Past projects 35
Snacks and More
Funded Feb 14, 2021Of all the projects I've had fulfilled, this one means the most to me because it was filled by the generosity of my friends and family along with a match by the Herb Kohl Foundation! Thank you!
The snacks in this project fit into three groups, daily snacks, candy, and prize-picks. The daily snacks are share with students who do not have a snack from home that day. Imagine being hungry and it is snack time and you're sitting there with nothing to eat. This cannot feel good and is a daily reminder of your struggles. This project has re-stocked my snack closet with fruit snacks, Cheez-its, Goldfish, and a few more tasty snacks!
Candy is given out when students meet their daily behavior goal. A goal met gets one small piece of candy as a simple reward for a job well done! I bagged up some extra candy and shared with some of the other special ed staff, the counselor, and the principal.
The third category is prize-bin picks! This is where the beef jerky and Takis come in! They join other items like Oreo cookies, cool pencils, lip balm, and other random finds for when students meet an academic or big behavior goal.
Thank you again for supporting me and my students, it really means the world to me!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Craig
This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and 3 other donors.Movement for Special Needs Students
Funded Feb 11, 2021Thank you so much for your support of my classroom!!!
This project features two materials. One of them is the bounce bands. This year is especially hard for students to focus. They are required to spend more time on computers and have significantly less time playing outside after school. The bounce bands help the students to get in some movement while staying focused on their work.
The other materials in this project is the bounce balls. These are for students that have more movement needs. They have a bit of sand in the bottom so they don't roll around the classroom. One student in particular comes to mind. I call him my bouncy ball. He needs movement like we need oxygen. This has been a game changer for him!
Thank you again for supporting mystudents!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Craig
This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies.At Home Learning
Funded Jan 19, 2021Thank you for your support with this project! I was so excited to get in the materials! I opened them right up and began sorting them for distribution! The dry erase boards are an essential to learning, especially with students at home. I have one student that goes between three homes (her home and each of her grandparents) depending on work schedules. This means that each day she needs to pack her materials and take them from house to house. I immediately placed two boards in her pick-up bag along with a bunch of markers so now she can have a board at each house and not worry about forgetting this essential supply.
The fidgets were a big hit! Students are able to select a fidget or two that they think could help them focus. This helps them to learn to regulate themselves and keeps the focus on learning!
For some of our homes, a lot is going on. This is where the headphones really come in handy! This minimizes noises from the home that the student and the class hears.
Thank you again for supporting my students and my classroom!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Craig
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and one other donor.Workbooks for Special Needs Learning
Funded Aug 27, 2020Once again, thank you so much for your generous support of my students. We have had some time to implement the items into our daily routines and they have been much appreciated.
The workbooks main purpose were to provide meaningful work for my students, especially in the even of a quick transition to virtual learning, which happened just a few weeks ago. These workbooks really helped me in gathering supplies and sending home my students prepared to continue learning.
Every day I greet my students and we get to work on work right at their level. The students get a break from navigating countless tabs and get to focus on the work right in front of them.
Thank you so much for your support, it truly makes a difference.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Craig
This classroom project was brought to life by A Generous Donor and 2 other donors.Distant Learning Supplies for Special Education Students
Funded Aug 8, 2020Once again, thank you so much for your generous support of my students. We have had some time to implement the items into our daily routines and they have been much appreciated.
The comprehension passages have been a big help. While a large portion of the day is spent using technology, it is important for the students to see read hard copy material. These passages provide that opportunity as well as a chance to annotate their text. They are at multiple levels so I have something for each of my students.
The magazine boxes have proven to be invaluable. I had some students that started the year virtual and others in-person. We later switched to all virtual. These boxes went home with both students and myself. For students, one box holds all their workbooks and the other holds their notebooks and folders making everything easy to find and keeps their items apart from their siblings.
I also was able to use the boxes to teach virtually from home. I have the work for each of my student groups in a different box and they correspond with my schedule so I can easily flip between students and maximize our time together.
Thank you so much for your support, it truly makes a difference.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Craig
This classroom project was brought to life by A Generous Donor and one other donor.Basic Supplies for Special Needs Students
Funded Feb 1, 2020Once again, thank you so much for your generous support of my students. We have had some time to implement the items into our daily routines and they have been much appreciated.
The tissues and wipes help us to keep our classroom as germ-free as possible, especially with the flu and other viruses going around.
