, celebrity parents attempt to game the college admissions process but instead get stung by the FBI, land in jail, and enrage non-celeb parents everywhere with their hubris. The incidents that inspired the film beg these questions: “What are the deeper realities behind college admissions; are there secret strategies for circumventing its exclusionary, quasimystical process that are only available to the wealthy; and how can legitimate, fully certified college counselors help students navigate the difficult university admissions process the proper way? “Netflix has done a service to prospective students and their parents by documenting what not to do to get into college,” writes Dave Tomar, editor of Inflection, the opinion, editorial, and news analysis journal of AcademicInfluence.com. “But getting into college isn’t about skirting the law. It’s why we want to look at the crime but also provide answers for how students can improve their admissions chances the right way.” Tomar knows of what he writes. Author of The Shadow Scholar: How I Made a Living Helping College Kids Cheat (Bloomsbury, 2012), he worked for a decade as an academic ghostwriter before bringing widespread attention to the thriving cheating industry that undermines higher education. As is clear, it’s a problem that persists. Under the pseudonym “Ed Dante,” Tomar’s original “The Shadow Scholar” for The Chronicle of Higher Education remains among the journal’s most read articles.
In his recent Inflection article, Tomar shines further light on the dark side of the story by exploring the following: • how college counseling can lead down a slippery slope; • how the affluent use money to improve college admissions chances; and • the techniques unscrupulous advisers use to cheat the system. He also highlights the positive aspects of honest, fully certified college counseling, including: • legitimate admissions strategies that can improve acceptance; • qualities to look for in a trustworthy college counselor; and • the best college counseling services in the business. “Competition is fierce for limited space at the top colleges,” Tomar says. “The Varsity Blues scandal showed us that some parents will do just about anything to win that competition. It also showed us that the college admissions process favors the wealthy. But if there is a positive takeaway here, it’s that the flaws have been laid bare. Let’s hope illumination brings change.” AcademicInfluence.com is a technology-driven rankings site dedicated to students, researchers, and inquirers from high school through college and beyond, offering resources that connect learners to leaders. AcademicInfluence. com is a part of the EducationAccess group, a family of sites dedicated to lifelong learning and personal growth.
The Threat of a Teacher Shortage is Real Education Dive reports that the teacher shortage problem has grown worse and threatens to jeopardize districts’ ability to reopen safely in California. The information comes from a Learning Policy Institute report, based on California data, which focuses on supply and demand, increasing
26 April 2021 — EducationalDealerMagazine.com
resignations, retirements, turnovers and vacancies, and the number of new teachers entering the workforce. Shortages in smaller rural districts are particularly severe, especially in math and science, and the shift back to in-person learning with smaller class sizes will further stretch the workforce. Workload and burnout are cited as concerns, as are increasing numbers of retirements and resignations. “The problem is exacerbated in the pipeline by teacher license testing policies and inadequate financial aid to complete preparation programs,” says the article. “The report suggests building high-retention pathways into education through teacher residency, which makes the profession more affordable and attainable. It cites California’s Golden State Teacher Grant Program as an example of financial supports that help recruit and retain new teachers in highneed areas and subjects. The teacher shortage problem isn’t new, nor is it limited to California. Following Hurricane Katrina, for instance, the Orleans Parish school district dismissed all of its employees as the city underwent a transition to a charter and choice-based system of charter schools. By the fall of 2007, approximately 50 percent of them returned to work in administrative, teaching, or other positions in the state’s publicly funded schools. That number includes two groups: 32 percent who were re-employed in New Orleans schools and 18 percent who were reemployed in other Louisiana parishes, reports the Education Research Alliance. But by 2013, the number of pre-Katrina teachers had dropped 22 percent. In the wake of the pandemic, veteran teachers nearing retirement age may not choose to return to the classroom. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 29.2 percent of teachers are 50 or older. Teacher demand has outpaced supply since 2012, reports Education
Dive, and that gap grew to more than 110,000 in the 2017-2018 school year, up from a 20,000-teacher deficit in 2012-2013, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
Must-have Remote Learning Tool Wins International Design Award
TutorCam, the remote learning device created by a California dad at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, has grown into a tool used for online medical, business and leisure activities. Honored with two wins at the prestigious International Design Awards, TutorCam shared the IDA podium with transformative designs by some of the world’s leading companies, including Apple, Google, Volvo, PepsiCo, Sony and Under Armour. The TutorCam is a document camera stand designed to hold a smartphone, iPad, or tablet during a video conference. It has an extra viewing window to focus on participants’ desks and the materials they are working on, including their workbooks, notepads, mini whiteboards, and science experiments. A regular remote learning lesson only allows teachers and students to see faces, explains inventor Brandon Kennington from Los Angeles-based BlueKube. TutorCam’s extra camera space allows participants to also see their work live. Like the hand-built, pure electric Evija hypercar from Lotus, which took the IDA Product Design of the Year Award, TutorCam has a beautiful, sleek and functional design. But unlike the car’s $2-million price tag, the TutorCam Go sells for $45 and the TutorCam Pro sells for $65. Brandon came up with the idea in the early days of the pandemic. He was trying to help teach a remote math class at his son’s elementary school, and assist his daughter during a virtual piano lesson. “When my daughter started her piano lessons remotely, I used one of those long, flexible selfie sticks to hold a phone over her hands so the teacher could see them as she played,” recalled Brandon. “We then used the same ‘invite link’ for the video conference for a laptop on the piano to view her face. It worked. The same link could be used twice by two different devices. That’s when the lightbulb went on.” The key was a design that used both the front and rear cameras on a smartphone or tablet. Glass prisms were the solution. “We worked extra-hard to get the product into the hands of teachers and students before school started last fall,” he added. “We knew we wanted this to be a low-cost and lowtech solution, given most kids and teachers were already overwhelmed with new technology.”
