Past projects 14
Promoting Phonological and Alphabet Awareness: Activities to Enhance These Skills
Funded May 1, 2020Words could not begin to describe how thankful I am for your generosity. Teaching remotely during a pandemic is a challenge I never imagined I would face. I was full of both anxiety and unanswered questions. I was unsure how I was going to be able to provide meaningful and engaging lessons to preschool children over a screen. Thankfully with your help I was able to acquire fun and interesting learning materials for my students.
When my student saw all of our new materials, they were eager for me to open the boxes and show them what was inside. They have especially loved the learning language activity boxes. These activities have helped my class tremendously with building their vocabulary and sorting into categories. The colorful 3D objects and vibrant cards keep the children engaged and participating. They also love when I take them on a letter hunt as we dig through the yellow beads to find letters. The positional concepts game has also been a major hit in our classroom. Having actual objects to use instead of pictures on paper to teach concepts like "in", "on", and "under" have helped the students visualize and understand what the words actually mean.
I can not wait until the day comes when it is safe to return to school. I can not wait until my students can actually hold and manipulate our amazing materials. Until then I will continue to to provide my students with engaging educational experiences with priceless learning materials.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. DeMarzio
Making Story Time Come Alive!
Funded Aug 9, 2020I can’t express enough how much I appreciate your generous donations. This storytelling set is going to be beneficial for my students during this crazy time. Remote teaching has not been an easy situation to navigate, but with the support and proper materials we can all get through it together.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. DeMarzio
This classroom project was brought to life by A Generous Donor and 3 other donors.Sensory Exploration in Our Room
Funded May 14, 2019I would like to start off by saying the materials you have funded for my classroom has made a huge difference in the ways my students are able to learn. Our new easel has been so helpful to use during our daily message. Some of my students enter school right at 3 years old, so they're still really little. This easel is the perfect height for them. It makes it easier for them to write on or use magnets on. It also makes my life easier. There is a basket that conveniently holds all of my materials for circle time, so I never have to take time away from the kids to look for something. The table top easel has been another great asset to our class. The students use it daily to "sign in" before they go to meal time. They have also used it to color on, paint on, and they can even use chalk on it. Our old art easel was cracked and very bulky. The new easel allows the students to be creative while not taking up too much space. Their favorite item that they received was the sensory table. Our sensory table that we had before was old and the water stopper did not stay in, so they were never able to play with water. With this table, they each get their own individual tub to play and explore in. They are finally able to experiment with water without worrying if it is all going to spill on the floor. The kenetic sand we received is also a big hit in the sensory table.
When my students walked into the room the day we received our delivery they were so excited. I explained to them that there were some really nice people who wanted to give us new things to help us learn. When I opened the sensory table box, it was in a lot of pieces. All of the children wanted to work together to help me put the table together. They were so proud of themselves when it was finished. I feel we have endless possibilities with our new materials. In our upcoming theme, I'm going to put water beads in the sensory table as well as use a variety of mediums to create art on the easel. It is people like who help give my students the opportunity to wonder and explore. Our classroom is now a more creative space all thanks to you. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. DeMarzio
This classroom project was brought to life by Craig Newmark Philanthropies and 10 other donors.Creative Centers: Learning Through Play!
Funded Aug 18, 2018How do I begin to thank you for such a selfless act of kindness? Since receiving the donations for my classroom, my students have had multiple opportunities to explore and learn in more creative ways. One way we have recently done this is using the playdoh we received to make turkeys. They use the playdoh for the bodies and I provided them with googly eyes, feathers, wings, waddles, and feet. They then create their own Thanksgiving turkey. They have had so much fun with this during centers time. As a transition activity, we use the shape and letter cookies. I like to use these as the kids' ticket to go get their backpack at the end of the day. It is a quick and efficient activity to review shapes and letters. This school year, the children have also been more interested in writing thanks to our new materials. Between the colorful pens, the neon writing tablets, and the pencil grips, the children have not only found writing more fun, but have also felt more confident while doing it. I want you to know that I am not the only one who is grateful for these amazing materials. My students and their families were also so excited when I told them the project was fully funded. We are all so thankful for the interest you have shown in the students' education. I am a firm believer in preschool education, and the benefits that come along with it. Thank you for believing as well. Our hearts are so full!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. DeMarzio
This classroom project was brought to life by Craig Newmark Philanthropies and 6 other donors.