Kristin Morse from Garfield Elementary received $1,455.91 for her project, “ZEN & STEM: Lead to Meaningful Moments.”

With the grant funds, she plans to purchase STEM tools and Zenimals, screen-free devices that cultivate mindfulness in nine guided meditations, to support student achievement for 530 K-5 students. The materials will be accessed through a lending library that all staff can utilize. In the application, she wrote, “STEM materials and Zenimals give students hands-on, immersive experiences in diverse ways. First, the STEM materials provide opportunities for students to engage in active play. STEM tools also foster problem-solving, imagination, creativity, and collaboration skills. These open-ended opportunities allow students to make mistakes, learn from them, and persevere, which supports student achievement. Secondly, the Zenimals give students an opportunity to experience mindfulness in an engaging way and teaches them the skills needed to self-regulate. These techniques will provide a natural way for students to reset their bodies and brains after being out of the classroom, which often causes students to become dysregulated.”