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This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. Meehan from Bradenton, FL is requesting supplies through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mrs. Meehan is requesting

Crafty Critters

My students need materials for the craft projects we do in art. I am requesting plastic needles, burlap, yarn, coiling core and felt and some specialty items for details.

FULLY FUNDED! Mrs. Meehan's classroom raised $422

This project is fully funded

My Students

Every grade participates in a fiber craft every year in my art program. The students learn how to weave, make coil baskets and sew by hand and machine. These skills are basic and yet crucial for everyone to learn no matter what trade the students eventually pursue. Imagine a surgeon who cannot sew.

We have about 730 students in our elementary school and about 40% of them receive free or reduced price lunch.

I mention this because many of our children cannot afford crayons or other basic materials and are unable to do artwork at home. We are a racially mixed school with our population being about 50% Hispanic, 10% African American and 40% Caucasian. We all respect our differences and I love how the children are growing up "color blind". Many of these children love art and I do my best to provide them with the most exciting projects, such as sewing on a machine, or weaving fanciful bugs with pom pom eyes and pipe cleaner legs. We also paint and create clay projects as well, but this year I don't have the funding for fiber crafts. Our school district is financially underwater and therefore my class sizes are larger and my budget is smaller. I have only received $125.00 this year to fund an art program for 730 students. It just doesn't add up! I have to write grants and seek out any source to make up the difference.

My Project

The supplies I'm asking for are for sewing and weaving. I've asked for a colorful collection of yarn, felt, burlap, plastic needles and coiling cord. With these supplies all my students will be able to learn how to sew and weave. Everyone will learn how to sew including kindergarteners. The burlap and plastic needles make sewing fairly easy. First everyone learns how to thread the needles and tie on the yarn. Then they learn how to sew some basic stitches. One year the first graders sewed a tooth fairy pillow. They sewed red pot holder loops onto burlap for mouths and sewed on white pony beads for the teeth. We glued on googly eyes, sewed two pieces of burlap together on three sides, and then stuffed them and finished the seam. This was fun and the children learned so much. Every year our school has a Christmas tree and our students make its decorations. Last year the fourth graders hand sewed felt Christmas lights or snowmen. The fifth graders sewed boo boo bags on our sewing machines.

Fabric crafts are important partly because they're becoming a lost art.

I want our students to experience making something that's practical as well as creative. Children need to know how to tie knots. Buttons sometimes need to be sewn back on. Sometimes it's best to unplug that device and build something from scratch. Students need to develop skills that end in a product. Think of the pride the fifth grade students must feel when they use a frozen homemade boo boo bag on their own boo boo.

Mrs. Meehan Freedom Elementary School Grades 3-5 Bradenton, FL View local requests

More than a third 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

730 students impacted 3donors

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
SUPER ASSORTMENT/16LB ASST • Blick Art Materials $119.52 1 $119.52
NATURAL BURLAP/!N ASSORTED 46IN • Blick Art Materials $54.35 1 $54.35
CRAFT FELT/9X12 ASRTD 100/PK • Blick Art Materials $18.32 1 $18.32
POMS ASSORTED/1200PK POUND • Blick Art Materials $15.91 1 $15.91
BENDBLE BLUNT NEEDLE/PLASTIC 12/PK • Blick Art Materials $0.59 25 $14.75
COILING CORE/180FT 1/4IN • Blick Art Materials $12.24 2 $24.48
WIGGLE EYES/BOX100 PAINT • Blick Art Materials $3.82 3 $11.46
BUMP STEMS/ASST 12IN 48PC • Blick Art Materials $2.85 4 $11.40
ASST PLASTIC BEAD/10OZ PLASTC • Blick Art Materials $4.67 2 $9.34
MARIBOU FEATHERS/BRT HUES 14GRAMS • Blick Art Materials $2.04 4 $8.16
SPECTRA GLITTER/WHT 1LB JAR • Blick Art Materials $6.68 1 $6.68
SPECTRA GLITTER/SLVR 1LB JAR • Blick Art Materials $6.68 1 $6.68
SPECTRA GLITTER/BLK 1LB JAR • Blick Art Materials $6.68 1 $6.68
SPECTRA GLITTER/CLR 1LB JAR • Blick Art Materials $6.68 1 $6.68
PIPE CLEANERS/BIG BOX • Blick Art Materials $6.03 1 $6.03
CRAFT BUTTONS/ASRTD 1LB BAG • Blick Art Materials $3.39 1 $3.39

Materials cost

$323.83

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$4.86

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$358.69

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$63.30

Total project goal

$421.99

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $421.99

2 Donors

-$205.69

Donations toward project cost

-$179.34

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$26.35

match offer

-$211.00

Match offer toward project cost

-$179.35

Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$31.65

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$5.30

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 Mrs. Meehan and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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