Mrs. Hobby's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 38

• STEM Early Learning

  Funded May 11, 2015

  Thank you again for your generous donations. The students were so excited to consider, construct, and create using the STEM kits. For our first project, students read and compared different versions of The Three Little Pigs. They then used The Three Little Pigs Fairly Tales Problem Solving Kit to create different structures to determine the strongest house. It was a wonderful experience to see them working together and discussing concepts using higher order thinking skills.

  They are so excited to have this STEM bundle and eager to use all of the kits! These kits will allow them to continue to conduct research throughout the year using hands-on activities that are developmentally appropriate and fun. Planning, testing, creating, and asking questions by doing activities, such as building chairs for the bears from Goldilocks and the Three Bears, are the perfect way to encourage learning that goes beyond the surface for deeper understanding.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Hobby

  This classroom project was brought to life by Lakeshore Learning and 6 other donors.

• Smart Saving Strategies - Financial Literacy in 1st Grade

  Funded Apr 7, 2015

  I am so excited to share how well the project went with the students! They have been reading about and studying spending and saving for the past few weeks. They have also learned some important character lessons through the literature this project has enable me to share. Spending and saving wisely and for different purposes is such an abstract concept for young learners. I was so proud today that they seemed to understand why we each made four different jars.

  Financial literacy is an important skill, even for primary students. Developing a true understanding of spending and saving through hands-on activities, like creating the banks, is essential if we want our students to become financially responsible. Thank you so much for you generous donation! Please know that you made a difference in the lives of some wonderful students, who are eager to learn and grow.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Hobby

• Using Puzzles and Games to Apply Mathematical Concepts

  Funded Mar 12, 2015

  Your resources have provided great learning experiences for the students I work with in classrooms. The kindergarten students enjoyed using the ladybug tens frame game to make tens using the tens frames on the ladybugs spots. First graders became engaged and excited about making tens playing the tens frame towers game. The counting is a snap game and number puzzles allowed students who were struggling with number recognition and number order to have fun and feel confident while they practiced those skills. Thank you again for your generous donations!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Hobby

• Hands-On Letter and Number Recognition

  Funded Nov 7, 2014

  Thank you so much for your generous donations. Kindergarten students love to learn with Play-Doh! I have enjoyed watching their excited eyes and busy hands as we learn about letters, sounds, and blending words using the resources your donations made possible. Next week, I have already planned a center that focuses on learning number order using Play-Doh. They have also enjoyed reading the Play-Doh books we received. This week we read Letters and reviewed the letters and sounds of the alphabet before we stamped the letters into Play-Doh to form words. Please know that you have made a positive impact on learning in Kindergarten!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Hobby

  This classroom project was brought to life by Play-Doh and 2 other donors.

• Making the U.S. Constitution Come to Life through Literature

  Funded Oct 4, 2014

  Thank you so much for your generous donations. I cannot put into words how much the books have impacted my students knowledge of important historical information about our county. They have also been able to connect with American symbols and songs using the quality literature your donations have provided for my primary students. It can be difficult for young students to understand abstract concepts such as what the Bill of Rights and the United States Constitution mean to our country, but they have been able to make meaning from them by reading the wonderful books provided by your donations.

  Thank you again for taking the time to make a difference in the lives of my students. You are very appreciated by all of us!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Hobby

  This classroom project was brought to life by Bill of Rights Institute and 4 other donors.

• Acting to Improve Literacy Skills

  Funded Sep 28, 2014

  One of the best parts of teaching is seeing the joy in children's eyes when they are captivated and engaged in learning. Students have come to life with a puppet on their hand, as they retell the stories The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Three Little Pigs, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. For students who have struggled to learn sequencing of events and character traits, the puppets have been a wonderful tool to enable them to become a character in the story and "live" the story as they retell it.

  It is so important that kindergarten students become actively engaged so that the can make meaning from what they are learning. I think these puppets and the retelling of the stories have been the best part of my year, so far (and for many of my students, too).

  We have used the puppets to do a whole group retelling, with everyone getting a chance to be one or more of the characters (even shy students). I also plan to incorporate these puppets into centers, so students can continue to use them throughout the year to retell these classic stories.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Hobby

  This classroom project was brought to life by an anonymous donor and 4 other donors.

• Thinking Mathematically With Fun, Hands-On Centers

  Funded Mar 7, 2011

  Thank you so much for your generous donations. My students are having so much fun learning math concepts such as time, money, and fractions. Even my third graders enjoy lacing up the shoes and solving the problems. They have also enjoyed our new math game. It is wonderful to have individual wipe of boards for each student. The boards are easy for my students to hold up in the air to show their answers, and they really get excited about playing the game and solving the math problems.

  Thank you again for making a difference in my classroom.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Hobby

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Horace Mann Companies and 3 other donors.

• Making Movies To Show What We Know

  Funded Mar 3, 2011

  Thank you so much for your generous donations. The process of putting on performances of the stories we read in class means so much to my early intervention students. They love creating puppets to use in the performances, and it becomes so much more exciting for them when we video record them. My students are becoming talented actors and confident speakers, as they learn valuable reading and speaking skills. I cannot thank you enough for enabling me to help my students see that they are stars!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Hobby

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Horace Mann Companies and 2 other donors.

• Hands-On Activities Help Us Learn to Read

  Funded Mar 2, 2011

  Thank you so much for your generous donations. We have been having so much fun and learning so much using our new center activities. The I CAN SPELL mat enables my students to move and learn to spell at the same time. The sight word puzzles allow them to practice reading words by sight as they put fun puzzles together. I believe the resources my students love most are the books and music Cd's that allow them to sing as they read. Tomorrow we will be making farm animal puppets to use as we sing and read Old MacDonald Had a Farm.

  Thank you again.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Hobby

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Horace Mann Companies and 2 other donors.

• Making Meaning with Hands-On Math

  Funded Mar 1, 2011

  My students have enjoyed interacting with the wonderful resources your generous donations have provided. The counting cakes, apple counting tree, and peg boards have caused lots of thinking, talking, and hands-on exploring. I was impressed with how engaging the activities were, and the higher order thinking that I heard and saw occurring in my classroom. Many kindergarten students will use these centers over and over again to have fun and learn together.

  I cannot thank you enough!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Hobby

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Horace Mann Companies and 2 other donors.