Our kindergarten class is made up of twenty-one culturally diverse, inquisitive students who love to observe and learn about a variety of animals. We have a few classroom pets already - a snake, our red worm bin and a tree frog.
However, our campus is in an urban setting where there are a few pine trees around but not much chance of finding little critters to observe in their own natural setting. We are awed by the occasional squirrel or mockingbird that comes our way. Try as we might, we aren't able to find salamanders or lizards in this type of locale.
With this proposal, I would like to set up a 10 gal. river ecosystem for the children to have within our classroom. Within this system, I would place newts and possibly other critters (to be purchased at a later date) for my students to watch and make observations. This would also be used to supplement the newly adopted science curriculum unit based on animals. Have you ever seen 5 and 6 year olds as they watch an unfamiliar animal move and eat??? The excitement is contagious and tangible!
You can provide this closer glimpse of nature in my classroom. You would be giving my students a very concrete place to explore and wonder about a piece of nature that they can observe "close up and personal".
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Fong and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.