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.
My Students
My students are eager, hard-working second graders. They enjoy all subjects, but STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects are especially exciting and engaging for them. Our school is a Tech Academy School.
Our school is located in a growing town surrounded by farms, right outside of Silicon Valley.
However, much of the wealth in Silicon Valley has not reached my students. At my school, more than half of the students receive free or reduced-price lunch.
At our school, teachers are hard working, our principal knows all 600 kids by name, and the Home and School Club is involved and helpful.
My Project
Until this year, my students have participated in different STEM activities two or three times a month inside our classroom. Usually, these projects are related to whatever theme we are learning (for example building a sand castle to learn about erosion or making a hat to learn about the properties of matter or churning cream into butter to learn about history). In our room, they usually work at their desks or crowded into the small empty floor areas we have. But next year that'll change. Our school spent about a year cleaning out a room to create a STEAM lab for all students to use.
Welcome to our STEAM lab, where kids learn to use their imagination, tenacity, and team building skills to do fun projects like make balloon creations, hovercrafts, and egg parachutes.
To begin the year, I like to introduce my second graders to the concept of STEAM projects by giving them the chance to use things they are very familiar with - Legos, wooden blocks, Lincoln Logs, magnet tiles, and Tinkertoys - to build.
Before our first lesson, I've noticed that my students think of STEAM projects as something hard or overwhelming, not realizing that they've been engineers since they were very young when they first began building with Legos or wooden blocks. After spending time just building whatever they want to with a variety of building materials, they begin to understand that STEAM learning is just about creating. With your support, I'll be able to add these building supplies to our new STEAM lab for all of our students to use.
More than half 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
Fat Brain Toys Timber Log Builders - 699 Piece Set
• Amazon Business
$99.95
1
$99.95
Kids Magnet Toys Magnet Building Tiles, 120 PCs 3D Magnetic Building Blocks Set, Educational Toys for Kids Children
• Amazon Business
$57.99
1
$57.99
LEGO Classic Medium Creative Brick Box 10696 Building Toys for Creative Play; Kids Creative Kit (484 Pieces)
• Amazon Business
$27.99
2
$55.98
{150 Piece Set} Wooden Castle Building Blocks Set FAO SCHWARZ Toy Solid Pine Wood Block Playset Kit for Kids, Toddlers, Boys, and Girls, Fantasy Medieval Knights and Princesses with Bridges and Arches
• Amazon Business
$44.95
1
$44.95
TINKERTOY 30 Model Super Building Set (Amazon Exclusive)
• Amazon Business
$41.63
1
$41.63
iPlay, iLearn Kids Wooden Building Block Set, 72 PCS Wood Castle Blocks Kit, Natural Wooden Stacking Cubes, Educational Montessori Toy for Age 3, 4, 5 Year Olds Up, Children, Preschoolers, Boys, Girls
• Amazon Business
$27.99
1
$27.99
DreambuilderToy 106 PCS Magnetic Tiles Set, STEM Building Block Preschool Educational Construction Kit，3D Magnetic Toys (106 Pieces)
• Amazon Business
$23.99
1
$23.99
Materials cost
$352.48
Vendor shipping charges
FREE
Sales tax
$32.25
3rd party payment processing fee
$5.29
Fulfillment labor & materials
$30.00
Total project cost
$420.02
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$74.12
Total project goal
$494.14
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal
$494.14
3 Donors
-$491.88
Donations toward project cost
-$420.02
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. Finucane and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
