Any student class, from the youngest to the graduate, required place to study lessons.
Desk for schoolchildren should be functional, convenient and uncluttered. Most often chosen for children wooden desks.
Today, when from the first grade students work with computer, there should be room on the table for it too.
Manufacturing DIY school table - significant saving for the family budget. You can decorate the tabletop in the most incredible ways, and then the table you made yourself will look like an expensive designer thing.
Table for first graders should be spacious so that there is enough space for textbooks and notebooks.
For more adult student, you can purchase or make a multifunctional table with retractable panel for keyboards and with many shelves or drawers on the surface.
It is very important that workplace the child was as comfortable as possible, and all the necessary for classes things were at hand.
School tables can be completely various in appearance and design - from simple angular and straight to creative
Folding table
Table-desk
We won't consider typical desks that stood in all Russian apartments in the 90s of the last century. Such tables boring in execution.
Let's consider unusual table with A-shaped legs (trests) and solid long tabletop. You can use an old one as a countertop door canvas with a smooth surface.
Step 1. Draw and cut out table top. We process it with sandpaper or a grinding machine. You can make a special edging on the sides finishing edging, which is sold at any hardware store.
Note: with the edging, the width of the finished tabletop will be 72 cm!
Step 2. Cut 8 boards long no less 75 cm (if necessary, the edges will need to be trimmed with a jigsaw), sand them.
Step 3. Corner tilt boards for trestles should be such that the height of the legs in total with the thickness of the table top was 75 cm. To do this, cut out small bars, which will be located between the upper parts of the supports. The width between the lower parts should be 22 cm.
Step 4. In two boards 70 cm long drill two 9 mm holes (for mounting the trestle). The holes should be equal distance! Above retreat about 3.5–4 cm, it all depends on the width of the board. Drill holes in the middle of the upper part of the legs 9 mm. Furniture bolts we fasten legs and strengthen the structure self-tapping screws.
Note: The size of the bolts is 6 mm, and the diameter of the holes for them is 9 mm! This is necessary because the table legs are attached at an angle.
Step 6. Having measured the distance between the goats, screw it on wooden blocks to prevent the tabletop from moving.
For the best sustainability It is recommended to use countertops dowels. To do this, drill holes in the supporting boards with a depth of 8 mm, and in table top – 22 mm. The dowels should be dipped in glue PVA and drive into the board, then carefully place the tabletop on them. For such massive table you need to make 2-3 dowels on each side.
Step 7 All wooden parts of the table should be handle impregnation. For a children's table you need to apply no less 3 layers(so that it is impervious to moisture). Each layer should fully dry out. After the last layer has dried, the table is painted or varnished. Can be mixed with varnish a little coloring to give it the desired color shade.
Note: The table can be decorated if desired. The best decorative technique for a children's table is: Just choose a cheerful picture or decorate the tabletop with images of your child's favorite characters.
Convenient and practical may be an option for two children angular table. Each child is provided with a work place and retractable drawers for storing educational supplies.
Tabletop width – 600 mm, thickness – from 16 mm.
Step 1. Execute sawing material or order it from a carpentry workshop.
Step 2. Collecting everything boxes. There should be 6 large ones (3 pieces for each table base) and 4 small drawers for various small items under the tabletop itself. Holes for confirmations drill using a Fostner drill. We nail hardboard to each box.
Note: confirmations can be replaced with ordinary self-tapping screws, but their connection is not so reliable.
Step 4. We assemble the table. Tumbu and lateral We fasten the wall on top with small chipboard. Cover the part with a larger sheet rear walls. We install guides on small drawers and facades.
Step 5. In the same way we collect second the table that will longer due to two cabinets.
Step 6. We install the tabletop on short table. To do this, screw it onto small sheets.
Step 7 We attach the tabletop to second table.
Step 8 Install facades on large boxes, attach to them pens. We nail hardboard.
So that the child has comfortable work at a new desk, you should take account following:
How to make a table for a schoolchild with your own hands, see video:
DIY children's desk, drawings, description and order of its assembly.
The proposed model will be able to serve your child for a long time until high school.
If your child has gone to school, then you are faced with the acute question of choosing a desktop or desk for his normal development. Correct posture and reducing eye strain require an individual approach when choosing a workplace that can adapt to the growth of each student.
