Past projects 37
Backpacks For Everyone!
Funded Dec 6, 2016The students and I are so very appreciative of your generous donations to this project! On the first day back from winter break, several packages were delivered to our room. The children were so curious to know what was inside.
I finally told the students that because of kind-hearted people like you who care about them, they would each receive a new backpack! When I found out this project would become a reality, I was on top of the world because I knew the children really needed backpacks. I thought my excitement was over the top, but when the children found out about this project, they were a million times more excited than I was!!!
When I distributed a backpack to each student, they could not believe that the backpacks were theirs! They were so amazed and extremely thankful. They could not understand why or how someone would donate backpacks to children whom they didn't even know!
The backpacks that were given to them were the kind that they could use throughout their school years ... sturdy and classic (not character based or cutesy) so that they would not outgrow the backpack in the near future. I am hoping that the backpacks will last through middle or even high school!
Without a doubt, this project has helped my students develop better organizational skills, study habits, and enthusiasm for school. Homework comes back nice and neat -- not torn, wet, or missing. The students don't tell me they've forgotten their library books or homework or notices anymore because now, they have a nice backpack to transport their things. Parents, family members, and the students themselves report that their children are happy to be in school!
Your donations and support of this project has created a lot of joyful learning. Thank you for supporting my class with your very generous donations! The parents have expressed their gratitude to the donors over and over and over again during the last several weeks. Thank you for your generosity and kindness!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. A. Wong
Art and Writing Together!
Funded Dec 13, 2016The students and I are so very appreciative of your generous donations to this project! This project has helped our classroom Writing Workshop become more organized and fun!
First grade students are expected to work through the writing process in order to publish stories. Some of my students work more quickly than others, so everyone is at a different stage -- some are beginning their drafts, some are revising or editing, and some are publishing. The students have been storing their writing in poly folders inside of the plastic storage bins. This makes accessing all of their work much easier as their writing papers are no longer scrunched up or wrinkled in their desks. The plastic pencil boxes allow my students to store their writing instruments, crayons, and erasers for easy accessibility. Their spelling dictionaries which the students use during Writing Workshop is stored along with their writing folders in the plastic bins.
When students get to the publishing stage, they illustrate their stories. They love the publishing stage because this is when all their hard work culminates into a final, beautiful book. Students take pride in creating beautiful pictures for each page of their books. Each student has a storage bin that holds all of their published work, which other students are able to read.
Your donations and support of this project has created a lot of joyful learning. Thank you for supporting my class with your very generous donations! Thank you for your generosity and kindness!”
With gratitude,
Ms. A. Wong
This classroom project was brought to life by an anonymous donor and 7 other donors.Origami Math
Funded Dec 17, 2016The students and I are so appreciative of your generous donations to make this project proposal a reality! By incorporating origami into math lessons, math is now fun! Although some of my students have always loved math, some did not. With this project, all my students love math. They are encouraged to learn the concepts, whether they are concepts about fractions, geometry, measurement, or number sense, because they love folding paper into different forms. With just one art lesson, I can incorporate counting, ordinal numbers, reinforce what half is (fold the paper in half), teach what a fourth is (Fold the paper in half. Fold the paper in half again. Unfold the paper. How many pieces do you have?), reinforce geometric shapes (point to the triangle in your paper), and teach about measurement (Which side is longer? Which is shorter?). In addition, they are learning to follow step by step directions. Some of my students are easily distracted. But with origami, they listen and are focused because they want to create the art form. Many of my students have never participated in this art form before. They now love this new art form!
Since my students love doing origami, I sometimes reward them with a quick origami art lesson at the end of the day when they have been especially good students.
Thank you for supporting my class with their learning activities in math and art! We are truly, very appreciative of you and your kindness! You have made math exciting with an infusion of art!!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. A. Wong
This classroom project was brought to life by an anonymous donor and 7 other donors.Everyone's Always a Winner Being Active
Funded Oct 6, 2016Your generous donations to my project Everyone's Always a Winner Being Active, has made our physical education time more exciting, meaningful, and fun. From the moment I brought out all the equipment, my students were 1000% engaged and ready to move!
My students wanted to compete in non-competitive activities to get active and improve skills so that everyone would be winners. The students played games that helped and encouraged each other to be successful. Whenever one person of a team did well, like catch a ball, then the entire team received a point. The students used this method of earning points to roll balls to each other, catch balls, and throw balls into a basket.
