Past projects 16
Learning STEM Through the Senses
Funded Oct 29, 2023My students have been enjoying the addition of the counting stepping stones in our outdoor area. This is one of the new toys that students love to use and arrange as they count and learn to recognize numbers. During the Buildings Study, students enjoyed creating different structures using the house building engineering manipulatives as they learned about shapes, strong foundations, and problem solved to create strong structures.
The magnetic wands and mighty magnets are used in our discovery area as students explore what is magnetic and what cannot be picked up by magnets. It has been fun seeing students go around the classroom, making predictions, and testing their predictions about what items are magnetic. The ramps are a fun addition to our block area as students not only use cars but different objects to roll down the structures that they create with the ramps. Students have been amazed at what they can see reflected on the mirror balls as they roll them down the ramps. The sensory noodles have helped students with strong emotions calm their bodies as they work through their frustrations by squeezing and exploring the noodles.
Thank you once again for your generosity. My students and I are grateful for your support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez
This classroom project was brought to life by United Airlines and one other donor.I Can Read-Along
Funded Oct 12, 2023My students have been enjoying their new independence in accessing books through read-along cds. I set up a read-along area next to our classroom library where students can sit in a small group, and listen to a book on cd. They love being able to show their friends how to use the cd player, and enjoy listening to stories and sing-along songs together. The addition of this area has made reading a popular activity in my classroom.
While enjoying stories and songs together, students are learning how to handle books, follow print from left to right, treat books kindly, and share high interest materials. After I read a book, I will set out student copies for use in our library/listening area. My students enjoy reading books that I have read and will pretend to read to themselves. Something that I am now able to do is record myself reading a book, and transfer it to a cd so that my students can listen to the story on their own. Also, thanks to the materials from this project, I am able to laminate books to provide access to students with fine motor difficulties so that they are now able to turn the pages and access books without adult support.
Thank you for investing in my students' future as exploring books and increasing interest in reading will help them in their everyday lives as they grow older. My students and I are grateful for your support. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community & an Anonymous Partner and 2 other donors.iPad for Communicating and Learning
Funded Sep 12, 2023My students have found a voice! They are able to use a communication program on the iPad to express their wants and needs. They are now able to push an icon when they need help or want an adult to play with them. This has helped my pre-verbal students as well as my verbal students, show us what they know. It has opened up a whole new way for students to express themselves. My students also use the iPad to access educational programs that expose them to basic math and literacy concepts.
Thank you for supporting my classroom and providing my students with the tools that they need to succeed.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez
This classroom project was brought to life by United Airlines and one other donor.Calming Area
Funded Feb 13, 2023Thank you for your generosity. Creating a Calming Area where students are able to work on expressing their strong emotions has been a game changer. The area has become a welcoming and safe space for students to relax and go to when the environment has become too stimulating for them and they need a quiet area to destress. The Calming Area is an open space that is also free-access, meaning that students are able to access the area any time they feel the need to use it. The implementation of this area has decreased my students' anxiety levels and increased their ability to self-soothe.
I have noticed a decrease in aggressive behaviors and our classroom has become calmer. I have also noticed students using the materials appropriately, and practicing the skills that we taught them (i.e., using the breathing board to calm their bodies). I am grateful to all the donors that helped provide a safe space for my students. The skills that they are learning in the Calming Area (recognizing the signals that their bodies are sending when they are anxious, upset, etc., putting a name to those signals-anger, fear, frustration, excitement, etc., and using tools to work through those feelings) will help them express their feelings appropriately as they continue to grow into adults. Thank you once again for your generous support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez
Sensory Play
Funded Apr 19, 2023Thank you for helping fund this project. The walking rope has made it possible to manage students who used to walk away from the class. Through lots of practice, my students are now able to walk long distances (i.e., from our classroom to the cafeteria) without walking away from the class. With the use of the walking rope, my students are learning to stay in a single line and to follow classroom procedures. These skills will help them as they move on to Kinder and have to walk in a straight line to get from point A to point B.
The washable sensory materials have made a huge impact in how my students handle their frustration and anger. Instead of pinching or hurting other students, they have learned to "pinch" or squeeze the sensory materials. Just having a tangible outlet for their frustration has reduced aggressive behaviors and has helped students self-soothe. I am grateful for this change in behavior as it has reduced injuries. Thank you once again for your generosity. Your support has been helping my students self-soothe in a positive way.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez
This classroom project was brought to life by PNC Grow Up Great® and one other donor.Learning Stem Through Play
Funded Dec 21, 2022My students were thrilled to receive the materials from this project. They kept asking, "New toys? New Toys?" and jumping in excitement to explore our new learning materials. They enjoy using the hollow blocks and arches to make tall structures and compare their heights (one student said, "I tall"). As they us these materials in our block area, they are learning about balance, weight distribution, and counting. The Magnetic Building Sticks and Balls Rods are another activity that my students love to explore. They have been making all sorts of structures and learning about 3-D shapes such as spheres, triangular prisms, and basic shapes such as square and rectangle.