Side view (maximum table extension)
Side view (minimum table extension with table top rotation)
— drawing from 0° to 5°
— letter from 10° to 15°
— reading from 20° to 30°
BASE
We will make it from planed boards. From the inside of the guide board, at the end we mill a groove measuring 10x10 (mm). The sharp edges of the parts are rounded. We fasten the parts of the legs together using:
for M8 thread.
We attach the top shelf and the footrest to the legs with wood screws or confirmations.
LIFTING MECHANISM
We will make it from planed boards. From the outer sides of the guide board, at the end we mill grooves along the edges measuring 10x10 (mm). We drill through holes with a diameter of 20 (mm) in the center.
TABLETOP
We will make it from laminated wood or plywood.
We will make the rotating mechanism from sheet metal 2 (mm) thick and attach it to the tabletop with wood screws. Alternatively, it can be made from wooden blocks.
Assembly order:
1. We insert the lifting mechanism into the grooves of the base.
2. We secure the tabletop to the lifting mechanism using pins, washers and M8 nuts.
DIY children's desk assembled. Using the proposed concept for designing and constructing a structure, you can modify and supplement the model yourself with various shelves, pencil cases and glasses for stationery.
A growing desk with your own hands, drawings, diagrams and functional dimensions of the table that can ensure the normal and healthy development of the child during classes.
The requirements for children's tables are regulated by GOST 11015-93 “Student's tables”. Based on the specified GOST, they are produced in six numbers and have their own color marking depending on the average height of the student.
The model described in this article allows you to adjust the desk according to two functional sizes to suit the average student height from 105 to 180 (cm):
The presented model consists of three assembly units:
1. TABLETOP
The size of the working plane is 500x700x20 (mm).
The desk cover (1) is installed horizontally or fixed at an angle of 7, 10, 13 or 16°. Two plates are welded to a square pipe (2) 15x1.5 (mm): fastening the rotary axis (3); fixing the angle of rotation of the tabletop (4). The tube (2) is attached to the tabletop with four screws (6). The end plane is closed with a decorative plug (5). The tabletop has two recesses 220x20x5 (mm) for pencils, pens and other accessories.
You won’t need a lot of space for this desk – you can find enough of it in any room, both for work and for relaxation.
Making such a desk with your own hands will not be difficult.
As a rule, people work standing at such a desk. They do this in order to remove the load from the spine, so when working at this desk, you can lean on a footrest made of aluminum pipe with one leg.
A small stand for memos and notes has both practical significance and gives the desk additional beauty and notability.
The assembly diagram for a homemade desk for standing work is shown in Fig. A, and its main dimensions are given in Fig. B.
In this case, the height of the desk and the position of the footrest are chosen at your discretion.
You can determine the optimal height for yourself by taking a thinker’s pose (standing only), resting your head on your hand.
The position of the elbow will indicate the level of the desk top.
You can double-check this size, for example, using a stepladder, placing a slab on it with a slight inclination for testing.
The side walls, back wall and shelf are cut out from furniture panels 300 mm wide.
The parts are connected using glue and screws, having previously drilled holes for them.
The grooves for pencils can be selected using a chisel or a milling cutter.
The surfaces of the assembled desk are sanded with fine-grained sandpaper, moistened and painted with stain.
An aluminum strip with an arched edge is used as the lower fence, which is inserted into a groove selected with a circular saw with a slight indentation from the front edge of the tabletop.
A corrugated steel sheet is attached to the bottom of the side walls of the desk, serving as a support platform.
Finally, a footrest made of aluminum pipe is installed at the desired level.
Desk for standing work - drawings
Rice. A. To assemble such a desk, it is enough to connect the parts with glue and screws. The footrest can also be fixed with screws by screwing them in from the front edges of the side walls.
Rice. B. Adjacent edges of the tabletop and pencil shelves are adjusted to each other and connected to the rail.
This principle is completely absent in the school education system. If a graduate wrote an excellent exam test, then the teacher can rightfully be proud of his professionalism. And the fact that the student has glasses on his nose and almost a hump on his back - the teacher has nothing to do with this.
At any enterprise, workers are required (at least formally) to comply with safety regulations. At school, a child may be required to do anything, but not to take good care of his or her health. Meanwhile, in my deep conviction, all the wisdom of school, taken together, is not worth a single diopter of damaged vision, not a single degree of a curved spine.
There are many reasons why school safety would never be implemented. The school educational process is already so ineffective that any additional “burden” will completely stall it. Even with homeschooling, staying safe is not easy.
