Past projects 42
Materials for Endless Creativity
Funded Jan 23, 2020Thank you so much for donating these materials that have helped us work on our creativity and thinking outside of the box! We have spent time creating a variety of things with play doh, have watercolored everything from portraits to diagrams of plants and have used the other materials to do collages in social students and science. These materials have helped us work on sharing, collaboration and communication--all important skills to learn in first grade. These materials have also been used across subjects and at different periods of the day and has helped ensure that our activities are hands-on and engaging. It is really wonderful to have materials to help us across learning objectives. Thank you for being a part of our journey!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Angelique
This classroom project was brought to life by Anonymous Arts Supporter and 8 other donors.Downward Dog for Young Yogis
Funded Jan 15, 2020We received our yoga mats at the beginning of the week and wow. I do not have much to say except for that I am beyond amazed at the power of yoga just in a couple short days. Every day after we have community time out in the playground, we come in, take our shoes off, set up our mats and do 15-20 minutes of breathing and yoga. The students absolutely love it and have taken it seriously from the beginning. We start off my ringing a Tibetan Bowl 3 times and we end the same way. They work hard on their breathing during yoga and it has overall made such a large impact on the feeling of our classroom. I am looking forward to seeing the impact of 15 minutes of yoga on all aspects of our class--from focus to responsibility to mindfulness. I know yoga has really changed my life and I am sure that it will change theirs too!
Thank you for helping us learn how to take control of our lives through deep breathing and yoga--you are all a part of our journey!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Angelique
A Whole New World: Books, Books and More Books
Funded Jan 6, 2020The delivery of these books was one of the best moments we've had together as a class this year! Our books came in 3 separate packages and 3 times throughout the day we sat to open (and then read--duh!) our new books. I knew the students would be excited but I was not expecting how wonderful of an experience it would be! We sat in a circle and opened the books up one by one and then spent the next period reading. Some students chose to read alone while others read with friends, some chose to read at their desks while others read on the rug or under tables. We spent an hour flipping through books, reading aloud and having a blast.
We will use these books in a variety of ways and I cannot wait to make them part of our daily routines! Thank you so much for being part of our journey and for helping us to get such beautiful books for our classroom. We are beyond lucky to have people believe in us like you all do.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Angelique
Rainbow Ts for 1st Grade Field Day
Funded Aug 13, 2019It was so incredible to be able to provide students with their own t-shirts to tie-dye.
Every child was able to use the colors that they wanted and the design that they wanted and it was so wonderful to see the expressions on their faces when they were designing. The students then had the chance to wear their shirts for our 1st grade field day and WOW was it a blast. We had a picnic, played field games, had some friendly competitions and of course busted out a move or two! We worked on communication and team work, shared laughs and grew as a community.
Thank you for being a part of making our community stronger. We wouldn't be the same with out y'all!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Angelique
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 8 other donors.100 Counters for Word-Problems to 100
Funded May 7, 2019These counting cubes are used in so many different ways and it has been beyond wonderful for each student to have their own set of 100 cubes! 3 times a week, in the morning, we do a wordless number problem and work through it together. We discuss the problem and what it is asking and then slowly introduce numbers into the problem. Each student has a bin with their counters that they can use to show their thinking. They work on the rug and talk through their thinking with a partner and then as a class. They have two sets of counters (50 of each color) so that they can also show their thinking using the different colors. These counters have allowed students to take ownership of their learning and it has pushed them further than I count have imagined! These counters are also used during our math lessons as manipulatives to work through different types of problems.
We love growing in math and are able to because of y'all--thank you for being a part of our classroom community and believing in us!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Angelique
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 3 other donors.Sturdy Bins for Busy Students
Funded Apr 27, 2019Our new sturdy bins have been a game changer when it comes to organizing our classroom and solidifying our routines. We have all new tables in our classroom and are no longer using desks which means that our bins are used to hold all of our materials for the day. Each student has an assigned bin with their pencil case, personal white boards, writing folder and notebooks. They are working on getting the materials that they need for the specific lesson independently by looking at what is on the board. They are also working on keeping their materials organized and their bins clean. It is a work in progress...but we have seen growth just in the first 2 weeks of school!
Thank you for helping our classroom run smoothly. It means the world to our class community!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Angelique
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 7 other donors.Snacks on Stack--Fueling Bodies and Brains
Funded Aug 26, 2019Snack has become one of my favorite part of the days--all because of you all! We are now able to give the students a choice of 3 snacks when it is time to take a break in the morning. Students make their personal decision and that is the snack that they get for the day. We are working on trying new things, using manners and having table conversations around the snack. It is hard to describe the feeling when students come in that are hungry and ask for a snack, but now, I have the pleasure of offering them a plethora of options. I have students that have asked for a chewy bar at the end of the day to bring home or an apple sauce for breakfast and I love being able to provide it for them.
The students' faces light up when they see all of the snack choices that they have and it is all because of our generosity. Thank you for caring about these kiddos as much as I do! We are so grateful to have a community of people supporting us.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Angelique
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 7 other donors.Shelves Fit for Shenanigans
Funded May 15, 2019Organize, organize, organize--that is exactly how these shelving units have helped us around the classroom. We have decided to use some of them as our lunch bins. Each table has a specific area to put their lunch in and it is their responsibility to unpack and put their lunch there in the morning. We are also using one set of shelves for teacher materials and the top for a bathroom sign out. We have placed a clipboard with a sign out sheet and a little digital clock so that students can independently clock out to go to the bathroom. The shelves have all of our teaching materials and clipboard that we use on a daily basis. The last set of white shelves are being used in our library corner and have our nonfiction books (National Geographic/iSpy books) that the students love. The shelves help make the books accessible for whenever the students want to read them.
We are so grateful for these shelving units! Thank you for helping our classroom run as effectively as it does!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Angelique
This classroom project was brought to life by Craig Newmark Philanthropies and 7 other donors.Stimulating Students with STEM Bins
Funded Jun 29, 2019STEM Bins are the BEST! We absolutely love all of these materials that you have helped us get for our STEM Bins. We use these on a daily basis and they have helped the students in a variety of ways. Every day, as a class, we work to earn 15 minutes of STEM Bins last period. Each table gets a specific bin to use and they are tasked at working together to build a different world monument. We are starting with monuments in the United States (Empire State Building, Golden State Bridge, etc.) and then we will move on to monuments from around the world (Pyramids, Great Wall of Chine, etc.). The students have LOVED using these materials and getting creative all while working on social and problem-solving skills.
Thank you for helping give our students the opportunity to work on their STEM, social and problem-solving skills!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Angelique
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 5 other donors.Piles of Paper No More!
Funded Jun 28, 2019Wow--these materials for our classroom have been a game changer. The first week of school we taught our new first graders how to unpack their folders and turn in their papers using our new mailboxes. It has been a learning process but it is clear how much independence we have already fostered in them! They are excited to unpack in the morning and show us that they know the classroom routines. We have explained that in the afternoon it is their responsibility to check their mailbox for any flyers or HW packets that must go home. We have also reviewed our systems and procedures with parents so that independence can be worked on at home!
We have been using the paper organizer for ourselves and it has made a world of a difference. The pens and mesh organizer are in the writing center and we are starting to learn how to make our own paper choices independently as well. The pens, post-its and erasers are available to the students all day and they are able to decide when and if they may need these materials.
These 3 organizers have made routines run smoothly and have instilled so much independence--we are so happy and can't wait to see how much our students grow just within the next couple of months!
Thank you for being a part of our class journey! o”
With gratitude,
Ms. Angelique
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 3 other donors.