Past projects 27
Colorful Materials for Learning!
Funded Nov 30, 2016Thank you so much for donating to my project. My students were so excited when we opened the boxes and found colorful Magna-Tiles! We often borrowed Magna-Tiles from another preschool classroom, so the children were familiar with them and couldn't wait to play!
It has been amazing to see how creative the children have been, and how much more sophisticated their buildings have become over time! They started using the materials by stacking them and laying them out like a checkerboard. Now they are building sky scrapers with fancy designs on the sides, and making garages and houses for pretend play!
Thanks again for your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cooke
Let's Light Up Their Learning!
Funded Aug 25, 2016Dear Friends,
Thank you for donating to my project. The children are absolutely fascinated by the light up cube! I gave the children translucent colored Magna-tiles to build with, on and around the cube. The children were excited to start building! They built a variety of structures; a castle, a tent, a house.
As they played they noticed the colors and how bright they were. They also noticed the different sizes and shapes. I watched as they used the materials in different ways; to build, count, and sort by shape and size.
I am looking forward to adding more learning materials for the children to use. Thank you for supporting my preschoolers! This had surely made their learning fun and engaging!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cooke
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 2 other donors.Empowering Students Through Art: Teaching Math Through Art!
Funded Jun 14, 2016Dear Friends,
Thank you so much for supporting my project. When the materials arrived, their eyes lit up as they peeked at what was inside! There were so many beautiful art materials! The children could hardly wait to use them!
We were able to complete several math lessons using a variety of art materials.
** Using shiny shapes to sort by one attribute. The children named the shapes as they glued them onto their paper.
** Using pipe cleaners and straws to make patterns. After the patterns were completed, the children turned them into a bracelet to take home!
** Using sparkly sequins to match the numeral to the quantity.
My favorite project so far is the age collage. (All of the children are currently 4 years old.)
Children told how old they were, chose materials, then counted and glued four of each item. They children loved choosing their own materials and colors!
These materials provided so many learning opportunities; naming colors and shapes, discussing texture, fine motor practice, counting, sorting, making patterns, and connecting numerals to quantities. Thank you for supporting my amazing preschoolers!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cooke
This classroom project was brought to life by an anonymous donor and 2 other donors.We Love To Read
Funded May 24, 2016Dear Friend,
Thank you so much for donating to my project. I was so excited for the children start
school with a brand new listening center! They just love the cozy space. It has quickly become a class favorite. In fact, it is usually the first area to fill up during Choice Time!
The children have been using the area to read books or listen to books on CD. I often see one to three children at a time reading books on the rug. They love the stories that they can hear on CD, but they are just as happy to share a big book on the rug. It has been amazing to listen to the conversations they have as they look at pictures and retell their favorite parts! Some of their favorite stories are; Miss Nelson is Missing, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and The Gingerbread Man!
I can't thank you enough for supporting my preschool classroom!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cooke
1, 2, 3...Count with Me!
Funded May 12, 2016Dear Friends,
Thank you all so much for funding my math materials project! My math area was sadly lacking, but thanks to you, it is now exciting and new! The children love all of the games. Since we received everything, the children are choosing to work on math during their choice time. This gives them even more opportunities to work on concepts such as identifying numerals, counting objects, sequencing numbers, and understanding the relationship between numbers and quantities.
The children love the monkey game! I have seen them naming numerals, putting them in order, making color patterns, and sorting by color!
The "Unlock It" game is also a favorite! They love to find the right key and open the lock! I have noticed that they are counting with one-to-one correspondence, identifying numerals, and are even noticing how to write out each number word!
The children also enjoy working on the big number/counting floor puzzle! I have noticed how much they have been working together to finish the puzzle. They are using problem solving strategies to help figure out where the pieces go. It's amazing to see how they can cooperate to accomplish a goal.
All of these materials added so much to the learning environment. Thank you so much for supporting our classroom! We truly appreciate it!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cooke
Dramatic Play Materials to Help Learn About Our World
Funded May 11, 2016Dear Friends,
Thank you for donating to my dramatic play project. It was extremely generous! My students were very excited about our new materials. The anticipation of the delivery was too much! Every day a particular student asked, "Is the couch coming today?" Needless to say, he was thrilled the day it arrived! We unpacked the big boxes and wheeled it to our classroom on a wagon! Everyone took turns trying out the new furniture!
The next day ALL of the children wanted to play in the house area! Most of the children just sat there enjoying the couch and chair! It was so funny! I pulled out the new pretend food, and in the blink of an eye, plates and bowls were being set up on the table! There was such a large variety of foods to choose from! Children named most of the foods as they took them out, which was a great way for my second language learners to learn new vocabulary!
The pizza set and the cash registers were equally as loved! We set up the pizza and registers at a table and pretended we were at a pizza restaurant. We used phrases such, "May I take your order?" We talked about ordering and paying for our food. Some children took the money from their customers. The credit cards it came with were a big hit!
During the first week of having our new materials, I saw children talking more as they sat together on the couch. I saw children taking a break when they needed it, and reading books. I saw students taking care of their babies; dressing them, feeding them, and patting their backs. I heard children inviting other children to share a meal or go to a party. Children talked about "work", and where they wanted to work and what they wanted to be when the grow up. All of these experiences happened because generous, caring people donated to our preschool. Thank you for thinking of us!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cooke
We Love Big Books!
Funded Apr 27, 2016Dear Friend,
Thank you so much for the beautiful big books. They quickly became my students new "favorite' books! The first morning I came in after receiving the books, every child was at a table looking at big books together! During small group reading time, the only books that were requested, were the big books from you!
The Big Red Barn came at the perfect time. The very next day we were going on a field trip to a local farm! As you can probably guess, that book was read many times before and after the field trip! The pictures were so big and beautiful. The students were able to see what animals may be at a farm. We made a list about what we might see the next day. The book was referred to throughout the trip by both the students and me. They got to learn about donkeys, which they originally called a horse as they read the book. At the farm they were introduced to a donkey and got take a picture as they touched him! The book provided the children with back ground knowledge, which then allowed them to make meaningful connections.
The students have been enjoying The Gingerbread Boy, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and The Three Bears. We have read those stories in depth during the year. They were able to look at the big books in small groups and retell the story to each other. It was truly amazing to see that they remembered the stories and were able to use sentences to talk about what was happening!
Thank you so much for bringing reading and story telling into my classroom! These books will be a hit not just for these children, but for all the children entering preschool in the coming years.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cooke