Dad, can I watch cartoons?
- What letter did you learn to write today?
Silence.
-Have you written at all today?
- No.
- So go ahead, learn to write the letter “a” first. As soon as you write three beautiful letters in a row, then you can watch cartoons.
The child, extremely annoyed, leaves.
A few minutes later I enter the nursery and a heartbreaking sight greets my eyes. The room is dim. The table lamp is turned off. The child sits with a bent back, raised shoulders pressed to the ears, elbows hanging in the air, nose buried in the very sheet of copybook. The desk is littered with mountains of toys, books, pencils - there was barely room for copybooks, and only at the very edge, on top of some other pieces of paper. The tip of the new capillary pen is already worn out and looks like a bristle brush. It leaves a clumsy, ugly mark on the paper.
Writing letters is such a difficult task for a child that it absorbs all the resources of his attention, and they are no longer enough to monitor the correctness of the posture. Teaching him to maintain his posture is not an easy task. I honestly admit that I don’t have ready-made solutions. All that remains is to be patient and day after day, month after month, year after year to remind, exhort, admonish. But words do not always work, because the child may not even be aware of all his tightness. Then stroking and tapping are used - sometimes light, sometimes stronger.
At first, you just have to sit next to him and from time to time, with your own hands, move the unruly parts of the child’s body into the correct position. Such is the lot of parents. No specialists - neither school teachers, nor leaders of early development groups - will deal with this tedious task. Specialists, hiding behind their specialization, always have the opportunity to choose tasks that are simpler and more interesting. Tasks left unsolved fall solely on the shoulders of parents.
Why does a child always try to curl up while writing? I think this is because he unconsciously wants to get the best possible look at the line he is trying to draw. The closer an object is to the eyes, the more detailed it is perceived. Therefore, the child bends lower and lower until he reaches the limit of visual accommodation. As a result, the eyes become strained and the spine becomes twisted.
It is no secret that it is the eyes and spine that are at greatest risk. So, maybe the doctors who are in charge of these organs - ophthalmologists and orthopedists - can offer us some effective safety techniques? - Unfortunately no.
I consider myself an expert in preventing myopia and have written extensively on this topic (see the page “How to keep children's eyes sharp?” and the links provided there). I have no experience in the field of orthopedics. However, after a very cursory acquaintance with orthopedic websites, it became clear to me that with scoliosis the situation is exactly the same as with myopia. The disease is incurable, it affects the majority of the population, its causes are unknown, and preventive measures have not been developed. At the same time, private medical centers are cheerfully inviting patients to come to them, promising quick relief from the disease with new patented drugs. In short, I did not get the impression that orthopedists deserve more trust than ophthalmologists.
There is only one thing left to do - call on common sense to help. The most logical way to counteract the curvature of the spine is to straighten it. That's why home children's sports complex is as necessary when learning to write as paper and pen. I once went to the first sporting goods store I came across and bought a “Junior” sports complex.
While getting a child to sit at a desk may not be so easy, getting him to the sports complex is no problem at all. Sometimes it is much more difficult to lure him out of there. And yet I allowed myself some “violence” at first.
“I see you’re sitting hunched over again,” I told my eldest son Denis. - Now go hang on the top bar - straighten your spine.
Unaccustomed to hanging on a bar, it is a very difficult task. We started with ten seconds and without the slightest enthusiasm. But gradually the instincts of their distant ancestors awoke in the children, and they became addicted to long “walks” on the upper bars, hanging by their hands, with the same swings and antics as monkeys in the zoo.
I note that Glen Doman was very much in favor of this method of transportation. Although I consider him a hoaxer, I must still admit that many of his ideas are firmly entrenched in my mind. I don’t know the opinion of orthopedic specialists about children’s sports complexes. Entering the keywords “orthopedist” and “children’s sports complex” into the search engine yielded practically nothing. Perhaps this can be considered a good sign: it indirectly indicates that children who have a sports complex installed in their apartment do not go to see orthopedists.
05.20.07, Leonid Nekin, [email protected]
Guidelines for measures to prevent visual impairment in children of preschool age and during school years. Ministry of Health care. USSR, 1958.
Currently, desks are produced in 12 sizes, designed for height groups of children from 110–119 to 170–179 cm. The rear edge of the desk cover should extend beyond the front edge of the desk seat by 4 cm (the so-called negative distance of the desk seat). (The distance from the back edge of the desk lid to the seat (vertical).) This feature of desks is important because it forces students to sit upright. So, the height of the desk and its seat, differentiation and distance are the main elements of the educational desk, which must be in accordance with each other and the height of the students. In Fig. 150 these relationships are shown for different numbers of school desks.
