Mrs. Christensen's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 9

• Urban Farming in the Science Room

  Funded Nov 29, 2023

  Thank you so much for your generous donation to our hydroponic lab project. With these materials my students are able to have a hands on experience with urban farming in the classroom. Students have been helping with all the steps to fresh produce in the classroom. They are learning to seed, prune, germinate, transplant into hydroponic systems for growing, testing PH levels and adding nutrients when needed, and harvest.

  We have made pesto with our delicious basil. We have harvested a variety of lettuces to make a fresh salad. These materials are helping my students to make healthy eating choices. These materials are allowing us to grow a variety of produce in our classroom, harvest, by sharing a healthy snack in school, and also bring harvest home to our families.

  My students get so excited to come to the science room and partake in our growing process. These new materials will allow us to continue growing until the end of the school year. We will continue seeding and growing plants of their choosing, and bringing home to our families. Hydroponics is a wonderful way urban schools can farm and allow our students to bring home healthy produce to our families. Thank you again for supporting schools and children.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Christensen

  This classroom project was brought to life by Con Edison and 3 other donors.

• Germs, Germs, Everywhere

  Funded Oct 15, 2021

  Thank you so much for contributing to my science project. In these times we are always telling kids-wash your hands, don't spread your germs, so many people are getting sick, etc. So I thought it would really interest the children to learn whats makes us sick. So I used the read alouds to spark their interest. Then we discuss the science content...where do germs come from? what is bacteria? and viruses? It is very hard to teach a topic that you can't actually see. So I thought my 2nd graders would love to actually see the bacteria that is everywhere in our classroom.

  My students had so much fun coming up with ideas of where the germiest places would be in our classroom. Then they paired up and tested. Like real scientists do. I explained to them that growing bacteria in petri dishes are what scientists do everyday all over the world. They were excited for this experience.

  So they tested and waited a few days. They were amazed at the results. Some results were also surprising. We collected our results. We saw which objects grew a little bacteria and which grew a lot.

  By doing this activity it made them aware of how important it is to wash hands more often, clean materials before and after using them, and just to be aware of germs all around us that are there but we can not see. Thank you for this amazing experience for my students.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Christensen

  This classroom project was brought to life by General Motors and 48 other donors.

• STEM Fun for Kids

  Funded May 22, 2021

  Thank you so much for your wonderful donation to my project. I was able to use these materials at the end of the school year. Teachers and students had a very challenging year. I teach science which is all about hands on group work, and we weren't able to do much of that last year. So at the end of the year when I told the students we were going to work in groups and do these fun projects, they were so excited. They were able to be creative and use their imagination, while working hands on in groups to build cars, boats, and other fun structures. It was exciting as a teacher to watch them have fun in the classroom, which we have been lacking for a while. They were able to discuss and plan, build their structure, test it out and try again. Thank you again for bringing STEM into my science classroom.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Christensen

  This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 14 other donors.

• Repel or Attract?

  Funded Apr 14, 2021

  Thank you so much for all your support. My kindergarten students have been learning a unit about forces-push and pull. So when I brought in the magnet activities they were so excited. each child was able to use an activity without having to share-covid rules. They are learning repel and attract using the different shaped magnets and the magnetic match rings were amazing to them. Many of our students are special ed. So they really benefit from hands on everything. They ask me every time I come into their room if we are going to use those materials again. Thank you for helping to put smiles on their faces and making their day.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Christensen

• Technology for Remote Learning

  Funded Feb 18, 2021

  Thank you so much for your support. This year has been so challenging for teachers and students. We needed to rely on technology to get the job done. Many of our students are remote learners this year. While many are hybrid. So they are spending most of their time on a device, while trying to stay engaged in lessons. Getting this new computer as really helped get this job done. We use google classroom and google meets for our meetings. I use a program called Nearpod, which is interactive, engaging, and fun for the students. I also show many videos which help keep them engaged while online. This new technology has allowed me to do this without any tech problems to slow us down. Sometimes tech can freeze or kick us off meetings. Not with my new computer. We have been able to engage in so many more lessons and learn so many new things. In this day and age technology is everything. So thanks to your generosity we were able to make this happen. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you do for teachers.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Christensen

  This classroom project was brought to life by FamilyAlbum and 21 other donors.

