STEM Centers: Molding Mathematical Minds in Kindergarten

Funded Apr 20, 2017

I cannot thank you enough for your generosity. My students are using a variety of the STEM materials every day. Today I had a group of students choose to design "a neighborhood" using the Playmags. They could not wait to show me what they came up with on their own. Along the way, one of the structures collapsed. I observed that students maintained their level of frustration when these setbacks occurred and worked together to rebuild.

One of my favorite things to see is the cooperative learning activities that take place on my students' initiative. At one point, I had over half of my class working together to build a marble run with the Marble Genius Marble Run Extreme Set. The busy hum in the room was evident; students were on the floor working cooperatively and engaging in ongoing problem solving to build a functional structure for their marbles to roll down. The challenges along the way allowed me to pose questions and encouraged them to use critical thinking skills. They were so proud of their evolving project. There were plenty of marbles available so that the entire class could try out the different structures. Students also learned that not all of the marbles would fit because the Toysmith Marbles in a Tin Box provided a variety of sizes. It allowed them the chance to engage in inquiry.

My students were in awe and incredibly excited when we unboxed the new STEM materials. I let them know that 30 donors helped our classroom and many of them opened their mouths in disbelief. After a few weeks of using the games and materials, my students still refer to one of the donors on a first name basis. When they take out the supplies they mention, "these were the toys that ___ gave us." We talked about what it meant to feel thankful and how important it is to take good care of the supplies so other people can use them for years to come. Even though many of my students are adjusting to the school environment for the first time, they have been extremely careful and treating the materials respectfully. It warms my heart to see their gratitude for the contributions made to our classroom.

I am always looking for hands-on, engaging ways to teach my students. My current classroom project is focusing on a light table and manipulative center to explore language, science, and math. These tools would support the existing STEM centers I now have in place thanks to this Donors Choose project. I would be able to promote more scientific inquiry and allow students to explore the properties of colors and light. We love to learn and are excited for the learning opportunities all these materials provide! Thank you for helping set my students up for success and encouraging them to love science!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Ariel