Rice. 151. Correct posture of a schoolchild when reading and writing.
Rice. 152. Folding music stand for schoolchildren.
or constant (Fig. 153).
Rice. 153. Permanent desk stand for schoolchildren.
how to make a desk less comfortable, without a back, but yourself.
Dimensions, height and back are important. Correct and incorrect seating at school tables (from left to right):
with a low table and positive seating distance;
with a low table and a low bench;
at the high table
and at a table of appropriate sizes.
The spine of an adult has three curvatures. One of them - the cervical one - has a convexity forward, the second - the thoracic one - has a convexity facing backwards, the third - the lumbar curvature is directed forward. In a newborn, the spinal column has almost no bends. The first cervical curvature is formed in a child already when he begins to hold his head up independently. The second in order is the lumbar curvature, which also faces forward with its convexity, when the child begins to stand and walk. The thoracic curvature, with its convexity facing backwards, is the last to form and by the age of 3-4 years the child’s spine acquires curves characteristic of an adult, but they are not yet stable. Due to the great elasticity of the spine, these curves are smoothed out in children in a supine position. Only gradually, with age, do the curvatures of the spine become stronger, and by the age of 7, the constancy of the cervical and thoracic curvature is established, and by the onset of puberty - the lumbar curvature.
...
These features of the development of the spine of a child and adolescent determine its slight pliability and possible curvature in case of incorrect body positions and prolonged stress, especially one-sided ones. In particular, curvature of the spine occurs when sitting incorrectly on a chair or at a desk, especially in cases where the school desk is not arranged correctly and does not correspond to the height of the children; Curvature of the spine can be in the form of a bend of the cervical and thoracic parts of the spine to the side (scoliosis). Scoliosis of the thoracic spine most often occurs at school age as a consequence of improper posture. Anterior-posterior curvature of the thoracic spine (kyphosis) is also observed as a result of prolonged incorrect positioning. Curvature of the spine can also be in the form of excessive curvature in the lumbar region (lordosis). That is why school hygiene attaches such great importance to a properly arranged desk and places strict requirements on the seating of children and adolescents...
In the 1970s and 1980s, as part of a hidden creeping sabotage, Erisman's child-friendly and practical school desks were replaced with flat tables with separate chairs.
This was done at the highest level by the Ministry of Education based on the following alleged "research". The text of the commissioned “research” was accidentally saved in one place on the Internet. (Read how the school curriculum changed after 1953 in other forum topics)
Here it is, a long commissioned study, but it must be left for history.
In school practice, until recent years, of the various types of school furniture used in classrooms, the most common is the Erisman type desk, the dimensions of which were legalized by GOST.
The dimensions of the main elements of the desk and the fixed distance between the table and the bench provide the best physiological and hygienic conditions for students to work. When studying at a desk, the following is ensured: a straight seat, which least of all causes asymmetry in the tone of the trunk muscles, and, consequently, deviations in the position of the spinal column; constant distance from the eyes to the object in question; favorable conditions for breathing and blood circulation.
In connection with the organization of extended-day schools and the widespread introduction of self-service, educational furniture is required that is as portable and mobile as possible, which makes it possible to quickly and easily transform the classroom.
In a number of new-building schools, tables and chairs are used instead of desks, not only to equip classrooms in high schools, but also as the main school furniture in primary classes. At the same time, the question of the advisability of replacing desks with tables and chairs in elementary schools still remains open.
The absence of a rigid connection between the table and the chair allows students to arbitrarily change the sitting distance. Changing the sitting distance to zero and positive results in students taking an incorrect posture when writing and being unable to use the backrest as additional support. This increases the already large static load experienced by the body during prolonged sitting.
Changing the distance from negative to positive causes sudden changes in posture: the center of gravity moves, the muscle effort required to maintain the body in the correct position increases, which allows the student to work without much stress both during a 45-minute lesson and throughout the day. In addition, changing the distance can lead to the adoption of an inclined posture. Sitting for a long time in an inclined position increases the static load, causes congestion in the joints and muscles, and leads to compression of internal organs. Students are forced to use the table top as additional support.
Compression of the abdominal organs creates the preconditions for slowing venous blood flow, leading to a decrease in juice secretion and poor movement of food masses in the gastrointestinal tract.
