Past projects 8
Let's Make Art in Kindergarten
Funded Jan 24, 2025We have had the most amazing experiences with art in our classroom and we have you to thank. The kids were so excited as the packages started rolling in. They were even more excited to see that these were "real" art supplies that real artists would use. They weren't Crayola, or a kids' brand. They were artist quality tools and materials.
The most exciting project we worked on was our clay project. We had been watching the eagles, in Big Bear, online. We started watching when the the momma eagle was sitting on the eggs. We were so excited when the first two hatched, we rooted for the third little baby. We watched through snow storms and got to see Jackie and Shadow bring fish back for their babies. Then, came the art! We used our clay to make nests and made it look like the nests were made of twigs. We put three little eggs in each nest. Some kids even put a fish in the nest, since they had seen the eagles feeding fish to the babies. After letting the clay dry for a week, we painted our nests. This was a really cool experience for the kids and the fact that it connected to a real-life nature story was amazing. Thank you so much for your donation, to make this happen.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ross
A Closer Look at Birds and Nests
Funded Feb 23, 2024We have been learning so much about birds. We read all of our new bird books, listened to the different sounds the birds make, looked closely at bird x-rays, made time for some storytelling with birds, looked at real bird nests, and our favorite... spent time bird watching!
We put our materials on a cart that was recently donated and we were able to roll the materials to each of the three kindergarten classes. The kids were SO excited as the boxes started rolling in with our new materials.
Our favorite activity, by far, has been bird watching. The kids will sit outside the classroom, during our playtime, and watch for birds with our new binoculars. They have been writing different color words to represent the different colors of birds they see and we have been tallying the total number of birds. We have had so much time exploring the world around us! Thank you for helping to bring these materials to our classroom!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ross
Sand and Water Sensory Fun
Funded Oct 18, 2022Thank you so much for donating to our sand table project. The kids LOVE the new table. It arrived in the biggest box and we put it together immediately. We actually saved the box it came in and turned it into a gingerbread house. This sand table is in much better condition than our previous table.
Most of the time the kids build sand castles or just dig in the kinetic sand. One of my favorite moments was when the kids realized they could make 3D shapes. We have been learning a few different 3D shapes, like sphere, cube, and cylinder. The kinetic sand is perfect for making these shapes.
As the weather gets warmer, we are looking forward to turning this into a water table for some outdoor playtime. We have been able to share the sand table with the other kindergarten classes in our building. We have also let them know that it will be available for all kindergartners to share when our water table is outside.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ross
Watercolor Painting in Kindergarten
Funded Apr 1, 2022Thank you so much for donating funds for the purchase of watercolor painting materials. The kids really loved having high quality materials to use. We were able to make some fantastic projects in the Spring.
One of the projects we did started with water, on the watercolor paper, and then we "dropped in" color. This made the vibrant colors bleed into each other. The kids were mesmerized by this. I have to admit, I think it's pretty cool too.
I met a new group of kindergarten students today. They dropped off their supplies and I started organizing materials. I can't wait to get them painting! Thank you, again, for your donation!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ross
Let's Make Art in Kindergarten
Funded Dec 8, 2020The gift of art has been AMAZING! I am still teaching online and my students were absolutely thrilled with the art materials I sent home for them. When they joined me for our first Zoom class after receiving their art bags, there were so many smiles. They kept thanking me for the supplies and had to tell them over and over that I just made the plans, and that other people had come together to buy the materials.
Our first project was a snowman painting project. The kids used watercolor paints and watercolor paper to paint a "cool toned" winter sky. We let that dry for a few days and then brought out our white acrylic paints. I was able to purchase a sealable paint pallet for each child that I was able to add specific paint colors to. We used the white acrylic paint to paint the snowmen bodies and let those dry. The final touch was using the rainbow of tempra paints to decorate their snowmen. They turned out so beautiful!
Out next project will involve air dry clay and acrylic paint. I can't wait!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ross
Let There Be Light: Exploring Science and Math Through Light
Funded Mar 18, 2020This has been an extremely interesting finish to last year and beginning of this school year. I haven't been in the classroom with students since the end of February. Covid has pushed us all inside of our houses and, sadly, we haven't been able to see each other. We are continuing with online schooling this fall.
Originally, the materials I requested in this grant became out of stock due to everything closing with initial shutdowns. I waited for many months and the items were still not available. Finally, at the end of summer, our light table and materials to explore along with our light table came back in stock and I was able to order them. Our materials arrived at school about a week ago. Our office manager and principal are at the school and were able to take the delivery. Sadly, I have not been able to see the materials and, of course, students have not been able to see them either.
I truly appreciate your generous donation and I can't wait until the kids can come back to school to explore with light. Thank you so much.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ross
Hatching Chicks in the Kindergarten Classroom
Funded Feb 10, 2017I can't even begin to tell you what an amazing experience this has been for my students. Our eggs arrived on April 18th, but we didn't put them in the incubator right away. They arrived on a Friday afternoon, so we waited until Monday afternoon to start the incubation process.
Waiting 21 days for the eggs to hatch has been SUCH a challenge for our kinderg�rtners! The first egg started to hatch on Mother's Day. I came in and checked on the eggs in the evening and there was a little hole. The next morning, right when the kids came in the room, our first chick popped out of the egg! The kids were SO excited! There was another egg with a small hole in it. By the end of the school day, we were able to watch the second chick hatch.
The impact on my students has been amazing! They are in love with science, constantly ask questions, and we are learning together along the way. This has been MY first experience hatching chicks as well. Learning together, researching, and asking questions has been powerful. One of the dads came in the room to see our chicks and incubator and said, "This classroom is amazing! The kids are learning so much because you provide these opportunities!" I can not take credit for bringing this awesome science experience to my students. I would not have been able to fund a project of this size on my own. I truly appreciate all of the donors who are helping fund this experience that will continue for years to come.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ross
We're Cooking In Kindergarten!
Funded Mar 17, 2015Oh my goodness! We LOVE cooking and baking in the classroom! We have already made cookies and pizza. This week we will be making baked zucchini and the kids have already requested that we make muffins.
I love the fact that their learning is so hands-on. We started by browsing though cookbooks. The kids noticed the text features, such as titles, ingredient lists, a sequence of events, illustrations and photos to show the sequence of events. During our cooking and baking, kids are measuring, reading, counting, and trying something that many of them have never done before. After baking, we write about the process in a how-to format. The kids LOVE writing their own cookbooks. To top it off, many of the kids in my classroom are commenting on cooking and baking at home with their parents! I'm thrilled that this project has inspired so many families to get into the kitchen with their kids!
Kindergarten is a happy place, but it is even happier thanks to your donation for our new cooking cart! I truly appreciate your support and thank you for helping us Get Cooking In Kindergarten!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ross