Past projects 26
Big Furniture for Big Kids!
Funded Dec 16, 2016We really love our new classroom furniture! It has made our classroom look so much nicer and the pieces actually function the way we need them to. The old set of shelves had broken wheels so we couldn't move it around and it didn't hold all of the toys we wanted to keep there. The two new sets of shelves have given us so much more storage space to keep all of our toys and other classroom materials. They also have wheels so we can move the shelves around when we need to.
My students' favorite part was the new art easels. They were so excited to start using them! We use them every day now and we draw and paint on big pieces of paper. It has made our art center much more fun and exciting.
Our next step in improving our classroom will be new pieces of furniture for our dramatic play center. We need somewhere to store our dress up clothes and another set of shelves to hold the rest of our toys. Right now we keep our dress up clothes in a box but I think the kids would like a closet to be able to see them all and hang them up. After that, our classroom will be absolutely amazing!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Alvarez
New Things for Little Faces
Funded Nov 28, 2016When my students first walked in and saw the brand new carpet, they were absolutely thrilled. It was like Christmas morning for them. Our old carpet was smelly and very dirty so having a new one makes a huge difference in our class. It makes the whole room feel cleaner and brighter. They were also very excited about the new bookshelf. The first time they were able to go to the reading corner and choose a book was amazing. It makes sitting down to read a book in our classroom a much more inviting and exciting activity.
We are also getting a lot of use out of the tabletop easel and the magnetic shelves. The easel gets used mostly during our small group instruction time. We can write our letters on it and use magnets to put word cards up. It makes it possible to have instruction anywhere in our classroom. The magnetic shelves have been great for putting up books and posters on our board. I'm able to keep materials there that are too heavy to hang with magnets. These items have really made instruction in our classroom more efficient and effective.
The next step for our classroom is to get more furniture to hold all our materials. Right now most of the furniture in our classroom is at least 15 years old. That furniture is outdated and not designed for our needs so I am hoping to get a few new shelving units that will accommodate our needs. We have gotten so many wonderful things from our Donors Choose projects that now we need more storage space! I am tremendously grateful for all the support I have received for my classroom.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Alvarez
Big Kids Build!
Funded Nov 20, 2015When I first showed my students all the new materials, they went crazy! They couldn't believe that all of these new things were for them to play with. Most of these new materials went to our block area, so I had to rotate the kids in and out of that center just to make sure that all the kids got a chance to play with the new toys.
They use the hollow blocks to build towers, castles and all kinds of things. They also really love the community vehicles and garages. The new trucks were also a huge hit. The Magna-Tiles are the other most popular new toy. Those have been used to build all kinds of things and they are used for practicing some of the math skills we are leaning like how shapes can become other shapes.
This has really helped to make our classroom a better place. These new toys have given my students something to be excited about. These toys are also a great resource for me to help them learn about concepts like community helpers, problem solving and all kinds of math skills. I am so glad to have your support in making our classroom a happier place!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Alvarez
New Classroom Furniture
Funded Oct 23, 2015When my students first saw these giant boxes being wheeled into our classroom, they instantly got excited. Our custodian cut the boxes open for us and then they were a little confused. They had no idea what it was, but they knew that it was huge and that it was for them so they were happy. Once we got it into place and I explained what it was for, they were thrilled. The next day I put labels on each child's cubby so they would all know where to put their mats and blankets. When they were all able to put their stuff away in the cubbies, they were so excited. They told me how much nicer our classroom looked and that they liked having a clean place to keep their nap-time things.
Before, not all the mats fit in the cubbies so some had to keep their mats and blankets in these old milk crates we had. These cubbies are way bigger and so now all the mats fit, even the really big ones. Right away the kids asked when we were going to throw the milk crates away because they were dirty looking and they looked really ugly. They were so happy when someone finally came to take the milk crates and the old furniture away.
Now, they are so happy to put their nap-time things away. Everybody has a cubby and plenty of space. It makes our classroom look so much nicer. It is helping me to show my students that our class is a nice, clean space where we come every day. This helps them feel proud of their class and makes them want to take care of it which I feel is very important. I am immensely grateful to all of our donors and to Donorschoose!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Alvarez
We Play in Pre-K!
