Past projects 4
Hands On Healing: Bridging Occupational Therapy and Mental Health
Funded Dec 16, 2024Impact of the Project on Students
Our project focused on empowering students through occupational therapy using cooking skills has truly transformed the learning environment and enriched the lives of our students.
Using New Resources:
We are actively utilizing the new resources in various hands-on cooking sessions that have become a cornerstone of our curriculum. Recently, we completed a project where students prepared a simple yet nutritious meal, such as pancakes, eggs, salads. They used adaptive kitchen tools, like ergonomic utensils and measuring cups, to chop and measure ingredients. Through this experience, students practiced fine motor skills while also enhancing their executive functioning by planning the meal, sequencing the steps, and managing their time effectively. The excitement and pride they felt when they served their meal was a powerful testament to their growing independence.
Student Reactions:
When students first saw the new materials, their reactions were filled with enthusiasm and curiosity. The adaptive tools sparked interest as they eagerly explored how to use them. Many students expressed feelings of excitement about the prospect of cooking, while others felt nervous yet hopeful about trying something new. One student remarked, "I can't wait to make my own dinner!" This enthusiasm created a positive atmosphere in the classroom, fostering a sense of community and collaboration as students worked together.
Next Steps for Current Projects:
As we move forward, our next steps will involve incorporating a weekly cooking challenge where students will select recipes, plan their meals, and execute the cooking process independently or in small groups. This will not only reinforce their cooking skills but also further enhance their ability to manage tasks and reduce anxiety in the kitchen environment. Additionally, we plan to implement mindfulness practices before cooking sessions, utilizing mood lighting and calming music to prepare students mentally for the activity.
Your generous support has made it possible for us to provide these essential tools and resources, helping our students learn valuable life skills while addressing their emotional and mental health needs. Thank you for being an integral part of their journey towards independence and self-confidence!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Yan
Organizing Our Day for Success!
Funded Feb 16, 2025I can't thank you enough for your generous donations to our program. The supplies that you have funded will help immensely with organizing our room and providing optimal opportunities to learn and thrive in therapy. Our students will value the gifts you have given. We thank you for your help!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Yan
This classroom project was brought to life by Olga Graham Inspiring Teachers Fund and 7 other donors.Vocational Training With Cricut
Funded Apr 17, 2019Thank you so much for your generous donation and for fully funding our project. We were all very delighted when we got the delivery of the Cricut Press along with all the needed supplies to get started. With all the new items, we are now able to design, cut, and/or iron-on the desired images onto anything we want. We started with our school name and designed it into a puzzle. We were then able to transfer the image onto the funded item, heat transfer vinyl (htv), by cutting it on the cricut machine. Once the htv was cut, we were able to use the tools provided by your generous donation to weed out (peel off) what we didn't need. With the students assistance, we were able to place the htv onto a canvas bag and use the Cricut Press to transfer the image onto the bag. The whole process was easily performed thanks your generous donation. My students were able to work together and produce a product that they can be proud of and at the same time work on vocational readiness skills needed to prepare them for work in the community. Thank you for your kindness. We all greatly appreciate it.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Yan
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 8 other donors.iPads for High School Students With Special Needs
Funded Feb 3, 2016Hi everyone! Thank you so much for donating to my project in order to introduce technology into the therapy room for the high school students that I work with who have autism and various other disabilities. Since I have received the iPad, I have been incorporating it into many of my treatments in order to further motivate the students as well as teach them how to utilize all sorts of apps to help them achieve their goals.
Although we have only had the iPad for a couple of months now, my students have been using it so much in order to meet all different types of goals am excited to continue researching new apps in order to provide the most motivating and up to date technology. Thank you so much for your support- it is truly appreciated!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Yan