In a person in a sitting position, with a sharp bend forward, the excursion of the chest decreases, which reduces pulmonary ventilation.
According to G.F. Vykhodov, many students who lean their chest on the edge of the table during classes have a decrease in the minute volume of pulmonary ventilation (up to 75% compared to the level of pulmonary ventilation in a standing position) and the level of blood oxygenation.
There are no studies in the existing literature aimed at studying the effect of desk-and-chair activities on the performance, condition of the musculoskeletal system and vision of primary school students. Therefore, the question of the admissibility of using tables and chairs required a special study.
First of all, it was necessary to obtain initial data on the state of posture and vision of primary school students, whose classrooms are equipped with various furniture, and to establish annual weather observations for these students.
It was also important to find out whether classes at tables and chairs (all other things being equal) are more tiring for elementary school students than classes at a desk.
Initial data on the state of posture and vision were taken from students in grades I-II of two Moscow schools - school No. 702, equipped with desks, and school No. 139, equipped with tables and chairs. Follow-up examinations of these students were carried out twice a year - in the fall and in the spring. A total of 1,100 students were under observation, who were distributed as follows.
In addition, in school No. 702, under the conditions of a natural experiment, students of one first grade in the dynamics of the school day were studied: general performance - by the method of dosing work over time using correction tables and the latent period of the visual-motor reaction - using a Witte chronoscope.
Throughout the entire school day, actography was carried out in the same class, making it possible to objectively record the number of movements made by students while studying at a desk or at a table and chair.
Pneumatic sensors were installed on the seats, backs of chairs and benches of desks, and on the inner surface of table tops. Changes in pressure in the system that occurred with each movement of the student were recorded on an actograph tape. The actograph motor provided a constant speed of the tape transport mechanism of 2.5 cm/min. The number of furniture corresponded to the basic body height dimensions of the students. The children under observation were questioned during the lesson by the teacher along with other students, but they answered without rising from their seats, which was dictated by the need to exclude from the records on the actograms those movements that were not directly related to educational activities in a sitting position. All first-year students studied had a structured daily routine. We got up in the morning at 7-7 o'clock. 30 minutes, went to bed at 20-21 o'clock, had sufficient time in the air during the day, regularly ate food at home, and received a hot breakfast at school during the big break. During the observation period, all students performed well and moved to grade II.
Before the experiment began, the children were explained why it was necessary to maintain the correct seating position, and special attention was paid to maintaining a negative seating distance. In addition, during the lesson, students received instructions from the teacher about maintaining correct posture.
It is known that as fatigue increases, the student is increasingly distracted from the teaching process and often changes body position. Thus, according to L.I. Aleksandrova, the number of students distracted from classes gradually increases from the first to the fourth lesson and reaches 70% in the last hour of classes.
Such “motor restlessness” in children is then often replaced by lethargy and drowsiness, which is a manifestation of protective inhibition developing in the neutral nervous system.
It can be assumed that due to the additional static load caused by the possibility of arbitrarily changing the sitting distance, fatigue of the body under the influence of educational work will develop more intensively.
The described experiment was started in the second half of the school year, which made it possible to avoid many different factors influencing the motor activity of first-year students during the lesson, such as: different levels of literacy of children at the beginning of the year, their lack of habits of diligent study and instability of attention . In the second half of the year, all studied groups of students were able to read fluently and count well (they were able to perform 4 arithmetic operations within 20). Discipline in the class was good. 25 students participated in the experiment, each of them was studied throughout the entire school day and school week. The classroom maintained a relative constancy of air-thermal and light conditions. All students taking part in the experiment took turns sitting first at a desk and then at a table and chair equipped for actography. This allowed us to eliminate the influence of the individual characteristics of each student on the indicators of standing uprightness.
Stability of uprightness. The stability of upright standing was determined using a stabilograph as follows: the student stood on the stabilograph platform so that the feet were located within the contours marked on the platform. The stabilograph platform is the receiving part of the device; it is made of two steel plates, between which sensors are placed at the corners. An increase or decrease in the load on the elastic sensor entails deformation of the latter. These deformations are transformed into changes in electrical resistance.
The stabilography technique was used as a kind of “functional test” that revealed the state of the motor analyzer.
