Past projects 51
Reading IS Fun, Part 2
Funded Nov 10, 2021Thank you so much for your generous donations. My students are loving these resources already. The stack and build activities are such a great, tactile way for my groups to get better at manipulating words by changing one part of the word at a time. The Touch Read Words have helped their reading skills and confidence.
My students ask to play the Splash games and have so much fun with them. Sometimes they don't seem to realize that they are actually learning and practicing skills when we use these fun resources.
I appreciate that you helped bring more fun into my reading classroom.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kalma
This classroom project was brought to life by #TeachHealthy with Nature Made and one other donor.The Secret Stories and Beyond
Funded Mar 7, 2020We finally received this package. After going missing and then being rerouted due to the Covid school closures, I got this pack last week. I have already used it several times with my students on Zoom. I love the Secret Stories posters because they are smaller than the ones I have in my classroom. This makes it easier for my students to see them up close on Zoom, and they will fit together on the whiteboard when we go back to the classroom. I love the folding desk Secret Stories posters as well. I can't wait to use those once we're in hybrid learning in a few weeks. The Secret Stories really help my students learn how to read, and it is so amazing to watch them "put the puzzle pieces together" and unlock the reading code by remembering these stories. Thank you for making this happen and for inspiring so many students to love learning to read with these Secret Stories.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kalma
Bring on the Fun!
Funded Sep 25, 2020This project really has brought some fun into our distance learning year. We are still learning from home, but we are hopefully returning to a hybrid model in three weeks. So there are a few items we haven't gotten to try together yet, but I am very excited to use with the students.
We studied a push/pull forces unit in science, and I was able to send the pull-back friction cars home with each of my students at one of our monthly Grab-and-Gos. They had such a blast with them. We were all excited at how quickly they went, and it helped them learn the science concept in a very fun, concrete way.
The Play-Doh, paintbrushes, bubbles, helicopters, and stickers were also sent home, and we have used them numerous times. We make letters, shapes, and animals with the Play-Doh, and we have used the paintbrushes for all sorts of painting techniques and projects.
I sent the glitter glue home with all of the other supplies, and we made slime together on Zoom. It was super fun!
Thank you again for helping bring excitement to our distance learning. It makes such a different to these kindergarteners and me!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kalma
Utilizing Digital Resources Without Reinventing the Wheel
Funded Jul 19, 2020The materials I purchased on Teachers Pay Teachers with this DonorsChoose project have had a huge impact on my students this school year. The math and language arts Seesaw activities are based on my classroom lessons and allow the students to keep a digital journal that shows me their level of understanding. The Digital Brain Boosts are fun activities that challenge them to think outside-the-box. The comprehension activities have allowed me to differentiate with the varying levels of readers I have in my class this year. Thank you again for your generosity and helping make this project a reality.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kalma
Distance Learning Tool Kits
Funded Jul 26, 2020The materials from this project have been so beneficial to our distance learning during these unprecedented times. The webcam has made it possible for me to have a camera and microphone for my students to hear me from my desktop computer. I can't imagine teaching without it. The pencils, highlighters, and whiteboard sleeves are also used by my students daily.
Every four weeks, since we began distance learning, I have held a Grab and Go for my students to pick up materials, supplies, journals, and books. This project helped me get the my students some of the basic supplies they need to be successful from home. Thank you again for helping me support my students and keep learning engaging, even from home.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kalma
This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex® Brand and 3 other donors.Inspiring STEM Books
Funded Mar 4, 2020These books are awesome! My students and I have been enjoying them ever since we received the package. They especially love the Ada Twist and What Do You Do With an Idea? series. The books have been inspiring my students and getting them even more excited about science and engineering.
Some of my students are beginning to read chapter books, and the Stink and Heidi Heckelbeck series have been absolutely perfect for them. They are written at their level and are interesting for them, so it has been a nice transition for them.
There are two books with actual experiments and engineering projects, and I want to start using these when we get back to class as well.
Thank you again for helping our class get this wonderful set of STEM books that my classes will enjoy for years to come.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kalma
This classroom project was brought to life by A group of anonymous donors and 3 other donors.Painting Our Way to Success
Funded Feb 15, 2020Thank you so much for helping to fund this wonderful project. My students and I have enjoyed these paint supplies so much! Attached are some pictures from just one of the many art projects that we have done with these supplies. My students learned firsthand how to make secondary colors with their own palettes and primary color paints. We have done this in the past with crayons, colored pencils, and oil pastels, but having their own paints and palettes made it so much more memorable and engaging. A few students even said, "It's like magic!"
The different paintbrushes have been so helpful in our classroom as well. The brushes I had before this project were frayed and very poor quality. My students were so excited when the saw the new brushes, and we have been able to paint with much greater detail now.
It has been so amazing watching my students' love for painting soar even more now. Thank you again for your support in making this project become a reality!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kalma
Books to Shape Our Thinking
Funded Mar 2, 2020These books have been so fun to share with my students. They were thrilled when I started pulling the books out of the box, and they have loved every single one that I have read so far. The Invisible Boy showed my students how one simple act of kindness can make all the difference to a person. The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes was a wonderful book, especially for the perfectionist students (and teachers) that we all have in our classes. So many of the books have already had an impact on my students.
Unfortunately, I left some of the books in my classroom when we left for quarantine. I will be getting them as soon as they let me in my classroom, so I can bring them home. I plan to record myself reading the books and then send the videos to my students. That's how much I love these books.
Thank you so much again for your generosity.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kalma
This classroom project was brought to life by A group of anonymous donors and 3 other donors.Help Us Stay Engaged and Organized!
Funded Sep 30, 2019You would never believe how much of a difference these supplies have made in our classroom. The nameplate holders have allowed my students to keep their desks organized and neat, and they don't lose pencils like they did before. Switching seats is so much easier now too.
They love using the story wands. It helps them remain engaged in read alouds, and my students have so much fun taking turns picking them and calling on others as we read together.
The magnetic shelves have been a great tool for me to display our current thematic books without the books falling onto the ground. The magnetic sentence strip pockets and writing page have been a great deal of fun for my students to work with others and show off their writing skills. We also use it during blending time.
We are loving all of the items, and we really appreciate your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kalma
This classroom project was brought to life by District Partnership Program and 5 other donors.Creative Block Play
Funded Sep 30, 2019My students have been enjoying these blocks so much this year! They ask to use them everyday, and they use them collaboratively with small groups, pairs, and by themselves.
What's so neat is that they think they're just playing, but they are actually working on cooperation and concepts such as balance, spacial awareness, construction, gravity, engineering, and magnetism. They have become so creative with the style of buildings and vehicles they create.
I love to see their faces light up with pride when they build something unique and ask me to take a picture of it. Thank you so much again!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kalma
This classroom project was brought to life by District Partnership Program and 4 other donors.