Funded Feb 5, 2015As soon as I walked in the door with all of these boxes, my kids were instantly curious. When I told them it was our new materials, they started getting excited. And when I started opening the boxes and showing them all these awesome new materials, they were ecstatic! They were already looking to see what we had gotten and saying "Ooh I want to play with those!" As soon as I got everything ready for the kids to use, they were all playing with the new toys and making all kinds of awesome discoveries.
Since many of the materials we received were science things, they went to live in our science center. The kids have center time every day and now the science center is the most popular place in my classroom. The kids get so excited to go and look at the specimens and to shake the discovery tubes. They are also excited to use the puzzles that we got because we did not have a single puzzle in the whole class before this. The rug we received is in front of our Smart Board now and so we have a nice place to sit while we learn. It is so bright and colorful and it really helps make our classroom look like a fun and welcoming place.
Right after we received the materials we have started a unit on nature. The timing was perfect! The specimens we got have been great so that the kids can see plants and animals up close and in great detail. These are things I never would have been able to show them on my own so I am truly grateful. I have also used the alphabet puzzles to help my students that are struggling to learn their letters. It gives them a concrete way to experience the letters which helps them remember them better. There are still so many things that I plan to do with the materials we have received and I know that it will help us learn so much!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Alvarez
Art in our Heart
Funded Oct 23, 2014When the boxes first arrived in our classroom, my students were a little curious. Then when I opened the boxes and started unpacking them and explained that these were new art materials for them to use, they got so excited! They wanted to start using them right away.
The first thing we did was use the play dough to make letters. Some of my kids had never even felt play dough before so it was an exciting experience for them. We practiced how to roll out the dough and how to shape it into lines and curves. It was a great way for my students to build their fine motor skills while also helping them remember their letters.
The kids were also eager to use the big sheets of newsprint. We have two easels in our class but we have never had any paper big enough to use with them. Every day in the art center my students put the newsprint up on the easel and get to work coloring and creating. The love to work together drawing pictures of themselves, their families, animals, and anything thing else they can imagine. When they have filled the paper they go around the class showing their work to the other kids. They are so proud of themselves and it has become one of the most popular activities in our class.
Soon we will be working on a major project using feathers and finger-paint. We are studying animals right now and they asked me if we could make masks. Before we received these materials, I would have said no because we wouldn't have had any materials. Now I am able to say yes to their requests and I don't have to disappoint them. My students will deepen their knowledge of animals and their features by creating these masks.
I am very grateful for the support of all the donors. It is so nice to know that people out there care about our class and want to help us learn. These materials will help me give my students the skills they need to be successful in school.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Alvarez
This classroom project was brought to life by an anonymous donor and 4 other donors.New Kitchen!
Funded Feb 12, 2014Our new kitchen has been the most exciting thing that has happened to us this whole year. It's better than the field trips we've been on, better than the holiday parties we've had, and better than any other activities we've done. The kids get so excited when it is time to pick centers because they all want to pick the house center. I have to rotate them so that they can all have time to play there because I know that they enjoy it so much and learn so much there. I put the kitchen together myself, which took about a week. I hid the whole thing from them because I wanted to surprise them. The look on their faces when I pulled back the paper was incredible. It was like seeing Santa Claus himself riding in on a unicorn.
Since that day we play in the house area every day. They get the food out and create elaborate meals. We have recently studied healthy foods so they are making sure that the food they serve is healthy. I hear them discussing and debating what is healthy and what is not and I know that they have really absorbed that lesson because they are able to decide for themselves whether a food is healthy or not. I see them creating parties for all kinds of reasons. Some days I get invited to birthday parties or pizza parties or fruit parties. I love to see them having fun because I know they are making the connection that school is a fun place to be.
Since getting this new kitchen set my students have been able to really explore the concepts we learn about in class. We recently read stories about families and the next day I noticed that they incorporated the language from the stories into their play. They talked about who was going to be the daughter and son. They used words like cousin and other vocabulary words that had come from those stories. They were able to take something that they had just learned and apply it in a meaningful way. I am sure that they will not soon forget the words for family members. This new kitchen set has given them a chance to act out what they are learning whether its healthy foods, families or any other concept we happen to be studying. I am so grateful that my students have this opportunity and I hope to keep finding ways to use this kitchen set to enhance their learning. Thank you so much for helping to provide this wonderful opportunity for my students.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Alvarez