Past projects 2
A Quiet Place for Rough Moments
Funded Aug 22, 2018It has been amazing seeing how the kids have adapted to the safe space area and how it helps them practice sympathy and empathy. One of my favorite moments that came of the resources you helped bring to my room involves one of my students who had terrible home sickness and would cry everyday. One day, when he began to cry, another student looked at him and said "Idea!" She ran to the safe space area to grab a pinwheel to give to him. He instantly began to feel better as he blew on the pinwheel. I love how the kids are able to help each other and/or themselves find resources to alleviate their separation anxiety and negative feelings.
The students utilize the materials in various ways. There are students who draw pictures using the dry erase markers and white boards, some write letters or draw pictures for their parents and put them into the envelopes we ordered to put in their mailbox, and some utilize the different items provided in the fidget toy pack. The essential oils are always an added plus during nap time for both the teachers and the students. The student I mentioned before who would cry everyday eventually learned how to regulate himself by going to the safe space area all on his own and utilize the lava timer to help him calm down. He loved looking at the colors and bubbles as they fell. Some of the students have found the stuffed animals very helpful during nap time. Often times, they begin to feel anxious because they know it's almost time for their parents to pick them up. Having something to snuggle with helps them fall right to sleep. Interestingly, I have found that when kids are angry or sick during the day, they walk themselves to the safe space and fall right to sleep amongst the pillows.
I hope this space can be helpful for students in the future and the kids can continue to feel safe to feel and emote in the area. We will continue to emphasize the importance of regulating emotions in a healthy way and empathizing with friends. The tools in the box will be extra tools in addition to breathing and counting that can help them calm down when their bodies get overwhelmed. We will make more use of the books you helped provide to push this agenda. We used the book, "The Kissing Hand" to help with separation anxiety during the first week. It helped with some kids and we want to see how books can further help with these lessons. Thank you again for making this happen. It would not have been possible without you.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hargrove
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and one other donor.Without Music, Life Would B-Flat: Using Music To Enhance Learning
Funded Jan 16, 2018I want to again thank you for your generous donation. It came just in time, seeing how our Music and Movement portion of the day had become monotonous and predictable. The new addition of instruments and up-to-date music has become a huge hit amongst the kids! We are able to sneak in lessons such as counting, learning directions, and healthy eating (using the NINO fruit shakers and some of the songs on the new Cd's.
Firstly, the new boombox. It is smaller and less clunky than our previous one, which created more storage space, easier transport, and a better visual appearance for the class. We not only have more volume control (the volume buttons on our old stereo were very difficult to push), but we also have access to Bluetooth. With the bluetooth, we are able to play music from our phones without having to waste time flipping and searching through CDs and it allows us to have access to almost any song available on the internet without having to physically buy a CD. We are able to control the songs that come on from any part of the room without having to interrupt or pause our interactions with the kids for extended periods of times.
The classroom favorite is the addition of the new instruments, which have shown helpful with transitioning from Music and Movement to Small Group time. It has become a routine to end our Music and Movement portion with "Bear Hunt." Bear Hunt is not a new song, however it has become a class favorite since the introduction of the instruments. Each child grabs an instrument, sits "crisscross apple sauce' on the carpet, and sings along to the words and tries to mimic the sounds of the locations and match the pace of the song. Their rhythm has improved immensely. The kids look forward to trying and rotating the new instruments and have each grown attached to a favorite. One student who is known to love playing the drums, loved exploring the various instruments and always requests to use them. Surprisingly, his favorite instrument is not the drums, but the Xylophone. The kids also love the new CDs that were donated. The music is more current and they have some of their favorites that we play more often than others. One song we play often that they really enjoy (one I call an "oldie, but goodie") is the Cha Cha Slide that was on the Kidz Bop CD. It helps with listening, crossing the midline, counting, learning their directions, and getting their heart rate up, etc. This paved the way for other fun songs such as Chicken Noodle Soup and various Just Dance routines.
As the weather gets warmer, I hope to be able to introduce more fun activities with the children, including Parachute play and outside yoga. Yoga is something I personally didn't get a chance to practice and learn more about until I was in college. I think it would be an enjoyable experience for the children to be able to try out yoga, giving them an opportunity to explore their bodies, regulate their breathing, and learn how to control their movements and behavior, etc. While we have not been able to officially practice yoga just yet, we were able to bring out the mats to encourage other forms of exercise. We are planning to use the mats and music for Zumba to kickoff our Health Day themed Family Friday. We may do yoga there and encourage parents and other family to participate. In the future, I want to also bring in people from the outside who can maybe do some musical exercises with the kids using the instruments, teach them new songs, and teach them more control with the instruments. I will also try to use the instruments in the future to enhance the lesson plan of the week and make it relevant somehow.
I look forward to seeing how the new materials further enhance and shape the development of our classroom. I want to thank you again because none it would have been possible without you.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hargrove