The cost of a variety of paints, brushes, a drying rack, and other art supplies from Lakeshore Learning is $857, 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>.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
I teach 40 preschool children (3 and 4 year olds) in a disadvantaged neighborhood in Chicago. All of our children receive free lunch and many have never been outside the neighborhood. They see the same kinds of people, places and things and have the same experiences every day. They do not have crayons, scissors or glue at home. They do not have access to books nor do they have anyone to read to them.
As a result, I have found that many of our children do not know how to be creative. If you ask them to make up a story (something that most 4 year olds readily do by themselves), they ask what the story should be about. They want to please, but they don't know how to use their own imaginations. Since they don't have basic art supplies at home, they don't know their colors, they don't know how to cut and their vocabulary is limited.
I would like to spark the creative spirit in these children while fostering literacy by having them create their own artwork and write and illustrate their own stories. They should be able to create pictures and projects and then tell me what it's all about.
However, we need a variety of art supplies (which our school does not supply) to stimulate their minds. It's hard to be creative when you have brown watercolors, no brushes and only crayons to work with. I would like to supply the children with a wide range of materials to spark their imaginations and build their vocabulary. As they grow their imagination and creative skills, they will inherently build their vocabulary and literacy skills as they look for the right words to describe their masterpiece.
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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. Labash and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.