My students need board games, building manipulatives, and imaginative play materials such as Connect 4, Twister, toy cars, Legos, and a marble run game.
FULLY FUNDED! Mrs. Gehler's classroom raised $274
This project is fully funded
My Students
"When children pretend, they are using their imaginations to move beyond the bounds of reality. A stick can be a magic wand. A small child can be a superhero."- Mr. Rogers.
I believe in fostering my students' enthusiasm, creativity, and academic grit through social emotional based learning.
My 1st graders are optimistic, excited about the littlest things, and full of spunk.
They have a love for learning, an itch for new experiences, and a yearning for social interaction. They are always up for a challenge, and thrive on positive peer relationships supported by our community.
Our school in Minneapolis is built upon a culture of social emotional learning, creating a safe environment for all students, and building a strong community of learners within a classroom. Students come from diverse backgrounds, with a variety of socio-economic statuses. We strive to provide opportunities and experiences to our students that they cannot get at home.
Many of my students come to school not only to learn math, reading, social studies, and science, but also to learn how to be successful in life outside academics. I believe in purposefully teaching children cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self-control.
My Project
A lot of the "play activities" my students experience at home fall in the electronics category (tablet, smart phone, video game, TV shows) that they may find entertaining, but do not foster cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, or self-control. Many of those activities have little to no social interaction involved. How can we expect children to grow to become successful and effective members of society if they do not learn how to interact with others in a positive and productive way?
With these creative play materials, my 1st graders will have more opportunities to share, problem solve, imagine, and create. As a teacher, I will strategically and purposefully create experiences for children to engage in all of these things. Students will cooperate to build a kingdom of Lego's, show good sportsmanship while winning or losing a board game, and learn crucial social skills while playing team games.
By donating to this project, you are improving my students' abilities to interact positively with their peers.
Many students no longer come to school with the ability to create their own entertainment or sustain attention to a play activity that is not electronic. I hope to give them this through imaginative play materials.
My goal is that students can take these skills home with them. I hope those positive skills with transfer to their lives outside of school.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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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. Gehler and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.