Past projects 2
Weighted Plushies for Self-Regulation
Funded May 11, 2023This collection of six weighted plushies has been a great addition to our special education resource room. Our resource room serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade, including several who struggle with anxiety and self-regulating their emotions.
As adults, we have learned ways to help us manage our emotions when we are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, hyperactive, upset, etc. We may take a walk, take some deep breaths, exercise, or cover up with a heavy blanket. Somewhere along the way, we learned strategies that help us feel more in control, or regulated, when we're experiencing extreme emotions. Many of our students struggle to figure out these strategies on their own, so we have to provide explicit instruction in various tools and strategies for coping with big feelings.
The plushies you helped provide are a great tool for students to use to help regulate their emotions. Your donations purchased plushies of various weights and sizes, which has allowed each student to choose the plushie that is most beneficial to them.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Bernert
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Supporter and 6 other donors.Colors of Our School
Funded Oct 14, 2022Thank you so much for your donation to the Colors of Our School project. A class set of crayons was given to each classroom at Florence Elementary. Our school is incredibly diverse and these crayons have brought so much joy to our students. So many of our students have been restricted to using brown and peach, never finding a crayon that truly represents them.
Since receiving our crayon boxes, I have watched students eagerly search through their box, carefully comparing each crayon to their skin, and asking their friends' opinions, to find the perfect match. Several teachers told me stories of the way their students' faces lit up when they shared the crayons with them for the first time.
One day, I was in a third grade classroom as they read the book, "Nadia's Hands," then they drew pictures of their own hands and designed their own mehndi. Fifth grade students used the crayons for their Gallery of Gratitude project in November, where they drew pictures of staff members who have impacted their lives and kindergartners used the crayons to draw self portraits.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Bernert
This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares and 11 other donors.