Past projects 15
Thriving in the Arts in Pre-K!
Funded Aug 15, 2024Thank you so much for your generosity to our classroom in order for our children to get some much needed art supplies! This group of children has been provided materials that have truly allowed them to explore their creativity. They have been painting and sculpting with our new paints and playdough. In providing the students with open-ended materials the possibilities are endless!
It has also been wonderful to explore music and movement with our new class radio! The children have really enjoyed dancing to a variety of genres and definitely have their favorites! :)
Thank you again for your generous contribution to our children and for supporting Early Childhood Education.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Hines-McGee
This classroom project was brought to life by The Gates Foundation and 11 other donors.Creative Minds in Pre-K!
Funded Dec 14, 2023Thank you so much for your generosity in providing so many new art materials to our classroom! The children were so excited and are continuing with that excitement as we are able to bring out new materials regularly. Our students are able to be so creative and do not have to be stifled by not having enough supplies. It's wonderful seeing children who do not typically choose to go to the art center now choosing to go to the art center because something has now sparked their interest and their creativity.
Thank you for supporting the arts and Early Childhood Education!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Hines-McGee
We Can Be Anything!
Funded Apr 3, 2023I cannot thank you enough for your generosity in contributing to our classroom project: "We Can Be Anything!" The children are using the dress-up clothes daily and our "House Area" center is one of the most popular centers in our room! It has been so amazing seeing the kids pretend to be Police Officers, Doctors, Construction Workers, Firefighters and more! It has helped give the children "real life" experiences and to begin thinking about their future. We are even discussing what it would be take to do a certain job.
The discussions and learning have been amazing, and all while having fun is the best way to learn in Preschool! Thank you again for contribution and for supporting Early Childhood Education. We couldn't do it without your support!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Hines-McGee
This classroom project was brought to life by Black History Month Partners and 6 other donors.I Am Gonna Paint Some More!
Funded Jan 23, 2023I cannot thank you enough for providing my students with so many different art supplies. You should have seen the look on their faces when the boxes arrived...it was priceless! We dug right in to allow the children to create freely, as well as with some more directed class projects. We have used the sticker blocks to create structures, such as buildings, roads, and bridges. We have used our wiggly eyes to enhance our pet rocks and create family members. We have used the paint daily at our easel, which our children are encouraged to explore freely. You gave us the opportunity to include such a variety of materials in our art center that more children are being enticed to visit and develop their own sense of creativity...it has been truly wonderful to get to see it!
Thank you again for your generosity and sharing your love of the arts with our youngest learners!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Hines-McGee
This classroom project was brought to life by Audrey Hillman Fisher Foundation and 14 other donors.Everyone Is Someone!
Funded May 24, 2022I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you so much for contributing to our "Everyone Is Someone" Project! The children were so excited when they saw the boxes arrive to our classroom and we are still utilizing the materials for a variety of activities.
We use the Tempera Paint Sticks a lot, but our favorite project that we have done is our "Community Map." We used the paint sticks to design our own houses to place on our class map. It is such a life sizer since they are "quick drying" that we are then able to draw the details on our homes using a Sharpie (normally this would be a two day project when we used regular paint).
We also have been enjoying our diversity floor puzzle! Floor puzzles gives our children the opportunity to work alone or with their peers to develop problem-solving skills.
We are looking forward to bringing out our new robot soon to explore coding! Thank you so much for everything you have done to support Early Childhood Education!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Hines-McGee
This classroom project was brought to life by PNC Grow Up Great® and 9 other donors.Beautiful Oops!
Funded Dec 16, 2021Thank you so much for your generous donation to our classroom project, "Beautiful Oops!" The inspiration behind this project was a wonderful book that encourages children to embrace mistakes and look for the beauty in turning a "mistake" into a beautiful oops. I have truly enjoyed watching my children explore and create using all of the new materials provided to us...thanks to you!
We used the 3-dimensional cubes to create all types of structures, such as buildings (tall, wide) and bridges/underpasses...just to name a few! It was wonderful seeing this ideas come to life!
The children LOVED the foam sensory paint! They were able to get a "hands-on" experience using a new textured paint and create some beautiful artwork!
