My students need Keva Connect and Gears, Gears, Gears! building sets to incorporate STEAM concepts while expressing their imagination through invention.
My 320 kindergarten through second grade students are a diverse group of enthusiastic kids with varied home experiences and academic abilities. They are motivated to invent and problem-solve when using newly acquired technology devices. They thoroughly enjoy sharing their knowledge with friends, younger students, teachers and, whenever possible, with their families.
Often, their curiosity extends beyond their weekly STEAM Lab experience to independent application in our school's "Think, Make, Share" MakerSpace instead of taking recess.
While in this MakerSpace, students use a variety of technology devices and other items, such as recycled materials, art supplies, and Legos to blend science, technology, engineering, the arts and math.
We are a Title I School, which means that we receive financial assistance due to a high percentage of students from low-income families. Currently, 68% of our students receive free or reduced breakfast and lunch. Many face personal challenges outside of our learning environment. Nevertheless, they eagerly participate during my STEAM Lab class and crave new learning experiences that our MakerSpace has to offer.
My Project
The STEAM movement encompasses using information and techniques learned within traditional curriculum as a departure point for students to create new ideas and to solve real-world problems through the use of design and technology. My MakerSpace is an area in our school where innovation truly comes alive! The addition of Keva Connect and Gears, Gears, Gears! building sets will be great for my kindergarten, first and second graders. They will discover how the building system works while using wooden planks, colorful plastic connectors and large plastic pieces that represent gears. Each child’s fine motor skills will be strengthened, while exercising their artistic imagination. They will incorporate Visual Arts, Science and Math concepts through their constructed creations.
Our young learners are our future scientists and engineers, so they need as many STEAM experiences as we can give them to succeed.
I believe that supporting learning opportunities beyond the regularly scheduled classes supports my professional goal of fulfilling a child's potential. One of my students recently shared with me what she created using a Keva Connect kit. I especially enjoyed hearing about this young inventor’s imaginary iguana cage and bridge she built while exploring hands-on engineering.
Integrating STEAM concepts meets the needs of diverse learning styles and multiple intelligences. Brain research demonstrates that learning activities which stimulate the cognitive and affective areas of the mind are vital to its optimal development. What better place to foster these type of activities than in our elementary school's MakerSpace!
As teachers, we are faced with the challenge of preparing students for jobs that don't yet exist. The kits requested will give my youngest students an opportunity to gain the lifelong benefits of soft skills that all employers are seeking in their employees, while exercising their imagination.
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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. Wiltrout and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.