My students need a supply of yarn in a variety of colors and textures.
$724 goal
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
I teach K-5 Art to over 400 students in a high poverty Kansas school with a diverse student body and many English Language Learners. My students are exuberant, tactile, and visual learners where Art is a safe and exciting place to be.
I began a Knitting Club with volunteering 4th and 5th graders last Spring. Despite the brevity of weekly 15 minute meetings during a lunch recess and the limited resources, my Knitting Club churned out a number of enthusiastic new knitters! Participation was across the board- boys and girls, ethnicities, languages, and physical abilities. They developed such a sense of accomplishment and confidence in their new skills. Early on in this school year, I asked my 4th and 5th graders if they'd like to have a Knitting Club. I got a resounding YES- which only increased when they began on a weaving project in their Art class and I showed them some articles I'd woven and knitted.
Funds at my school are very short this year. My Art budget has already been spent on the Art supplies I use in my regular classes. I've puchased some skeins on yarn and needles out of my own pocket, both last year and this one. The school cannot afford to pay stipends to teachers that wish to do special clubs. I saw what success my students had last year with a Knitting Club, so I am prepared to teach it "pro bono". I plan on making the weekly club meetings 45 minutes long which is triple the amount of time my Knitting Club members had last year! I can only imagine what we can make this year with extra time to teach and learn. I've asked for yarn on this marvelous website, but I also need more sets of knitting needles.
The joy, success, and accomplishment my students found in the time honored tradition of knitting was radiated out to all involved in their lives. One student taught her 28 year old sister how to knit. Students regularly ran to the principal's office to show her their new scarves. Students who spoke limited English connected with their peers as they learned from each other, bent over needles and balls of yarn. Some students were allowed to knit in their grade-level classrooms as rewards for doing well in class. One boy who struggles with interpersonal relationships made a strong connection with me and his knitting grandma earlier this year when I taught him. Aside from math skills utilized, knitting isn't on tests, but confidence, creativity, dexterity and motor skills, friendship- these qualities aren't quantified by filling in a bubble with a #2 pencil. 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. Peterman and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
