Past projects 2
Super STEAM Centers
Funded Feb 25, 2025I want to take a moment to sincerely thank you for your support of STEAM centers. From the moment students were introduced to the new centers, their creativity and curiosity were immediately ignited. It has been truly rewarding to incorporate both directed and undirected exploration with students right away.
The excitement in the classroom was palpable as students dove into the new materials:
Kindergarteners were the first to explore, using the IQ Builder Blocks and Tinker Toys to create spiders. This hands-on activity gave them a new way to visualize and understand the different parts of a spider, including counting the legs!
Third graders explored length and measurement by using Brain Flakes to create the longest possible rope. The students were thrilled as they experimented with different building techniques and challenged each other's designs.
Other students explored wheels and axles, discovering how to attach them securely and testing how their creations moved.
Fourth graders used Brain Flakes to represent radial symmetry during their Mandalas unit, applying their creativity to the weekly driving question:
"How can I create mandala art using radial symmetry?"
The chenille stems became part of a loose parts activity for Kindergarteners, where they created imaginative bugs. This activity not only sparked creativity but also fostered empathy for bugs as students learned to appreciate their role in nature.
Thank you again for your support in making these enriching learning experiences possible. The STEAM centers are truly making a difference in helping students think critically, explore creatively, and engage deeply with their learning.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Bowen
Put The Play Back In Learning
Funded Aug 22, 2018My students use the materials provided with your generous donations everyday. One example is our exploration center, this is an area that students can build and create freely. After they build they love taking pictures of their creations and write about what they built the next day in writing. Another area in the classroom that has changed since receiving our supplies is our movement and music. We were studying the monarch butterflies life cycle and the children used the scarves to act out each stage using making the scarves into an egg, leaf, chrysalis, and butterfly wings. The students were so excited and engrossed in learning as smiles covered their faces.
When the supplies arrived in the classroom the children were so excited as they helped me open boxes and explored the new learning materials. The magnet letters and the letter stamps were all the students wanted to use when working on new letters and words. The children were dancing and using ribbons and scarves. We have collaborated with other first grade classrooms for music sharing our rhythm sticks and egg shakers with other first graders. This project has allowed for music and fun to happen in the classroom everyday.
As we continue learning in the classroom our next big thing we will be learning as about cultures and holidays around the world. We will be learning new songs and dances that we can use are ribbons and scarfs to dance with. Now that we have gotten our year in full swing the math games are going to become a daily activity for students. Our magnet letters are going to provide hands on learning as the students learn about digraphs and diphthongs to help them become better readers. Students will continue using stem boxes to explore build and create in the explorations center and use this as a tool to create meaningful writing. But most of all being aloud to play and have fun in our classroom has created a safe place for my students to learn, create, and build a community.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Bowen
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 10 other donors.