![]() The Construct is helping with the 2018 Capstone Design Conference and we welcome CEO Sandra Turner #RIT graduate @viggistoryteller to talk to student from around the country about her Capstone experience and how it turned into a business! #rit #makers #makerspaces #entrepreneur @rittigers ![]() Made in USA News: Viggi Corp. invited to meet with Toy Buyer at Walmart Open Call Event in June. Viggi invents innovative products targeted towards inclusive education and wellness. ROCHESTER, N.Y., May 24, 2018 – Viggi Corp. is one of hundreds of US Companies invited to present to buyers at the upcoming Walmart Open-Call Event for US made products in Arkansas. Viggi is a WBE Certified growing business located in Rochester, BIFMA is the trade association for business and institutional furniture manufacturers. Since 1973, BIFMA has been the voice of the commercial furniture industry.
![]() Kerri Murphy, Assistant Nurse Manager of University of Virginia Health System found Vidgets while searching online for Sibling Chairs. Kerri states that "In our unit, we refer to the Vidget as Sibling Chairs. The bright colors help create a fun and kid-friendly atmosphere the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that can be overwhelming and intimidating for new big brothers and sisters. They clean easy between use and are light enough to move easily around the unit. We love having new chairs for families." We are so humbled with how the Vidgets continue to help children and adults in so many different ways. Thanks Kerri for sharing your feedback! Make your Vidget® glow in the dark by adding a light! Vidgets are hollow which make it perfect for lighting up in darker spaces like sensory rooms or calming areas. We are currently using a stick on light that we purchased from Amazon (product used for underneath bottles to light up liquid). Sometime this year, we hope to come out with a customized lighting fixture but for now, you can use sticker lights to make your Vidget® glow!
The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) has announced the winners of the 2017 EDspaces Innovation Awards. This competition recognizes manufacturers for excellence in product design for the learning environment.
Awards were announced at EDspaces tradeshow and conference in Kansas City, Missouri, with this year's Best of Competition honors awarded to CEF-Custom Educational Furnishings for The Edison Table. "Design exists to improve the experience of end-users, and this year's winners exemplify outstanding educational products that are elevating the learning environment," said IIDA Executive Vice President and CEO Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA, LEED AP. "We are so pleased to once again see form, function, and innovation on display at EDspaces." Products were evaluated by a panel of distinguished jurors that included: Elizabeth Bird, Affiliate IIDA, interior designer, Incite Design Studio; Mary Maloney, IIDA, RID LEED AP, senior interior designer, PGAL; and Erika Moody, IIDA, principal, Helix Architecture + Design. "This year's best of competition, The Edison Table, and all of the winners illustrate the type of versatile, multi-use products that present much-needed solutions in educational environments," said Moody on behalf of the jury. Read more: https://www.dexigner.com/news/30468 Research Reports Vidget® Improves Attention & Focus!
The results are in! We are excited to share new research on the Vidget® conducted in kindergarten class which resulted in a 90% reduction in observable disruptive behaviors and 74% reduction in the number times the teacher had to redirect a student to help him or her refocus on work! Kindergarten Teacher Feedback"Girl A", who struggled with output of class work has TAKEN OFF in her ability to attend to written tasks. Before Vidgets, she consistently wrote just a word or two during a writing task. After a week of using the Vidget she was writing using 1-2 sentences and is now sitting down for extended periods of time to write 5-6 sentence paragraphs! She often sits to write of her own accord now. I'm so grateful to have the Vidgets to give her the sensory input she needs so that the output matches her ability level. Vidgets are an amazing seating option for early education students! I think every Kindergarten class should have them! read entire report ![]() Classroom furniture hasn’t changed much since the one room school house. Not until recently at least. Walk into most classrooms and you’ll see rows of chairs and desks. In some classrooms, you may even see the very same tethered desk-chair you sat in when you were in school. If you’re left handed, you remember how difficult it was to write on one of the right-handed desk units. Either way, students typically have one choice when it comes to seating- confining and uncomfortable. Now, think about the last time you walked into a trendy coffee house. You have the option sit in a traditional chair at a table or in a comfy lounge chair. Maybe you prefer sitting at a high-top table for a better view. Whatever your preference, these seating options make your experience more enjoyable and may make you linger a little longer. Some teachers have begun to lift these seating ideas by providing students with similar choices. And you know what they are finding? Students are performing better, both academically and behaviorally. In preschool through high school, innovative teachers are creating flexible learning environments, often using their own money or donations. Adding yoga balls, standing desks, yoga mats, bean bag chairs, whatever they can get their hands on, teachers are ditching the traditional classroom fixtures in favor of more student-friendly options. Children like to have choices and begin to express their preferences at an early age, as any parent knows. But in school, students don’t have many choices. Imagine how they must feel when they are able to choose what they sit on during their six-hour school day. Teachers looking for alternative seating are eager to introduce options. The Vidget Organic Seating System is one solution finding its way into classrooms across the country. The three-in-one seating solution can be a chair, stool or desk, depending on how it is positioned. It’s functionality, innovative design and fun colors, make it a unique addition to a classroom for any age.
