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This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. Bartolotta from Concord, CA is requesting educational kits & games through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

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Manipulative Toys: A HANDSON Approach for Artistic Understanding

Help me give my students a hands on approach to creativity with these manipulative toys. Geoboards, Tangrams, and Lego all allow students to design and be inspired while strengthening fine motor skills.

  • This project is not currently eligible for funding.
  • $1,291 goal

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

Celebrate 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.

My Project

In early childhood education, the path to understanding abstract concepts often begins with concrete, tangible experiences. Manipulative toys such as geoboards, LEGO bricks, interconnected gears, and building blocks serve as powerful tools that bridge the gap between physical exploration and artistic comprehension. These materials along with different art mediums will be organized into learning centers throughout the art room, allowing students to choose which center they want to explore during each visit—placing control of their learning directly in their hands. Through this student-centered approach, young learners develop foundational art concepts including spatial relationships, symmetry, pattern, color theory, and three-dimensional design while engaging in experiential learning that creates lasting understanding.

Research in developmental psychology consistently demonstrates that young children are concrete operational learners who understand new concepts most effectively through direct physical interaction.

When a child chooses the pattern block center and creates a symmetrical design, the physical act of flipping and rotating pieces embeds the concept of symmetry far more deeply than any diagram could achieve. Working with building materials at the construction center develops spatial reasoning as students consider how pieces connect and how structures balance—thinking that parallels what's required in sculpture and architecture. Gear toys introduce cause and effect relationships in spatial arrangements, helping children understand how elements interact within a system—a concept that mirrors how colors, shapes, and lines work together in artistic composition.

Manipulative toys in learning centers naturally encourage the experimental, exploratory approach essential to artistic development while honoring student choice and individual interests. The trial-and-error process builds confidence and creative problem-solving skills as children discover that mistakes are learning opportunities. These hands-on learning experiences also help students make connections between art concepts and real-world applications, from architecture and engineering to textile design and urban planning.

Mrs. Bartolotta Cambridge Elementary School Grades PreK-2

Equity Focus

This project directly supports students at a historically underfunded school. Learn more about our Equity Focus.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Concord, CA View local requests

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

500 students impacted

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TEACHERS, FEELING INSPIRED?

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Super-Fun Marble Run - Master Set • Lakeshore Learning Materials $39.99 2 $79.98
Panda Brothers Wooden Geoboard - Montessori Toys for 3 4 5 Year Old Kids and Toddlers, Educational Toy with 30 Pattern Cards and 40 Rubber Bands to Create Figures, Brain Teaser STEM Toy Geo Board • Amazon Business $19.95 4 $79.80
BEMITON Flower Building Toy Set for Girls, Best Birthday Gifts for 3 4 5 6 7 Year Old Kids, Arts and Crafts Kit for Toddlers, STEM Activities and Gardening Pretend Playset, 148 pcs • Amazon Business $37.89 2 $75.78
Brain Flakes 2500 Piece Build 'n' Build Kit - A Creative and Educational Alternative to Building Blocks - Wheel Pieces and Special Parts Included - A Great Stem Toy for Both Boys and Girls • Amazon Business $69.99 1 $69.99
LEGO DOTS Adhesive Patches Mega Pack 41957 Arts and Crafts 5-in-1 Mosaic Making Building Kit, DIY Sticker Patches, Gift Idea for Creative Kids, Make Custom Designs for Notebooks, Phone Cases and More • Amazon Business $29.99 2 $59.98
Geobands - Rubber bands for Geoboards • Nasco $3.83 14 $53.62
Cra-Z-Art Original Magna Doodle • School Specialty $24.97 2 $49.94
LEGO Classic Creative Vehicles, Colorful Construction Brick Building Kit with Ice Cream Truck, Police Car Toy, Model City Cars and More, Gift or Car Toy for Boys, Girls and Kids Ages 5 and Up, 11036 • Amazon Business $49.49 1 $49.49
Magnetic Designer • Lakeshore Learning Materials $19.99 2 $39.98
Geo Shape Lacing Set • Nasco $19.98 2 $39.96
Learning Resources STEM Explorers Brainometry - 3d Puzzle, Brain Games, Brainteaser, Building Logic Toys, Gifts For Boys and Girls, Fine Motor Skills , Pattern Blocks, Math Manipulatives • Amazon Business $12.59 3 $37.77
Learning Resources Gears! Gears! Gears! 100-Piece Deluxe Building Set -STEM Activities, Fine Motor Skills, Toddler Explorer Kit, Science and Construction, Boys and Girls Gifts • Amazon Business $18.77 2 $37.54
Maitys 15 Pcs Flat Plastic Trays 16.1 x 11.8'' Sensory Storage Tray Paper Stackable Classroom Bins for Office Home Organizer Arts and Crafts Supplies(Classic Color) • Amazon Business $36.99 1 $36.99
Rainbow Pebbles Activity Set - Set of 36 • Nasco $17.47 2 $34.94
Coogam Wooden Pattern Blocks - Tangram Shape Puzzle Set Color Sorting Stacking Game Wood Animal Jigsaw Preschool Montessori Brain Teaser STEM Gift for 3 4 5 Years Old Toddler Kids (60 Pattern Cards) • Amazon Business $17.19 2 $34.38
edxeducation GeoStix Deluxe Set | Teach Geometry | 100 Construction Sticks, 2 Protractors, Activity Cards | Manipulative for Math, Art and Fine Motor Skills • Amazon Business $33.74 1 $33.74
LEGO Classic Large Creative Brick Box 10698 Building Set, Toy Storage Solution for Home or Classrooms, Interactive Building Toy for Kids, Boys, and Girls • Amazon Business $31.59 1 $31.59
edxeducation Junior GeoStix - In Home Learning Toy for Early Math and Creativity - 200 Multicolored Construction Sticks - 30 Double-Sided Activity Cards - Geometric Manipulative • Amazon Business $31.54 1 $31.54
Strictly Briks Stackable Baseplates - 12 Pack Compatible with Lego & All Major Building Brick Brands, 6 x 6 in, Stackable Top & Bottom Sides with 20 x 20 Stud, Kids, Nature Theme • Amazon Business $29.34 1 $29.34
edxeducation Skeletal Starter Geo Set - 144 Multicolored Pieces - 20 Double-Sided Activity Cards - STEM Building Toy for Ages 3+ - Construct Geometric 2D and 3D Shapes • Amazon Business $27.60 1 $27.60
USATDD 180 Pcs Wooden Tangrams Pattern Blocks Set Geometric Manipulative Shape Puzzle Kindergarten Classic Educational Montessori Toys for Kids Toddlers Ages 4-8 with 24 Pcs Flash Cards • Amazon Business $12.99 2 $25.98

Materials cost

$959.93

Vendor shipping charges

 $4.99

Sales tax

 $87.83

3rd party payment processing fee

$14.40

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$1,097.15

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$193.61

Total project goal

$1,290.76

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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Project Activity

Project Activity
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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. Bartolotta and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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