Past projects 38
SIMS - Tech Savvy Science Students 1
Funded Oct 17, 2013Thank you so much for the wonderful laptop computer you donated for my Science students! The computer is very cool, with a beautiful touch screen and the students love to work on it.
We've used the computer several times when students have had various "spur of the moment" questions. It's so nice to have it right here in the room with us so we can immediately access it, without having to get on a waiting list for the school's mobile computer lab. We spent quite a lot of time using it during one activity where students were researching temperatures from around the world when we were studying the causes of the seasons on Earth.
Having access to good technology right at our fingertips makes learning about Science so much more interesting and enjoyable! This will serve many students for years to come!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Terrell
SIMS - Electrifying Activities
Funded Sep 10, 2013Thank you so much for funding our project! My students had so much fun opening these materials! This has been like Christmas!
One of the products we received was a snap circuit kit with which the students could build many different things, including siren, helicopters, flashing lights, and burglar alarms. The favorite of most of the students was the helicopter. In one of the pictures I uploaded, the students are watching the helicopter fly up in the room. The siren, although rather annoying at times, was also quite thrilling for them. In a few weeks we will pull out the hand crank generators and try to learn how they work. I'm so thankful also for the replacement bulbs which will allow us to use the kits that we already have to make a morse code detector.
These supplies, while they will be used to teach valuable science skills, bring so much fun to our class. It's better than toys!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Terrell
SIMS - Keeping Science Students Supplied
Funded Jun 19, 2013Thank you for funding our project! My students and I are having so much fun using the supplies that were purchased with this grant. It's like Christmas when we are opening the boxes and the students' interests are sparked when they start wondering what they will get to do with all of the things.
We've already used the gloves for several different labs, and as you can imagine, any type of science activity that requires gloves is a favorite of my students. We've had several dissections of chicken parts, eggs, cow eyes, and deer eyes. We are using the bell vacuum jars this week, and the students will be studying the effects of zero air pressure on items like marshmallows, water, inflated balloons, and shaving cream. This goes perfect with our weather studies. In a few weeks we will be dissecting the rats to observe tissues, organs, and organ systems. They are really excited about that lab!
I'm so thankful for this opportunity to do these activities with my kids! I could never do most of it without help from organizations like yours!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Terrell
This classroom project was brought to life by UPS Foundation and one other donor.SIMS - Budding Scientists Need to Observe Real Buds!
Funded Sep 24, 2012This was such a fantastic project! The Wisconsin Fast Plants were perfect for observing in class. We have so many things we have to teach the students throughout the year, and these plants go from seed to seed in around 35 days, so it allowed us to follow all of the stages of the plant life cycle in a relatively short period of time.
They have all seen the pictures of the parts of a flower, and had been told the process of reproduction in plants, but by witnessing it all happen first hand, I know they will never forget it. They've made almost daily observations of their plants, and in a couple of days we will get to count the seeds that were produced. This is perfect because now we will be prepared with seeds to do this lab again next year! I wonder how many generations of plants we can get from this original project?
Thank you so much for assisting us with your donation!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Terrell
SIMS - Learning Through Dissection
Funded Sep 24, 2012Thank you so much for your donation to our dissection project! My students were SO excited when I told them what was in the boxes in this shipment! They could hardly wait until it was time for the labs.
They learned many important things by doing these activities. One of the main focuses in the 7th grade is learning about body systems. We can't dissect humans in Jr. High school, so it was important that the students be able to see at least animals organs and systems. Many things were learned through comparisons made. They now have a much better appreciation and understanding of their own bodies.
Dissection is one of the most memorable activities they will ever do in school. We couldn't have done this without your help!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Terrell
SIMS - Super Scientists Seeking Supplies
Funded Sep 24, 2012We are so thankful for the donation you made to our project! We received many smaller lab supplies in this order, and they are adding so much to our lab activities.
We've already used many of the items. During our study of the integumentary system, we investigated various sunscreens to see which were the most effective, and afterward the students all made bracelets or backpack togs with the UV sensitive beads. This will be a great reminder to protect their skin. The informative posters are great on our classroom walls and we'll refer to the often. We're getting ready to begin chemistry, and we'll be using the graduated cylinders, test tubes, and gloves.
My students love getting to work like real scientists with real equipment! We couldn't do this without you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Terrell
SIMS Young Scientists Seeking Supplies
Funded Oct 16, 2012Thank you so much for funding our project! The test tube incubator is very nice, and I love that the students can see inside through the glass doors. They are always so excited when they can work like real scientists with high quality equipment like this.
Several of the labs that we do require that the substances in the test tubes be kept at a constant temperature. In one lab, we tried to simulate the human digestive system by trying to digest some cooked egg white in hydrochloric acid and a pepsin solution, and it was necessary for it to be kept close to human body temperature.
This is one piece of equipment that is sure to last many years and benefit many students over the course of time!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Terrell
SIMS Starter Home for Chickies!
Funded Oct 16, 2012Thank you so much for funding our project! The chick brooder we received was a very high quality brooder, and will last many years. However, it came with MUCH assembly required, so it ended up being somewhat of an engineering project also! We had to get some assistance from the school maintenance staff.
The students have really enjoyed getting to observe the chicks as they grow, and we'll be keeping them in the classroom until they outgrow their brooder. Several of the chicks were adopted by students, who are anxiously preparing a place to keep them at their homes.
We have all learned SO much from doing this project and will definitely continue this each year!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Terrell
SIMS Which Came First - The Chicken Or The Egg?
Funded Oct 16, 2012We had so much fun with our egg-hatching project! I sent in pictures before they had all hatched and we have so many more great pictures now. I know that for many of the students, this is the only time in their lives that they will ever get to witness something like this. The chicks are about 2 weeks old now and some have been adopted by students. They get to stay here at school until they start to get "smelly," then they get to go to their new homes. We have all learned so much from this activity.
The incubator works wonderful, and it was perfect for classroom observation. It wasn't too large, and since it controlled the humidity, temperature, and turning the eggs, all we had to do was watch. This would not have been possible otherwise, because we had to allow for weekends, snow days, and other unplanned events that would have made it difficult to manage. I know the students will never forget this experience. Thank you so much!!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Terrell
SIMS - Wondering About Weather!
Funded Oct 27, 2011Dear Arkansas Community Foundation,
Thank you for your donation to purchase lab supplies for my classroom. The various tools have made it possible for us to have great lab experiences.
One cool thing that you may know about Arkansas is that we have some pretty fantastic weather with all of the tornadoes that come through here. Itâs not only fun and interesting for my students to study weather, but it is important for them to understand something about weather and how to predict it so they can prepare for adverse weather and know how to stay safe. With the vacuum jars, they were able to observe and better understand the effects of air pressure on the earth. They were also able to see what types of preparation astronauts must do to travel in space where there is no air pressure. This was the first time that many of the students had ever even thought about that concept. We used the globes when we studyied the cause of the seasons, and the students modeled the causes by using flashlights to represent the Sun.
The nice thing is that these supplies will be used for years to come, so you have helped enrich the education of many more students than just the ones from this year! Thanks again!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Terrell