Past projects 19
Building Blocks of Math - 2D or 3D?
Funded Feb 8, 2017The magnatiles have been a huge hit! Students love using them for shape study during math centers. Now, they are able to differentiate between 2D and 3D shapes. Students build creative structures and are able to talk about the different shapes that make up their creation. Even adults who support students during these tasks love playing with the magnatiles.
We are going to use the magnatiles during our "things that go" unit. We will use them to build a little town to drive and fly around. The magnatiles have also become a fixture during game time with older students who volunteer in the classroom!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Healey
In Living Color
Funded Dec 14, 2016Our class has already made great use of the color ink, laminator pouches and iPad chargers that you donated to our program. Staff have been able to quickly make modified reading materials to supplement IEP goal based curriculum. Students have so much more fun learning when the materials are colorful and engaging. And staff are happy to preserve their creations in laminator pouches so that future kids can benefit from them.
With the iPads fully charged - with durable cords - kids can also access highly individualized extension activities for their reading lessons.
These materials may not sound like the most innovative, but they make rich learning happen each day in our classroom.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Healey
This classroom project was brought to life by GO Public Schools Oakland and 4 other donors.Appealing to the Senses and Sensibilities of Students
Funded Sep 13, 2016Hello!
Our class has been enjoying all of the materials that were donated by this project! The biggest hit so far has been the aromatherapy diffuser and essential oils. One student who struggles to come down after a tantrum now seeks out the diffuser and breaths in the scent to get calm. He says to himself, "breath in like I am smelling flowers!" It is an adorable and effective way to get him to self-regulate.
The hairdresser kit has also been so much fun. Our little stylist-to-be starts talking and laughing when engaging in imaginative play with the kit. The puppets have also delighted students. They use them to play with each other during choice time, as well as to act out social scripts during more structured lessons.
The printer ink and laminator pouches have been so valuable. I no longer have to coordinate off-site times to make individualized materials. Now I can do it in my own classroom, in just a few minutes. This means that students get highly-specific materials made just for them as soon as their needs emerge.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Healey
Little Learners Need Vibrant Toys To Spark Imaginations
Funded Aug 25, 2016Dear Generous Friends,
Thank you so much for donating to our classroom. This project was funded so quickly - it was both amazing and touching.
I spent a professional development session with a speech pathologist and showed her all of our amazing toys: the farmer's market, barn, doll house, zoo, mailbox and food items. She was totally thrilled, her mind reeling with curricular possibilities. We spent some time scripting "Play Kits," with language for our students to practice using in work sessions with these groovy toys.
The kids kept asking to play with the items and they waited patiently to see them in their IEP sessions. When they finally got to get in there and have some fun, they were so eager to talk. Some of the kiddos would cry in the past when it was their turn, scared and unsure how to use their voice. Now they are vibrating with energy, eager to get to work on skills that can be so hard for them.
You've changed our classroom and it is so deeply appreciated.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Healey
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 11 other donors.A Calm, Fresh Start with New Boundaries
Funded Jan 4, 2016The calming colored classroom dividers have really spruced up our classroom. The projected was funded so quickly that the items were already at our school after the new year! Now our centers have a more logical flow and students are not drawn to materials stored on the old bookcases we used as dividers in the past. The room is more modern and looks like a classroom suited for modern learners.
Generosity likes yours helps public school keep pace with the world despite budgetary gaps. Thank you so much for sharing with our students!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Healey
This classroom project was brought to life by Disney and 7 other donors.Help Us Put The Pieces Together!
Funded Dec 3, 2015Our students have gone from completing puzzles that seemed to always be missing a piece to enjoying a vast collection of beautiful and challenging puzzles! Students helped us unpack our new visual-spatial skills building tools. They became stewards of their new resources, right away taking care of how the stores the objects, excited to keep the newness alive. Rather than tossing a puzzle on the shelf where it belonged, students are carefully stowing them away, making sure to keep similar puzzles in the same organizer. Just caring for the new materials is building their spatial awareness.
In IEP sessions, students are much more excited to work on these tasks because the materials are fresh, engaging, and inspiring. Thank you so much for taking the time to think of us and sharing your generosity.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Healey
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 12 other donors.Storage That Showcases Learning Opportunities
Funded Dec 8, 2015What a difference it makes - an organized space makes for student learning! The wonderful piece of furniture that you donated, as well as the clear organizer bins, has made our classroom flow more clearly. Students are now using language to make active verbal requests for learning materials. At the same time, this new addition to our room is also helping students visually sort objects, articulate class membership, and develop independent living skills.
When our students first saw the new furniture, they were more interested in engaging in imaginative play with the giant boxes! However, now they have a relationship with their learning materials where they have to use language to gain access.
Thank you so much for your generosity and continued support!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Healey
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 9 other donors.Interactive WhiteBoard to Get Students Interacting!
Funded Aug 25, 2014Thank you so much for your generous donation to our classroom. The students look forward to using the whiteboard you helped fund everyday. The first few weeks with the tool were filled with wonder. "Let's go to the magic board and use the wands to read," one student would exclaim.
Now the board is part of the fabric of our days. We use is for whole group instruction. We practice calendar and math skills at the board, take turns during social games, create collective brainstorms, practice language skills, and study social studies and science together. The tool is particularly engaging for all of the students, making group instruction possible in new ways.
Students are now more motivated by academic tasks, having material delivered to them in dynamic ways, "teaching away from the table," a practice common in special education.
Thank you so much for helping to improve our learning and our days!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Healey
This classroom project was brought to life by 100 Women in Hedge Funds and 60 other donors.New Carpet To Help Our Imaginations Soar
Funded Feb 19, 2014When my students walked into the classroom they all noticed something different. "Ms. Caitlin, you painted the rug!" It was a good guess, but I explained that a lot of caring people donated the rug to our classroom so we could enjoy our time together at circle and learn our letters.
My students use the rug many times a day. We circle around it in the morning to check and see who came to school, what the date is, and what the weather is like. We read stories at the rug. We dance on the rug for a sensory break (our favorite song right now is "Happy" from Despicable Me 2). The rug is the center of our classroom.
This donation has inspired my students, grounded them during whole group instruction, and even helped them find a letter when they need a prompt. Thank you so much for breathing some fresh energy into our daily routine.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Healey
This classroom project was brought to life by 100 Women in Hedge Funds and 6 other donors.iPads Will Give Us Something to Talk About!
Funded May 30, 2013When my students first learned we now had an iPad in our class many of them squealed, "I want iPad, please!" This is amazing, considering most of my students have IEP goals to use a familiar carrier phrase when making a verbal request. In short, they love the iPad so much that they were talking about it before they even touched it.
My students are using the iPad mini you donated to our class to learn new vocabulary, work on phonics skills, geometry, enjoy reinforcement playing a fun game after working, and to make a choice or discrimination when having a conversation. We use the iPad at IEP centered stations in small groups of 3.
This project has boosted student motivation to learn immensely. Just the idea of getting to work with the iPad has kids wiggling with excitement in their seats. In the past, we relied on picture cards to build language. Now with the iPad, we can use digital resources, that are often free, to create curriculum just for the iPad. Students are learning language skills more quickly because they are highly motivated by the learning tool used in the station session.
Thank you so much for your generous contribution to our classroom and student learning.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Healey