Ms. Heidi's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 23

• Planting Seeds of Knowledge With Botany Research

  Funded Dec 20, 2021

  Thank you for your generous donation to support our classroom! My class and I greatly appreciate being able to get new books and supplies into our classroom.

  Since our project getting funded, we have been learning about different types of plants, their parts, and the function of each part. Spring is the perfect time to learn about seeds, stems, leaves, roots, and flowers!

  My class has loved being able to lean about and draw various types of plants. Thank you again for supporting our public classroom!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Heidi

  This classroom project was brought to life by UPS Foundation and 5 other donors.

• Planting Seeds of Knowledge With Botany Research & Drawing

  Funded Dec 21, 2021

  Thank you for your generous donation to support our classroom! My class and I greatly appreciate being able to get new books and supplies into our classroom.

  Since our project getting funded, we have been learning about different types of plants, their parts, and the function of each part. Spring is the perfect time to learn about seeds, stems, leaves, roots, and flowers!

  My class has loved being able to lean about and draw various types of plants. Thank you again for supporting our public classroom!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Heidi

  This classroom project was brought to life by UPS Foundation and one other donor.

• Life Cycle Studies-- Hands-on Discovery After a Year of Virtual

  Funded Apr 1, 2021

  Because of your generous support of this project, students in my class are able to participate in hands on life cycle studies!

  The pandemic school closings impacted the lives of our students in different ways. One of the ways school closings impacted my students, is they had fewer hands on experiences, and needed to utilize Chromebooks and technology for their education more than ever before. This project allowed them to close their Chromebook, roll up their sleeves, and get their hands on fun activities that have enhanced their learning.

  We have already planted marigold seeds and are waiting for them to sprout. We are keeping an observation chart of how our caterpillars grow and change as we anxiously await their transformation into a butterfly. Soon we will be dissecting owl pellets as we learn about the food chain and prey and predators. Thank you for bringing these experiences to my students!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Heidi

  This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and 2 other donors.

• SmART Cookies Need Books

  Funded Dec 4, 2019

  When I submitted this project last fall, my intention was to include more art education in my classroom. I also wanted to include biographies about Black and Brown artists who aren't always included in the traditional elementary art curriculum. Those two goals resulted in this project which included a wonderful array of books about artists from Picasso and Monet to Horace Pippen and Jacob Lawrence.

  Thank you so much for your support. While I could have hustled to make this idea work using library books and print outs from the internet, having the books in our own classroom library makes things so much easier and communicates to students that these books have value.

  I look forward to going back to school when it is safe for all of us and continuing these lessons.

  I hope all of you and your loved ones are healthy and well.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Heidi

  This classroom project was brought to life by An anonymous classroom supporter and 13 other donors.

• Imagination Station Supplies: Bubbles and Sidewalk Chalk!

  Funded Dec 25, 2019

  I apologize for the delay in writing this update! The past few months have been a blur - I can't believe I posted those photos in March right before in-person school was cancelled.

  This week is our first week back at school (virtually). While we won't be using the chalk or bubbles during recess this fall, please know that your donations will be greeted with so much joy when we do get to see each other in person again. I love that in an age when there is so much technology available to students, bubbles and sidewalk chalk still captivate our kids.

  Thank you for your support. It means so much.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Heidi

  This classroom project was brought to life by An anonymous classroom supporter and 6 other donors.

• Teaching Empathy on the Playground

  Funded Sep 15, 2019

  As you can see from the photos I posted, the playground equipment your donations helped us acquire is multi-seasonal!

  Play is so important for kids. Having equipment that is appropriately sized and tailored to our organized activities keep recess time engaging and fun. In turn, encouraging our students to move through play provides an outlet for excess energy, creates opportunities for sharing and problem solving, and improves focus in the classroom.

  Thank you for your kindness! We are so thankful for your support. :)”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Heidi

• Boundaries: Important In Games & In Life

  Funded Sep 11, 2019

  Thank you again for funding this project! The cones and spray chalk have improved our recess time greatly. By creating clear boundaries, we can focus on play instead of discussions about whether a ball (or person) was in or out. ; )

  The paint on our playground is faded and difficult to see, so having the spray chalk to reinforce the lines has been so helpful. It has also allowed us to create things that weren't painted onto our playground, like uniquely-shaped hopscotches, four square courts, and finish lines for races.

  The plastic cones have also been wonderful. We were previously using cones that were several feet tall. They were nice but not appropriately sized for the Lower El students (grades 1-3). The cones that your donations helped us acquire are shorter and easier for our Lower El students to carry to and from the playground as well as navigate during the games.

  Thank you for your kindness!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Heidi

• Help Us Fix Our Hydration Station!

  Funded Apr 17, 2019

  We are an early start school, so classes started two weeks ago for us. Your donations to this project were very much appreciated as we returned to my third floor classroom in early August. It's amazing (but not all that surprising) what a difference staying hydrated makes in the classroom both in terms of learning and our overall health.

  The novelty of having an ice maker and ice water in our room helps all of us be more mindful about how much water we drink throughout the day. When the classroom reaches the 90s in the afternoon and students' moods and/or focus start to take a turn, having an ice cold glass of water is a great way to reset both physically and mentally.

  What originally seemed like a luxury item has now become an important part of our daily routine. I am so thankful for your help in replacing our ice maker.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Heidi

• Help Kickstart Our Year of Art!

  Funded Aug 14, 2019

  Thanks again for supporting my year-long art initiative! Thanks to your donations, my 1st art book project was funded just in time for the start of school. In September, we are learning about the life and influences of Marc Chagall. As planned, we have been reading about the artist, and I am rotating Montessori 3-part cards of Chagall's paintings on my art shelf.

  My students are loving the new lessons, and so I am. I have really enjoyed challenging myself as a teacher by trying something new in my classroom, and I have been rewarded greatly by my students' enthusiasm for learning something new. Thank you so much for your part in making this possible!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Heidi

  This classroom project was brought to life by J.W. Couch Foundation and 2 other donors.

• Voracious Readers Seeking Non-Fiction Books

  Funded May 30, 2019

  This project was funded during the time period that DonorsChoose suspends shipping, because most school buildings are closed over the summer. So, I just received these science vocabulary readers in the last two weeks! I hadn't forgotten about them, but my mind was definitely focused on all of the details, big and small, that go along with the start of school. Receiving these wonderful sets of science readers gave me the opportunity to pause, appreciate people like you who support public education, and think about the ways in which these books are going to enhance our curriculum.

  I knew from the reviews that they were great sets when I selected them but paging through them has been so exciting. These books will add updated sources to the non-fiction reading materials my students use in their quest to be better scientists, readers and researches. Thanks again for your generous support!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Heidi

  This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 12 other donors.