Help me give my students building materials, dramatic play props, and sensory toys so they can see themselves as able learners, citizens, builders, and scientists.
Our school is full of students from a small community about an hour outside of Minnesota's Twin Cities. They are your typical elementary students - wiggly, wide-eyed, enthusiastic, energetic, and determined.
My students enjoy school immensely and are passionate about becoming readers, writers, musicians, firefighters, scientists, and anything else they dream up!
But my students need more opportunity for open-ended play to explore the world around them and see themselves in many career and family representations. In our busy world of today, my students are often carted from one activity to the next and have few toys that don’t offer open-ended opportunities to help them grow as learners, dreamers, and doers. Kids need to play to develop social-emotional skills and become healthy productive members of society. They need to see themselves as scientists, mathematicians, and artists. Instead of dreaming it they need the resources to show them they can do it. To inspire passion, critical thinking, and ignite their internal interests my students need toys that do not limit their inhibitions.
My Project
With these materials, I will be able to meet my students where they are as children and diverse young learners in the classroom. These materials will allow me to introduce three play-based initiatives into my kindergarten classroom which will give my students confidence in their own bodies and passion in the STEM industries.
"Play is the work of childhood" - Mr. Rogers -- By giving my students these materials you will give them the tools necessary to build their success with whatever color skin they have, with whatever shaped family is behind them, and within whatever field they choose no matter their genetics.
Simply put, my students will be compassionate dreamers, critical thinkers, confident citizens, and innovators with these materials and initiatives.
The first initiative is starting each day with Mad Science Mornings where students will use these bots, ramps, marble runs, and other manipulatives to design and engineer. They will become scientists, architects, critical thinkers, and dreamers throughout this exploration time.
The second initiative is to make Dramatic Play more inclusive. Dramatic Play already has a place in our kindergarten day but it lacks diversity. By adding dolls that look like the diverse children in our school and ones that can be blended into families that look like our families my students will be able to discover their world with more genuine role-play and confidence in their own skin.
The last initiative is creating spaces for collaborative explorations in science in the classroom where students can observe and record their findings. This will allow students to discover their natural world and build writing skills.
By supporting our project you will help these children by bringing meaningful and inclusive play into their world. You will set them up for success - no matter their genetics or background.
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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. Gunderson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
