Past projects 254
Warm & Toasty in the Cold & Snow and More!
Funded Sep 19, 2018The idea of giving our students winter accessories started three years ago. Our outdoor play portion of the day is an essential. They say there's no such thing as bad weather, just improper clothing when it comes to outdoor play in early childhood. This is something we believe in. We see how beneficial it is for our students to get that hour of unstructured outdoor play/recess in. It develops their gross motor skills, social emotional development, and helps release that energy our kids have that seems bottomless.
In the cold weather, it should be no different. With the proper clothing, our kids can enjoy our playground as much as they do in the warmer months of the school year. Our children, their families, and the adults in the classroom are so grateful for your support in this project. Winter is coming and although it is still autumn here in New York, the temperature is dropping rapidly. We recently gave out the winter hats, scarves, and gloves and it couldn't have come in a better time.
We showed our students how to wear each item and how to put them away so they do not get lost. They are becoming so much more independent with each new task we bestow upon them. Parents are so grateful that there are people that care so much about the well being of their children. I am so grateful to see three years of pre-K students benefit from something so awesome. I see students from previous years still wearing the clothing they received from their time spent in our pre-K room. I would do anything and everything for these kids because I see younger self in them. Thank you so much for filling in the gaps I cannot reach when it comes to giving my students the best possible education and a great foundation for their education.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Andy
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 9 other donors.Outdoor Sensory Discovery
Funded Jul 3, 2018Thank you so much for supporting our Outdoor Sensory Discovery project. Outdoor play is such an essential part of our students' day. Outside our kids get in their daily exercise and work on their gross motor skills.
We are very fortunate to have a playground that gives all of our children options of what to do and where to play. For our builders, we have various types of blocks. For our kids that need to get their energy out, we have an enormous jungle gym as well as tricycles and scooters.
For children that need more sensory play, we have a giant sandbox and big water tables. Thanks to your support, our kids have more depth when they choose to explore their senses. The funnel system has been a wonderful addition to our sandbox since our children love to pour sand and watch it go through the funnel.
The waterworks was wonderful for the summer as our kids played with the water table and watched the water run through various pipes.
Thank you so much for giving our outdoor play choices more flair and keeping play in early childhood. Your support means the world to our youngest learners and our older students have benefited greatly as well!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Andy
A Clean Classroom Is a Happy & Healthy Classroom!
Funded Aug 26, 2018Thank you again for supporting our project, A Clean Classroom Is a Happy & Healthy Classroom! There hasn't been a day gone by where the materials from this project has not been used. This isn't one of the fancier projects on the DonorsChoose.org website but it is quite an important one. On the surface level, one may see a project that requests items to keep a class clean. Disinfectant wipes, paper towel, tissues, soap, soap dispenser, and a few dustpans may seem ordinary. But these items are way more than just what they are. On a deeper level, they are teaching our students how to maintain clean and healthy hands as well as teaching them responsibilities of taking care of their own work space.
Research shows that giving children chores will help them learn about responsibility and allow them to become more independent. Our kids know that after using the restroom, before eating, and coming back from outdoor play, they must wash their hands. The materials have allowed us to create class jobs that switch up monthly and our kids know they each have an important job to do to maintain a clean and sanitary space for us to play, socialize, and learn.
The simple materials have gone above and beyond in impacting our children on a daily basis. These items have helped them learn things that allow them to help their parents at home and eventually the community as they grow older. Thank you so much for playing such a pivotal role in our students' lives this early in their education.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Andy
This classroom project was brought to life by News Corp and 7 other donors.Pretend Today, Change the World Tomorrow!
Funded May 31, 2018Thank you again for supporting public education and supporting a project that allows children to be children. Pretend play is disappearing from childhood and being replaced with screens that do not allow children to use their imagination. We are extremely fortunate to have a program that promotes unstructured free play for our kids. The foam blocks are an amazing addition to our dramatic play area that functions similarly to a black box theater. Blocks are being pulled from shelves to serve multiple purposes. One day, they'll hold up a board and be used as a table for a kitchen, the next it'll be a crib for baby. The possibilities are endless. Thank you so much for supporting this project and keeping pretend play in the childhood of our kids.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Andy
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Arts Funder and 2 other donors.Another (LEGO) Brick in the Wall!