The Motion Discovery Tubes are a fun addition to our discovery area and fit perfectly with our current study, the Balls Study. My students like to race with each other using a different tube to see whose balls roll to the bottom the fastest. They are learning about force, velocity, and resistance as they explore these tubes. My students have been enjoying the materials and learning new concepts as they play. Thank you for your support and generosity!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez
This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and 30 other donors.Let Me Show You How I Feel
Funded Nov 29, 2022My students have used the materials in ways that I did not anticipate. They are using the pictures from the social-emotional photo library to show the adults in class what their peers are feeling. For example, if a peer is having a difficult time another student will bring us a picture of what they think their peer is feeling. This is a wonderful way for non-verbal students to show empathy as they are aware of how their peers are feeling.
The baby dolls are a big hit. The dolls have rotating limbs which make it easier for my students to sit their baby down or stand them up. My students love to pretend to be parents, will make baby sounds, and take care of their babies by feeding them (sometimes using the sensory spheres), bathing, and changing them.
The weighted lap pad and liquid sensory viewers have been essential tools for students to soothe themselves when they are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, nervous, and upset. They are easily accessible in our calming area and students use them as needed. The sensory spheres have been used as baby bottles for the dolls, painting tools, and play dough stamping tools. I am grateful to be able to provide my students with all of these wonderful ways to express themselves, thanks to your generosity. Thank you once again for your support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez
This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and 11 other donors.Let Me Count the Ways
Funded Sep 2, 2022I am always amazed by how much children thrive when given the appropriate resources. The materials from this project have helped my students gain a new love for learning basic math concepts such as how to count from 1 to 10. This year my students have more sensory needs and I have noticed that the materials from this project have been helping them understand the concepts of quantity and numerals thanks to the fun ways that numbers are being used in their environment. For example, my students love being able to cut the fruits and vegetables, and count how many pieces each "customer" at the "restaurant" gets. During our Tree Study, my students enjoyed using the leaves to explore colors, and same/different as they counted how many leaves where in each category. They also used the leaves to match outlines which helped introduce the concept of one-to-one correspondence.
The magnetic numbers and bean bags are a big hit in our outdoor space as students race each other and try to match a numeral with the correct numbered bean bag. The number stamps are a great addition to our art area as students use them to make cards for their parents using the alphabet stamps in combination with the numbers. For our Clothes Study, we used the spools to lace and count how many each student was able to lace at one sitting. This is exposing our students to numbers in the various centers of our classroom and helping them make connections to counting and quantity.
Once again, my students and I thank you for your support and generosity.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and 2 other donors.The Magic of Books
Funded Jun 21, 2022My students are in the stages of learning pre-reading skills which include how to hold books correctly, (facing right side up, turning pages carefully, and holding a book using both hands), looking at images from left to right, and pretending to read to a friend/stuffed toy. The "Indestructible" brand books have been especially useful for those students that love to pull on pages as these books are bound in such a way that allow for students to be rough and explore how to handle books. My students are enjoying the colorful choices that they have and are keeping their brand new books in good condition by treating books nicely. This has helped with the way that books were being handled in the past since our books looked old, the students did not care for them as much. Now, they enjoy sitting in the library and "reading."
Some of the books have also been helpful in reducing our students' anxiety. The "Poke-a-Dot: 10 Little Monkeys" book has become a classroom favorite with students taking turns poking the dots as they count the monkeys that are jumping on the bed. I am always amazed at the ability that books have in bringing children together and helping them learn social skills that are practiced daily.
The added materials that we were able to purchase thanks to this project, have helped students that need sensory support by providing tools that they can use in order to complete activities. For example, some students had a difficult time staying on task due to their need to stimulate their senses in different ways. The sensory rings have helped these students remain on task and have reduced their disruptive behaviors. We have also used the sensory sand as a way to make learning the alphabet fun by hiding acrylic letters in the sand and having students look for the buried treasure. I am eternally grateful for your generous support of my students. My students and I thank you for your generosity.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez
This classroom project was brought to life by Dollar General Literacy Foundation and 2 other donors.Pet Care through Literature and Dramatic Play
Funded Jun 21, 2022My students have learned so much about being good pet owners thanks to the books received. They have learned the meaning behind "caring" as we practiced how to take care of pets, our loved ones, and even ourselves (we learned the importance of using different coping skills to deal with frustration, sadness, anxiety, and anger). Also, a pre-verbal student who lost a pet was able to "talk" about her loss through the book "Saying Goodbye to Lulu." The pet/animal books have been a wonderful resource for students to make connections about what it means to care for living things.
Some of the books received are curriculum books which means that I can now read the teacher resource book and have a copy in the classroom library for my students to continue to explore and "read." My students are not yet able to read as they are in the beginning stages of learning the alphabet and the letter sounds, but they enjoy the fact that they can use the same book that I have read during small group read-aloud and can "read" it to their classmates or stuffed animal friends. We have also been practicing how to take care of our books so that they may last us a long time. Having brand new books has made the library area a new favorite place for students to relax.
The stuffed animals have been so fun to interact with. My students have been adopting a new animal as a classroom pet for the week. They have enjoyed learning about the different characteristics of animals, which animals can be pets, and just bonding with the stuffed animals. We have also used them as tools to help soothe students who feel anxious. I cannot express how grateful I am for the help with funding this project. My students and I thank you for bringing the joy of reading back to our classroom.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez
This classroom project was brought to life by Dollar General Literacy Foundation and 2 other donors.