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This teacher needs your help!

Ms. Nickels from Chicago, IL is requesting educational kits & games through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Ms. Nickels is requesting

Making Math Meaningful: Hands-On Tools for Real-Life Learning

Help me give my students Math operations dominoes, hands on money kit, magnetic money set

  • 11 donors
  • $601 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Keep the momentum going! Make a donation to Ms. Nickels for her next project!

Help Ms. Nickels

Keep the momentum going! Make a donation to Ms. Nickels for her next project!

My Project

My students are amazing high schoolers with mild to moderate special needs. They bring enthusiasm, resilience, and curiosity to our classroom every day. Many of them learn best through hands-on, interactive experiences, and they thrive when lessons are connected to real life. With the right tools, they can grasp challenging concepts and build confidence in their abilities.

This project will bring in updated math manipulatives and games—specifically magnetic money sets, individual hands-on money kits, and math operation dominoes.

These tools will help turn abstract math concepts into concrete, engaging learning experiences.

Understanding money and basic operations is crucial for functional independence, especially as our students prepare for life beyond high school. Having access to realistic, touchable resources helps bridge the gap between the classroom and the real world. Whether it's learning how to count change, budget, or solve multi-step problems, these manipulatives give students the chance to practice in a way that feels natural and empowering.

This will help insure my students can...

Build Financial Literacy: Help students develop practical money skills they’ll use in everyday life.

Reinforce Foundational Skills: Use engaging games like operation dominoes to make math practice fun and collaborative.

Boost Confidence: Allow students to learn through doing, helping them gain confidence in their math abilities.

Promote Independence: Support long-term success by teaching skills students can carry into adulthood.

Why It Matters

For students with special needs, traditional teaching methods aren't always enough. These materials meet them where they are—hands-on, visual, and interactive. Your support will help turn math from a struggle into a success story. Thank you for helping our students grow into confident, capable learners!

Ms. Nickels Northside Learning Center Grades 9-12

Equity Focus

This project directly supports students at a historically underfunded school. Learn more about our Equity Focus.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

More about Ms. Nickels

Chicago, IL View local requests

More than half of students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

30 students impacted 11donors

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Expand the "Where your donation goes" section below to see exactly what Ms. Nickels is requesting.

See our finances

Where Your Donation Goes

Materials Cost Quantity Total
Lakeshore Money Hands-On Teaching Kit • Lakeshore Learning Materials $129.00 1 $129.00
2 Pack Dry Erase Number Line Board 4”x12” Inch Lapboard Double Sided White Board Featuring 0-10 Number Line On One Side 0-20 On The Other for Students Desk • Amazon Business $11.50 10 $115.00
Mastering Math Dominoes - Complete Set • Lakeshore Learning Materials $75.00 1 $75.00
Lakeshore Math Dice Tub • Lakeshore Learning Materials $29.99 1 $29.99
Aizweb Regrouping Base Ten Place Value,Addition and Subtraction Math Manipulatives,Magnetic Dry Erase Board for 1st 2nd 3rd Grade Student Classroom Must Haves,Math Games for Kids Homeschool Supplies • Amazon Business $28.99 1 $28.99
Kasfalci 60 PCS Magnetic Money for Kids for Learning, Math Manipulatives, Learning & Education Toys for Classroom, Pretend Play, Math Games for Toddler, Teacher and Homeschool Supplies • Amazon Business $25.99 1 $25.99
hand2mind Transparent Magnetic Chips Kit with 3 Magnetic Wands, Math Counters for Kids, Magnetic Counters, Counting Manipulatives, Math Manipulatives, Game Tokens, Counters for Kids Math (150 Chips) • Amazon Business $21.99 1 $21.99
Eersida 24 Pcs Slide and Learn Number Lines 0 to 30 PVC Math Number Line for Student Animal Positive Integers Slide Rules Childhood Education Materials for School,16.5 x 1.5 Inch(Bright Colors) • Amazon Business $12.99 1 $12.99
Lakeshore Magnetic Bills • Lakeshore Learning Materials $8.99 1 $8.99
Lakeshore Magnetic Coins • Lakeshore Learning Materials $8.99 1 $8.99
LEARNING ADVANTAGE Subitizing Dice - Set of 6 - Hands On Math Manipulative - Teach Early Numeracy - Math Games for Kids • Amazon Business $4.40 1 $4.40

Materials cost

$461.33

Vendor shipping charges

$12.60

Sales tax

$0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$6.92

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$510.85

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$90.15

Total project goal

$601.00

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

$601.00

9 Donors

-$322.56

Donations toward project cost

-$279.18

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$43.38

match offer

-$272.55

Match offer toward project cost

-$231.67

Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$40.88

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$5.89

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

$0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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Project Activity

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