Mrs. Meacham's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 24

• STEAM Classroom Essentials

  Funded Feb 16, 2021

  It takes many, many tools to help students work their way through our STEAM challenges. I guess that's why we call our classroom a makerspace -- it's a room with lots of tools where designing and creating happen!

  This project was very important to us. We rely on the tools we have in our classroom to help us progress through our engineering projects. The markers, scissors, and canary cutters are used a lot in our challenges. We were able to replenish our depleted stock with fresh markers and increase the number of saws we had available to use.

  The cut free gloves are a safety must! Thank you for donating to this project. We are appreciative!!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Meacham

  This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and 3 other donors.

• Sticking to Classroom Essentials

  Funded Mar 10, 2021

  We use a lot of glue sticks and tape in STEAM -- and so these two items really are classroom essentials for us!

  Thank you for your donations to this project. They helped stock our shelves with glue sticks and tape. We were also able to get a Dremel tool which has already proven to be very useful when cutting plastic. Mrs. Meacham uses it and students watch.

  These tools help us when we are creating our prototypes for STEAM challenges. Without them, we'd not be able to accomplish all that we currently are able to do. Thank you again for your generosity!!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Meacham

  This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and 4 other donors.

• Remote Learners Need Access to Robotics, Too!

  Funded Apr 19, 2021

  The smiles on my remote learners' faces was memorable -- when I told them they'd also be able to do Robotics with us (in-person learners), instead of just watching!

  I made robotics kit tubs for them, using the materials we had and the materials we needed (that were provided through this DonorsChoose project). Students were thrilled to get the kits and parents were appreciative.

  Because they received the robotics kits to use at home -- thanks in large part to the materials this project provided, at-home learners were able to construct and code at home just like our in-person learners did.

  Thank you. We are appreciative!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Meacham

  This classroom project was brought to life by IF/THEN, an initiative of Lyda Hill Philanthropies and 3 other donors.

• Connecting Spending to Engineering

  Funded Mar 18, 2020

  We secured funding, thanks to YOU -- for our "Securing our Budgets in STEAM" project. The rolls of tape will carry us through the 2020-2021 school year.

  We plan to use the MakeDo Screws for our cardboard innovations. They are handy when attaching cardboard and work well with the hinges and brackets we 3D print.

  The drills are a MUCH needed tool. We have three, but it has become a problem for our student teams to share three drills. Now that we have three more drills we will be able to dedicate done drill per group. No more walking across the room with borrowed drills from other groups!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Meacham

  This classroom project was brought to life by Charles Schwab Foundation and 2 other donors.

• Cutting and Spending in STEAM

  Funded Mar 12, 2020

  We do a lot of cutting and trimming when working through our engineer design projects. This year we will be able to use our special "gold" (tailors) scissors when cutting cloth. We tend to use our regular classroom scissors on all sorts of materials, so they are not very sharp and get gunked up easily. These special "gold" scissors will only be used on fabrics!

  We had a ZipSnip last year, but it broke. We are very excited that we now have two that work, thanks to our donors!!! These are used to quickly cut down cardboard into smaller, more manageable pieces. We will do a better job not using them on materials that will break them (or jam up the blade).

  We have had great success using our cardboard cutters with the cut-free gloves. Again, thank you for your donations!!! They made a difference.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Meacham

  This classroom project was brought to life by Charles Schwab Foundation and one other donor.

• Still Innovating With STEAM Tool Kits

  Funded Aug 3, 2020

  Our first project is in the works! We're making miniature tree houses. We visited the school forest to search for the perfect twig. It had to be less than 17 inches. Our tape measures were the perfect tool to use when finding twigs.

  Each student has a STEAM kit, whether they are in-person learners or remote learners. The students are excited that they can still participate in design challenges, like the miniature tree houses. We don't have to worry about sharing materials like tape, scissors, markers, etc. They are in our kits!

  The zippered pouches are perfect and we can keep adding to them as we get more tools. This week we added low temp hot glue guns to them (3rd grade - 5th grade).

  Thank you for donating to this project! We are THRILLED about our new kits.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Meacham

  This classroom project was brought to life by UPS Foundation and 3 other donors.

• Securing Our Budgets in STEAM

  Funded Feb 23, 2020

  4K STEAM is a great way for students to develop their outside of the box thinking and to refine their teamwork skills. We work together in partnerships and it is always our goal to create one team-designed project.

  These KNex kits are a hit! I dumped them all into one big bin and students got to work right away creating a special pet. Our next step is to design using a simple budget. Each color/part will be associated with a cost (pennies) and students will need to budget for their creation and spend accordingly.

  This will likely be a work in progress, as it will be their first time working with budgets and spending. Thank you for donating to this project. We appreciate it!!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Meacham

  This classroom project was brought to life by Charles Schwab Foundation and 3 other donors.

• Colorful Signage

  Funded Apr 10, 2020

  Color is a great way to add artistic flair to engineering projects and to communicate messages and intent to your audience. These markers and other writing tools will help STEAM students create designs with creativity and great communication.

  Students in grades 5K-5 will use the markers when creating projects that need signage.

  They will also use them when filling out budget reports and maintaining budget sheets.

  We have not yet used our markers and writing tools yet, but are determining safe ways to incorporate them into our designs this year, due to COVID restrictions. We are appreciative of your donations and can't wait to begin using these materials, once we figure out a system for either sanitizing or quarantining them after use.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Meacham

  This classroom project was brought to life by Charles Schwab Foundation and 3 other donors.

• Breathing Easy in STEAM

  Funded Mar 10, 2020

  Our air purifier is now up and running. We haven't yet 3D printed or used the laser cutter, but it is activity running and working to keep our air clear or any smells and allergens (and potential germs!).

  We are in the midst of our first engineering project - building miniature treehouses. Students will design a sign for their house and the laser cutter will be used to create the signs! We can't wait to see these signs and get great use out of our air purifier as it works to create our signs. A little later in the year we'll 3D print and our purifier will get great use then too.

  Thank you for helping to fund this project. We are very appreciative!!!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Meacham

• 3D Printing Our Solutions

  Funded Nov 27, 2019

  Adding a 3rd printer to our already existing (3) printers has really made a difference. When printing 24 projects for 24 classes, it's important to try to have an acceptable turn around time for student projects. Three printers makes that more doable.

  The FlashForge Finder is a workhorse! It was easy to set up and has been predictable and reliable when printing. Students love the color! They area easily able to navigate the touch screen control panel and remove prints.

  We have already printed many tools/accessories that are used to aid in our engineering construction projects (hinges, nuts/bolts, and brackets).

  Thank you for your generous donations toward this project!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Meacham