Past projects 8
STEAM Skills Building
Funded Apr 1, 2025Thank you so much for helping this projected get funded so quickly. The students are going to absolutely love these STEM kits. They love anything they can do with their hands and they don't even know they are learning. It will be a great addition to my STEAM classroom!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Reed
This classroom project was brought to life by General Motors and 7 other donors.Real Microscopes for STEAM Students!
Funded Apr 14, 2024Coming into the STEAM classroom, the students were intriqued by the microscopes sitting on the tables. They wanted to know what they were and what we were doing! I explained the microscopes and told them that we plan to go on a "nature walk" outside to find things to look at under the microscopes. We talked about items they could find to look at - flowers, grass, rocks, wood chips from the playground, etc. They came up with so many wonderful ideas. We went for a walk and students gathered many items to look at. Then we came back into the classroom.
When I shared the microscopes with my STEAM classes once we came back into the room from our walk, the students were so excited. Most students have never seen anything in a real microscope. A student had found a feather, so I used that as an example of how to focus the microscope. The joy in the students' voices when they saw the fine details of that feather was infectious. The other students couldn't wait to see the feather and try for themselves! After that, the students worked together to look at the items they found. They were very invested in the activity and were sad when it was time to clean up.
During future classes, students will be able to bring in other items to look at under the microscopes. They were excited to learn that I will keep these microscopes out the rest of the school year so they can always bring in items. They also learned that we will have more microscopes next year and will use them again! Thank you so much for making this lesson possible and allowing my students to have this experience.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Reed
This classroom project was brought to life by Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation and 8 other donors.Coding for Primary Students!
Funded May 10, 2023Thank you so much for your generosity to help my STEAM classroom get the Coding Robots. My students LOVE hands-on activities and have never done coding, so these robots are very exciting for them! They ask every week to use them.
The Botley coding robot gives students screen free experience with simple coding tasks. My students have had an excellent time making the Botley robot follow their directions. They are learning how to fix their mistakes, make short and long codes, and make Botley dance and sing! They absolutely love playing with the Botley and they are learning at the same time!
Many students have come up with new ideas on how to make Botley do different tasks. For example, one student decided Botley needed to dance, then move a ball to the basket and then sing a tune! He figured it out! The critical thinking skills it takes for creating these codes is amazing!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Reed
This classroom project was brought to life by General Motors Corporation and 8 other donors.STEAM Stools for Flexible Seating
Funded Jun 9, 2023The stools in the Primary School STEAM room have made such an amazing difference for the students! The students can easily sit on them and work in groups. They can also move them out of the way under the tables to easily move around the room or stand and work together with other students. Lastly, the students can take the stools with them to work anywhere in the room they would like because they are light weight and sturdy.
Our classrooms are not incredibly large, so these stools have created much more space for students to work cooparatively. Thank you so much for your generous and kind donations!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Reed
This classroom project was brought to life by General Motors and 4 other donors.STEAM Circuits & Problem Solving!
Funded Nov 29, 2022The students really enjoyed learning about circuits and electricity using these kits! I heard so much excitement come from them. One student told me she felt like a mad scientist, which was so funny.
The students were able to work with another student or on their own because we acquired 12 kits. The maximum number of students in a class at this point is 20. They watched a movie about circuits to understand and then built a simple circuit to turn a light on as I led them through the process. When those lights turned on, the excitement in the room was amazing!
After the lessons about circuits, the students wanted to use the kits again and again. I'm so thankful that we were able to have these!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Reed
This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and 6 other donors.STEAM Architects!
Funded Dec 28, 2022My students in Kindergarten through second grade have been absolutely loving using the Architecture kits! They get in groups of 2 or 3 and work on the challenge cards together. As they complete each challenge card, they are so excited to show me their finished product. This kit covers so many skills such as collaboration, following directions, spatial reasoning, and many more! Every student who has worked with the Architecture kit has been excited to do so!!
After students finish the challenge cards, I plan to have them build whatever house they would like. I may have them mix two kits to see if they can make a mansion! They would love that!
The goal of the lesson was to have every group in Kindergarten through second grade to work through the challenge cards. This would help them learn how to use the materials and understand how they work together. In the future, I plan to work with the PreK students using the Architecture kits. I really think they will love building with them!
Thank you so much for giving to this project and my Primary STEAM room. It's been difficult gathering materials that young children can use, so this has been an incredible boost to the room. The students also appreciate your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Reed
STEAM Experiences
Funded Jun 14, 2022My students were so excited to see the new microscopes and building sets. I am using them with all of my students from PreK through 2nd grade in different ways according to their ages.
We recently used the microscopes to talk about insects and looked at the slides with insect wings and other insect items (eyes, exoskeletons, etc). The students were very interested in looking at the slides. They are excited to know there are 60 more to look at throughout the year!
The Brickyard blocks are an excellent way to have the students work together. This week they are working in groups to build a way to get across a river while they are camping. They are developing good problem solving skills as well as learning how to cooperate and work together. All of the ideas have been so imaginative!
My school, students, and I all thank you for adding to our STEAM classroom and allowing us to have great hands-on experiences!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Reed
This classroom project was brought to life by General Motors and 5 other donors.STEAM LCD tablets
Funded Mar 14, 2022The students absolutely love these tablets. They have used them for group activities and to just draw. The students were studying living and nonliving things. They each had to draw 4 living and 4 nonliving things with a partner. They used these tablets to do that group work. Students have used the tablets to play "restaurant" and take people's orders and play "school" to give people spelling tests.
When I presented the students with the tablets, we talked about where paper comes from and conserving paper. I told them that we are not going to use paper anymore, but we will use these tablets for our group work. The students loved the idea and continue to use them every day.
This has not only made an impact on my classes. Other teachers in the building see the benefit of using these tablets instead of dry erase boards and markers. Many have asked for money to buy a class set. I also shared the tablets with parents and many of those parents bought one for their children for car rides, etc.
Thank you so much for donating so that my class could experience these tablets and learn so much more!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Reed