Past projects 12
We Are Counting on These Math Materials!
Funded Mar 23, 2023These math materials have been so helpful already in our classroom! The wooden number labels for the bead chains are so much easier for the children to use. They are thicker than our previous plastic labels, making them easier for the children to pick up and place along the bead chains. The children count each bead, and label the last bead of each section using a wooden label. The thickness also makes it harder to lose those little labels-- we haven't lost a single label yet!!
The unit bead holder is a fun point of interest for the children using the introduction to the decimal system work. It is so nice for the children to be able to place a single unit bead in the little wooden holder.
The beautiful new red number cards and counters have also gotten a lot of use. Children practice putting the numbers in order from 1-10 and placing the appropriate number of little red counters under each number.
All of these math materials have been wonderful to have in the classroom. Thanks so much for helping to make this project happen for my students!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Anna
Upgrading Our Classroom Essentials
Funded Dec 9, 2022Our new classroom essential materials have been put to good use in our classroom! It is a game-changer having a laminator in the classroom. I am able to make new laminated materials quickly so that they can be put on the shelves for student use. Some of the newly laminated materials include the Parts of a Reindeer cards and the new equation papers that the students use for Bank Game and Stamp Game equations (addition, multiplication, division, and subtraction of four-digit numbers). I have also used the laminator to laminate student art work so that it can last for years to come, including the Alma Woodsey Thomas inspired art I did with the K5 friends for Black History Month.
The new pencil sharpener is a dream come true as well! The pencils sharpen quickly and effectively. One difficult aspect of most lesser quality pencil sharpeners is that they break the tip of the pencil, making the pencil wear down more quickly than it should, and causing the pencil tip to jam the pencil sharpener. This pencil sharpener never jams and never breaks pencils! It's remarkable and it really helps us to sharpen pencils and move on to new tasks quickly.
I've also been able to to use our new label maker to label cabinets. I have put extra "parts of" booklet-making papers into the storage drawers and have labeled those drawers to make it easier for students to get more paper if they want to make a booklet. The gold crayons are being used daily to color the ten bars on the Teen Bead papers as well.
Thank you so much for your contribution to help bring these materials into our classroom!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Anna
This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and 7 other donors.Montessori Furniture Essentials
Funded Aug 21, 2022Our new classroom furniture items have fit into our room perfectly! The new snack table is a great size for a few children to have snack or breakfast comfortably. Eating together facilitates conversation among the children and allows them to learn dining etiquette. The rug stand is also a wonderful addition to our classroom. The children to more carefully roll a rug so that it can fit into one of the rug stand compartments. They enjoy this precise activity and they show off their tidy rugs proudly. Thank you so much for helping to make the project come to life!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Anna
This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and 12 other donors.Practical Life Refresh
Funded Mar 2, 2022The children have been really enjoying their work with the new practical life materials that we have in our classroom. They brush the fake teeth and screw together nuts and bolts as part of their new activities. They use their new small objects to refine their fine motor skills through activities such as spooning and pouring. The children also develop their concentration and independence with these materials.
The children particularly like the tiny ducklings on the shelf. They move each duckling one at a time, strengthening their fore finger and thumb pincer grip, and carefully place them onto small, blue glass stones. They love getting their "ducks in a row" on the tray.
I just know the children will love working with the pumpkins and snowflakes in the fall and winter as well! Thank you so much for helping bring these materials into our classroom.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Anna
This classroom project was brought to life by Valhalla Foundation and 7 other donors.Montessori Math Materials
Funded Sep 21, 2021My students have been so happy to get their hands on and start counting their new math materials! I have already seen positive results from the practice that my students have been able to get.
The suspended nature of the hanging color beads allows children to see the quantity that each numeral represents more clearly. The child counts a bead chain and then finds the number tile that the bead quantity corresponds with. Part of these materials includes a wooden card with the numbers 1-9 or 11-19 which has been a helpful way for children to independently check their work.
The Fifty Board has proved to be a helpful stepping stone for my students who are not quite ready for the 100 Board. I am looking forward to utilizing the Table of Pythagoras with my students in the upcoming weeks!
Thank you for helping this project come to life.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Anna
This classroom project was brought to life by Clorox and 2 other donors.Montessori STEM
Funded Apr 28, 2021Thank you so much for supporting my class with this project! The children have had so much fun learning with their new STEM materials.
The Magnatiles were an immediate hit with the students. The children enjoy combining the colorful tiles to make new shapes and patterns. The shapes they create can be either 2-Dimensional or 3-Dimensional which makes the options for exploration endless. One child happily told me, "Look! I made a cube!" remembering her lesson on the geometric solids. Another student noticed the light shining through the tiles as he was working. He began holding up two tiles of varying colors to the light and observing the new colors they created together. Magnatiles are always in high demand during our Free Choice Fridays or indoor recesses as well as work time.
