Past projects 45
Kindle Fire Fanfare, 2019!
Funded Jul 30, 2019We are into our seventh week of school, and your Kindle Fire tablets and protective covers are already pulling more than their weight in the classroom!
The fuchsia-colored, silicon covers are sturdy (even for kindergardeners) and removable, so washing them to limit the spread of germs is super-easy.
These ten new tablets are perfect for us: all of the applications load immediately when the tablet is turned-on, and their touch/response time is the fastest we have yet seen for our favorite application: LEGO robotics!
We are, all of us, so lucky to have your support!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Petuskey
This classroom project was brought to life by Verizon and one other donor.Lego Robotics for All Hands!
Funded Dec 12, 2018After thirty-some, fully-funded projects on DonorsChoose, I am still amazed at how eager our science laboratory supporters are to see materials in the hands of happy students!
This robotics project is positively brimming with creative possibilities: from motion-sensing owls to trash-sorting trucks to testing planned communities for the effects of earthquakes. Whew!
One of the greatest benefits of these Lego WeDo robotics kits are the infinite building ideas available via online applications. Truly, our laboratory hasn't even scratched the surface of our building potential.
Best of all, we have enough kits for EVERYONE to participate, in every class. Bless your souls!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Petuskey
Circuits, Oh, Snap!
Funded Sep 27, 2018"A rolling stone gathers no moss". If this is so, (and it is!), then our science laboratory is truly moss-free.
On the same day that our new Snap Circuits kits arrived, we put them to the test, and they passed marvelously! Each part is smooth, clean, and easy to snap together (the name of this product says it all).
Altogether, we were able to complete all 21 activities in less than an hour, including two types of switches, three kinds of LED lights, and a motorized fan with four settings. We even invented three projects of our own!
It is now time to introduce these kits to ALL of our classes; all thanks to you!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Petuskey
Restocking the Science Pantry!
Funded Aug 22, 2018As promised, we have put the materials from this supplies project into immediate use in the classroom!
By unanimous vote, the eight gallons of Elmer's glue have been the first materials to be explored. This glue, along with copious quantities of water, borax, and food coloring, have created slime polymers in every colorful shade possible. These polymers have been sliced, stretched, twisted, burped, and lovingly pulverized, all the while returning to their own, natural states of rest.
This restocking project is just getting underway here in our laboratory, but the fun, and our thanks, are only just beginning to grow!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Petuskey
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 3 other donors.Dissection + Owl Pellets = Priceless!
Funded Aug 20, 2018It's a fact: our favorite time of any school day is when new DonorsChoose materials arrive. This Owl Pellets Project is a perfect example. The wonderful folks at DonorsChoose shipped our new stock of owl pellets a week early, so they have already arrived, been unboxed, and even one of them has been dissected and photographed.
What, in heaven's name, did we discover within this owl pellet? Glad you asked! Our research indicates that this particular owl digested a rodent jaw, a shrew scapula, and a mole jaw, along with about 10 grams of mammal hair.
Our hearts and minds are full of owl pellets and their mysteries, thanks to you!!!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Petuskey
Mr. Roboto Lego!
Funded Sep 1, 2018This is one of our favorite moments, when DonorsChoose materials arrive and our students explore the possibilities. This Lego Robotics project is a perfect fit for our laboratory: concise assembly instructions and dizzying building choices.
We have already downloaded the Lego Education WeDo 2.0 app to our two classroom iPads, and sorted the Lego building pieces by color. Our goal is to have our first robot programmed in time for Back-to-School Night this coming Wednesday!
All of this, all of this science and STEM creativity, is because of your kindness and vision!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Petuskey
This classroom project was brought to life by Craig Newmark Philanthropies and one other donor.Photo Electric!
Funded Dec 27, 2017We have been busy exploring the boundaries of our brand-new, high-powered Van der Graaf generator, and things will never be the same around here!
First (and this does not show in the photographs), students describe the sensation of touching the generator as, "being enveloped in a cocoon of static cling, sort of like a crackling sock in a clothes dryer." Well!
Second (and most importantly), every student is affected differently by the 200,00 volts of electricity that the generator emits. Some students see no change to their hair follicles, while others (like our photos demonstrate), experience pure drama.
Our students have been creating background drawings to express their experiences with this wonderful, new tool. We are all expressing our profound thanks to you!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Petuskey
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Donor and 2 other donors.Coding, Coding, Coding!
Funded Oct 1, 2017we should have called this project, "Extra Eyes in the Back of Our Heads"!
Why? Because using each of these four new robotic technologies really does require our students to anticipate mechanical motions, and "see" possible paths of step-by-step logic. It's not easy, but ooh, what fun!
The very best outcome, to-date, of this project, is the unexpected, magnetic pull these robotic tools have on our quietest, shyest, and most-reserved students. For some fortunate reasons, these are the students who gravitate toward the pure logic of your donated materials. We are, eternally, humbled by your ongoing support!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Petuskey
This classroom project was brought to life by 3M and 3 other donors.For the Birds!
Funded Nov 16, 2017Today is the day!
Our two new parakeets, Kenzo and Gucci, have, at last, transitioned from their (cramped) home cage to their brand new, at-school, cage. All thanks to you!
We had to wait for a morning with outside temperature above 40 degrees, Fahrenheit, because parakeets can be gravely injured by cold drafts. So, this morning, our feathered duo ventured to their new home, snugly wrapped in blankets and bedsheets.
With the help of a first-period, junior ornithologist, both Gucci and Kenzo have successfully inhabited their new environment, loaded with space, comfort, and fun. We owe their habitat, and their quality of life, to you.
Come visit us, anytime!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Petuskey
It's Elemental!
Funded Nov 15, 2017Even after being fully-funded (thanks to you), this project is still taking-on a life of its own!
Since our library of books have arrived, student demand for them has rattled the rooftops. By popular request, a complete set of every book has already been donated to our school library, so that our youngest students may have everyday access to them.
Even for our middle school students, the pictures inside these reference books are worth a gabillion words.
We have already begun our inquiry of the Periodic Table, and all of its possibilities, in real, live, living color, thanks especially to you!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Petuskey