Circle Marks the SPOT

Like most kindergarten teachers, I have quite a few wigglers in my class.  For the most part, the wiggling is appropriate and safe, but every so often...

No.  Scratch that.

OFTEN... ~one~ of my friends can not (will not?) stay in a spot when excessive wiggling is a huge distraction and safety issue.

Calendar... wiggle-wiggle-scootch-scootch.

SMART Board... wiggle-scootch-scootch-bonk.

Criss-cross-applesauce at story time... wiggle-stand-jump-drop-scootch-scootch-bonk-BASH-scootch-scootch-scootch-kick-a-finger-plop.  

Scootch scootch.

This friend is fun loving, sweet, eager, mischievous and is wired to need full contact EVERYTHING.  But the rest of my friends (all twenty of them) prefer their space un-invaded, their fingers un-smashed, and their bodies and booties un-kicked.

If we give our friend too much space near the back of the group, the range of motion and sheer square feet of space that end up being used, explored, bothered and crashed into increases exponentially.

I don't do carpet squares (but used to, years ago), and I'd rather not have to put tape down on the carpet that will end up getting sucked into the vacuum each night.  We've reached the point where my friend is going to have to compromise a bit and try to keep himself restrained and contained for a longer amount of time while we hope he comes to the realization that at school he'll need to share his space with his peers in a way that is safe for all, even if he has acres of space available elsewhere.

Discovering "Sit Spots" in our music teacher's room, I inquired about their price, durability, and ease of removal/relocation.  Imagine my surprise when she pulled one up with the telltale rrrrrriiiiiiiiiip sound of velcro! Inspired, I quickly got online and checked out the products available, experiencing a sinking feeling when I saw the price and realized I didn't have it in my budget to immediately order a set for classroom use.

But I'm a crafty sort, yes sir-ee Bob, and here's what I used to make my own circle-marks-the-spot tools:

Construction paper
Laminating film
The rough side of hook and loop adhesive tape (velcro)

I cut out different colored circles (though my friend's will all be the same color), roughly four or five inches in diameter, and laminated them using my desktop laminator and 3mil film:

I cut out the circles, leaving 1/4 inch border of lamination around each, and then affixed a strip of the ROUGH loop (not the soft, fluffy side) velcro to the back.

Here's what they look like in a row on our carpeted floor:

And best of all, they don't really stick to the carpet until you get them exactly where you want them, and then press down firmly to work the rough loop velcro into the carpet's surface:

Firmly stuck, easy to see, simple to move.  Since I don't teach 400 + students like our music teacher, I'm hoping my spots are durable enough to get a lot of use out of them for the remainder of the year.

Wish me luck as I introduce my friend to Circle-Marks-the-Spot!