Past projects 39
Let the Music Play
Funded Jun 25, 2023Your generous contributions to "Let the Music Play" have made our music and movement activities a huge success. The Boomwhackers are motivational, fun and easy to handle. They have become the preferred instrument for most of my preschoolers.
My students continue to experiment and explore how these exciting instruments make sound. They enjoy tapping them on the floor, on their palms, and on their knees. Recently, two students explored tapping the Boomwhackers on objects around our classroom. My students are learning more about cause and effect as they play these fantastic instruments. One student in particular truly enjoys getting a Boomwhacker and tapping it fast and loud, then slow and quiet.
The Boomwhackers have definitely helped my students keep a steady beat! They play the Boomwhackers to common nursery rhymes and to instrumental music. They have loads of fun while learning music concepts. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Sloan-Johnson
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Supporter and 4 other donors.Tables for Outdoor Tabletop Activities
Funded Jul 17, 2023Thank you for your wonderful contributions to Tables for Outdoor Tabletop Activities. Your support has really made a difference for the children in my class.
Thanks to you, my students have had a more comfortable place to work and play while outdoors. Instead of playing under the brutal summer sun, they have had the option of sitting at the activity tables under the protection of the umbrellas. On one particularly hot day, after crossing the balance beam, one of my students fanned his face and said, "Hot!" and promptly went to sit at one of the tables. Thank you!
My students have built towers, fixed puzzles, played with train sets, read books, drawn pictures, and eaten snacks at the tables. Thank you!
Teresa Alarid, Renee Galeas, Oliva Oca, taylor smith, Quae P, Zachary Johnson, Jacqueline Menchaca, jonnyN jaxBB, JH, Wendy, Melissa Dehakiz, and several anonymous supporters, I can't thank you enough for your generosity and support. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Sloan-Johnson
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Supporter and 13 other donors.Let's Play Ball!
Funded Sep 20, 2022Your generosity and kindness came right on time! My students simply love the variety of balls they have to play with now. Your donation has given them numerous opportunities to develop their fine motor and gross motor skills. My young preschoolers have improved their transferring, kicking, throwing, and catching skills.
YOU have had a positive and direct impact on their eye-hand coordination and social skills. My students are demonstrating improved perseverance, turn-taking, and tolerance for different textures.
My students, families and I thank you for you generosity and support.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Sloan-Johnson
This classroom project was brought to life by Valhalla Foundation and one other donor.Supporting a Community of Learners
Funded Jun 7, 2022My students now have new tools to help expand their vocabulary, tools to help improve their self-regulation, and tools to help develop their perseverance and confidence. The photo libraries are helpful with expressive language development. After introducing the new vocabulary and reviewing it, the photos were displayed in the classroom. My students are pointing to the picture cards, during their independent play, and saying the words aloud! That is HUGE!
The cuddle ball is a welcome addition to our calming area; it comes in handy when students want something soft and warm to snuggle up to when feeling blue. The cuddle ball helps to soothe my students.
My students have improved their deep breathing with the use of the Hoberman sphere. They are learning to slowly inhale while expanding the sphere and then exhale while making the sphere contract. This technique is a work in progress- right now they are more interested in the sphere's colors and construction.
The puzzles are great. They depict diverse children engaged in everyday activities. My preschoolers are putting them back together with adult assistance. They show growth in their can-do attitude and confidence.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Sloan-Johnson
The Ants Go Marching
Funded Jun 15, 2022The ant farm and the ant models have inspired my students to look more closely at nature and their natural environment. My students continue to enjoy comparing how the ant models look with the naked eye and with a magnifying lens. I'm also happy to report that all of my young learners are able to match an adult ant to an adult ant, an egg to an egg, the larvae to the larvae and the pupa to the pupa. My students are continuing to learn about the ant's life cycle with the use of the ant life cycle figurines.
Some of my students continue to find and point to the ants both inside and outside the classroom; and a few still become surprised and alarmed when they see large groups of ants on an abandoned snack.
Thank you for supporting my students.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Sloan-Johnson
This classroom project was brought to life by General Motors and 2 other donors.Brick by Brick
Funded Jun 16, 2022The Easy-Build Bricks are, by far, a class favorite. Your generosity has allowed my students to have fun while building their math skills. They are learning to use number words in standard order while counting and are learning to count each object once and only once. They are making progress!
They continue to demonstrate their creativity and willingness to work cooperatively with their peers while making walls, towers, houses, and animal pens. It's fun to see their excited expressions when they've completed a castle and then stand back to admire their work!
Your donation has had a direct and lasting impact on my students' learning. Thank you again!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Sloan-Johnson
This classroom project was brought to life by General Motors and one other donor.Art Easel Needed
Funded Sep 8, 2022Another big thanks for supporting my class and me. Having an outdoor painting easel has given my students additional opportunities to paint, to make choices, to share and to collaborate with their peers. One of the greatest successes has been their improvement in asking for what they need and want (e.g., "More red," "Want paint," "Paint with me," etc.). Another success has been getting my reluctant painters to choose painting as a first choice! They ask to paint independently and ask their friends to join them. Simply awesome!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Sloan-Johnson
This classroom project was brought to life by Valhalla Foundation and one other donor.Play-Based Math
Funded Jul 16, 2022My students absolutely love the jumbo magnetic tiles. They enjoy designing colorful child-sized houses, castles, and animal enclosures where they take on the role of familiar people and characters and pretend to be animals. The tiles also provide a natural opportunity for my students to improve their language and social skills.
The magnetic tiles are heavy; and they help my students develop their muscle strength and coordination- all while playing. Through their collaborative play, my students work on motor skills by lifting, pushing, and pulling the magnetic tiles around the building area.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Sloan-Johnson
This classroom project was brought to life by General Motors and one other donor.Paths and Prisms
Funded Jul 11, 2022The waffle blocks are a huge hit with my students. They love to connect the waffle blocks to create long paths to walk on. The waffle blocks have also allowed my students to work on math concepts such as sorting by color, counting how many and forming and identifying shapes. My students have access to these materials every day; and these giant blocks are invaluable on our rare rainy days. Many of my students have learned to make cubes with the waffle blocks! These cubes then become tables and chairs during their play. Some of my young learners are now building houses and cribs to pretend to sleep in.
The cart has made the task of transporting the waffles blocks from the classroom to the playground easy for my team and me.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Sloan-Johnson
This classroom project was brought to life by General Motors and one other donor.Let's Eat!
Funded Sep 7, 2022Dinner time! Thank you so much for choosing to fund my project and support the students in my classroom. My students have been able to use their imaginations and build skills that they will use in everyday life. With the pretend play food, my students act out so many different scenarios where they deal with food. In the pretend grocery store, my students practice math and motor skills by counting how much items may cost and practicing putting items into shopping baskets. During dramatic play, they practice their language and social skills in working together to set the table for meals and practicing feeding the dolls. My students are always seen smiling, laughing, and coming up with new and creative ways of how to engage with the pretend food in the Dramatic Play Center.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Sloan-Johnson
This classroom project was brought to life by Valhalla Foundation.