The pencils and erasers work really well and help us to keep well stocked on our writing supplies. We have a special math project going in which each student uses just one pencil and we will then later collect data on how much each pencil was used!
The markers and colored pencils have been given to students that do not have these supplies. They really enjoy having their own supplies and not having to borrow them from the teacher. Recently, they were used to create welcome signs for parents as they attended our student-led conferences.
Thank you so much for your support, it truly makes a difference.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Craig
This classroom project was brought to life by Perry and Donna Golkin Family Foundation and one other donor.Fidgets, Fidgets, Fidgets!
Funded Jan 18, 2020Once again, thank you so much for your generous support of my students. We have had some time to implement the items into our daily routines and they have been much appreciated. They help us with our day to day functioning and have become part of how our classroom operates. Here are how a few of the items have made a big impact.
The bean bag refills have been a major hit. Not only did this fill our the deflated bean bag chairs but it also left us with a large shipping box. The box was laying on the floor waiting to be disposed of and a student having a hard day climbed in. This really comforted him and since then it has become a permanent fixture as an additional place to read or calm down.
The liquid timers are amazing. These work so well to calm students when they are having a hard time. They are on the shelf and the students know that if they need a few minutes they can go grab one to get back to "ready to learn." The way the colors move is very soothing.
The rest of the fidgets have been split into two baskets. The calm-down basket features the items that may be visually distracting, but a good way to get, or remain, calm. We also bring this basket to large assemblies to help sustain attention. The other basket is the work basket and features the quieter, less distracting fidgets that are perfect for work time. These fidgets help when students need to focus but may be having a hard time sitting still.
Thank you so much for your support, it truly makes a difference.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Craig
Basic Supplies for Special Needs Students
Funded Dec 16, 2019Once again, thank you so much for your generous support of my students. We have had some time to implement the items into our daily routines and they have been much appreciated. They help us with our day to day functioning and have become part of how our classroom operates. Here are how a few of the items have made a big impact.
The storage boxes are the perfect size for our classroom library. They hold all the books facing forward to make it easy for students to peruse the books. The bright colors not only make the room look nice but they also help students quickly find books that are a good fit for them.
The motivational stickers are used as part of a classroom management system in which students can earn a sticker to fill ones chart. When that chart is full, reward day! Rewards range from lunch with a teacher to a prize bin pick to extra recess!
The birthday pencils, star badges, and tooth stickers help to celebrate those fun moments in school and make students feel special.
Thank you so much for your support, it truly makes a difference.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Craig
This classroom project was brought to life by Perry and Donna Golkin Family Foundation and one other donor.Basic Classroom Supplies for my Special Needs Students
Funded Dec 3, 2019Once again, thank you so much for your generous support of my students. We have had some time to implement the items into our daily routines and they have been much appreciated. They help us with our day to day functioning and have become part of how our classroom operates. Here are how a few of the items have made a big impact.
The dry-erase cloths may seem small but they have gone a long way to keeping our classroom clean. These cloths have been cut into 4 pieces to make them go further and are now the perfect size for students. Before we would use paper towels that would leave black dry-erase dust all over our work surfaces. These cloths pick up the dust and hold it into the washable cloth, keeping our room much cleaner.
The math games are a fun way to practice math skills. These math folders cover every subject area. The students like them because they are fun and vibrant. I like them because they engage the students and are always on the ready when we may find a few extra minutes in our day.
The timers play a big role in how we learn. They are used to keep time during games, free time, even how much longer a student has to work, for those working on building stamina.
Thank you so much for your support, it truly makes a difference!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Craig
This classroom project was brought to life by An anonymous classroom supporter and 2 other donors.Putting the M in STEM for my Special Needs Students
Funded May 22, 2019Once again, thank you so much for your generous contribution to my classroom and my students. This project allowed for me to get more interactive math resources.
When my students first saw the materials they were surprised to see all the boxes. We opened the boxes together to see the materials inside. They were especially excited about the giant sand timers. I already have a few of these and they get a lot of use. I use them as a calm-down tool, time to measure breaks, and even measure how long they have to work until they get a break.
I received a number of puzzles for math. I use these with many of my students, however, one of my students with Autism really enjoys these puzzles. They help him to learn the same content but in more of an interactive way, with something of high-interest to him.
Now that my students are more engaged in math I look forward to them spending more time in active learning and less time spent in frustration. Thank you so so so much!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Craig
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 6 other donors.