My students need planting materials, land and sea collections, beginning engineering materials, space sand and x-ray cards to bring STEM into our class for more hands-on opportunities.
I have a lovely group of diverse preschool students who come to school each day eager to engage in hands-on learning. We currently have four different languages spoken by students in a class of sixteen! Such a variety of learners makes our classroom a rich environment. However, the students I teach all come from low-income families and face a variety of challenges in their daily lives. Unfortunately, many of my students' families struggle with homelessness as well. Yet, despite their adversities, they continue to be energetic and excited learners.
Because of these challenges, many of my students do not have access to hands-on learning materials.
I would love the to give my kids the chance to explore the STEM world, in a way they may not have access to at home.
My Project
Learning through play using hands-on materials is one of the most beneficial ways that students can grow, especially in pre-k! I have selected a variety of materials to have in our "discovery" (or science) center that will help the kiddos explore and learn in a developmentally appropriate way about different ideas such as gravity, magnets and plants. The big push in schools right now is read, read, read, which of course is of critical importance. However, I feel it is of equal importance that my students have scientific materials to help them learn about the world and develop critical thinking skills to help them become explorers, to be able to delve deeper and show greater understanding and question.
My students crave learning new concepts and especially love to take care of one another.
The materials selected will not only help them learn science inquiry skills, but also social-emotional skills such as how to care for living objects.
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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. Niederhofer and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