The tempera paint sticks are also a favorite of ours! We have used them to create and paint a community map, our classroom door design, as well as for a variety of other things (they dry so quickly so we have really loved these)! :)
Again, thank you so much for providing my children with these awesome materials...they have really been able to create their own "beautiful oops."”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Hines-McGee
"Hands-on Learning Is So Much Fun!"
Funded Sep 24, 2021I cannot thank you enough for providing my children with the best "hands-on" materials as we returned to full-time in-person learning this school year! We were so excited to welcome our students back and wanted to make sure it was the best, and most meaningful experience that they could have...particularly since last year we weren't able to be together in-person.
My students absolutely love the kinetic sand! It's so nice because it lasts so long and they are able to do so many different things with it. I've seen the children build sandcastles, make shapes, and even letters! It's such a fun and open-ended material that allows for so much creativity and learning!
We have had a lot of fun with the droppers, but one activity in particular that we are really loving is using the droppers with water colors and snow...so much fun and so many concepts being discovered!
The writing trays are often used often to explore "writing" letters, numbers, shapes, in a developmentally appropriate manner. We even have the flexibility with the trays to use sand or other materials, such as oats or salt!
I cannot thank you for enough for supporting, not only my classroom, but Early Childhood Education. It means the world to us...thank you!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Hines-McGee
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 6 other donors.Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's Back to School We Go!
Funded Aug 19, 2021Thank you so much for your generosity to our classroom! The children were so excited to come back to the classroom and the others were excited to be in a classroom for the first time ever! Thanks to you we were able to welcome them back in a fun, educational way, but also in a safe manner.
We were able to make each child their own sensory box, which we have filled with black beans, sand, cups, spoons...just to name a few! We also were able to create individual supply bins for each student with their own markers, crayons, scissors, and playdough so that they do not have to share (and risk exposure to germs).
We have really been focusing on Social-Emotional Learning with our students since these are really difficult times for everyone, but especially for our littlest learners. We are using the playdough mats to supplement our learning of emotions and feelings...the children LOVE using playdough so these mats are a great way to include feelings and recognizing feelings.
The sand timer is something that all students can benefit from, whether it be giving children a 5 minute warning until clean-up, or working on staying at a non-preferred activity for at least 5 minutes.
Chart paper is something that we use a lot, particularly during group times so that has really come in handy! It's great for the children to share ideas and to see the process of writing!
Thank you so much for your support!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Hines-McGee
This classroom project was brought to life by Your friend in Pennsylvania and 4 other donors.We Are Enough! All Children Represented in Books!
Funded Feb 27, 2021We cannot thank you enough for supporting our children and providing them with the resources to truly see themselves in their learning. The books are able to support all children from a variety of backgrounds, which is so important in our daily experiences. During free-choice read alouds the children are naturally drawn to books where they can identify with the characters; through their illustrations and stories...our books are more relatable. They have their favorite books and often choose to go to the library during center-time. Prior to receiving our new books, the library center was not being used as often as I would have liked, but now I'm really seeing a difference...children want to be there!
In the beginning the of the year we really focus on our "All About Me" and "My Family" Units for about two months, and these books have supplemented that learning. It's important for all children to feel like they belong; to see themselves in these books supports that feeling. It makes me happy to see my children developing a sense of pride in who they are. Thank you for helping my children and supporting Early Childhood Education.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Hines-McGee
We're Going on a Hybrid Learning Hunt!
Funded Dec 1, 2020Thank you so much for your generosity and support during these challenging times! The children were so excited when they saw their new individual seat covers where they could store their own materials, such as markers, journals, paper, and so much more! They love to find their name on their seat and say, "look, this is mine!" Also, the new toys, which are able to be easily cleaned and sanitized have been a big hit, particularly the tactile ramps in the block center. They love to switch out the covers and explore which vehicles go down the fastest vs. slowest, furthest vs. closest...needless to say it has been a lot of fun and of course a lot of learning!
We just can't thank you enough for making a difficult time, a little easier and more manageable. Thank you for not only supporting our classroom, but Early Childhood Education.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Hines-McGee
This classroom project was brought to life by PNC Grow Up Great® and 9 other donors.