Funded Mar 27, 2018We are so grateful for your contributions to our Another (LEGO) Brick in the Wall! project. You can see that many of our students do not have access to LEGO bricks at home. When the bricks are put out for the students to explore, they gravitate towards them immediately.
In the summer, our campers had the time to explore and build with LEGOs at the table and once they were more comfortable, they moved their creations to walls. We were able to convert many of our easels and listening centers into LEGO building centers. Indoor recess due to in-climate weather will be a time where a handful of students can use their imagination to build and create.
For our pre-K kids, they are just getting used to school and are exploring many different activities available to them. The most popular has been our Duplo LEGO and standard LEGO bricks. We eagerly wait for their imagination to go beyond the table and to the walls.
Thank you again for your contributions to help fund this wonderful project! Your generosity is most appreciated!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Andy
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and one other donor.Little Dumpling Shop: A Financial Literacy Experience
Funded May 24, 2018Thank you so much for supporting one of our most unique projects. Almost every culture has some variant of dumplings; dough stuffed with delicious filling that can be baked, fried, or steamed. In our community, many kids grow up helping their parents make dumplings at home. It was something I did growing up as well as many of my friends who grew up in the same community.
Making dumplings at home with my mom is a memory I cherish but never recalled sharing the experience with my classmates and teachers when I went to school. When asked what I did over the weekend, I never felt comfortable sharing the experience. I don't want that to be the case for my students and their families. I want them to feel welcomed in school and think of our classroom as a second home where all are accepted and embraced with loving arms.
Last year, one of my students was in the play dough center and she was happily molding play dough into a dumpling. When I asked her what she had made, she shied away, hesitant to tell me. I asked her if it was a dumpling and she confirmed it with a nod and a beautiful smile. She shared with me that she makes it with her mom at home. She had always been shy and reserved but this topic was something she felt very comfortable talking about. It was that moment that inspired my idea to bring the dumpling making experience into the classroom.
When the project was funded, we were quickly approaching the end of the school year. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to make dumplings with that group of pre-K students. Summer was around the corner and that would be the perfect opportunity to bring in the experience. Our incoming pre-K campers were excited and thrilled to hear that we would be making dumplings. We introduced the different ingredients needed and the appliances we would use to cook it. We read the books that introduced characters that looked familiar and topics that our kids are familiar with. Dumplings, Dim Sum or yum cha, Xiao long bao, all the different vocabulary that seemed to be only used when they were with their families were now a part of our language in school.
When it came time for our kids to get their hands on experience, something did not feel right. I needed that little girl who made this all possible to be here to share the experience. Luckily, she also attended the summer camp and I was able to pull her from her class to join in on the fun. Again, she was hesitant but once that dough hit her hand, the smile was back and she was excited to begin.
It was such a beautiful experience watching beginners, intermediate, and expert dumpling makers all get a chance to partake in an experience that is so unique in a school setting. Our summer teacher's assistants helped our kids in the processes. Many shared their experience of a time when they were younger and also made dumplings at home with their parents.
After using up all the vegetarian filling and dough, we cooked the first batch in our air fryer and eagerly waited for it to be done. Once they were all cooked, it was time to eat what we made. Although different, they were delicious. They were proud of the result because they had such a major part in making it.
Thank you so much for helping our pre-K kids take part in such a unique, authentic, and memorable learning experience.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Andy
Life Lessons Through Literature
Funded Mar 27, 2018Books have the power to change lives. I am proud to say that our classroom has a rich collection of books from a variety of genres, topics, and authors. Our kids love listening to stories that make them feel good inside as well as learn new things.
Children who read grow up to become thinkers. I want my students to use their minds and think for themselves when they grow up. I truly believe literacy and a love of literature will help accomplish this. These wonderful books will add more depth into our classroom library. They've enjoyed the great books I've read to them for read aloud and they equally enjoy them as they look through the books independently.
