My students need manipulatives for hands-on learning. First graders learn best by doing, making, creating and exploring. Manipulatives give them the opportunity to really explore and look closely at their learning.
When you go to work in the morning do you come right in and start on reports? Or do you come in and visit with co-workers, forming relationships and building a community?
To my class, community is incredibly important.
When we are a community of learners, kids are more likely to take risks, to help each other and are more open to learning.
Starting the day with games gives these kiddos a chance to play, to talk, to build social skills- what I consider one of the most important things we work on in first grade- right up there with reading and number sense.
Each day, our kids arrive at our rural location, set on a beautiful mountain, where any morning you may see hot air balloons or hear chicken and pigs. Their parents and grandparents attended this school.
Our school has a history of using Art to explore and reflect our learning. Currently I am working towards blending art, nature and a chid's natural curiosity to help them delve into their own passions and wonder.
My Project
My Firsties are active. They are scientists, mathematicians, writers and artists. They are excited about learning and exploring the world around them and sharing their thinking.
Having all of their hands in, moving and doing, helps them make the learning connections on their own.
With hands-on learning, I become a facilitator of their learning. They become explorers, telling me what they have discovered.
When kids are allowed to use manipulatives in education, it becomes more engaging, more like play. Information is retained at a higher rate. The process in internalized. Manipulatives help solidify abstract thought and reach kinesthetic learners.
Manipulatives bridge the gap of language and ability, especially in the primary grades.
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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. Meiklejohn- Butler and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
