It was time for Marco to start his AP Calculus practice exam. He started sweating, his breath became faster and anxiety consumed him. He knew he had to do anything to keep stress and anxiety out of his way to do well on the exam. At that instant, Marco took out of his pocket his fidget spinner and began spinning it. He then, began to focus and concentrate on the exam.

A new trend is invading TCS. Fidget toys have influenced students positively, which is why TCS has changed its perspective about them. While educators first believed these toys distracted students, they turned out to help release anxiety for a better focus.

What are fidget toys and what is their purpose?

The human body has the ability to express anxiety in different ways. The pen clicking habit, biting your nails, and constantly tapping your feet are the ways your body expresses anxiety. The fidget toys were created as tools for people to calm their anxiety and TCS students state they have been successful.

“Every day I have a test I take my fidget spinner to school and it helps me realize my anxiety. I even take it out on the exam and it helps me concentrate,” Marco Duran, 11th grader, said.

Fidget toys come in two presentations, either a fidget spinner or a fidget cube. Both are simple instruments that have created a huge impact not only in TCS, but also around the world. Fidget toy inventors state that the cube could very well improve your day-to-day by giving people an un unconscious way out out for your nerves or bored energy.

“We believe that Fidget Cube provides a tangible way to capture your floating attention, regardless of whether you fidget consciously or subconsciously,” Mark McLachlan, creator of the Fidget Cube, stated.

Fidget Toys, the new trend at The Columbus School

Fidget Toys at TCS become more popular day-to-day, due to the benefits it brings to students. As a result of the high academic workload, most students tend to suffer more than normally of anxiety.

“This year I am taking two AP classes so I constantly get stressed and feel anxious. Since I bought a Fidget Cube, it has helped me a lot with anxiety,” Susana Alvarez, 11th grader, said.

Fidget toys not only have a positive impact in high standard and AP level students such as Susana Alvarez, they are also tools of great influence in students who need more help academically. This toys have helped every kind of student throughout the institution, from the High Honer Level Students to the ones that need help the most.

“To be honest, I’m not quite, and have never been the greatest student. I am not embarrassed of admitting it but to be sincere, I failed 9th grade algebra with Sam and I’m still making up for that subject. Since my dad brought home a fidget cube, I always use it in Algebra I class to understand better when Mauricio explains,” Martin Restrepo, 11th grader said.

The new trend at The Columbus School has given some students the opportunity to improve academically, and release stress and negative vibes. Furthermore, it has given other students the opportunity to create a business and take advantage of the situation to benefit economically and by the way, help others to improve their learning process during class time.

“I started to sell fidget toys at the mid of February. The business was so successful that I ordered 250 cubes and spinners in total and in one month, I have 15 cubes left and sold all the spinners. Each toy was priced at 50,000 pesos and no one even complained about it,” Juan Manuel Jaramillo, 10th grader and fidget toy seller said.

How does a fidget toy work?

According to internet sources promoting the cube, this toy is intended to be helpful in work, class, and home. Clients that have experienced the benefits of this toys just recently invented a new term called “fidgeting”. Fidgeting refers to the use of this toys to replace habits produced by anxiety and stress.

“It’s simple. Fidget Cube has six sides. Each side features something to fidget with,” Mark McLachlan, Fidget Cube creator stated.

The cube has 6 sides, each with a different interactive activity to let your fingers play with.  Each user that plays with the cube can spin, breathe, glide, roll, flip, and click. One side of the cube is intended to relax the user by clicking 5 buttons, three of them are clicker buttons and two of them are silenced buttons with the purpose of satisfying the clicker.

“It doesn´t let me focus on other things besides what I’m currently working on. It actually helps me a lot, the only two things I think about in the moment is fidgeting and getting the assignment complete” Martin Restrepo, 11th grader said.

The cube is incorporated with a side where you can glide with a joystick, another face which is intended to make the user “flip”, you can pivot a switch back and forth to relax yourself. Another side offers a rolling option where you can roll three gears that the cube has, plus a ball that can roll and has a built-in-click feature. A circular dial that spins is incorporated in another side of the cube.The fidget cube has been described by many customers as “an unusually addicting, high-quality desk toy designed to help you focus. Fidget at work, in class, and at home in style”.

Students who fidget at TCS seem to be 100% satisfied with their toys and claim to be positively affected by them.