Multi-Textured Tactile Experiences: Exploring the World With Our Hands
Help me give my students sensory toys that will spark their curiosity, and a cool DIY sensory mat that will allow them to explore the different textures and tactile surfaces that make up our environment and our world!
$522 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.
Hi! I am a second year educator teaching in a vibrant community in the East Bay. The culture of our school is one of tolerance, acceptance, and inclusion; our students are beacons of light for a future that will work and play alongside those who are different from themselves, and will celebrate the beauty of the diversity they see within their communities.
I teach a class of seven amazing Kindergarten through Second graders; my class is made up of students who are each fun, interesting, spirited, curious, and for at least one reason or another struggle to access curriculum in a general education setting.
While my classroom is labeled as containing students whose disabilities range from "moderate to severe", these labels do not lower our expectations. In my experience, when you set your expectations high, your students will rise to meet them.
My students are an incredible group of kids who put a tremendous amount of effort into their education; they come to school every day ready to rise to the challenges that we set for them, and to engage with the various media that we utilize in our lessons toward the mastery of both academic, and functional skills.
My Project
All of my students, and especially those with visual impairments relish the opportunity to interact with and explore their classroom using their sense of touch.
Texture differentiation is an early braille learning tool, and this project will help my visually impaired students to use their sense of touch to become more involved in their learning and in all our class projects and routines.
I will be creating a set of interlocking tactile boards using items such as marbles, feathers, satin flowers, faux fur, stretchy fidget toys, squishy sensory balls, buttons, foam tubes, and metal rivets to introduce a tactile experience that will help enrich stories, and solidify concepts for my students.
We can learn about birds while touching our feather board, count buttons on our button board, or take turns touching our furry board while we read a story about a cat. Each of these will offer a unique sensory experience that will provide engagement beyond simply what my students can see. This will also offer a fun and varied way to introduce the concept of different textures like bumpy, soft, rough, smooth, and squishy.
These boards can be placed on the floor for my physically and visually impaired students to explore, as well as for students to walk along like a sensory path when they need a break or cool down activity. They can also be placed around the room for a fun “texture scavenger hunt”.
Big Joe 0630252, Lavender Polka Dot Classic Bean Bag Chair, Lavendar with White
• Amazon Business
$33.33
2
$66.66
Big Joe 0630250, Chartreuse Polka Dot Classic Bean Bag Chair, White
• Amazon Business
$25.00
2
$50.00
ProSource Puzzle Solid Foam Play Mat for Kids - 36 tiles with edges
• Amazon Business
$29.99
1
$29.99
Remo RH-5010-00 Rhythm Club Floor Tom Drum - Rhythm Kids, 10"
• Amazon Business
$22.39
1
$22.39
Toddler Toys Musical Instruments - Ehome 9 types 16pcs Percussion Toy Set for Kids Preschool Educational Early Learning Toys Musical Toys for Boys and Girls with Carrying Bag
• Amazon Business
$21.99
1
$21.99
Art3d Non-Toxic Children Play & Exercise Mat - Puzzle Play Mat for Kids, Toddlers or Baby, 12" X 12" Green-Yellow
• Amazon Business
$19.49
1
$19.49
Educational Insights Teachable Touchables Texture Squares
• Amazon Business
$18.45
1
$18.45
JVIGUE Sensory Toys Set- 15 Pack Stress Relief Hand Fidget Toys for Kids and Adults, Sensory Therapy Toys for ADHD Autism Stress Anxiety
• Amazon Business
$16.99
1
$16.99
Mega Marbles SET OF 24 ASSORTED BULK - 1" SHOOTER MARBLES
• Amazon Business
$14.99
1
$14.99
DIY 12pcs Faux Raccoon Fur 11cm Pom Pom Ball for Knitting Hat DIY Accessories (Mix Colors)
• Amazon Business
$13.99
1
$13.99
42-pack Twist Foam Hair Rollers Bendy Foam Flexible Curling Rods- Hair Curlers Rollers 7 Sizes for Short, Medium and Long Hair
• Amazon Business
$12.96
1
$12.96
MeiHoyo 2PCS 6.6ft Colorful Party Feather Boas Over 9 Colors Feather Plush (Green)
• Amazon Business
$10.99
1
$10.99
Kidsco Puffer Balls - 6 Pack Assorted Colors, Blue, Green, Orange, Yellow, Pink and Purple, for Kids Sensory Stress Relief, Therapy Toy Favor, Goody Bag Filler.
• Amazon Business
$9.99
1
$9.99
130 Piece Set Wooden Letters - Assorted Colored Wooden Craft Letters with Storage Tray - Alphabet Letters Kids Learning Toy
• Amazon Business
$9.99
1
$9.99
RuiLing 120pcs 3/8 Inch Gold DIY Nailhead Square Pyramid Studs Leathercraft Rivet Metal Punk Spikes Spots for Punk Rock Leather Craft Clothes Belt Bag Shoes Jewelry Decorations 10mm
• Amazon Business
$8.99
1
$8.99
Educational Insights Playfoam Combo 8-Pack: Never Dries Out!
• Amazon Business
$8.99
1
$8.99
TKOnline Pack Of 8 Stretchy String Fidget /Eco-friendly Sensory Toys - Stretches From 11 Inches to 10 Feet Long,Color Random
• Amazon Business
$7.99
1
$7.99
700 PCS Assorted Mixed Color Resin Buttons 2 and 4 Holes Round Craft for Sewing DIY Crafts Children's Manual Button Painting,DIY Handmade Ornament
• Amazon Business
$7.99
1
$7.99
Dandan DIY 200pcs Mix Lots Satin Ribbon Rose Flowers Sewing Craft Ribbon Bows Wedding Decoration
• Amazon Business
$7.97
1
$7.97
Mega Marbles Player Marbles (Set of 24), Assorted, 5/8"
• Amazon Business
$7.00
1
$7.00
Gorilla Super Glue Gel, 20 Gram, Clear
• Amazon Business
$5.97
1
$5.97
Materials cost
$373.77
Vendor shipping charges
FREE
Sales tax
$34.20
3rd party payment processing fee
$5.61
Fulfillment labor & materials
$30.00
Total project cost
$443.58
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$78.28
Total project goal
$521.86
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal
$521.86
4 Donors
-$521.86
Donations toward project cost
-$443.58
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
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 Mrs. Usrey and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
