Past projects 27
Reading and Writing in Kindergarten
Funded Dec 13, 2024My kindergarteners were so excited when the box arrived to the classroom. Their reaction to opening this gift really is priceless!
We were able to use the Magic boards right away. We started by making a simple drawing of their choice. Many made a heart or a shape. Then they wrote their names. They needed practice learning how to hold the pen so that their letters appeared on the screen. They also needed to learn how to erase to get the best results. These parameters will help them get the most out of this writing tool and to keep the boards is working order.
Over time we have used the boards to write letters, numbers and sight words. I often use the boards to assess if my students have mastered recognizing letters and the sounds those letters make. I will say a sound and ask them to write the letter that makes that sound or I ask them to write a certain letter on the board. I can observe their success in learning their numbers by stating a number and having them write it on their boards. The boards are wonderful as a practice tool for spelling their sight words.
Next, I plan to have them write some simple CVC words. The ability to easily erase the boards will help as we move on to more difficult tasks.
Using this engaging tool makes learning activities so much more fun!! Thank you for contributing to my students' learning!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. O'Donnell
This classroom project was brought to life by Carter's | OshKosh B'gosh and one other donor.A Bag Full of Fun for the Holidays!
Funded Nov 21, 2024My students were so very happy to receive their Happy Holidays Bags that I gave them before we went on break. Thanks to the materials you donated and the items that I provided they had quite a full bag of surprises to take home. The coloring books that were included in my project were a variety pack so I could match them to the interests of each child. One boy came to school after break and said "Thank you for giving me a Spider Man Coloring Book - I love Spider Man!". He really does love Spider Man and it was fun to make him so happy. Many of my students do not have crayons to I was grateful to be able to provide them with a box of new crayons as well. Many of the children came to school wearing their pop fidget bracelets! They had fun showing them to each other. They also enjoyed the Magnetic Drawing Boards that you helped to fund. Some of them attached them to their backpacks. I gave them a few other prizes and hats and mittens so it was quite a bag full of fun!! Thank you for helping me bring them some happiness during the holidays!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. O'Donnell
A New Start
Funded May 18, 2024This school year is almost over. As I clean my room I am also preparing for next year. The materials that you helped to fund will get the year off to a great start. Each student works on an alphabet book using the stickers from this project. The stickers have the letter and five pictures that begin with that letter. I also requested name plates to attach each students name tags to their table spot. The Desk Pets will help to motivate the new kindergarteners to follow the rules in their classroom.
A birthday celebration is one of the most anticipated days for young children. The birthday slap bracelets are a fun gift for each child on their special day. The sparkling smiley stickers will help decorate their birthday crowns.
We start working in learning areas at the beginning of the year in our class. The Snap and Match Beginning Sounds activity will provide a great center for area time. This activity will give the students an opportunity to practice what they have been learning during reading time.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. O'Donnell
This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex and 3 other donors.Goodbye Kindergarten!
Funded May 17, 2024Today was our moving up day from kindergarten to first grade. The project you funded helped me provide a special gift bag for them to take home as a treat for the summer. Each student went home with a brand new Pete the Cat book that they may be able to read themselves (provided by you), a jar of bubbles (provided by you), a fun, bright bracelet, and a special goodie. They were so excited to leave school for the summer with their end of the year gift bag.
Your generosity and kindness towards my class is so appreciated throughout the year and now, as I send them off as brand new readers ready to start first grade in the fall. My hope is that they will practice their new reading skills by sharing their new book with their families and friends. I hope the bubbles bring them some outdoor fun while they are enjoying the summer. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. O'Donnell
Surprise Gift!
Funded Dec 4, 2023My students were so excited to receive their winter surprise that I was able to put together, thanks to your generosity. They packed their special bag in their backpacks with such excitement (and a little peeking). When they returned to school after the break many of them had their stuffed animal keychain attached to their backpack. They also showed me some of the pictures they colored from their coloring books. This is so special for them as many of them do not receive things that are brand new.
The joy I saw on their faces as they took their bag of goodies home was so wonderful! Your donation to this fun surprise was definitely appreciated by some special little kindergarteners.
Thank you!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. O'Donnell
Behavior Boosts!
Funded Oct 12, 2023This project has been more beneficial to my classroom than I even imagined! The students have responded very well to the Desk Pets as a behavior incentive. They love these cute little toys and work hard to get points so they can pick one of their own. They can get more pets as they earn more points. I gave them small boxes to keep their pets in. They can play with them at recess and other special times in the day.
