Past projects 104
Exercise & Young Minds, Go!
Funded Jan 2, 2019I am humbled that so many of you donated to our classroom. It is a wonderful gift that each of you made a donation to help exercise & young minds. Our new equipment arrived! The students were so excited to see all boxes. Some of the items needed my attention to put them together. So, the students saw boxes for a few days, until I found time to put the basket ball hoops & trampolines together.
Our favorite pieces are the 2 trampolines. The children jump and they have the biggest smiles!!! The children's faces light up when they are jumping. They take turns on the 2 trampolines. We are learning to take turns and share too. After a few minutes, we count down from 10 to 1, and then we get off and give someone else a turn. Wow, exercise and math counting too! The students are learning balance with the stilts. The ring toss and basket ball hoops are a big hit. Both help us with tossing and throwing skills.
We love all the equipment that was sent! It especially enhances our gross motor play - just in time for the cold weather. When its so cold in NYC, we have our gross motor activities indoor. ( We plan to use the equipment outside as well, when the weather is warmer). All the equipment is fun, colorful and exciting. We get a lot of exercise. The exercise helps us develop our muscles and coordination. But is also helps us focus when we need to learn. The students can sit still longer for a story/read aloud after using exercise equipment.
We love to read stories. We learn so much. Reading helps build our vocabulary. Our new unit is Transportation. We are learning a lot of names of vehicles. We are learning and understand how different modes of transportation are used in our community. How are they similar and different? We understand that walking is a mode of transportation too. We use our new colorful stilts to walk - it is our new mode of transportation.
Thank you for being part of the Donors Choose community. You are part of the village, that is taking responsibility in the future of the children. Thank you for making the world a better place. We hope your new year has started out great and gets even better.”
With gratitude,
Ms. B
Please Touch & Learn
Funded Dec 27, 2018We may have small hands, but we love to touch and learn through doing. The students were very excited with the new toys that arrived in class.The Squeeze, Scoop & Count Ice Cream Shop is a great game for touching and learning. The children are building fine motor skills by gripping and squeezing the tweezers to "grab" the ice cream scoops and count them and put them on the sundae plate.
The pipe builders are the most popular blocks in the classroom right now. They have unique curved and straight connecting tubes. The blocks are easy to put together. For some of the younger children in the class, with smaller hands, these manipulatives are perfect! They are just learning to connect. But over time, the structures will become more complex. The children usually learn from one another. As one child experiments and succeeds, another child copies and becomes innovative. That is the key to problem solving. Building on one another's knowledge.
They notice who has a structure that was big and how to copy them. It is wonderful to be able to get so many blocks so that the children can build larger more complex structures. It is a great resource for smaller hands. The blocks are easy to hold. The colors help the children recognize the different shapes.
We have a set of "see inside magnetic builders" in class, but it was never enough pieces. Now, a small group of children, can work at the same table, either independently or collaboratively. They have enough pieces to build larger more complex structures. Now, the students have the resources to create with enough materials. They can choose which piece to use. How does this piece help my project? How can I make it better, bigger, wider or taller? The children work side by side. They have conversations and communicate. Sometimes, they are talking about how they are constructing the buildings, or giving advice to one another. At other times, they are still talking about sharing the toys and not knocking down someones structure.
For some children, this is their first school experience and they still need to learn how to share and work together. Collaborate work and conversations are important to develop. It will be needed in their future academic life and workplace.
Currently, we are using these blocks on a daily basis. Currently, our unit is transportation. The children will build different modes of transportation, or structures that hold them with the new blocks.
The "see inside Magnetic blocks" will be an asset when we have our unit our light- in February. These blocks are translucent. We will use those blocks with the light table. We will use our flashlights during our unit on light too.
Thank you for helping our class have the resources we need to develop on so many levels. Thanks for being part of the Donor's Choose Community.”
With gratitude,
Ms. B
It’s Magnetizing! Stem Builders!
Funded Sep 29, 2018We may have small hands, but we love to touch and learn through doing. The students were very excited with the new toys that arrived in class. All the toys are magnetic. The 3 d magnetic builders master set has 80 pieces. That's awesome. We had a a small set in class, but it was never enough pieces. Now, a small group of children, can work at the same table, either independently or collaboratively. They have enough pieces to build larger more complex structures. The same with the Mega magnets, which are a set of magnetic spheres and rods. We had a few pieces, never enough for two children to really complete any structure. Now, the students have the resources to create with enough materials. They can choose which piece to use. How does this piece help my project? How can I make it better, bigger, wider or taller? The children work side by side. They have conversations and communicate. Sometimes, they are talking about how they are constructing the buildings, or giving advice to one another. At other times, they are still talking about sharing the toys and not knocking down someones structure.
