Past projects 2
Playing With Letters!
Funded Oct 25, 2021Little minds have been working hard playing with letters in Miss Taryn's classroom. These materials are making a difference and students are catching on to letter formations and sounds. Students are recognizing more and more letters each time I introduce a new manipulative. They are actively engaged and having fun while exploring the alphabet. The data I have collected from the beginning of the year to now, shows that they are learning through their play and well on their way to being readers in Kindergarten.
Students look forward to coming to school on Monday's to see what I have changed in the classroom. What new materials have been set out and what items have been put away. They are eager for center time and to explore the new materials and engage with the props for story time! In preschool we work on reading the same book 3 times! By the 3rd time the students should know the vocabulary and story well enough to act it out! They love dressing up as the characters and playing with the props. WE have to act out the story 2 or 3 times so everyone gets a turn! It's amazing to see how eager they are to be a character and involved in the action all thanks to the story telling props and toys.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Taryn
We Are All Alike, We Are All Different.
Funded Aug 25, 2021My classroom has changed for the better since inquiring these toys. It has led to great discussions about how we ARE all ALIKE but different and how being different is okay! Students have shown empathy earlier in my room with these materials available. At this young age, it is rare for students to notices these differences between each other for they are soo loving and excepting of everyone from the get go, but being able to have these discussion in a safe environment has helped them understand that sometimes we have bad days, that sometimes our friends make questionable choices, sometimes we like to eat different things, and that's okay.
The favorite in the classroom are the baby dolls depicting different races, as well as the variety of ethnic foods. It has lead to great google searches on the classroom IPADs as to where these foods originated. Showing them there is an entirely different world outside of Blue Hill, Ne. We have also gotten the chance to explore different cultures through music on youtube and introduce different ways to say hello in the morning through the cards purchased with the project. Students take the lead and I just help foster and answer their questions.
Students have also changed how they draw pictures of themselves, which include more detail and a sense of pride in what they look like for the day. They take time matching the colors to what they are wearing and draw more detail oriented self portraits that celebrate who they are not just copying the examples.
It's been fun to see the differences these materials have created in the classroom just by providing them in their natural learning environment of play. I hope to grow my library to help depict the different cultures of the world next to help foster understanding and acceptance in my classroom.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Taryn