Past projects 7
Colorful Carpet with a Special Spot for Each Student
Funded Nov 5, 2024One big thank you for the beautiful new carpet! It was very exciting when the janitor first delivered the carpet to our classroom. It is so much bigger than the previous one and the colors are beautiful and vibrant. Several people have come into our classroom and asked if we got a new carpet.
The students were very excited once the new carpet was revealed. Our old carpet did not have enough squares for all 26 students. Now everyone has their own designated spot and a bit more space to move around as we sit and listen, stand up and sing, or turn and talk to our partners. Each row is like a team so it is easy to call groups. Sometimes the classroom assistant calls rows. For example, purple row may go to your tables.
I am so grateful for your support and the generous gift that enabled us to receive the new carpet. It is wonderful to have a special spot for each student!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Bloomquist
Basic Supplies for Blooming 2nd Graders
Funded May 9, 2023I am so very grateful for your generous support! Thank you for making it possible for me to provide so many great tools and supplies to my students. It has been great to have so many tools to help us stay organized. Each student now has their own pencil box where they keep their essential tools like pencils, crayons, markers and post-its. I also bought sets of storage drawers where they students keep their own learning materials like journals, math books and other workbooks. We have shared tables and no desks so this space is their own and makes it easy for them to find their things.
I also bought a lot of other supplies from chart paper to markers to pastels to notebooks. These benefit everyone in the classroom. The students especially like using the post-its and gel pens in our writing center and art center. Each student also has their own binder where they put the poems we are learning. They keep these in their book boxes so they can read them during our independent and partner reading times.
I am also grateful for the teachers pay teachers gift cards. I am often perusing the site for helpful ideas. I just bought some vocabulary word cards that match our new curriculum. These saved me a lot of time!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Bloomquist
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Foundation and one other donor.Active and Engaged On the Playground and in the Classroom!
Funded Jun 11, 2021Thank you so much for providing all of these items that help my students stay engaged in the classroom as well as outside on the playground. They are really excited to be able to choose from a variety of activities.
The colorful floor cushions are very popular during our reading time. Students quickly take a cushion to their reading spots and dive into their independent reading books. The play dough is very popular during our Fun Friday choice time. It is usually the first table to full and allows the students a chance to chat, collaborate and use their creativity.
The beans bags and scarves are great for movement breaks in the classroom and of course the students love the ball/scoops toys, the colorful balls and the sticky ball toys. These are great for increasing eye-hand coordination, cooperation and fun! Thanks so much!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Bloomquist
Seat Back Storage for Supplies
Funded May 19, 2021Thanks you so much for your generous gifts which provided the large seatback storage pouches for each one of my students. The pouches work well for storing small notebooks and a variety of school supplies-mainly post-it's, pencils, erasers, crayons and markers.
Having these materials right on their chairs allows the students quick and easy access to these frequently needed materials. It also helps to maximize our learning time so students do not need to spend extra time walking around the classroom looking for materials. Having the seatback storage really helps my students stay organized and it teaches them to take ownership to take care of the materials and responsibility to keep them in accessible pockets. Thanks again for providing these. They help make the classroom run smoothly!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Bloomquist
Boredom Busters: Board Games and Card Games
Funded Nov 24, 2020Thanks again for supporting this project. All of my students received a preferred board game and a set of card games. The card game set included games such as Go Fish, Old Maid and Memory, simple games that they could play with family and friends. I was also able to get a few classic board games which will be in our classroom for times like Fun Friday or rainy day recess.
Before Christmas I showed all of the kids the new games during our Zoom meeting . They selected their 2 favorites and then at the pick-up day, they received the board game and card games. Some of them posted pictures with their new games.
The games are and will be a fun way for famililies to spend time together. Playing games will also be a way to work on math and reading skills as well as learn about problem solving, cooperation and how to be strategic. Hopefully, these new games will build in the students a love of games for years to come!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Bloomquist
Whiteboards for Word Work
Funded Nov 13, 2020Thank you so much for your generosity in supporting this project. All of the students were thrilled to get their new whiteboards and tubs of lowercase letters. They received them just before Christmas and were able to independently play with the letters and use the whiteboards for many purposes. I also gave them several colors of dry erase markers so they are even able to use them for creating art.
We have begun using the magnetic letters during our phonics lessons in addition to guided reading. We often focus on spelling sight words. We also practice blending and segmenting words. It is engaging for students to build word ladders on the magnetic boards during the guided reading lessons. We can play games with the letters such as making a word that begins with a certain letter, name the letters in your name or a particular word or find the letter that makes the __ sound.
The whiteboards are great for many purposes. They have lines on one side so this is a great place to practice letter formation/handwriting. We often uses the plain side for writing math problems, sketching in science or drawing in art. The students will be able to continue to using their whiteboards and magnetic letters anytime they need them. Thanks again!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Bloomquist
Headphones for Home Learning
Funded Oct 20, 2020Thank you so much for your generous support of this project. It was such a blessing to be able to provide all of my students with a new set of headphones for distance learning. When the students or parents came to pick up the headphones, they were able to select their preferred color. Many of the students were excited to get their favorite color. The headphones are adjustable in size and they also have a built in microphone.
Many of the students have siblings and several family members who are working in class proximity. There is often a lot of background noise and it is often hard for the students to clearly hear what they need to hear to help them learn. The headphones cancel out much of the unwanted sound. It enables the children to focus more easily and stay in engaged in the learning on Zoom. When I work with the kids in small groups for reading, I want to be able to hear them read. When they are using the microphone, I can better hear them when reading aloud. It is also helpful during class sharing times for the students to be able to hear one another.
The students are very efficient in using technology. The headphones connect easily to the I-pads. Some students wear them very consistently. There is one girl who always wears them. I'm not sure I would recognize her on Zoom without her headphones! Thanks for making a difference and enhancing learning in my online classroom!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Bloomquist