For some children, this is their first school experience and they still need to learn how to share and work together. Collaborate work and conversations are important to develop. It will be needed in their future academic life and workplace.
The See Through Magnetic blocks are really amazing. The blocks are 3 dimensional. The blocks connect with ease. It is easier for the younger child to build and achieve height. It is a great accomplishment for them.
Currently, we are using these blocks on a daily basis. In a few weeks, I will put them away and take out other building manipulatives. The magnetic blocks will return in a few weeks. (When I take them out after a period of "hiding", they are the favorite toys again.) The See Through Magnetic blocks will be an asset when we have our unit our light, since these blocks are translucent. We will use those blocks with the light table. The other magnetic blocks will come out again when we do our unit on transportation. Then we let the children either build different modes of transportation, or structures that hold them. Then while learning homes, children will build structures that they see in their neighborhood, city or using their imagination.
Soon we will be taking neighborhood walks to look at shapes around the neighborhood. We will find triangles, rectangles, squares and even a few circles on houses, Then when we return to the classroom, I know that the children will be constructing buildings with more emphasis on the shapes we saw.
Thank you for your generous contributions to our classroom. Thank you for being part of the Donors Choose community.”
With gratitude,
Ms. B
This classroom project was brought to life by Craig Newmark Philanthropies and 13 other donors.STEM Engineering Begins With Small Hands
Funded Sep 14, 2018We may have small hands, but we love to touch and learn through doing. The students were very excited with the new toys that arrived in class. The young architect design blocks are really unique. They are 3 dimensional shapes and they do not interlock, so the students need to build structures by fitting shapes together. The children started talking about what was not working. They noticed who had a structure that was big and how to copy them. It is wonderful to be able to get so many blocks so that the children can build larger more complex structures. It is a great resource for smaller hands. The blocks are easy to hold. The colors help the children recognize the different shapes.
The connecting and lacing beads are unique in their own way. Not all the beads connect to each other. So the children have to problem solve and find the right pair to connect to each other. Currently, their structures with the connecting beads are simple . They are just learning to connect. But over time, the structures will become more complex. The children usually learn from one another. As one child experiments and succeeds, another child copies and becomes innovative. That is the key to problem solving. Building on one another's knowledge.
The pipe builders are the most popular blocks in the classroom right now. (I might just need another set. LOL). They have unique curved and straight connecting tubes. The blocks are easy to put together. For some of the younger children in the class, with smaller hands, these manipulatives are perfect!
In a few months, as the students get a little bit older and their hands get a little bit bigger, the ESI construction building blocks will be our "go to" construction blocks as we learn about homes and transportation.
This month, we will be studying our 5 senses. So we will be learning some sign language. We will be wearing blinders and try to imagine how it is to be blind. We will use our new blocks and try to build without using our eyes.
Thank you for helping our class have the resources we need to develop on so many levels. Thanks for being part of the Donor's Choose Community.”
With gratitude,
Ms. B
My Books, My Possessions
Funded Sep 10, 2018Thank you for your generous support of our classroom project. Literacy is the key to so many areas. The books that were ordered in this project "My Books, My Possessions" revolve around diversity. Some of the books are related to our thematic learning that will infuse more understanding with informative and interesting literature.
Several of the books ordered were board books, geared for the younger child, who maybe still learning how to turn pages. The books go through a lot of wear and tear when they are in the classroom library and especially when they are sent home.
As you can see in the photos, the students have a large rug (thanks to Donors Choose too), where they can comfortably read. The children love the new books. Every month, when we change themes, I update the books in the standing book shelf. It gives the children an opportunity to read new books. These new books will increase their information and understanding of the themes.
The students have an opportunity every Friday to take home books from the library. We have a lending library. At the beginning of the year we start with one book per week. Our class environment builds a sense of responsibility by borrowing and returning the books. (Sometimes, the books and bags do not return to school. So the children are provided with another bag & book. ) Many of the students are in temporary housing, we want them to feel ownership and pride in borrowing the books. By having the resources of numerous titles that we send home we are encouraging literacy in the home. Our lending library will engage the families to read with their children and promote positive experiences with books. Once again, thank you for supporting our classroom in Brooklyn.”
With gratitude,
Ms. B
This classroom project was brought to life by The Home Shows Coalition and 4 other donors.The Magic Carpet
Funded Jun 14, 2018Thank you for donating to this project in June. I want you to know that I was having a rough day in June when I checked my email and found out that so many great donors, like you helped fund the Magic Carpet. I was brought to tears (of happiness). Now, a few months have past and the rug was delivered for the start of the new school year, Fall 2018. (Donors Choose does not have materials sent over the summer.)