The year has ended and our pre-K students are moving on to kindergarten. The books you have helped us get will now be left in the hands of new pre-k kids who will fall in love with reading just as their predecessors have. Thank you so much for supporting us and our students' love for books.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Andy
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and one other donor.A Thousand Lives through Stories, Tales, and Fables
Funded Apr 19, 2018Dr. Seuss said "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." This statement could not be truer. In the beginning of every school year, during our parent orientation, we always stress how important it is to read to your child. As a new father, I've seen how my newborn reacts when I read to him. Baby Liam smiles, laughs, and his eyes are glued to the vivid pictures. I want my parents to understand how beneficial it is when they read to their own child. If families value reading at home, the child will become an avid reader and fall in love with books.
I understand how difficult it can be for parents to buy books or even find the time to take their child to the library, especially in our community where parents are working long hours 7 days a week. I want our kids to have access to books at home. This year more than ever, I have worked on helping our kids build their at-home library. I want our parents to see just how much we as educators value reading and hope they will do the same with their children. When these children come to pre-K, no matter what their experience is with literature, they leave pre-K loving books. Thank you so much for helping us continue to be advocates for literacy.
The collection of books we have sent home is greatly appreciated by children and parents who value books. For those who may be too busy, the books are there and their children have the ability to pick up the books and read because it's theirs. Thank you for giving them the opportunity to become readers. Because of you, they will Live A Thousand Lives through Stories, Tales, and Fables.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Andy
Bards of Pre-K: Tales of Our Youngest Learners
Funded Mar 2, 2018Thank you so much for helping our youngest story tellers tell their story through play. Anyone can tell a story, it's just their way to telling varies. For our pre-K students, although there are many language learners in our classroom, play is a universal language. All children can understand play and tell a story through it.
There's a story to be told through art as children are creating items with recyclable materials. Each material is its own chapter and once the pieces are put together with glue, tape, and details are added with paint, a child tells their story through art. It's up to them to tell us with their own words, but thanks to you support their tale is captured on video.
In the blocks, many tales come together as ideas are shared among the story tellers. The words strung together are represented via blocks. Each addition to the construction is a new tale to tell. Once its finished, the story is deconstructed and the blocks are stashed away, eagerly waiting for the next day to tell their story. The story tellers tales will not go untold. Their ideas and conversations are all captured.
Thank you so much for helping us capture amazing stories being told by our young bards. Without your support, great stories will remain a secret rather than being shared.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Andy
This classroom project was brought to life by AT&T and 2 other donors.Takin' the Creepy Out of Creepy Crawlers!
Funded Mar 27, 2018Our Takin' the Creepy Out of Creepy Crawlers project was funded during #BestSchoolDay and we have received all of the materials to dive right into our curiosities and for some, conquering the phobia of insects. Books are always important to introducing a new topic but when we have specimen encased in acrylic blocks, the new topic becomes an instant interest. At first thought some children would be too hesitant to look for or even dig for bugs in our playground. Our students were truly fascinated by them.
It all started with the books. The children that were curious about bugs bee lined towards our book nook. Their interest led them to creating bugs they saw in the books in our art center using recycled cardboard boxes. When it came time to have a whole group discussion, we read the books together. It's difficult to maintain the attention of four and five year old kids, but with the help of the acrylic specimen blocks, our kids took notice of the various bugs and their similarities and differences and held the conversation beyond the regular allotted time.
In their centers, they asked for the bug toys to implement in their play. The block center was a haven for bug towns, cities, and houses. They could not get enough bugs. But how would they react to the real things? It was time for them to graduate into bug catchers. Equipped with the proper tools, our bug explorers dug through dirt, sand, and mulch to find the interesting crawlers. All live bugs were looked at and put back into nature as we do not wish to take them away from their homes. However, many kids found bugs such as butterflies, bees, and worms that met an unfortunate end and we took them into our laboratory (classroom) to further analyze their body structure. We took a closer look using our digital microscope and laptop. The interest and inquiry connects very well with our current study of recycling as we have found out that bugs are nature's way of disposing garbage as they are great decomposers. Thank you so much for supporting our project and helping our students (and hopefully families) get over the fear of bugs. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Andy
This classroom project was brought to life by Orkin and 3 other donors.