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This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. McCool Berry from Lakewood, OH is requesting supplies through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

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Puppets Bring Children's Original Stories and Plays to Life!

My students need hand puppets to perform plays and stories they have written. Writing, reading, speaking, listening and visual skills will be developed using puppets.

FULLY FUNDED! Mrs. McCool Berry's classroom raised $685

This project is fully funded

My Students

Puppets motivate, inspire, and invite children to explore using their imaginations and language. My children need to think creatively, apply reading and writing skills, and communicate to an audience using puppets. “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.” ― Albert Einstein

Our school vibrates with the enthusiasm, engagement, and curiosity of children and staff.

Visitors feel the positive energy upon entering this happy, lively place of learning. More than half of our students live in poverty and receive free or reduced meals. We have the highest number of refugee students in our school district and over 40 languages are spoken in the district. School is an oasis, a haven, where our children have the freedom to test their ideas, find solutions, collaborate, question, debate, and write and think creatively. We believe children need hands-on learning experiences to build their background knowledge. Our intention is for children to learn and be challenged so they may enter our world with the knowledge that will allow them to gain access to higher education and good jobs. It is our firm belief that every child deserves high quality educational experiences and will succeed. Our school is an incubator for thinkers, collaborators, and problem solvers.

My Project

The hand puppets and puppet theater will allow students to bring to life their original stories and plays. The puppets will boost creativity and stimulate children's imaginations. Children will begin by writing stories and plays using stories elements such as: characters, setting, plot, conflict and resolution. Dialogue will be incorporated into their writing. Children will actively engage in thinking, writing, creating, reading, speaking, listening, and presenting. Research shows that there is a true value to using puppets and other forms of dramatics to help develop the language skills of all children and especially, language minority learners. Students become more comfortable expressing themselves when using a medium to help share their ideas. Our children will perform their stories and plays for audiences and the puppet show will be taped using digital cameras for parents who are not able to attend. Puppets are the portal for children to open their minds and hone language.

Children today are inundated with technology which is another wonderful tool.

Puppetry, an ancient art form, has been practiced by many cultures throughout civilization. Puppets can be used in today's classrooms alongside technology to help boost children's oral and language skills development. Puppets can be used to develop skills for the 21st century: creative thinking, collaborating, and communicating. Writing stories and plays using puppets will actively involve children in their learning.

Mrs. McCool Berry Emerson Elementary School Grades PreK-2 Lakewood, OH View local requests

More than a third of 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

75 students impacted 17donors

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TEACHERS, FEELING INSPIRED?

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Bigmouth Animal Puppets • Kaplan Early Learning Company $101.96 1 $101.96
Wood Puppet Tree • Kaplan Early Learning Company $50.96 2 $101.92
Kaplan Kids Puppets - Set of 7 • Kaplan Early Learning Company $93.46 1 $93.46
Animal Friends Puppet Set of 8 • Kaplan Early Learning Company $76.46 1 $76.46
Safari Animal Puppet Set (set of 8) • Kaplan Early Learning Company $59.46 1 $59.46
Farm Puppets (Set of 8) • Kaplan Early Learning Company $59.46 1 $59.46
Tabletop Puppet Theater • Kaplan Early Learning Company $50.96 1 $50.96

Materials cost

$543.68

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$8.16

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$581.84

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$102.68

Total project goal

$684.52

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $684.52

13 Donors

-$628.34

Donations toward project cost

-$539.34

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$89.00

Matching donations from our partners

-$50.00

Match offers toward project cost

-$42.50

Match offers to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$7.50

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$6.18

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

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

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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. McCool Berry and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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