In a sitting position, the center of gravity of the body is located between the IX and X thoracic vertebrae, and the fulcrum points are in the area of the ischial tuberosities of the iliac bones. Since the center of gravity of the torso is higher than its support points, the student’s body is in a state of unstable balance. To maintain the torso in a straight position, the neck muscles, long and broad muscles of the back, and rhomboid muscles are involved.
When sitting, these muscle groups are in a state of activity for a long time. The studies of A. Lunderfold and B. Akerblom indicate that with an inclined position of the body, in a sitting position, the bioelectric potentials of all groups of back muscles increase sharply. In a sitting position with the chair seat at the wrong distance, the child’s body takes on an inclined position.
Body vibrations when standing are of a very complex nature. The center of gravity can change its position under the influence of respiratory movements, heart activity, movement of fluids within the body, etc.
In the process of standing upright, as a reflex act, almost all afferent systems take part: muscle sense, vision, vestibular apparatus, pressoreceptors and tactile endings, although it has not yet been clarified which of the mentioned sense organs plays the leading role. In any case, it is difficult to imagine that this complex reflex act does not reflect the processes of fatigue developing in the child’s body. It is known from the literature that graphic recording of body vibrations has long been used in order to study the influence of various environmental factors on the body.
Observing the boarding of students. At school No. 139, where classrooms are equipped with tables and chairs, special observations of students’ posture during classes were carried out in grades I-III. Throughout the lesson, the observer recorded how often students changed the position of their chair in relation to the table. For these purposes, lines were drawn on the floor of the classroom according to the location of the chair at positive, zero and negative seating distances, which made it possible to simultaneously observe 10-20 students. The position of the chair relative to the table was noted every 5 minutes during writing, arithmetic, reading, labor and other classes. The rotation of lessons every day of the week was the same.
Maintaining distance. Registration of the position of the chair in relation to the edge of the table made it possible to obtain data indicating that the majority of students maintain a negative distance during the lesson. In writing, arithmetic and reading lessons, the number of students maintaining the correct distance remains the same at all times. Only during labor lessons (modeling, sewing) does the sitting distance change as it approaches zero, which is directly related to the nature of the labor lesson. From first year to third year, the number of students maintaining correct chair distance increases.
Change in motor restlessness. Actotrafy data made it possible to trace the dynamics of “motor restlessness” of students during classes when they used desks, tables and chairs as the main educational equipment.
On each day of the week, students sitting at a desk, table and chair made the same number of movements; the existing differences are insignificant. In both compared groups, the number of these movements increases by the end of the week. Moreover, in the first three days of the week, the number of movements performed remains approximately at the same level, the existing differences are unreliable.
The absence of significant differences between the averages made it possible to combine all the data for three days and obtain a single initial value for the number of movements, characteristic of the first half of the school week. When comparing the initial average and the averages typical for subsequent days of the week (Thursday, Friday, Saturday), we received data indicating that the number of movements from Thursday to Saturday increases significantly. This phenomenon is probably a consequence of increasing fatigue towards the end of the week.
As already noted, there was no significant difference in the number of movements made by students depending on the type of furniture used, both during one school day and throughout the week. This allows us to assert that the number of movements made by students from the beginning to the end of the week increases with the same intensity, regardless of the type of furniture used for classes. In addition to recording changes in the load falling on the pneumatic sensor of the seat of a desk or chair, the load on other sensors was simultaneously recorded, recording movements associated with the use of the back of the bench (chair) and the lid of the desk (table) as additional supports.
Processing of recordings in leads from pneumatic sensors located under the table cover showed that movements in their frequency and amplitude remained the same throughout the lesson and did not change significantly from lesson to lesson. The nature of these movements was determined by the work of the students: dipping a pen into an inkwell, laying out the alphabet, sticks, etc. The recordings from the sensors of the back (bench and chair) took into account movements with a large amplitude (over 4 mm). Fluctuations of this amplitude are associated with a sharp deformation of the pneumatic sensors at the moment when the child leaned back on the bench or chair. Such movements characterized periods of “relative immobility” in time.
Actography data suggest that more frequent changes in posture are the most favorable way to relieve developing fatigue as a result of additional stress associated with prolonged sitting.
The types of furniture we examined equally provide students with the opportunity to frequently change their sitting position.
General performance. The indicators of “general” performance of first grade students did not change significantly throughout the school day.
The dynamics of performance indicators of visual-motor reactions of students studying at tables and chairs was the same as for students studying at a desk.
