The Lion’s Toolbox at Clark Davidson Elementary
At Clark Davidson Elementary, students are learning that big feelings are not something to fear, they are something to understand.
Thanks to a Goddard Education Foundation Teacher Grant, school social worker Corrina Crabb has transformed a simple idea into a powerful resource for students. What began as an idea to create a regulation station, has become something much more. Today, it is known by students and staff as The Lion’s Toolbox, a welcoming de-escalation space where students can “find their calm and roar with confidence.”
Walk into the room and you immediately feel the intention behind it. Soft seating. Sensory tiles that glow with movement under small feet. A carefully organized wall of tools, from body socks and weighted lap pads to fidget boxes and desk pedals. A friendly lion greets students from the wall, reminding them that strength is not about volume, it is about control.
But the power of the Lion’s Toolbox is not just in the tools. It is in the process.
When students enter the room, they begin by identifying their current emotional zone. Are they feeling overwhelmed? Frustrated? Sleepy? Restless? Naming the feeling is the first step toward managing it.
From there, students choose a tool designed specifically for what they need in that moment. A student who feels hyper may choose a calming sensory activity. A student who feels sluggish may choose a more active regulation strategy. An eight minute timer gives them structured time to reset. When the timer ends, students reflect on how the tool helped and complete a brief evaluation sheet before returning to class.
If a particular strategy proves especially effective, Corrina can help replicate it in the classroom. Small tools that support regulation can travel with students, reinforcing independence and self awareness beyond the Lion’s Toolbox walls.
Corrina knew that creating a space like this required thoughtful planning. After receiving the grant, she collaborated with Martha Mann, occupational therapist for Goddard Public Schools, and Tori Elliott, speech pathologist. Together, they developed a structured system to maximize impact and ensure consistency for both students and staff.
Research supports what they are already seeing in practice. Sensory based interventions and structured regulation spaces reduce classroom disruptions, increase on task behavior, and strengthen emotional control. The Regulation Station proposal highlights that up to one in four elementary students experience difficulty regulating emotions that impact learning. Providing proactive support helps prevent behaviors before they escalate.
For Clark Davidson Elementary, this means fewer reactive moments and more intentional support.
It also means greater staff confidence. In the past, when a student became dysregulated, options were limited. With limited space, oftentimes a staff member’s office served as the only alternative space for intervention. Now, any trained staff member can guide a student to the Lion’s Toolbox and follow a consistent, schoolwide process. The space was built intentionally to support teachers, paraprofessionals, and ultimately every student in the building.
The impact extends even further. Students who demonstrate growth in self regulation can earn time in the room as an incentive. Staff training videos are being developed so that the Lion’s Toolbox model remains purposeful, specific, and sustainable at Clark Davidson Elementary. Data will be reviewed to measure success, evaluate student growth, and guide future investments in the space.
At its heart, this is about more than calming down.
It is about teaching students how to recognize emotions, practice coping strategies, and return to learning with confidence. It is about building lifelong skills that strengthen academic engagement, peer relationships, and emotional well being.
Because when students learn how to regulate, they do not just manage the moment, they ROAR!