Past projects 6
Wear it! Share it! Makers Using Buttons
Funded Mar 14, 2022How wonderful! Thank you for supporting this engineering and art project to bring students together in our makerspace. They are going to have so much fun designing and showing off what they’ve created. These new tools will be used for children of all ages, and I can’t wait to see their proud smiles!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mayersohn
This classroom project was brought to life by Arizona Department of Education.Old-Fashioned Game Play Making a Comeback!
Funded Dec 3, 2019Please receive this most sincere thank you for your generosity and support of me, my students, and the goal to assist young children in their development—particularly in the areas of critical thinking, cooperation, and the skills of classic offline gameplay. Your donations have been possible that expansion of our library exploration center and will certainly bring joy and excitement to our space. your donations have been possible the expansion of our library exploration center and will certainly bring joy and excitement to our space. I look forward to sharing the photos and student comments with you.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mayersohn
This classroom project was brought to life by An anonymous classroom supporter and 11 other donors.Engaging Hands & Minds with Tools to Grow Tomorrow's Scientists
Funded Mar 8, 2019Thank you so much for expanding the library's exploration center! Your donations brought in models, specimens, and games/activities for exploring engineering and problem-solving. Students were awed by the specimens and models, especially those that they were able to examine close-up using magnifying devices like glasses, loops, and microscopes. For some, this was their first experience with these types of tools, and they really looked and acted like true scientific observers of nature and its properties.
I asked both a primary-aged class and an intermediate-aged class to be the first to interact with the materials funded by this project. Both sets patiently sat through an explanation of what was available and a brief tutorial on how to use everything safely and respectfully. They eagerly moved through the stations that were set up to allow them exposure to different types of experiences. They asked questions, shared their discoveries excitedly with each other, and recorded their observations and thoughts as they worked.
Next steps will be for more students to share in the same experience. We have close to four dozen classes at our site, yet (due to the arrival of materials close to the end of the school year) only two were initially invited to preview the materials from this project! At our library open house this new school year, teachers were shown the materials and invited to sign up to bring in their classes for an exploratory session. Later, I would like to plan more in-depth lessons and activities with teachers for their students, as well as have the material on-hand for students to pursue what interests them on their own during their free time. Additionally, student families could be invited to use the materials with their children or be an "audience" for students to demonstrate what they have learned as a result of a more in-depth project.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mayersohn
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 18 other donors.Tools for Thinkers and Tinkerers
Funded Mar 4, 2017Thank you so much for choosing to support this project with financial donations, words of encouragement, and follow-up support! The pilot group of students who broke the seal on these interactive technology tools took to the exploration with fearless enthusiasm! We partnered sixth graders and kindergarten children, and after a brief introduction of all that we had to offer, they played together at different stations--building and creating with imagination and pride. Everyone wished they could have had more time and were excited about the possibility of being able to come back to try out new ideas.
Few school libraries in our area can afford new books (or even professional, full-time staff for that matter), so our unique offering of robotics, electronics, and interactive technological gadgets as a part of this space is a treasure. The exploration area will now attract and engage so many inquiring minds, and what they will be able to produce will surely surpass my expectations for this project. The opportunity to utilize and experience these tools will bridge age, interest, gender, language, ability, and social differences among the students as they collaborate, compete, create, and problem-solve. I am very excited to also bring lessons learned in exploration into the classroom and curriculum that is being taught. This will help students transfer their learning across the different areas in their school lives, and hopefully beyond!
All of the students eyes light up and I literally hear gasps of awe when groups are introduced to the newest tech additions to our library's exploration center. All kinds of children are drawn in for a multitude of reasons--just as I had hoped. Some come for the love of science. Others visit because they want to a chance to improve upon a design or test a theory they have by crafting a physical model. Many more just want to play, show off, or get their hands on innovation. Everything is new. The haven't tired of the tools because their skills improve and possibilities increase with every experiment. I cannot wait to see where this new knowledge and confidence take them.
Thank you so very much!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mayersohn
This classroom project was brought to life by Stavros Niarchos Foundation and 17 other donors.Learning through Play: Library as Exploration Center
Funded Dec 12, 2015Thank you once again for your generous donation that made our school's library a popular destination spot for kids of all ages! Each morning, children line up outside the door and wait for the library open. Once inside, many students gravitate toward their favorite puzzles, games, and "tinker" equipment, while others roam to different groups to observe and take part in a variety of activities. Once everything was set up and the word spread, there are nearly fifty students together each day buzzing with excitement or seriously manifesting their creative plans. The children like to call us over to show off their projects, and they take very good care of the materials, cleaning up and packing them away after each use.
Students are still curious about the exploration center; enthusiasm remains high. As we'd hoped, even the middle school students stop by and casually ask if they can "look at" the materials. Once their wall is down, they are no longer self-conscious and freely enjoy playing with the younger students, laughing and learning together.
There are a variety of things for students to explore in our library, but we would love to make the center even more of an attraction. Next steps are to redesign the area with signage and labels so that everyone knows the title and purpose of the space. Although everything came in boxes, some of the materials are difficult for youngsters to repack, so we will have to invest in some durable plastic containers for storage and stacking. Finally, we would also like to include more sophisticated engineering kits to keep the upper grade levels engaged and hopefully inspire young minds to pursue a future in the areas of science or technology.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mayersohn
Mini Movie Stars in the Making
Funded Jun 2, 2011Thank you so very much for your generous donations which afforded our school to purchase a high quality digital video camera. Both the staff and students are very excited to have access to such technology and have already used it for many projects. We videotaped plays, song and dance performances, science study, and so much more!
We hope to continue to use the camera to document all aspects of student life this year (and for years to come). Video of our students will be featured at our school's entrance for visitors and parents to view as well as in a farewell movie for promoted students. We are even going to try to put together a video yearbook, too!
As more and more students learn to use this equipment, the possibilities for products the children can create will only improve in quality and scope. We look forward to watching these rising stars as they become increasingly confident users (and featured characters) in their videos.
”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mayersohn