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Chairs Desks Tables Accessories April 2021 — EducationalDealerMagazine.com 27
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(continued from page 30) in the Comfy Peapod relaxes, quiets and calms down most kids,” explains Jeffrey Elsner, Bouncyband’s vice president of sales & development. “It’s perfect for those who are fidgety and can’t sit still to read or study.” The Peapod’s three inflatable compartments enable kids to rock side to side, providing an outlet for excess energy and fostering a sense of calmness. In February, Bouncyband introduced the Thingamajig Sensory Pillow, a soft fidget tool that helps build fine motor, problem-solving and counting skills. “Today we design a variety of unique products that use movement to stimulate the brain and boost mental performance,” Jeffrey adds. “Our products are developed to capture the proven benefits of the Yerkes-Dodson Law, which states that physical stimulation can improve and help achieve optimum mental performance when one is neither over-stimulated nor under-stimulated.”
Company Agati AWT World Trade Bouncy Bands C-Line Products Childbrite by Manta-Ray Children’s Factory Didax Education Educators Resource Eureka / Css Industries Fun Company Jonti-Craft Koplow Kore Design LLC Marco Group
Some stress is good The YerkesDodson law, developed in 1908 by psychologists Robert Yerkes and John Dillingham Dodson, is a model of the relationship between stress and task performance, explains the holistic-health website Healthline.com. It’s less a scientific “law” and more of a psychological concept that suggests we reach our peak performance level with an intermediate level of stress. For instance, if your work is routine and nothing ever changes, there’s too little stress and you become bored and unmotivated. The flip side occurs when you’re too
ADVERTISER INDEX
Page
Website
Company
5 agati.com 14 awt-gpi.com 11 bouncyband.com 30 c-lineproducts.com 23 childbrite.com 13 childrensfactory.com 9 didaxdealer.com 10 erdealer.com 21 eurekaschool.com 31 funcomfg.com 7 jonti-craft.com 12 koplowgames.com 9, 15, 21, 27 korestool.com Back Cover marcogroupinc.com
Publisher J. Kevin Fahy kfahy@fwpi.com Editorial Director Tina Manzer tmanzer@fwpi.com Graphic Artist Christopher Cornett christopher@fwpi.com 28 April 2021 — EducationalDealerMagazine.com
Page
Website
Miller Studio Inc. 4 magicmounts.com Monsam Portable Sinks 11 portablesink.com Protapes & Specialties 23 protapes.com Romanoff Products 7 romanoffproducts.com Sandtastik 30 sandtastik.com Scholastic Teacher Resources 16 scholastic.com The McChesney Group 8 themcchesneygroup.com The United States Playing Card Company Inside Front Cover usplayingcard.com Time Timer LLC 17 timetimer.com USA Capitol 27 usacapitol.com Ward Products/The Hubbard Group 3 hubbardcompany.com Wikki Stix 6 wikkistix.com Wood Designs 15 wooddesigns.com
Advertising Director Tim Braden tbraden@fwpi.com
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The Foot Tapper Fidget Button and the Foot Roller help increase focus for kids and adults. The Peapod comes in two sizes for kids age 3 to 6 and 6 to 12. With zippers, buttons, snaps and more, the new Thingamajig invites tactile exploration.
