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This teacher needs your help!

Ms. Niehus from Sioux City, IA is requesting lab equipment through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Ms. Niehus is requesting

Mental Health Gardening 101

Help me give my students pots, soil, and seeds to create their own garden!

  • $269 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

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

Help Ms. Niehus

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

Celebrate Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

My Students

My students are incredibly hard workers from very diverse backgrounds. They bring unique perspectives to classroom discussions, and are enthusiastic about trying all my crazy ideas. We take brain breaks with yoga, do silly voices to respond in Math, and share jokes and funny things from our free reading books. They have so much joy and determination, just not always the materials they need.

My Project

Last quarter, my students were able to write a persuasive argument on a topic of their choice for something they wanted in the classroom. Several students chose to write about cultivating a classroom garden.

The students have researched the benefits that plants have in a classroom, including purifying the air, providing relief from anxiety, and adding a natural and calming aesthetic to the room.

My students crave authentic experiences and responsibility, and having a garden in our classroom is a tangible way they can see rewards for their efforts and care for something. Most of them live in apartments and spaces where managing their own outside garden is not a possibility, and most of my students have never cared for their own plant before.

I have requested full terracotta pots so that at the end of the year, my students can take their own plant home with them and continue its care. I chose the variety pack of seeds and the sensitive plant seeds so that students have a choice in the plant(s) they choose to care for. Additionally, the flowers and herbs all have aromatic properties, and the sensitive plant has a reaction to touch that I think would be additionally calming for students.

Ms. Niehus Irving Dual Language Elementary School Grades 3-5

Equity Focus

At this school, more than 50% of students are Black, Latino, and/or Native American, and more than 50% come from low-income households. Learn how your donation to this school supports a more equitable education.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

More about Ms. Niehus

Sioux City, IA View local requests

Nearly all 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

14 students impacted 6donors

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

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Simple Deluxe 2-Pack Tight Grip Clamp Lamp Light with 8.5 Inch Aluminum Reflector up to 150 Watt E26 Socket (no Bulb Included) 6 Feet 18/2 SPT-2 Cord, 2 Pack, Silver • Amazon Business $29.99 1 $29.99
Miracle-Gro VB300517 Indoor Potting Mix, 6 Qt, 2 Pack • Amazon Business $12.99 2 $25.98
20 Pcs 3" Terracotta Clay Pots Pack of Small Craft Nursery Cactus Pot Water Permeable Succulent Plant Pottery Planter DIY Home Office Desktop Windowsill Ornament Decoration Wedding • Amazon Business $21.99 1 $21.99
GE BR30 LED Grow Lights for Indoor Plants, Full Spectrum, 9-Watt Grow Light Bulb, Plant Light Bulb with Balanced Lighting for Seeds and Greens • Amazon Business $9.65 2 $19.30
Sow Right Seeds - Herbal Tea Collection - Lemon Balm, Chamomile, Mint, Lavender, Echinacea Herb Seed for Planting; Non-GMO Heirloom Seed, Instructions to Plant Indoor or Outdoor; Great Gardening Gift • Amazon Business $11.99 1 $11.99
Indoor Watering Can, 1 Gallon, Red • Amazon Business $11.59 1 $11.59
100 Sensitive Plant Seeds - Mimosa Pudica, Moving Plant, Shy Plant, Shameful Plant, Touch-me-not - by RDR Seeds • Amazon Business $6.49 1 $6.49

Materials cost

$127.33

Vendor shipping charges

 $59.99

Sales tax

 $8.72

3rd party payment processing fee

$1.91

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$227.95

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$40.23

Total project goal

$268.18

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $268.18

6 Donors

-$256.37

Donations toward project cost

-$227.95

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$28.42

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$11.81

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

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

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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Niehus and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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