My Kinderkids are EAGER to learn and love exploring, asking questions, and "digging in" to what I am teaching! This classroom family of active, enthused, and inquiring young minds is a diverse group of students. They come from many places around the world, speak different languages, and often have unique learning needs that challenge me to find innovative ways to help them all learn and be successful and help me learn and grow as a teacher as well.
Each year, I find families that are very supportive of what we are doing in the classroom, but often lack the materials or ideas for how to best help their children learn at home. Many families ask me how they can work with their children or express sadness because they cannot afford even the basic supplies or materials such as crayons, pencils, books, or other items that would be helpful in working at home. Kindergarten students LOVE homework and are eager to have daily assignments, but parents are also looking for fun ways to work with their children and not just another worksheet to color, cut and paste, or write on. Children learn best through doing, and finding ways to help children learn hands-on will be a "win-win" situation for all!
I have recently been able to start a lending library of "homework backpacks" thanks to the generosity of donors here at DonorsChoose.org! However, at this time, there are not enough backpacks for all the children to use.
With these materials and the additional materials I will purchase and create from scratch, I will be able to create six new "Hands-on Homework" bags that the children will check out weekly. These bags will have high quality children's literature and hands-on activities for my Kinderkids and their families to explore and learn with throughout the week. I will include a supply box, activity suggestions, directions, and book lists for further reading as well as a family journal where students and families can leave comments, feedback, photos, drawings, and share stories of their experiences with the materials. Each backpack will be centered around a theme or concept that is studied during the Kindergarten year, and these particular backpacks will be focusing on math skills. These backpacks will help my students continue to learn and reinforce what is taught at school. They will help families find engaging and fun ways to learn at home and have quality time together!
My dream of creating a classroom lending library for my students' families is off to a great start! Your donation will make a HUGE difference in my students' learning and their retention of important concepts and skills, and just as importantly you will help my families build parenting skills and create quality time and memories that will last a life time. Thank you for your involvement in the lives of these little ones that are so very dear to my heart!
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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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. Thomas and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
