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Mrs. Liz Oelker from Torrance CA is requesting supplies through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

Play Is Essential to Facilitate Language Development

My students need to have access to tangible items to help develop vocabulary, following directions, pronouns, prepositions, and pretend play.

  • $949 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

My Students

I currently work at a wonderful preschool that specializes in children on the Autism Spectrum. We work in a collaborative approach with special education teachers, general education teachers, Speech-Language Pathologists, Occupational therapists, physical therapists, and behavior interventionist.

Many of our students come in with no language, very limited language, or non-functional language.

We are often the first in a long line of people to support these families and help them on their way to help their children reach their fullest potential.

It is a true honor and privilege to work with these families and give a voice to these very young children.

My Project

Spending more time playing with toys not only helps develop pretend play skills, but allows for tangible learning of spatial concepts, pronouns, and actions. For this reason, I am requesting items such as farm play sets, wooden pizza and birthday cake play set, as well as an activity home.

Manipulating the individual pieces, one can work on developing awareness and understanding of spatial concepts (on, in, off, out, next to, over, under), pronouns (I have, you have, he has, she has), and actions (jump, eat, sing, sleep) just to name a few.

Other items such as the magnets, books, and peek-a-boo blocks allow for vocabulary development in different categories such as ocean, farm, food, and vehicles. Items such as the story blocks and sequencing cards help the students learn about order of events and concepts such as first, then, and last.

The sound books and puzzles allow for multi-modal learning for some of the students requiring additional help to maintain attention to task.

Play board sets and lacing beads, among many of the other items, will allow for learning to follow directions, but also allow for students to develop their own creativity. Each item requested has a specific target in mind, but many have multiple targets for continued language development and use!

Mrs. Liz Oelker
Grades PreK-2

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Fisher-Price Little People Fun Sounds Farm(Discontinued by manufacturer) • Amazon Business $40.99 1 $40.99
PLAYMOBIL 1.2.3 Moon Rocket • Amazon Business $39.90 1 $39.90
Farm Playset with Barn, Animals, Pasture, Crops, Chicken Coop and Storybook • Amazon Business $30.99 1 $30.99
Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Puppy's Activity Home • Amazon Business $26.06 1 $26.06
44 Piece Polar Playset in Carrying Bucket • Amazon Business $20.99 1 $20.99
Fisher-Price First Words Flash Cards [Amazon Exclusive] • Amazon Business $20.21 1 $20.21
Four Seasons 41-piece Magnetic Playset with Sturdy Carry Case by Imagination Generation's Wooden Wonders • Amazon Business $19.99 1 $19.99
T.S. Shure Farm Animals, Horses & Vehicles Wooden Magnetic Playboard Set • Amazon Business $19.99 1 $19.99
Peek-a-Blocks Discovery: Barnyard Friends Blocks • Amazon Business $19.97 1 $19.97
Melissa & Doug Mickey Mouse Wooden Pizza & Birthday Cake Set • Amazon Business $19.88 1 $19.88
Fisher-Price Peek-a-Blocks Tumblin' Sounds Giraffe • Amazon Business $18.90 1 $18.90
Fisher-Price Little People Apptivity Barnyard • Amazon Business $18.00 1 $18.00
The World of Eric Carle  Shapes Wooden Magnetic Set • Amazon Business $18.00 1 $18.00
Melissa & Doug Magnetic Animals & Dinosaurs Bundle • Amazon Business $17.59 1 $17.59
Mudpuppy Fruits & Veggies Wooden Magnetic Shapes • Amazon Business $16.93 1 $16.93
Melissa & Doug Farm Sequencing Storytelling Puzzle Set • Amazon Business $16.80 1 $16.80
Melissa & Doug Food Groups • Amazon Business $15.43 1 $15.43
Which Is Round? Which Is Bigger? • Amazon Business $15.27 1 $15.27
Melissa & Doug Large Shapes Jumbo Puzzle • Amazon Business $15.25 1 $15.25
Apple Eric Carle Hear Bear Roar • Amazon Business $14.99 1 $14.99
In, Over and On the Farm • Amazon Business $14.32 1 $14.32
Melissa & Doug Dinosaur & Safari 4-in-1 Jigsaw Puzzle Bundle • Amazon Business $13.97 1 $13.97
What Pet Should I Get? (Classic Seuss) • Amazon Business $13.39 1 $13.39
Melissa & Doug Magnetic Hide and Seek Board • Amazon Business $12.99 1 $12.99
Safari Ltd Tools TOOB - Comes With 8 Different Hand Painted Carpentry Figurine Models - Including (2) Screwdrivers, Hammer, Saw, Wrench, Pliers, C-Clamp, and Drill - For Ages 5 and Up • Amazon Business $12.37 1 $12.37
Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Musical Instruments Sound Puzzle • Amazon Business $11.99 1 $11.99
Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Piggy Bank • Amazon Business $11.99 1 $11.99
Safari Ltd Pandas TOOB 9 pieces • Amazon Business $11.99 1 $11.99
Safari LTD Dinos Toob • Amazon Business $11.99 1 $11.99
Melissa & Doug Wooden Farm Magnets • Amazon Business $11.59 1 $11.59
Smethport Pocket Chart Card Set Story Sequencing • Amazon Business $11.25 1 $11.25
Smethport Photo Language Cards Go Togethers • Amazon Business $11.13 1 $11.13
Fisher-Price Peek-a-Blocks - Vehicle Fun by Unknown • Amazon Business $10.99 1 $10.99
Categories Language Cards • Amazon Business $10.98 1 $10.98
Polar Bear, Polar Bear What Do You Hear? sound book • Amazon Business $10.57 1 $10.57
Melissa & Doug Farm Lacing Beads • Amazon Business $9.99 1 $9.99
The Very Quiet Cricket Board Book • Amazon Business $9.51 1 $9.51
Melissa & Doug Wooden Story Blocks • Amazon Business $9.43 1 $9.43
Let's Build (Magnetic Story & Play Scene) • Amazon Business $9.38 1 $9.38
Melissa & Doug Animals Mini-Puzzle Pack • Amazon Business $8.97 1 $8.97
Melissa & Doug Wooden Vehicle Magnets In A Box (20 pieces) • Amazon Business $8.94 1 $8.94
Melissa & Doug Vehicles Mini-Puzzle Pack • Amazon Business $8.92 1 $8.92
Under the Sea (Magnetic Story & Play Scene) • Amazon Business $7.99 1 $7.99
Amigos (Spanish Edition) • Amazon Business $7.99 1 $7.99
Sign Language: My First 100 Words • Amazon Business $6.58 1 $6.58
On the Launch Pad: A Counting Book About Rockets (Know Your Numbers) • Amazon Business $6.00 1 $6.00

Materials cost

$701.34

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $64.17

3rd party payment processing fee

$10.52

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$806.03

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$142.24

Total project goal

$948.27

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $948.27

1 Donor

-$948.27

Donations toward project cost

-$806.03

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$142.24

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

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

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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. Liz Oelker and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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