Past projects 405
Breaker Boys: How a Photograph Helped End Child Labor
Funded Jan 22, 2025Thank you so much for your generous donation which provided my classroom with a class set of the book Breaker Boys.
We are at the tail end of an exploration of the Industrial Revolution. At this point, we are considering how the Industrial Revolution has had an impact on our lives today, and students have been considering the role of Lewis Hine in shaping the laws affecting child laborers in our country today. We have been discussing children working in agriculture in this country and thinking about why and how they are so different from the laws affecting child labor in other types of work.
The copies of Breaker Boys have allowed us to learn more about the coal industry and the work of Lewis Hine. Thank you again for your gift.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Livingstone
Metals of Antiquity: Gold, Silver, and Copper
Funded Feb 3, 2025Thank you so much for funding this project.
I have not previously taught a unit organized around metals in the way that I am planning, but I am excited to build lessons that allow students to learn history, science, and math with a crosscurricular approach.
Thank you again for supporting my students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Livingstone
Spinning and Weaving: Industrial Revolution Vocabulary
Funded Jan 17, 2025Thank you so much for supplying us with yarn, needles, and looms. Learning to knit and weave is difficult---particularly, learning to knit!---but we are having so much fun trying to learn how to do it.
Over the past few weeks, we've been learning about industrialization, steam engines, the factory system, and child labor. In between, we've dodged two winter storms and have had a lot of abbreviated school days due to ice on the roads. There have been quite a few short bits of class tucked into our days here and there on our adjusted schedule, and we've been able to use this time by pulling out our knitting needles.
Thank you so much for making this possible.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Livingstone
The Industrial Revolution: Let's Read!
Funded Dec 31, 2024Thank you so much for providing my students with books to support our study of the Industrial Revolution.
We have particularly enjoyed learning more about Lewis Hine and the ways that his photographs of children working in mills and other industries helped support reform movements. His photographs remain as evocative today as they were when they were taken, and his career has provided a powerful example of one way that visual images can be used to create change in society.
Thank you again for your contribution. Your generous help is allowing a great group of young teens to learn more about the world, past and present, as they move forward in their lives.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Livingstone
The Industrial Revolution: Let's Learn About Steam Engines!
Funded Dec 29, 2024Wow! Yesterday we finally got our little steam engine models operational in the classroom. What a hoot! Powered by a glass of hot water, the wheels rotated faster and faster as the hot water heated air and the pressure created pushed the piston which was attached to a crankshaft to make the wheels spin. Thank you so much for providing my students with the opportunity to show off what they've learned about steam engines by explaining how the little models worked.
In addition, we've been busily working on our spinning skills using the drop spindles. Spinning is NOT as easy as it looks! So far, two students have mastered it (albeit with slightly lumpy yarn results), but no one has given up on trying.
Thank you so much for supporting my students by providing the materials to learn about aspects of the Industrial Revolution with hands-on activities in our classroom. We appreciate your help.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Livingstone
Blue Jay Adventure: Let's Learn!
Funded Dec 1, 2024Thank you so much for providing my students with supplies for our upcoming camping trip!
The magnifying glasses will be so helpful as we sketch flowers and insects on hikes through the woods. We've been working on learning the rules to the Ecosystem card game (complicated!) so that we will be ready to play the game should rain keep us inside. The jigsaw puzzles will be available on a table inside the commons area for late night puzzling and conversation. And, of course, the duffle bags will be used to transport it all along with our food items.
Thank you again for your support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Livingstone
This classroom project was brought to life by Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation and 3 other donors.Let's Get Active: Math and Movement!
Funded Nov 13, 2024Thank you so much for funding the assortment of new learning tools for my classroom.
My students have already had a great time using the magnetic spinner to practice writing sentences using vocabulary related to our study of invasive lionfish in the Atlantic Ocean. Whether it is writing about how these voracious feeders eat more than 50 native species or about how these prolific breeders can lay eggs every three to four days up to more than two million per year, my students have had a lot of fun spinning the wheel and learning the new vocabulary.
Thank you again for your support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Livingstone
This classroom project was brought to life by Young Sheldon and 3 other donors.Jump Right In! Classroom Chromebooks
Funded Oct 18, 2024Thank you so much for providing two Chromebooks to the students in my classroom. We have already had several lessons during which a student without an assigned Chromebook was able to seamlessly join computer activities with the rest of the class because of your donation. It is so important that students not fall behind while they wait for a computer to be assigned or wait for a damaged Chromebook to be repaired.
In addition, we now have in our classroom the only heavy duty stapler in the building! With this stapler, I am able to assemble the little books that we read and write without concern over the number of pages. Our nifty new stapler can handle 90 pages!
Thank you again for your help. We appreciate it.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Livingstone
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Supporter and 2 other donors.Learning Inside and Out: Cushions and Crocus Bulbs
Funded Oct 14, 2024Thank you so much for providing comfortable floor cushions for my students. Those colorful cushions not only soften and brighten our classroom, making it more attractive for students, but they have become a favorite place for students to read and complete classwork.
We will not see the crocus bulbs bloom for a few more months. However, we are all looking forward to a gold and purple display, likely before we are even out of winter. If we are very luck and get a little snowfall this year, the blooms will peek through the top of the snow.
We greatly appreciate your generous support. Pillows and flower bulbs may not be absolutely essential learning supplies, but they have brought color and excitement to our classroom. And, for that, we thank you.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Livingstone
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Supporter and 2 other donors.Henna Art: A Hands-On Exploration
Funded Oct 7, 2024Thank you so much for providing my students with books related to henna, henna seeds, and henna kits for creating body art. We have lots of plans for using these materials in exciting ways including operating a modest henna art booth at the next parent meeting we are hosting.
The henna seeds are a bit of an unknown. We have read about growing henna, and we do the seeds can be expected to germinate in about two weeks. We are not sure how long it will take for our plants to grow to harvest size, but we are sure looking forward to finding out!
Thank you again for your generous support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Livingstone
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Supporter and 2 other donors.