Simple bouncy band helps kids focus, succeed in school

LOS ANGELES, California (KTRK) -- Getting kids to calm down in the classroom can be a real challenge. But one middle school thinks they've found a solution.

"Because they're stuck in the classroom a lot of times, they have all this energy and they don't necessarily get a chance to release it," said sixth grade teacher Sara Rosati.

Rosati and some other staff at Animo James B. Taylor Middle School looked for something to help students get the wiggles out.

Their online search turned up Bouncy Bands, thick rubber-band like strips invented by a school counselor in North Carolina.

The band is simple to install. You slide it onto two legs of the desk and flip the desk upright and it's ready to go.

Rosati said she was skeptical at first but saw a definite improvement in behavior in just a few months.

The bands haven't just helped students sit and stay focused. Many have even seen a big bounce in their grades.

"My grades were down to a F. But then once the Bouncy Bands came I got like A's and B's," said sixth grader James Morales.

Because the bands have worked so well, other classrooms are also investing in them.