When I created the project for the Magic Carpet, I really needed a new carpet. The one that was in my room was old, worn, stained and dirty but we used it. We managed. A week before school opened, I came to school to set up my classroom since everything is packed away over the summer. I spent 2 full days unpacking and setting up the classroom. My old rug wasn't in the room and the new rug wasn't delivered yet. I went to find my old rug. I was told by my supervisor that there was a flood over the summer and the rug was DESTROYED! The rug was beyond use and it was thrown out. I was thrilled to know that a new rug was on its way, just in time... Thank you so much donors, without Donors Choose and supporters like you, we would be sitting on the bare floor.
My assistant and I are thrilled with the vibrant colors of the rug!! The size is perfect . It is big enough for doing movement activities. We sit on the rug for read alouds. The students enjoy sitting on the rug for independent reading. We have our hands on math lesson on the rug too . The rug IS the center of our classroom. It is where we have our mini lessons and read alouds. It is a place where the students can have quiet time with a book and a stuffed animal.
The school year started without a rug, just the bare floor. It was so hard for the children to sit and be comfortable and listen to a story and learn the rules. After 1 week, the carpet arrived. The children were really excited when they saw the rug. They were running and jumping around. Now that they are used to the beautiful rug with letters and pictures, they know its a place for COMMUNITY. Thank you for helping our class in our time of need.
My students are small, but they have big hearts.
You made my day in June, when the project was funded ! And you made my day in September, when it was delivered. I will be thankful everyday for the generosity that you have shared with me. Thanks for helping out a public school in Brooklyn New York. From all of us, Thank you!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. B
This classroom project was brought to life by Salesforce.org and 5 other donors.Hatching Chicks in Brooklyn, NYC
Funded Apr 17, 2018Thank you for being patient. Our project only began in June. The farmers from Quiver Farms came from Pennsylvania on a Wednesday. The farmers gave a presentation to the 2 Pre K classes (36 children). They brought in a live hen and a cock and explained how to tell them apart. They discussed the bird family and we even did some movement while learning about chicken body parts (wings, beaks, etc...). They discussed the process of using the incubator to warm the eggs in leu of the mother hen. We watched the presenter set up the incubator and the brooder box. The students were very excited.
The students began to look at the eggs every hour to see if anything was happening. Nothing happened over the first 3 school days. When we came in on Monday, we checked the incubator. The students noticed 3 eggs had small cracks. A group of students watched for over 20 minutes the eggs waiting to see if it would hatch. All day we checked and not much progress was made. Later that afternoon, when the students went home my assistant was doing work in the classroom and called over all the Pre K staff. The egg was moving and cracking. Now the adults were standing over the incubator for 20 minutes and nothing was happening. At some point, we went about our business and an hour later the first egg hatched. It was amazing to see. There was such loud chirping too. The next morning, the students and I discovered that 6 more eggs hatched over night. Everyone was so excited.
The students began observing, discussing, conversing all about chicks and eggs. Instead of playing with toys, the students were taking turns, observing the chicks in the incubator. The chicks stayed in the incubator until the afternoon in order to dry their feathers.
News of the blessed event ran through the school. By Tuesday afternoon, all 12 eggs hatched. What a successful clutch of eggs! I invited many different classes for a mini visit. Each class received a lesson about the life cycle of the chicken and our experience from the incubator to hatching to the brooder box. We had students from fifth grade to kindergarten visiting the Pre K classroom. While the second grade special education class come in for a visit, they witnessed the last egg hatching. Wow, what a miracle.
Now the students are asking questions and being inquisitive about birds. For many students who are English language learners, (new to the country), the hands on experience with the language is so important.
I had students saying: Is this a penguin? Oh, look at the fur on the chick. (We discussed what covering birds have), Is this a mammal? etc... The students will remember this experience for a long time.
It will have an impact by having students be more inquisitive and do research to answer questions that they asked me: Why is there a light on in the brooder box? Why do the eggs need to be warm? Will the chicks fly out of the brooder box? Can chickens fly? Why or why not? Are chickens carnivores?
For me, as a teacher... This has been an experience that I wanted to do with my students for a long time, but didn't have the funding. Now, it is something that I will look forward to doing every year thanks to Donors Choose. Once again, thank you for your support of our classroom.”
With gratitude,
Ms. B
This classroom project was brought to life by Orkin and 8 other donors.Messy Hands = Happy Heart
Funded May 25, 2018The children in my class are so excited with the new tempera paint sticks "kwik stix". The paint sticks draw on like cray pas, which are oil pastel colors. But these paint sticks are made with tempera paint. The children are really engaged with these new tools. They seem to have more control over their creations. The paint does not drip and the colors are really vibrant. It is exciting to see the paintings. Today, some children were also using the paint sticks to write letters on their papers. How awesome to connect writing with art! Now, the children are more versatile with different media.