This project encouraged all partnerships and team members to be successful! Students felt proud of themselves since every team was a winner! The students were able to learn how to help each other, instead of trying to outdo each other. They learned to work together for the good of the group -- versus the good of themselves. This was a highly valuable lesson because at this age, children tend to think about themselves first.
Thank you for giving my students the opportunity to grow as part of a team community. Thank you for giving my students the opportunity to be more active, forming lifelong habits of physical activity. And thank you for caring about all students! Your generosity is much appreciated!”
With gratitude,
Ms. A. Wong
Be a Winner, Be Active!
Funded Oct 6, 2016Thank you for your very generous donations to my project, Be a Winner, Be Active! Because of your generosity, my students have been given the opportunity to bowl -- something that they would not have had without your support. Although some students have heard about and/or seen bowling before through their siblings, many had not had any personal experiences with bowling -- until now!
We took the bowling sets outside and set them up so that each team had 3 bowling pins. (Having more at this beginning stage would have been too difficult for my students. We plan to gradually add more pins as we become better players.) The students were so excited to have their turn at rolling the balls to hit the pins. Although many missed their targets, everyone had a great time. Everyone worked together to put the pins back up, and everyone encouraged each other to knock over the pins and succeed. Since my students do not like competing with each other, we structured the game so that anytime anyone knocked down a pin, the entire team earned a point. By structuring the game this way, all teams were winners!
Thank you for helping me bring new experiences to my students that encourage physical activity. Thank you for supporting us in our endeavors to become more physically fit, healthy, and active! We truly appreciate your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Ms. A. Wong
Everyone's a Winner Being Active
Funded Sep 30, 2016The students and I are so appreciative of your generous donations to make this project proposal, Everyone's a Winner Being Active, a reality! They were so excited when the equipment arrived. We could not wait to go outside to use them.
This project enables the students to participate in games where there are no losers -- only winners. The children were placed into partnerships while participating in the project activities. They wanted the entire partnership to receive a point whenever one partner was successful.
For example, in the flying disc games, every time one partner caught the disc, both partners (or the entire partnership) scored a point. This encouraged the person throwing the disc to "throw a good throw" because if the partner caught it, both partners received the point. Structuring the games in this way brought about more teamwork and kindness. When only one person receives a point, partners are playing against each other (i.e. If I throw the disc to you and you don't catch it, then you don't get a point. If I catch it, I get a point and not you.").
Without a doubt, this project encouraged a lot of movement and physical activity as the students participated in non-competitive games. I am proud to say that the activities encouraged my students to think about how s/he should act to best benefit their partnership. These games encouraged team building, kindness, and compassion. Thank you very much for supporting my class with your very generous donations and allowing them to learn some valuable life lessons! We are very appreciative!”
With gratitude,
Ms. A. Wong
This classroom project was brought to life by Target and one other donor.Parachute Games
Funded Sep 30, 2016The students and I are so appreciative of your generous donations to make this project proposal, Parachute Games, a reality! They were so excited when the equipment arrived. We could not wait to go outside to use them.
This project enabled us to get one large parachute and several smaller ones so that we could do whole class and small group activities. The large parachute encourages everyone in the class to cooperate with each other. Previously, my students did not participate in any small group parachute activities. After working with the small parachutes, I found that the small parachutes encourage even more team building and cooperation. Students were divided into 6 different teams. The goal of each team was to keep the parachute moving without dropping any of the balls that were stacked on top of it. The children had to find a way to move the parachute, working together to ensure the balls stayed on top. The laughter and excitement showed that each team was having a wonderful time participating in the parachute activities.
Without a doubt, this project encouraged a lot of movement and physical activity as the students ran, jumped, skipped, and hopped under and around the parachutes, flapped it up and down, and encouraged good listening skills (i.e. when the teacher announced, "all girls run under the parachute to a new spot," or "all yellows jump under the parachute to a new spot").
Participating in physical activities was never as fun as it is now! Your donations and support of this project has created a lot of joyful learning. Parachute Games encourages team building, cooperation, and a love of physical activity. Thank you for supporting my class with your very generous donations! We are very appreciative”
With gratitude,
Ms. A. Wong
This classroom project was brought to life by Target and 2 other donors.