The cost of Ellison Educational Equipment -Sizzix Die art tools is $353, 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>.
Hi!
I\'m a first grade teacher in Brooklyn New York. All of my students are English language learners and 95 percent of them are entitled to free lunch.
My students LOVE art but they don\'t have many supplies at home. They often ask to take a piece of paper home just so they can draw a picture. I try to give them as many experiences with art and with crafting as possible.
I have recently acquired a sizzix machine. A sizzix machine allows you to cut paper into various shapes and figures to use for crafting. However, it\'s not limited to paper. You can cut foam pieces, magnetic sheets, felt, plastic, shrink film, tissue paper, fancy paper, cardstock and various other materials. This allows unlimited art supplies. You can use it to make picture frames, collages, decorations, nametags, holiday projects, games, and presents for family members. If you run out, all you have to do is cut some more. You can literally use it an endless number of times year after year, class after class.
The only problem is that I don\'t have any dies to use with the sizzix machine. To cut the desired shape you have to insert the appropriate die. For example, if you want to cut out stars, you insert the star die with paper and press down. You can get up to 10 perfect stars in no time at all. I would love a collection of dies for me and my colleagues to use throughout the years. Seasonal dies such as leaves, bats and Christmas trees can be used to create holiday projects. Small dies such as hearts, stars, and flowers can be used to decorate the children\'s published work and book reports. Frame dies can be used to make presents for parents and to frame special work that we did in school.
If I had these dies, the first thing the children would do is create and decorate their own nametags for their desks on the first day of school. This will help make them feel at home and give them a sense of space and ownership. Right after that they will \"frame\" a picture of themselves for a bulletin board. What better way is there to show them that their work is important and valued than by putting a frame around it and hanging it up. Other activities that the dies will facilitate include:
1 - creating a \"word tree\" by writing all the words we are learning how to read on leaves cut from the dies and displaying them.
2 - creating a rainbow fish after reading the book \"Rainbow Fish\" (a book about sharing) and writing about what we like to share.
3 - making and decorating a picture frame to give to our parents for the holidays
4 - cutting out felt pieces to use on a felt board for storytelling - a great activity to encourage language in ELL students
5 - there are so many that I can go on forever!
Please supply us with an unlimited amount of art supplies by purchasing these dies for us. Thank you for your consideration.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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.