It isn’t enough to learn formulas or memorize multiplication tables. Young minds need to experience math and have fun talking about it.
Starting Early is The Secret
Instead of treating math as a subject, parents and teachers can expose children to math concepts. The earlier, the better. As research proves, the earlier children become comfortable and competent with math concepts, the better they will perform in their academic career.
How to Use Math in Everyday Life
Children can be exposed to important concepts like scientific inquiry, spacial skills, problem-solving, language proficiency, reasoning, prediction and making connections by using everyday items and experiences.
What do early math experiences look like?
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The Digit Widgit® Helps Children of All Ages Learn Math Concepts
Making math fun is our primary focus. By touching, experimenting and talking about what’s happening when using Digit Widgit®, students learn and develop skills in new, more memorable ways.
We're on the road again. We'll be at the Ohio AEYC Conference in Sandusky, Ohio this week. Touch, see and experience our products for the early educators at Booth #104. Hope to meet you there.
Sitting is the new smoking- and kids sit in class all day. Not only is sitting a health risk, this sedentary lifestyle also impacts a student’s academic performance.
Here are facts that should get your attention. How Movement Improves Learning 2 hours of just sitting reduces blood flow, lowers blood sugar, and increases risk of: obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Source The average U.S. 1st grader spends 943 hours a year in school. Source Physical activity increases levels of neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine in the same way ADHD medications do. Neurotransmitters, dopamine and norepinephrine, play a key role in sharpening focus and increasing attention. Source 10 minutes of activity equals an 8% increase in on-task behavior. Source 8 of 9 studies found positive associations between classroom-based physical activity and indicators of cognitive skills and attitudes, academic behavior, and academic achievement; none of the studies found negative associations. Source 11 benefits of increased movement include: increases engagement, better oxygen flow to brain, improves behaviour, develops core strength, improves overall posture, burns more calories, releases excess energy, improves metabolism, improves mental health, higher academic performance, better overall health. Source The infographic below summarizes this data. ![]()
![]() Thanks to the Rochester Business Journal for reporting this great news about Viggi Kids. We honored to be recognized as an innovative Women-owned Business Enterprise in NY State! Thanks also to Governor Andrew Cuomo! We are one of four area firms that received funding as part of the MWBE Investment fund. Read the entire article on RBJ's site... How do wooden products get made? From the desk of Christalyn: inventor & creative mastermind As designers, we come up with all sorts of ideas for what new products should look like, what they will do, and what real need the product will solve. The design process can take a matter of week or be much longer. But after the idea is complete, how does it actually get made? That's where manufacturing companies like Maine Wood Concepts do their best work. To better understand how this really works, we visited them to see first-hand what really goes into the making of wooden products. And what better place to visit than where some of the Digit Widgit is made. I wasn't sure what to expect as I was driving though the Maine countryside to get there. But after my arrival, I couldn't have been more fascinated by what I discovered. Doug, the president of the company, and all of his team greeted me warmly. I was graciously shown around their extensive production facilities and had a wonderful discussion about some new and upcoming Viggi products. Maine Wood Concepts makes many beautifully crafted wooden products. Below is a video of one of the machines they use in making wooden toy wheels. And take my word for it...this is only a hint of the craftsmanship and ingenuity I saw on my visit. To find more beautiful products made by these amazing craftsmen, check out the Fletcher's Mill website.
Watch how we print our mini vidget on our new Flashforge 3D Printer. Our customers love having a little Vidget to keep on their desk and they get a little bit of exciting technology too. Check out our real size vidgets here on the Vidget product page.
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"Since incorporating the Vidget in our classroom, I have noticed an improvement in attention span, participation, and regulation in my students"
Tara, Occupational Therapist "The little girl I used it with sat down and ate lunch which she usually does not do - she tends to stand or sit and wiggle in her seat."
Melanie, Director of Occupational Therapy "When Pearl is in a Vidget, her behavior is 100 times better than when she’d in a normal chair. She’s still has difficulty sitting for that long, but it makes a HUGE difference! Without it, she’s everywhere."
Lara, Pre-K Teacher Archives
April 2022
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