In addition to the Desk Pets the additional prizes added to the classroom Prize Box has also been fun for the students to work towards. These little trinkets let them know that their good behavior is appreciated and recognized. Both of these forms of positive incentives have helped to make the learning environment a productive and positive place.
The nameplates and the nameplate sleeves have been a helpful addition to my classroom for each child's spot at their table. The scented markers and Sharpie markers included in this project are useful tools in my classroom supply bucket. My students love to get a star or happy face written on their paper with a "smelly marker". They love to guess the scent!
I am so very grateful for your contribution to my project! Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. O'Donnell
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community & an Anonymous Partner and 2 other donors.Areas for Growing Readers
Funded Nov 29, 2022It was a special day when our Donor's Choose Boxes arrived. The students were so excited to see what our generous friends sent us to help make learning fun!! They couldn't wait for Area Time to use the new activities.
We have been enjoying our new areas for the past few weeks and they really do help my students practice what they have been learning. We have five learning areas at a time in the classroom. Two or three students work together. We rotate areas so each child sees each area about two times a week.
All of the areas that you donated have been so appreciated. The Beginning Sounds Puzzle is a favorite. They have gotten to the point in their learning of letter sounds that they find a lot of success when working at this center. The Build-A-Word Magnet Board activity provides a challenge for them. They are to build words with four letter sounds. This has provided much practice for this skill. Match Sort Vocabulary Quickies has been great tool for practicing vocabulary skills. The Giant Magnetic Draw Write Page has helped me expose my students to letter formation and sentence structure.
Area Time in my classroom has been made so much better by your generous donations!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. O'Donnell
This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and one other donor.The Magic of Math!
Funded Nov 29, 2022When I put the package from Donors Choose in front of the room my students' faces light up! It is a very special gift for them. It is fun to show them how we will use the items in the box. Many of the donations I receive are for learning areas. The materials from this project are all related to math. Math in my classroom is very hands-on. I try to keep it fun and engaging. The activities you provided for us are just that. They use these areas with a partner or in small groups.
The addition center is challenging. I added small notebooks and pens for them to write the number sentence once they have composed it. This provides an additional challenge for the students who need it. The Geometry center is a lighted activity. They don't have anything like this at school so this adds excitement to area time. The button sorting activity has a variety of options for sorting. It feels like a new game every time I change out the cards. We use the clipboards during different parts of our day. Right now we are using them for keeping track of how our plants are growing.
We are very grateful for this wonderful math project that you supported. This has helped me to make math magical in my classroom.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. O'Donnell
This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and one other donor.Celebrating Back to School!
Funded Aug 9, 2022It was a special day when our Donor's Choose Box arrived. The students were so excited to see what our generous friends sent us to help make learning fun!!
These classroom materials will help with our classroom environment all year long. Part of this project was to provide the children with some special things for their birthday. Young children talk about their birthday all year long so my hope was to make that day a little more special.
All of the items that you donated have been so appreciated. The birthday slap bracelets, pencils, badges and stickers have been added to what I already provide for them. The birthday child has worn or taken these things home on their special day! The nameplate sleeves have worked out great. They are durable and look neat on the tables. The markers are used daily for reading and math lessons and the pencil grips are helping a few of my kindergarteners with their writing. The Make-a-face project is a wonderful beginning of the year project. They draw their face and body after looking in a mirror. I keep these up all year long and send them home in June. They can see how much they have grown and changed.
My classroom has been made so much better by your generous donations!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. O'Donnell
This classroom project was brought to life by Charles Schwab and 4 other donors.Calming Corner!
Funded Sep 20, 2022I wish you could have seen my students' faces when the Donor's Choose Box arrived! They couldn't wait to see what was inside.
This project was a little different for me but has turned out to be a favorite. The items that you donated for this project has given all my students, but particularly some of my students, a safe space to get away from the busyness of the kindergarten classroom. The Calming Corner in my room is small, cozy, and tucked away from the rest of the room. I have used the Photo name plates to decorate the walls. There are a few activities (sensory beads, Gel-Beads Emotional Friends, Find Your Feelings Slider and an emotional match-up game) for the students to do if they want to express how they are feeling. I also have a bean bag chair and the Wobble Cushions (from this project) to help clam their little bodies down. Many times they just go to the Calming Corner to clam down and re-group before re-joining the class.
Some students come to school with a lot on their minds. With your help I am able to provide a comfortable escape for them during a busy school day. I appreciate your help!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. O'Donnell
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 2 other donors.