You're on track to get doubled donations (and unlock a reward for the colleague who referred you). Keep up the great work!
Take credit for your charitable giving! Check out your tax receipts
Donate
To use your $50 gift card credits, find a project to fund and we'll automatically apply your credits at checkout. Find a classroom project
Skip to main content

Help teachers & students in your hometown this season!
Use code HOME at checkout and your donation will be matched up to $100.

See this teacher's page

This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. Dilling from La Mesa, CA is requesting educational kits & games through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mrs. Dilling is requesting

STEM Through Play

Help me give my students materials to challenge their brains and make abstract concepts more concrete!

  • $964 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Keep the momentum going! Make a donation to Mrs. Dilling for her next project!

Help Mrs. Dilling

Keep the momentum going! Make a donation to Mrs. Dilling for her next project!

My Students

"It's OK, I'm just learning!"

This is how I always start off our first day of school.

I make a "mistake," and then we all practice saying this together. I find it calms fears and lets students know that this is a safe place where we can take chances and make mistakes together!

My students come from very diverse backgrounds and bring with them a variety of challenges daily when they enter the classroom.

Our school is a Title I urban school with the most diverse population in our district, serving over 80% of our students a free or reduced-price lunch.

Each day, it is my job to make students feel safe. I put on my "acting" hat to make lessons entertaining and fun and to inspire them to do their personal best! The fact that they have such varying levels of ability makes this a little tricky, and I've found that they are most successful when they are given opportunities to practice skills in a variety of ways both cooperatively in groups and individually. (The best part is, they often think they are "just playing." Mwah ha ha!)

My Project

In kindergarten, play is a very important part of our curriculum. This is not just because young kids learn best through play and being able to manipulate objects. Students also practice social skills, cooperation, collaborative teamwork, and problem solving skills during play activities.

Students need interesting, engaging learning toys that can be used in a variety of ways to encourage creative thinking and inventive play.

The materials I chose, such as the LEGO Education line of LEGO bricks, allow students to either recreate a project by looking at the picture cards OR to build creatively on their own. I plan to use some of these tools, such as the magnetic building sticks, in cooperative groups.

Other materials, such as the Geoboards and base ten magnetic sets, will allow students to gain a better understanding of geometry and place value by providing a hands-on experience to make the concepts more accessible.

Mrs. Dilling La Mesa Dale Elementary School Grades PreK-2

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 Mrs. Dilling

La Mesa, CA 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

28 students impacted 2donors

Boost your odds

Add a profile photo in addition to your classroom photo. If you add a photo, it'll show up right here on your project page.

You are more likely to receive funding if you put a face to your name.

Upload a photo

Top rated for efficiency and transparency.

You donate directly to the teacher or project you care about and see where every dollar you give goes.

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

See our finances

Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
MONILON 160 Pcs Magnet Building Sticks Kids Toys, Lengthen Magnetic Construction Building Blocks Set 3D Brain Training Learning Educational DIY STEM Toys • Amazon Business $32.99 4 $131.96
Tubes Experiment Set for Problem Solving and Fine Motor Skills by LEGO Education DUPLO • Amazon Business $129.95 1 $129.95
Learning Resources Wooden Pattern Blocks, Set of 250 • Amazon Business $27.65 4 $110.60
Creative LEGO DUPLO Brick Set by LEGO Education • Amazon Business $64.95 1 $64.95
Learning Resources Classpack Geoboards, 7 Inches, Set of 10 • Amazon Business $21.06 3 $63.18
Creative LEGO Brick Set by LEGO Education • Amazon Business $59.95 1 $59.95
Learning Resources Double-sided Magnetic Money • Amazon Business $29.62 1 $29.62
Magna-Tiles 2-Piece Car Expansion Set – The Original, Award-Winning Magnetic Building Tiles – Creativity and Educational – STEM Approved • Amazon Business $14.45 2 $28.90
ETA hand2mind Magnetic Differentiated Base Ten Blocks, Math Manipulative Kit (Set of 131) • Amazon Business $28.22 1 $28.22
Learning Resources Make a Splash 120 Mat Floor Game, Addition/Subtraction, 136 Pieces, Ages 6+ • Amazon Business $23.09 1 $23.09
BE331 - Best-Buy Bins - Set of 4 • Lakeshore Learning Materials $16.99 1 $16.99
Didax Educational Resources Magnetic Base Ten Place Value Set • Amazon Business $14.43 1 $14.43
Learning Advantage Pattern Block Activity Cards - Set of 20 - Early Geometry For Kids - Teach Creativity, Sequencing and Patterning • Amazon Business $10.99 1 $10.99

Materials cost

$712.83

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $65.22

3rd party payment processing fee

$10.69

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$818.74

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$144.48

Total project goal

$963.22

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $963.22

1 Donor

-$322.00

Donations toward project cost

-$273.70

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$48.30

match offer

-$641.22

Match offer toward project cost

-$545.04

Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$96.18

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

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

View complete list Show less

Give the most requested basic supplies

See teacher requests

Give back to your community

Find opportunities to impact local needs by exploring a map of classroom projects near you.

See local area

Project Activity

Project Activity
Back to top

DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

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 Mrs. Dilling and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

See how DonorsChoose works
{"pmaHash":"","showProjectRecommendations":true,"leadGenEnabled":true,"hideTeacherDetails":false,"schoolState":"CA","teacherPossessivePronoun":"her","PMsManager":null,"schoolGradeType":{"id":1,"name":"Early Education"},"TeacherPMForms":{},"completingDonationAmount":0,"teacherHasClassroomPhoto":true,"proposalURL":"https://www.donorschoose.org/project/stem-through-play/4143054/","mayHaveReplacements":false,"numStudents":28,"teacherScreenName":"Mrs. Dilling","isEquityFocus":true,"proposalHash":"-947022885","isApplePayMobileOnly":true,"progressBarPercentage":100.00,"photosPublished":true,"queryString":"","DonorPMForm":null,"schoolCity":"La Mesa","teachersOnPage":[5298094],"isTeacherViewingTheirOwnProject":false,"minimizedLeadGenEnabled":false,"proposalId":4143054,"proposalMessageFormModel":null,"numActiveProjects":0,"verifyShowPhotos":"","eligibleToBeCopied":false,"authorIds":{"5298094":{"owner":"Mrs. Dilling","donationSalutations":{}}},"displayedPercentFunded":1.0,"proposalsOnPage":[4143054],"pmaId":"","teacherProfilePhotoURL":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp5298094_272x272.jpg?width=136&height=136&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1523080438475","teacherHasProfilePhoto":true,"currentWorkflowStatusCode":21,"teacherChallengeId":21164904,"isApplePayEnabled":true,"fundedByTarget":false,"activeProject":null,"donorIdsForImpactPhotoCheck":["NTM0MzQ0Mg==","NjMyMDgxOA=="],"teacherId":5298094,"schoolCounty":"San Diego","fullyFunded":true,"isStudentLed":false,"isExpired":true,"schoolStateObj":{"code":"CA","name":"California"}}