My students need the tactile experience of their hands in sand and water table to expose them to new discoveries. The aprons are needed to keep their clothes clean and dry.
When my students go home everyday and their family asks that century old question, "What did you do at school today?" I want my students to respond, "We played!"
Pre-Kindergarten students are programmed to learn through play. All of our activities and projects are learning, masked in play.
We are a small rural school.
Our school services Pre-K to 8th grade. Our Pre-Kindergarten classroom goes to school for the full day just as the older grades do. We may be a small school but that also make us a tight knit group. We look out for each other and we work together for the growth and education of each student.
My Project
With a sand and water table the Pre-Kindergarten students will learn a vast array of science and math principles. The water makes it easy to explore sinking and floating, or gears and wheels, ramps and the basic concepts of hydroelectricity. An example lesson may be fishing for tropical fish with tweezers. The tweezers help develop hand grip for holding a pencil, and they then needed to count their fish. To them, it's simply playing.
Sand makes for an artistic platform where they can explore their individual creativity. It also makes a great hiding place for small treasures to be discovered and then manipulated. An example sand lesson may be putting their hand prints into the sand and another student 'investigate' the hand to see who the print belongs to. This works on cooperation, communication, observation, trial and error, and brainstorming. To them, it's simply playing.
When you come from a small rural community, often resources are limited.
When students come to school they may have other things on their minds, like what they need to do when they get home. When teachers, and the community invest resources and time into the classrooms it show students that they are important. And when our students feel that they are valued they come better prepared, and excited to learn. I want my students to know that they are valued everyday.
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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. Troupe and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.