Past projects 11
"Busy Bags" for Busy Kinders
Funded Aug 11, 2020When I created the "Busy Bags" for my kinder kiddos, I just really wanted something for them to have at home that could somewhat supplement/replace not getting the developmental play time that they would get in the classroom. I showed the kids what was inside their "Busy Bag" on one of our zoom meetings and every time I pulled something else out of the bag, their eyes would widen and their excited expressions and smiles continued to grow! I was able to hand these out in person before leaving for maternity leave and all of the kids were VERY excited to receive them and get to take them home! :) Thank you again for all of your generous contributions!! :)”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Means
This classroom project was brought to life by A Generous Donor and 6 other donors.Goooooood Morning!!
Funded Aug 13, 2019Thank you for your generous donations! We are loving our morning tubs that we also use for "May-dos" throughout the day for early finishers. It has been a daily motivator for my students to be on their best behavior as well as being a studious student. The kids have been working towards using all the materials and due to this donation we are fortunate to have learning tools that range throughout the academic curriculum for the entire school year. Once again, we could not have these amazing learning opportunities without donors like you! Thank you again!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Means
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and one other donor.Helping Families in Need
Funded Mar 7, 2019Because of your generosity, we were able to purchase the necessary food items for our families in need. As a community, we put the food in bags and then took them to over one hundred families who were in need. We are very grateful that these families had what they needed during spring break. It is a very difficult time for some of our families because many of them get 2 1/2 meals at school for free and while the kids are on break, the families have to find a way to pick up those 2 1/2 meals that were taken care of during school hours. Thank you again for your donation!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Means
Enhancing Our Classroom Environment
Funded Feb 28, 2019When we opened the boxes, especially the huge box for the sofa, the kids acted like it was Christmas all over again! They were so excited to see the items that we were going to add to the classroom!
My students absolutely love the new "house" space. My classroom is not a typical "kindergarten room" so we do not have a ton of space inside the classroom to have huge spaces designated for play areas. This is the first time that they have had an area that was solely devoted to the house. By adding the couch and the rug to the "house" space, it really does complete the area and will lend itself to more imaginative play.
I am going to be changing the theme of my classroom this spring and having the green butcher paper on the walls will tie in all of the spaces and make it look aesthetically pleasing! I also want to add that the timer has already helped my students stay on task as well as learning how much time each rotation takes. The concept of time is hard to understand for these little guys, but with a large timer on the wall, it is definitely helping!
Thank you again for making this all possible!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Means
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and one other donor.Meeting Basic Needs to Aide in Academic Success
Funded Sep 14, 2018Thank you for your generous donations! When our PTA opened all of the boxes, they were floored with all of the great products, clothes, and snacks they saw. With the materials purchased through this project, our school was able to create care packages for ALL of our homeless students for our Fall break. We are hoping to make weekend baggies for them to take home and making care packages for winter break as well. Some of the families were in tears and some of the families were so grateful that they were speechless. It really is amazing to see how much of an impact we can make and we would not have been able to do all of this without your support.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Means
This classroom project was brought to life by The Home Shows Coalition and one other donor.Helping the Homeless: Learning Through the Arts
Funded Sep 14, 2018Thank you for your generous donations towards the headphones and the musical instruments! The headphones have helped tremendously with our students who cannot afford to buy headphones for themselves. It has made them very happy to have something that is just "theirs" and it has encouraged them to focus on their learning while on their ipads. As for the instruments, it has given so many more students an opportunity to join the band and they are loving every minute of it. The instruments are perfect for our 5th and 6th graders! We could not have accomplished all of this greatness without you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Means
This classroom project was brought to life by The Home Shows Coalition and 4 other donors.Storage, Seating, and STEM
Funded May 5, 2018Thank you so much for your donation! My students are loving the storage benches, the bin center, and the flexible seating. It has been amazing to watch all of my new kinders enjoying these materials just as much as last years class did. It has also been great to be able to store all of our awesome materials from our Donors Choose projects! The bin center has made Read to Self such a breeze! I have especially noticed the amazingness of the book box area because I have not had to break up any traffic jams, which is awesome considering my students have only been in school for 8 days!
My next step is going to be continuing to use these amazing items throughout this year with my new students. I am hopeful that they will get to enjoy and use these areas to create wonderful learning. ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Means
This classroom project was brought to life by San Diego Gas & Electric and one other donor.Learning One STEM at a Time
Funded Apr 30, 2018Thank you for your generous donation to our kindergarten classroom! The students absolutely love ALL of the items we received from this project! The Veterinarian Kit is a huge hit with the kids because they have such a love for animals. The kitchen is also a hot commodity in our classroom! When it is time for developmental play, that is one of the first things that they choose and they could stay there for hours if I let them! The moment I opened up the puppet theater box, the kids went crazy! They have started to put on puppet shows for other students and it is exciting to see their imagination come alive. They also really love the Legos and they love that they can build the models that are on the cards!
I am hoping that with all of these amazing materials, next years class will have an even better opportunity to explore and use their imaginations! It has been a blessing to have everything I always wanted but never could afford! Thank you again!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Means
This classroom project was brought to life by San Diego Gas & Electric and one other donor.Storage for STEM
Funded May 1, 2018Thank you so much for your donation! My students are loving the storage benches, the bin center, and the book boxes. It has been amazing to watch them take it upon themselves to create a miniature classroom using the storage benches! It has also been great to be able to store all of our awesome materials from our Donors Choose projects! The bin center has made Read to Self such a breeze! Due to the wheels, I am able to roll the bin center wherever it makes sense and it has created a bigger space for students to take out and put book boxes away without huge traffic jams!
When the class first saw the materials they were very excited and curious as to when they could use the storage benches and the book boxes. When I told them they could use them that very same day, the class erupted with cheers! I proceeded to tell them that Harper (my dog) and Mr. Jordan (my fiance) helped put both storage centers together they became even more excited! They use all of these materials daily and it has been a pleasure to watch them explore new areas of the classroom!
My next step is going to be continuing to use these amazing items next year with my new batch of students. I know they will love these areas and materials just as much as this year's class! :)”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Means
This classroom project was brought to life by San Diego Gas & Electric and 2 other donors.The Best Classroom Is Roofed by the Sky Pt. 2
Funded Apr 27, 2018My students are using all of these materials and they are absolutely loving every moment! They have thoroughly enjoyed the beach chairs while lounging under the umbrella that is just their size. They have taken ipads, books, and seat work outside to the picnic tables as well as using lapboard chairs to do the same. My students are interested in helping nature and being a part of nature. In saying that, the bird feeder is a huge hit and we have already filled the container and are waiting for our first bird!
When my students first saw the materials, they cheered and clapped and immediately asked when they could use the resources. I previously told them a list of what we are expecting and they have so much fun trying to guess which item is in which box. They were extremely excited when they saw the colorful umbrella because that is something that they desperately wanted outside. They loved the fact that it was small enough for them to maneuver and the beautiful, bright colors.
The next step for our classroom is to continue our outdoor learning as well as starting STEM centers inside the classroom. I am trying as best as I can to give my students the opportunity to explore as much as possible in hopes it will lead them to meaningful learning.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Means
This classroom project was brought to life by San Diego Gas & Electric and 4 other donors.