Past projects 5
Kickin' Off the New Year with Soccer Equipment!
Funded Mar 27, 2018Thank you so much for donating the soccer equipment for the students at South Elementary! We have already started using the equipment during physical education and the nets are a huge hit. South has never had nets like this before so many of the students were over the moon excited when they saw me setting these up the other day! I had a few students help me setting up and attaching the net during indoor recess and all the students got super excited when I set them up for the first time.
I am super excited to also use these nets and soccer balls during the annual South Elementary Field Day next week! We don't have real soccer nets, so in previous years we would use small hockey nets as soccer goals during the soccer field day station. This year, I am thrilled to say that the students will be using REAL soccer nets with professional soccer balls during the event. I can't wait to see the student/staff/volunteer reaction to the nice setup that South has now! Thank you so much donors!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Houk
This classroom project was brought to life by ESPN and 2 other donors.Team Building with Lacrosse!
Funded Aug 15, 2017Thank you so much for donating the lacrosse sticks for the students at South Elementary! Our students have been loving the new resources and the additional unit to the physical education curriculum. Recently, we used the lacrosse equipment outside during physical education as well as after school in our Athletic Club.
Our students absolutely loved seeing the lacrosse sticks for the first time! Many of them were so excited and came up to me and told me that they play lacrosse outside of school and that they didn't ever think we would do that in P.E. Ever since I introduced the lacrosse unit the students always ask to play it or use them during stations. Currently, I have a funded soccer project to add to the curriculum. Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Houk
This classroom project was brought to life by DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation - Sports Matter and 2 other donors.Children's Fitness Center 2.0
Funded Oct 7, 2016Thank you so much for helping to fund our Children's Fitness Center initiative at South Elementary School in Crystal Lake! We can't thank you enough for your generosity in our process to enrich the student experience at our school.
Our students get to use the new fitness equipment every week in P.E! The equipment is a fantastic supplement to our state mandated fitness testing here in Illinois. The students have learned so much about importance of exercise, proper technique, and safety with workout equipment in the few short months we have had the equipment.
Thank you again for seeing our vision for the enhanced physical education program and for funding our proposal. The students have greatly benefited from the use of the equipment and will continue to years from now.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Houk
Children's Fitness Center!
Funded Aug 19, 2016The students at South Elementary can't thank Target enough for providing awesome fitness equipment and resources for us to use! The students have been loving using the new equipment and I let them use it every time they come to the gym. The equipment has been especially helpful during our fitness month of October and students have been learning about working out different muscle groups.
When they first saw the materials they were super excited! Many of them had never seen medicine balls, ab rollers, or the vertical jump test so they thought that was awesome. The ones that have seen some of this equipment were thrilled because they didn't think they would get the opportunity to use it at their age. They thought they had to wait until middle school. Thanks to Target and Donors Choose they get to experience the equipment at a young age.
The next steps for me was to create a Children's Fitness Center 2.0 where I can continue to build upon the fitness center we have already. There are so many different pieces of exercise equipment and it will take me many years to build that up. The students are worth it and I will try as much as possible to provide the opportunity for my students!
The students and myself are so grateful and are looking forward to enjoying the equipment for years to come!
Sincerely,
Mr. Houk and the students at South Elementary School”
With gratitude,
Mr. Houk
This classroom project was brought to life by Target and 4 other donors.Stretching the Limits in P.E.
Funded Sep 24, 2015Thank you so much for funding our PE classroom with a set of Jungle Gym XT Suspension trainers! The kids absolutely loved trying them out! When they first saw them setup in the gym and hanging from various wall hooks and basketball poles they were mesmerized. We first tried them out using various fitness stations and the students never wanted to rotate to the next station because they loved practicing their exercises using the equipment.
Our students are using the resources to help them learn about exercising different muscle groups in a fun and exciting way. The idea of leaning and moving their bodies while holding on to the straps is a new concept and one that they enjoy practicing. Students have been constantly trying top create new and safe ways to exercise using the suspension trainers.
This project boosted my student's learning because it has given every student a chance to succeed in an area where many have difficulties. This helps those students who are working to improve their fitness testing scores get to the next level.
Thank you again for your generous contribution to my classroom!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Houk