The children really love the different materials that we received. The crinkle scissors add a fun aspect to the writing area. The children write letters to one another and place them in our mailbox. Now they are cutting the papers, using the crinkle scissors and making funky edges. (Of course, the scissors are helping the children strengthen their fine motor skills.) They are also using the new stamp markers to make letters and pictures more detailed. Having different tools in the classroom makes the learning process more exciting.
The students are really using their hands with all the art materials. Thanks for the finger paint. Now, we have the colors white and red, so we mixed and discovered pink. We will use these colors to mix with other colors that we already have.
The students are using their new tools to create mini books about different animals and creatures. We have been watching caterpillars transform into butterflies. The children have been observing the wings of the Monarch Butterfly. We are fascinated with the orange, black and white colors. We noticed the symmetry of the wings.
With our new tempera paint stix we will try to create butterfly wings.
Thank you for your support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. B
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Arts Funder and 6 other donors.Don’t Bug Out!
Funded May 8, 2018My students are so excited. The caterpillars arrived and we are observing them everyday. Some of the students call them "worms". The students were told they are insect/caterpillars. The students are correcting and teaching each other. The children love to watch the caterpillars move. Now, they have begun to notice the silk threads that they are spinning. They are observing everything... the poop and the molting. We have a lot of books out about butterflies and other insects. The children are truly excited and waiting for the changes to happen. They don't realize what is going to happen. Boy, will they be surprised.
We are continuing our thematic unit on babies and transformation. The insects are perfect for the hands on learning, especially at the end of the school year (it gives the students something special to look forward to doing daily). We are using the coupons enclosed in the ant and lady bug farm to order the live insects. We are impatiently waiting for their arrival. These are great activities for STEM and science observation. The students are talking and having lots of interesting conversations related to the insects.
We will continue learning about insects by watching time lapsed videos of insects (after the butterflies transform). We will be writing, painting and drawing about our insects. We are learning how to identify the insect from other creatures. The students are strengthening their number skills with the lady bug number games. Thanks so much for helping us get this project funded.”
With gratitude,
Ms. B
This classroom project was brought to life by General Motors and 4 other donors.Wildlife Naturalists & The Urban Classroom
Funded Apr 15, 2018Today was so amazing! The Nature Company came to the 2 Pre classes in our school. We had an awesome visit. Ms. A. came into our classroom. We looked at large picture cards and tried to name the name on the card. Then she brought in 4 different creatures. We sat on the floor and Ms. A. set up a blanket for the first animal visitor. She told us the rules; to be quiet, so that we don't frighten the animals and to keep our hands away from the animal while it is freely moving around. She said that we would get a chance to touch the animals/creatures if we wanted to. The first visitor was a rabbit. We learned that the rabbit is a mammal, has claws and black fur. We touched the fur. It was so soft. We learned that it uses its claws to burrow into the ground and camouflage itself in the soil. We used different words to describe the fur. We observed the rabbits long ears and discussed what a rabbit might be listening for. We learned that we are mammals too.
The second creature that came to visit was a box turtle, a reptile. The box turtle tried to race but was very slow. Why was he so slow? Someone in our class guessed that it was because his house is on his back. The shell, which is made out of bone is very heavy. We touched the shell of the turtle. It was hard and textured.
The next creature was a snake, also a reptile. Ms. A. made the session so much fun, by making it a riddle and we had to guess what animal was coming next. We learned that the snake was a constrictor. and that he molts his skin when he grows. We touch him gently with 2 fingers. We touched the scales, while Ms. A. held the snakes head. The snake was wrapping himself around Ms. A because she is warm blooded and the snake is cold blooded.
The final creature that came into our classroom was an insect. A stick insect. It really can camouflage with the sticks in the trees.
After learning about reptiles, mammals, and insects, Ms. A. gave us a real puppet show. We learned about a giraffe, hedgehog, frog and bat. The puppet show was so funny. The show had a great impact on the students. They were such a good audience. They participated and learned so much.
This visitor worked out so well. We are studying about animal babies and transformations. It reinforced a lot of the vocabulary words that we learned over the year. It also gave us some new words to add to our vocabulary.
We will continue studying and talking about our visit. The students will begin to use this experience to write a page in our own class book about animals. The students will draw and write, with details about the different creatures that we saw during our visit. Overall, it was a great experience and I certainly would book this trip again.”
With gratitude,
Ms. B
This classroom project was brought to life by Orkin and 5 other donors.