Mrs. West's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 20

• Family Friendly Math

  Funded Jul 25, 2018

  I really wish you could see the eyes of my students when they come into the classroom and see that they have a "gift". The excitement is something I treasure and absolutely love sharing with my students.

  The math backpacks have wonderful materials that I have let my students look at and explore with my guidance here in the classroom. I will be checking them out with each child and giving each of them a turn at taking them home and being able to "play" with their parents this year. They ask me daily if they can bring them home. It is pure magic when students are so excited to learn and share with their parents. I will begin sending them home in the beginning of next semester, if I can hold off that long.

  Thanks again to all who have contributed to this exciting project. Your support means so much to me and my students.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. West

• Every Art Project Needs A Place To Dry

  Funded Jun 26, 2018

  When the box was delivered, it was pure awe and excitement that filled the room. The drying rack has been a huge hit. I was finally able to put the rack to use this past week. What a difference it has made for my room. The rack is just perfect for my students to load their own work onto and they are so proud of themselves being able to place their hard work on a protective surface.

  As a teacher, I am seriously wondering how I have taught without one of these for so long. Using the rack has been so easy and has freed up so much floor space in my room. Most importantly, I don't worry about little footprints accidentally ruining a painting or picture.

  Thank you to everyone who helped make this a dream come true for our classroom. We are forever grateful.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. West

  This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Arts Funder and 4 other donors.

• There's No Place Like Home

  Funded Jul 22, 2018

  It was so much fun to see the eyes of my students when these boxes were delivered to our classroom. Then when opening the boxes, the room was filled with the excitement of 20+ four-year-olds was a true blessing to experience.

  The couch and chair are just the right sizes for my students. After removing them from the box, we collectively discussed rules to help keep them nice an neat, how many bodies could sit in them and even where we were to place them in our room for the year. Everyone agreed they would be perfect in our home center and we would place a basket of books near them so they resembled what a real-life living room would look like.

  My favorite part is watching my students sit in them and "read" stories to and with a friend.

  Thank you to each of the amazing donors who helped make this project a reality for my classroom.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. West

• Osmo Learning, Technology Fun for the Young

  Funded Mar 27, 2018

  I can't say thank you enough for investing in these Osmo Kits for my classroom. When the box was finally opened, the students were in awe and wonder of what these boxes were for.

  We opened them and hooked up the IPads as soon as we could. Even though some students had seen or heard of the Osmo Kits, for most of my students, this was a completely new experience for them. We discussed the importance of taking extreme care with them and how to store the kits when they weren't in use. Since we have only three, we decided as a class that it was best to all take turns and have their names checked off on a list when they had been able to use them.

  The students were able to follow directions, loved seeing the interaction of their drawings with the program and seeing their art "come to life" with the different characters. I loved watching the students who were not very confident in their drawing and fine motor skills become creative and uninhibited through their interaction with the program. My students asked for them each day and couldn't wait to have another turn. I'm thinking I will need to do another project to try and get a few more for the classroom, so more students can experience these kits at one time.

  Again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for investing in my students and classroom.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. West

  This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and one other donor.

• Viewing Science Is Fun

  Funded Mar 27, 2018

  What a wonderful gift these viewfinders are for my students. As soon as they arrived, we opened the box and discussed how they are to be used and stored for the remainder of the year. I then placed them in our center rotation for the day and let the students explore them.

  It was so fun to see them wanting to show their classmates, even those at another center, the pictures they were seeing. The discs contain so many different views of their world that it was hard to contain their excitement and pure joy.

  I personally remember using these as a child and watching my students brought back such happy memories for me. Thank you to all the donors and Ripple for making this gift a reality in my classroom. Your support in bringing additional educational experiences to my classroom is such a blessing.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. West

  This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and one other donor.

• "Feeding" Fine Motor Skills

  Funded Feb 23, 2018

  Thank you so much for helping make this project a reality in my classroom. My students were so excited to see the box when it arrived, they could hardly contain themselves. They immediately asked to if they could begin to play with them.

  After discussing the rules and how to use the Feed the Animals boxes, I allowed the students to explore with the boxes. Students have worked by themselves and with a partner using the fine motor sets. They have worked on holding the gripper correctly, picking up one piece at a time as well as how to pick up multiple items. I have enjoyed watching my students develop their fine motor skills with these sets.

  Thank you again for your donations to this project and investing in our classroom.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. West

  This classroom project was brought to life by Chevron and 2 other donors.

• The Gift of Silence ... Priceless

  Funded Dec 12, 2017

  Thank you again for your donation to this project. My class was all a "buzz" when they saw that a new package had arrived for them. We immediately opened it and talked about our new special headphones.

  During center time, we used the headphones with our iPads and are looking forward to using them with the laptops. Since receiving these headphones, my centers are quieter, the students are more engaged with their task at hand and they are begging to use them during their free time in the afternoon. There was a new excitement over having the volume up to actually hear the games and not disrupt the other students around them. I am looking forward to seeing all the great learning my students will get to do with these new headphones.

  Thank you again for bringing this project to life. My students learning has gone to new level because of it.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. West

  This classroom project was brought to life by Bakersfield Californian Foundation and 6 other donors.

• STEM Materials With a Fairy Tale Twist!

  Funded Oct 12, 2017

  Thank you for your generous donations to this project. What a wonderful surprise for my students. When the box arrived, they were so excited and couldn't wait to open the box.

  We opened the Blue Print Designs box first and they immediately went to work on trying to build the different structures. With the different levels of difficulty, according to the color coded mats, they are a great challenge to my students who love to build and explore with new materials. I love that they just "dive" in without hesitation and with some guidance, are able to complete these tasks.

  Thank you for helping us grow in our understanding of math and science with these blueprint cards. They are a great way for us to challenge ourselves to build and match pictures on our own and with a partner.

  The Fairy Tale STEM Kits have been a bit of a challenge for the students. We are currently reading "The Gingerbread Man" and the project has really made my students think in a different way than they are used to, as well as collaboratively with their small group peers. As a teacher, this is just what I wanted the kits to do. Even through a challenge, they are learning and can't wait for the next story and STEM box to be opened.

  My students have truly enjoyed the opportunity to use these in their learning and we just can't thank you enough for helping to take our learning to a whole new level."”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. West

• Sorting, Patterning and Counting - A Hands-On Experience

  Funded Sep 21, 2017

  What a wonderful resource these trays have been for my students. The excitement on their faces says it all. The best compliment I can have is when students ask if they can use the trays and "play" with them during their "free time". Math has become a fun experience for them and not a daunting one.

  The trays have allowed my students to be able to see and experience sorting, patterning and counting in a developmentally appropriate way. Using manipulatives in the provided sections of the trays has helped them understand the math concepts needed to prepare them for future math standards.

  Since the trays have been ordered and delivered, Lakeshore Learning has produced trays used for graphing, also. I hope to add a set of those to this collection of essential math materials soon.

  Thank you to everyone who helped financially support this project.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. West

• Transforming Letters and Numbers

  Funded Aug 9, 2017

  Thank you again for your donations to our Alpha-Bots and Number-Bots project. My students were so excited when the boxes arrived earlier last week. We have spent several days exploring them and turning the letters and numbers into robots.

  Thank you for investing in my students. It makes my teacher heart happy to see them working hard at developing their fine motor skills through manipulating the letters/numbers into robots and then being creative in their play. Thank you for bringing so much joy to my classroom.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. West

  This classroom project was brought to life by Bakersfield Californian Foundation and 5 other donors.