PHMEF Grant for Elementary Fidget Tools Featured on Local TV

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Cooper Marsh is many things. >> I'm in third. And do you like third grade so far? >> Yeah, I've had a pretty good time. >> Cooper is smart and active. He has a desire to know how things work and he loves to read. >> And now I'm going to explain how the joints actually stick together on things like this. >> Cooper also needs help channeling his energy. >> When do you use these fidget tools? Some kids leave them at their desk, of course, which is not what I do. Um, the

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reason why I have them is I have issues not touching others while I'm sitting down. So, I use these to help keep my hands occupied. >> So, I Cooper is uh he's 9 years old. He goes to Elsie Rogers. He um when he was uh in preschool, he was diagnosed with ADHD and autism. This is Cooper's dad, Kyle Marsh. Marsh is also a Penn High School teacher and robotics coach. >> Like, I have a I have a child with autism. That's okay. Like, I don't want him to be anything other than my kid,

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but I don't want the world to ever see him as anything less than what he is, which is fantastic. >> Last year, Marsh applied for a grant from the PHM Education Foundation. His idea, purchase and install 3D printers in all of PHM's elementary schools so they could print customized fidget tools for kids like his son Cooper. >> Like my own child um I saw his struggles and you know I we had a fidget toy that we had 3D printed and I uh my student gave it to me and said, "Here you go,

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Mr. Marshian." And I took it home and I gave it to my kid and I he just sat there for 20 minutes playing with the thing and I said, "We we we might be on to something here." The organization awarded him nearly $5,000 to purchase the 3D printers and filament. Penn High School robotics students helped install the 11 printers. >> So, I mean, I think it's cool to see how the the little kids and even the teachers are learning about this, but it also makes me dive a little bit deeper

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so that I can teach the kids and the teachers about it. >> And the high schoolers maintain the printers and assist teachers. So here I have a fidget cube that you can kind of just always rotate it. Infinity cube. It goes in different directions. Each side has different kind of tactile functions to it so that if you're kind of not looking at it and you're fidgeting with it, you can still feel each side. >> Fidget tools can help students of all ages with sensory support, focus, and

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energy. Just ask Caitlyn Moffett, who works with students at Elsie Rogers Elementary. >> We have students that are non-verbal. We have students that have mobility issues. We have students who um need support with academics. >> And Moffett says fidget tools do help. Now, thanks to the new 3D printer in the resource room, every student who can benefit from a fidget can get one. >> I mean, overall, I would say it's a game changer for students like my buddy Cooper who needs them and he uses them

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appropriately and he can focus when he has a fidget as opposed to not having one. Levi Sier is a fourth grader who earned his fidgets through good listening and hard work. >> But I do take them home, play with them. They are very fun. They are very fun. They're very if like you're ever like bored or something. They're really good to like keep you distracted or like keep you happy throughout like the day. So far throughout the district, more than a 100 pounds of plastic fidget toys have

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been printed for students like Levi and Cooper. >> Yeah, I I feel proud that I helped my dad with this kind. I was the one to test out like all of the fidgets. >> And Cooper's dad says he's happy that this effort is making a difference beyond what he originally had in mind. >> It's not unique to us. And that's kind of what's really neat is how do we make something bigger than us? We we are a micro community. How can we have a macro impact? >> That impact may be coming in the form of

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a 3D printer and fidget toys. >> And then the final one is probably this one. I would say that lots of people would like this one. >> Yeah. >> But layer by layer, it is clear to see. >> Thanks for watching. Like and subscribe to the WSBT22 YouTube channel.