The cost of the Note Worthy Preschool Bold Carpet from KidCarpet.com is $494, including shipping and <a target="new" href="http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm" onclick="g_openWindow('http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm', 300, 800, 'fulfillwindow');return false;">fulfillment</a>.
Music and Art teachers are at the mercy of their school population. If the census increases from one year to another, they are more likely to lose their classroom. That happened at Viewmont last school year and the Music Room was moved to a mobile unit. This school year, we are moving back to the Music Space, but some of our "things" are missing.
One special "thing" is our Kindergarten and First Grade gathering carpet. In a way, I'm grateful that it's gone because it was old and filthy with frayed edges that children were tempted to pull on, creating a safety issue with the younger children who tend to put things into their mouths. That is why we are in need of a new carpet.
Now, you may be thinking that this is a frivilous request, so I must explain, in the Music Room there are no chairs. We use choral risers for the older children to sit upon, but this is a safety issue for the Kindergarten and First Grade students, so I like to meet with them on a carpet where they sit around the edges. This makes us feel connected and enables us to pass instruments and other materials around the circle (square/rectangle). The carpet is always placed near our magnetic board and flip chart so that we can read stories or work with manipulatives in proximity to the whole group.
Since we are in need of a gathering carpet in our classroom, I have been begging the local carpet stores, but the furniture industry in North Carolina is taking a beating right now and no one can afford to donate a carpet for our room. The Media Specialist at another school told me about the carpets at DEMCO. She mentioned one especially for Music Rooms, so I checked on line and, sure enough, there was a Music Carpet, complete with a treble staff in the middle and musical symbols and instruments on the edges!
The carpet is ideal! It offers much more than a place to sit! With the music staff in the center, it becomes a teaching tool and the instruments and musical signs and symbols around the edges teach musical concepts as well. The 10' x 7'8" size is perfect for the 24 students in each class, yet it allows us to use space in the room for dance and movement activities.
Our PTA would help out with the cost, but they have set aside money for starting a Chorus this year and have other needs to fulfill for the school at large.
I do feel that this carpet is an important item for the Music Room. It will benefit every child in Kindergarten and First Grade for years to come. Not only will it provide a safe, comfortable, colorful seating place, but it will double as a teaching tool. I hope you will consider purchasing this carpet for the Music Room at Viewmont Elementary School. The students and I would be forever grateful! Thank you.
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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. L. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.