The interlocking differently colored cubes have been an excellent addition to our classroom as well. The children count the cubes and place them into patterns. They also frequently compare the lengths of the cube chains they have created. The children improve their fine motor skills as they manipulate the cubes too.
These new materials have really helped our classroom. Thanks again for helping us have access to these new learning opportunities.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Anna
This classroom project was brought to life by PNC Grow Up Great® and 3 other donors.We Need Art Supplies
Funded May 1, 2021My students were so ready to get their hands on these art supplies! They love to create, and this new variety of materials helps them to do that. The children are learning how to cut, draw, paint, glue, and combine all of these skills into making meaningful, unique projects.
As part of our unit learning about trees and the changing of the seasons, the K5 children completed a craft where they made beautiful fall trees. We used our new supplies to cut and twist paper bags into the trunks and branches of small trees. The children then cut and tore pieces of green, yellow, red, and orange sticky tape and then pasted those pieces onto their tree branches. We discussed how tree leaves change colors and fall from trees at this time of the year. All of the trees that the students made were so unique and beautiful.
The children have also started incorporating painting into their work routines using our new materials. They use their tray of watercolor paints to independently complete their artwork and clean up afterwards, leaving the work ready for the next friend. Each child focuses intensely on their painting work, developing their sense of concentration.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Anna
This classroom project was brought to life by PNC Grow Up Great® and 5 other donors.Bringing Life Cycles to Life!
Funded Feb 11, 2021Our classroom has thrived by using our new life cycle learning supplies! We have already utilized many of the engaging materials in multiple ways.
In the spring, we raised a butterfly from a caterpillar. We watched as it hung in a j formation at the top of the tank. We even caught the caterpillar as it transformed into a chrysalis. We used a magnifying glass to look at our butterfly life cycle specimens and compare them to the real living creature we saw in our tank. The children were so excited to know that the butterfly we raised would fly off and continue the butterfly life cycle by laying more eggs. Our classroom butterfly life cycle book added to our understanding of butterflies as well.
The class was also so interested in observing the life cycle of the bean. We used our root-viewing container to watch the bean plant's roots spread deep into the soil to collect nutrients and moisture for the growing plant. The ability to view the often hidden plant roots was so intriguing and eye-opening for my young learners. We also completed art projects where we cut and glued paper to make each part of the plant (the roots, stem, leaves, petals, etc.).
Thank you so much for helping to make this project possible.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Anna
This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and 4 other donors.Animal Habitats
Funded May 4, 2021Thank you so much for your contribution towards our "Animal Habitats" project. Now that we are in the classroom, the children are so eager to get their hands on all of our amazing materials, including their new animals. When they first saw all of the animal figures, my student's eyes lit up with excitement. They want to name and discuss each of the animals and sort them according to the continent in which they live.
When we work with these animal figures, the children get a chance to share their prior knowledge and build upon that knowledge together. We ask questions and we find resources to answer those questions. "Kangaroos live in Australia!" one student exclaimed. "They have a pocket," added another friend. "What do they put in their pocket?" asked another classmate, before another child asked, "How to they live on that hot continent?"
We will continue to engage with these materials as we learn more about the continents and their varied animal habitats. We will utilize our classroom encyclopedias and books to add to our understandings. Children will also use their movable alphabets to compose sentences about the animals they choose.
This resource has greatly added to our classroom. Thanks again for your support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Anna
This classroom project was brought to life by PNC Grow Up Great® and 7 other donors.Language Learning: Little Objects for Little Hands
Funded Dec 13, 2020These little sound objects have been perfect for our K3-K5 class! The children look forward to working with them and seeing the many little objects that all start with the same sound. We use the small objects during our whole group meeting when we are introducing our new sound of the week. With "v" we discussed the objects vest, volcano, van, video camera, and vase. We have also used the objects for beginning sound games. The children have learned the visual phonic hand motions associated with each sound. When we play the sound game, I show an object and the children can either show me the sandpaper letter or show me the hand motion associated with that sound. We played the game with the "d," "n," and "g" sounds. I showed the object (for example: the "gorilla"), and then the children either showed me the visual phonics motion or the sandpaper letter "g." The children were so excited to see which fun, small object I pulled out next!
We have also been using the little objects to spell words. I show the object and then the children and I use our movable alphabets to spell the word using the sounds we hear in that word. With one small group, we spelled several words that started with "s." We spelled "sun," "seal" and "sailboat." One child noticed at that all the words were things we could see at a beach. She was so proud of the connection that she noticed between all the objects!
We will continue incorporating the small objects regularly into our virtual language lessons. When we are back in the classroom, the objects will be available on the classroom shelf so that children use them whenever they would like. The small objects will be available for children to practice sorting according to beginning sounds, or to use for inspiration for spelling words.
Thank you so much for supporting this class project!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Anna
This classroom project was brought to life by PNC Grow Up Great® and 3 other donors.