Past projects 7
Communication With Technology
Funded Oct 2, 2017Thank you so much for the new iPad! It has been absolutely amazing to experience students trying out new communication apps to help students who do not speak with their voice. The iPad is engaging and interesting, cool to their peers, and provides my students with a voice.
Because I now have access to many apps and communication options, I can experiment with different systems. I can individualize within speech therapy based on the needs of the students. I was also able to create a communication experience similar to a poster that we have on the classroom board... with the added bonus that voice is added!
Thank you for making this possible! We couldn't do it without you”
With gratitude,
Ms. Chin
A Fantastic Sensory Room for Students in Need!
Funded Oct 5, 2015I am so very grateful for the donations that you made to help make our sensory room a better learning environment! We now have multiple activities for sensory activities. Children who need a calming, smooth texture can run their fingers through the kinetic sand. Children who need to bend and twist items can use the pliable noodles.
For students that need more gross motor activities to get their sensory systems in check, the balance board is the perfect solution! Students stand on it and must concentrate on their center of gravity and focusing enough not to fall to the side. It is a very effective tool.
The exercise band has multiple great uses. Students use these for stretching their arms and benefiting from the resistance provided. They also can use these bands around the ends of the chair as a thing to kick without disturbing the rest of the class.
This project was full of many useful tools and activities. I am so very grateful that you helped to fund it!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Chin
This classroom project was brought to life by NEA Foundation and one other donor.Play Based Language Therapy
Funded Dec 31, 2014Wow! I cannot express enough how thankful I am for the play based language therapy toys. My students LOVE them! They are enthralled by the toys and work so hard in speech therapy so that they can earn "play" time. The play is, in fact, extended speech therapy since the students are practicing pretend play, vocabulary, using short or long sentences and taking turns.
I am pretty sure that students think that the speech room is the best room in the entire school now that we have all of these play based materials. They are perfect for fun and learning!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Chin
My Students Need Visual Timers
Funded Jan 16, 2015Thank you so much for the gift of visual timers. These are such a valuable resource for my students and the students of this school who do not have a good sense of time. Visual timers provide a more concrete way for some students to know how long they have been doing something or how much time remains.
My students are using these timers so that they can know how much longer they need to sit in a group. This helps those students who feel like sitting at a desk or doing an activity will never end. The timers help the students to know that there is an end in sight. The timers also are letting them know how long they can do a preferred activity before they return to work. These are great tools for break time!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Chin
Help Fill the Sensory Needs of my Students
Funded Nov 30, 2014Thank you so much for your very generous gifts towards our sensory room! Through Donor's Choose, I started the sensory room several years ago. It was in need of updated materials and items both to increase the variety of activities and to replace broken items. Your donation helped make that happen.
Among all of the new sensory items, the students particularly adore the kinetic sand. They call it "squishy sand". They use it both creatively and as a calming tool. Almost every student that was asked to write a thank you wanted to thank you for this item.
I am very grateful for the new peapod chair. This was a beloved item a few years ago until it broke. The students once again love this chair and can relax well in it so they are ready to go back to class. Students love the sensory room and you are a big part of why this is true!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Chin
Speech Therapy Through Play!
Funded Oct 29, 2013Thank you so much for the amazing donation towards my speech therapy items! I am so excited to have these fun and motivating toys for my students to use during small group and one-on-one sessions.
I have organized most of the toys by theme and/or color. The students work on requesting with sentences and picture communication by either finding the picture of the item, or by verbally stating the item in a short sentence. For students with very low verbal communication skills, motivating toys such as these make all of the difference!
I have also been able to use these items for categorizing and learning new vocabulary. They add fresh new words to the curriculum and have been awesome!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Chin
This classroom project was brought to life by NEA Foundation and one other donor.Creating A Sensory Room For Children With Autism
Funded Oct 11, 2012Thank you so much for your generous contribution towards our sensory room! With all of your help, we now have materials to meet the sensory needs of many of our students including: calming devices for the sensory system, the visual system, the auditory system, and the gross motor system. We have, in addition, a variety of fine motor activities set up in stations to assist students in these areas. There are stations set up around the space. It has been painted a beautiful, calming blue, and students have been benefiting!
Our parents are excited that their children with special needs have an additional resource to help them at school The staff is excited to have this special and unique area. On behalf of all the special education teachers at this school, thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Chin