The absence of reliable changes in the indicators of the so-called “general” performance and the value of the latent period of the visual-motor reaction in students from the beginning of the school day to the end of it is apparently explained by the hygienically correct organization of the pedagogical process: constructing lessons according to the “combined” type, including classes at the time of decreased performance, rhythm, labor, physical education - a qualitatively different activity compared to classes in general education subjects.
Apparently, against the background of a rational daily routine, a small number of lessons, and a hygienically correctly organized pedagogical process, the static effort expended by the body to maintain a straight or slightly inclined position of the body is not excessive for a seven-year-old child and does not affect his performance.
Stabilography was carried out on students in grades I-III in addition to actographic studies.
Analysis of stabilographic data showed that the average amplitude of the displacement of the projection of the general center of gravity among students in grades I-II and III changed significantly from the beginning of lessons to the end of them, and for the same students studying with the compared types of furniture, these changes were unidirectional, without significant differences.
The frequency of oscillations over a certain period of time and the ratio of the amplitude of oscillations of the projection of the general center of gravity of students in a standing position with open and closed eyes did not change significantly.
The fluctuations in the projection of the general center of gravity in students show certain age-related differences: the average amplitude of deviation of the projection of the general center of gravity decreases with age.
A number of authors indicate that a person’s stability when standing upright changes with age. Back in 1887, G. Hindsdale established, after conducting a study on 25 girls aged 7-13 years, that the amplitude of body oscillations in children is greater than in adults.
At a later time, many authors noted age-related changes in the indicators of uprightness, and at a younger age either the fluctuations were larger in amplitude or the length of the ataxiometric curve increased. Stability of standing upright increases significantly in children from 5 to 7 years old. According to V.A. Krapivintseva, the amplitude and frequency of body vibrations decrease with age (girls from 7 to 15 years).
At the age of 7 to 10 years, body stability when standing upright is the least; up to 11 years, it increases slightly, and only at 14-15 years does this indicator reach a level close to that of adults. An increase in the stability of upright posture from younger to older ages is associated with an increase in the area of support (the length of the feet becomes larger with age); the overall center of gravity gradually shifts from the level of the IX-X thoracic vertebrae to the level of the second sacral vertebra. At school age, the functional capabilities of muscles change, strength and endurance increase, and at the age of 14-15 these changes basically end. According to L.K. Semenova, the muscles of the back and abdominals, which mainly bear the static load while sitting, are finally formed only by the age of 12-14. The gradual formation of the muscular system increases the stability of upright standing.
V.V. Petrov pointed out the dependence of uprightness on the well-being and mood of the subject. L.V. Latmanizova found that people with abnormalities in the state of the nervous system have a higher frequency of body oscillations than healthy people. E. Kushke noted that when concentrating on standing, body oscillations decrease, but then fatigue sets in faster and the amplitude of oscillations increases. A.G. Sukharev studied the process of fatigue while high school students worked at a drawing table of various heights and found that the amplitude of body oscillations increases with incorrect postures, which contribute to the rapid increase in fatigue. Analyzing the data we obtained in the experiment, we came to the conclusion that the fact of an increase in the amplitude of fluctuations in the general center of gravity in students from the beginning of lessons to the end of them indicates an increase in the processes of fatigue during the school day. Moreover, taking into account the complex reflex nature of upright standing, it can be assumed that this indicator reflects the state of not only the muscular system, but also the higher parts of the nervous system. The absence of significant differences in stabilographic indices for the same students studying at desks, tables and chairs suggests that the compared types of educational furniture do not have a different effect on elementary school students. This finding is consistent with evidence that the vast majority of students maintain proper chair seat distance.
The increase in the amplitude of fluctuations in the general center of gravity of students from the beginning of the lesson to the end of the lesson and the absence of differences in this indicator when using different types of furniture is clearly visible on individual stabilograms.
Boy Vanya K., 8 years old, first grade student, average physical development, average academic performance. When studying at a desk, the stabilotram was recorded before and after lessons. In all stabilograms, the vibration of the general center of gravity is first recorded when standing with eyes open (30 sec), then with eyes closed (30 sec). After classes, an increase in the frequency and amplitude of vibrations is observed. For the same student, when studying at a table and a chair, we see similar changes from the beginning of classes to the end of them. There are no differences in these indicators when working with the compared types of furniture. This is confirmed by processing all data using mathematical statistics methods.