stressed and anxious to do your best, like during the final play of the season when you’re up to bat. Stimulation that’s just right depends on the task. A simpler task requires a higher amount, while a more challenging task requires a lower amount. Students who sit at an uncomfortable desk all day listening without moving can easily become bored. They need more stimulation, and that’s where the Bouncy Band and other movement products come in. Improving concentration and providing solace If you think a long Zoom meeting is mind-numbing, imagine how children feel when they sit all day watching their teacher explain concepts on a computer screen. What’s worse than the lack of stimulation is the expectation that children will get as much out of the virtual presentation as they would from an in-person exchange. Maybe that explains the rapid increase in the sales of fidget toys and movement solutions like the Bouncyband products. “Anxiety surrounding COVID-19 and working or attending school from home is a challenge,” explains Julie Schwitzer, professor of psychiatry and behavior sciences at the UC Davis Mind Institute. “People are expected to be paying attention to virtual meetings for hours. Anything you can do to help improve people’s attention, alertness and emotional regularity could be helpful.” “When a child needs to look at and/or listen to a teacher, quiet, tactile manipulatives can be effective classroom tool choices to help promote that increased focus,” adds Sydney Zentall, Ph.D., a professor of Educational Studies at Purdue University. Sydney’s and Julie’s comments were included in the February newsletter from Sandy Ruben & Associates, a
toy-manufacturers rep firm. “Fidget toys have exploded in popularity again,” Sandy reported in the newsletter. He set out to find out why. First, he discovered that not all fidgets are created equal – some are better at helping kids focus and others are better at soothing anxiety. Since the start of the pandemic, people have been looking for solutions that do both. What Sandy calls “sensory fidgets” enable children to focus on instructional learning by providing comforting and repetitive motion – like feet bouncing on a Bouncy Band. Since sensory fidgets do not require visual attention and are not distracting to others, they can be utilized while instruction is going on to increase individual focus. “Skill fidgets” involve manipulating an object. They’re more challenging to operate, and they require visual attention and, often, a certain amount of manual dexterity. Skill fidgets are useful during breaks in instruction as a way to release anxiety. “Fidget gadgets have been especially helpful during the pandemic,” says Jennifer Rothman, a licensed clinical social worker in New York. “Anxiety thrives on unpredictability, and we have a lot of that right now. Finding calming practices and ways to manage stress is even more crucial today and tactile input can be incredibly soothing.” While many toy professionals considered fidgets a fad, bouncing, tapping, spinning and popping devices have proven they have a much larger purpose and wider reach. As effective tools for meeting longstanding needs, devices like the Bouncy Band may grow in popularity this year as the need for focus and comfort continues.
April 2021 — EducationalDealerMagazine.com 29
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Why Bouncy Band Works and why we need it now more than ever by Tina Manzer
We’re all familiar with the studies that prove children learn better when they move, fidget, or are actively engaged. The research says that moving is soothing, fuels concentration and keeps people on task. Today, there are a variety of products that meet that need, from active seating solutions to fidget spinners. Scott Ertl, an elementary school counselor in North Carolina, was a pioneer in the educational “moving” movement. In 2014 he created the Bouncy Band, a rubber-band footrest that consists of two patented tubes and a thick heavy-duty tension band. When the Bouncy Band is installed on individual chairs or desks, students can use their pent-up nervous energy to bounce their feet on it, using their excess energy to • stimulate blood flow to the brain to enable active learning; • improve focus; • enhance creativity; and • absorb more information by engaging multiple senses. Because it keeps their feet from dangling, it also makes students more comfortable and allows them to rest their legs. Students using a Bouncy Band stay on task 10-percent longer than those who do not, according to an independent study by Clemson University. The bands are especially helpful for high-energy kids who have trouble sitting still. Children who exhibited a higher number of passive off-task behaviors at the beginning of the study
showed fewer off-task behaviors after they used the band. In the last seven years, Bouncyband has remained in the forefront of the burgeoning movement market with the development of innovative tools for both children and adults. In addition to Bouncy Bands in various sizes for student chairs, desks, and office chairs, the company also makes Wiggle Seats, No-Roll Weighted Balance Balls, Wiggle Wobble Chair Feet, a Foot Roller and Wiggle Feet. The Comfy Hugging Peapod, which resembles a puffy inflatable canoe, offers soothing deep pressure for a calming sense of security. “Just a few minutes (continued on page 28)
Inspiring Organization Since 1949
30 April 2021 — EducationalDealerMagazine.com
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