• Ladybugs, Butterflies, and Praying Manitis

  Funded Sep 16, 2020

  I teach k-2 science. We just finished a unit on butterflies. When it becomes spring and it gets warmer, we will be learning more about life cycles. I can't wait to use the materials. I know the students will be so excited. They will be able to experience real life hands on larvae and experience the changes of metamorphosis right in front of them. For example, the butterflies will arrive as caterpillars. We will watch them change into chrysalis and emerge into butterflies through the netting. We will also experience lady bugs and praying mantis. This will be exciting for my young scientists.

  Also included in my project are mini models of the insects at each stage. This will enhance their learning of each stage of the life cycle.

  Thank you so much for supporting teachers. Doing these kind of projects with the children is what makes our job fun. Seeing their smiling faces, getting excited about learning is what teaching is all about.

  Thank you again.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Christensen

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose 20th Anniversary Fund and 37 other donors.

• Keeping Kids Engaged With Nearpod!

  Funded Nov 19, 2020

  Thank you so much for giving my student this Nearpod experience. Teaching virtually has been very challenging this year. It make it so much harder to keep student engaged and excited about learning. This tool has given the excitement back to them. Students are now able to interactive when I am teaching my lesson. For example, as I am teaching about plant parts, they are on their screens drawing, labeling, circling plants parts along with the live lesson. I can see each students work in real time and give immediate feedback and share their work with the whole class as a model. They can do the activity Time to Climb, which is their favorite. They choose a fun character and answer multiple choice questions as they see their characters race up the hill and get points. Nearpod has so many interactive activities and it can be geared toward any subject matter. I can also assign activities for the to work on student paced for independent work. Then I can check my reports to see how they did.

  When I see the student the following week, they always ask, Can we do that again? They love it. Thank you again for supporting teachers.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Christensen

  This classroom project was brought to life by Con Edison and 3 other donors.

• Monitor Magic!

  Funded Nov 29, 2020

  Thank you so much for the donation of this Acer Monitor so I am able to teach remotely from my home. Currently, my school is hybrid. My role is a science teacher for grades K-2. I also teach reading, writing, and math to second graders. I teach live in school sometimes and home remotely other days. The use of technology if so important this year. This has been a very challenging year. This monitor has benefited me as the teacher, and my children as well. I use many programs to teach my students such as, Google, Envision,Mystery science, Amplify Science, etc. This monitor has allowed me to see my curriculum on my computer and all the students on the monitor.

  When only using 1 device you can only see a few students at once.

  It is exciting to see the students participating and being ore engaged. I can monitor the students behavior during each lesson. It even allows me to take the attendance more efficiently for every class. i teach early elementary students, so they are not independent learners, being so young. So it is very helpful and beneficial to see all students.

  Thank you again for helping me make my remote learning come to life. Teachers and students are so appreciative to people like you supporting education.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Christensen

  This classroom project was brought to life by Two Screens for Teachers and 6 other donors.

• WIND ENERGY: A Renewable Resource for Our Future!

  Funded Dec 24, 2019

  The science room has been exploding with fun creative ideas around our new wind turbine. 3rd graders have been studying a unit about weather and climate. Part of their investigations are learning how to measure the weather. So this wind turbine helped to enhance our classroom. We have been learning all about wind and how it can be used and turned into energy. We used the multi meter to measure how much energy was being created from the spinning of the blades. In 4th grade we have been learning about energy. So this project was perfect in discussing wind energy and electricity. First they saw the turbine work when it was connected to a battery. Then they saw it work with wind. This led into a discussion about helping the environment and climate change.

  When the turbine first came I set it up and put it on a shelf where we sit in the meeting area. All the classes were intrigued as to what it was. All they wanted was to talk about that thing over there. They were so excited when I told them what we were going to use it for. When I showed them how it worked with the battery they were all ooohs and aaahs. It definitely looks really cool in the science room.

  My next step for 3rd grade is to have students build their own wind tool. Either a weather vane or anemometer using the materials I give them. We have already started this and the students are having a ball.

  My next step for 4th grade is to see if we can the wind turbine to make other things work. For example, making a bulb light.

  Thank you so much again for making the science room more engaging for these children. They had so much fun and were really appreciative for this donation.

  Tammi Christensen”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Christensen