Posture. In schools equipped with different types of furniture, special attention was paid to the posture of students. Posture was assessed using a subjective descriptive method, as well as objectively, by changing the depth of the cervical and lumbar curves of the spine. Deviation of the depth of the cervical and lumbar curves from the average values accepted as the norm for the corresponding age and sex groups was regarded as an indication of postural disorders.
A comparison of observation results showed that 30% of students entering grade 1 already have some type of posture disorder. Similar data were obtained by A.G. Tseytlin and G.V. Terentyeva. In the group of children with impaired posture, rickets is observed in a significant number of cases. Over the course of three years of study, the frequency of postural disorders increases slightly, reaching 40% in the third grade. For students studying in schools with comparable types of educational furniture, these changes are unidirectional.
Conclusions:
The above facts indicate that:
1) the constant use of tables and chairs in elementary schools does not contribute to more frequent postural disorders in students;
2) the use of tables and chairs as educational furniture does not worsen the usual dynamics (hourly, daily and weekly) of changes in the functional state of the central nervous system of students;
3) the results of all studies and observations presented in this work allow us to consider it acceptable to equip the classrooms of elementary school students with tables and chairs, as well as desks;
4) when using tables and chairs, the teacher must constantly pay special attention to the students’ compliance with the negative distance of the chair seat while writing and reading.
Correct posture is very important at an early age. It is in childhood that the human skeleton and its physiology are formed. It is very important to pay attention to this - a properly designed desk will allow the student to improve academic performance and eliminate slouching in the future.
If you decide to make a desk for your home, you need to stock up on materials and tools for construction. Initially, you will need a diagram of such furniture; you can look it up online or prepare a drawing yourself. When choosing a material, you should take into account the financial component; you can use different materials, which will save money. The basis for the future desk can be:
You will also need self-tapping screws, bolts and nuts. Depending on the selected material for manufacturing, the tool is selected:
IMPORTANT! Wooden parts should be kept in a dry, ventilated area to prevent deformation and cracks. Before assembling the structure, treat metal products with sandpaper.
Let's look at several options for designing a table from various materials. Before you start, you should study the drawing and make blanks.
ATTENTION! Pay attention to the angle of the desk, and also decide whether the chair will be connected to the base of the desk.
To use a metal corner at the base of the table, we will prepare sections according to the assembly diagram. In this case we will need:
Next, the finished table supports must be secured to the base of the tabletop in the middle, using welding or bolts. Fiberboard 50*75 cm will be used as a tabletop; it is also possible to use several wooden blocks. Then you should drill holes in the table frame and secure the tabletop using self-tapping screws. Treat the entire structure with paint and varnish.
IMPORTANT! Welding work is carried out in special clothing, protected from fire and in a specially designated place. The angle of the desk is very important to reduce the load on the spine, remember this.
To assemble a table from metal pipes, the same schemes are used as when assembling from corners.
Three sequential schemes for assembling a children's desk with lift adjustment:
To create a desk from fiberboard, you will need a sheet of material approximately 1.5 * 1.5 m. According to the drawing, you should cut out the components with a jigsaw and connect them using bolts or self-tapping screws. Required parts:
The legs can be given any shape; the stops for the table top and the floor must be level to ensure the stability of the desk. Next, you need to secure the structure with ties, two ties under the tabletop, one at the base of the legs. Finish the edges of the table with furniture fittings.
To create a children's desk made of wood you need:
IMPORTANT! Make the details of the drawing according to the calculations and process them with sandpaper. In case of visible wood defects, eliminate or replace.
In some cases, there is a need to adjust the height of the table and the angle of inclination; this requires the creation of a fixation mechanism. Depending on the design of the table, the use of the adjustment function will require changes in the design of the legs, except when it is necessary to make a tabletop with a change in the angle of inclination. There are several types of height adjustment mechanisms; you can choose the right one by searching the Internet. Let's consider one of the options.
Let's take as a basis the assembly of the wooden table described above. 2 guides made of boards 20*2 cm and 40–50 cm long are attached to the assembled tabletop. It is necessary to drill holes for fixation in them in increments of 5 cm and with a diameter of 1–2 cm. We make the supporting part of the legs from a 5*5 cm block and two boards 20*2 cm and 30–50 cm long, make holes in the boards in increments of 5 cm, with a corresponding diameter and a distance from the block of 10 cm. For proper fixation, you must use a U-shaped pin or fasten the stop boards with bars along the edges. The table regulator with the lock is ready.
