Let the Learning Flow

Victoria Joseph

St. Philip Lutheran School, Resource

3-8 Art, 3-8 Technology, 2-4 Library

$1,800

What happens when you combine music with games and vocabulary? You get students who become engaged, life-long learners! Ms. Joseph's dream is to foster a love of learning through something almost everyone can relate to - the love of music! This is precisely why she wishes to use Flocabulary, a fun, engaging website that teaches important concepts primarily through rap and hip-hop videos.

"There are two different types of musical games that review each concept of an instructional video. In one example, Flocabulary offers a vocabulary review game. Using vocabulary words taught through a song, students then take a 'quiz' to help reinforce retention of the definition. For each correctly answered question, a new instrument is unlocked, and students are able build their own instrumental beat, ultimately composing their own song! Through the 'Lyric Lab' feature students create their own song or rap about the concept using the vocabulary words learned through the initial video."

By funding this dream, you may just inspire the next Mozart, Quincy Jones, Jay Z or Beyonce!

Book Nook

Michelle Minor

Holy Family School, Kindergarten

$2,000

"I am a teacher who loves books, reading to my students and having my students read to me. I need a new area to make this possible."

As someone whose passion is fostering a love for reading in her classroom, Ms. Minor wishes to provide her students with a reading space that reflects her passion. She hopes that you will support her dream of a brand-new set of furnishings that will allow her to organize classroom books, and provide seating for her little readers. With a funded dream, she will be able to increase the number of books that are available for student enjoyment, as well as preserve the quality of the books to keep for many generations of students to come. Join Miss Minor on her quest to cultivate new generations of avid readers by investing today!

Singing and Moving Helps You "Read and Write"!

Donna Beck

Saint Luke Academy, All Grades

$1,000

Help Ms. Beck liven up her classroom with the power of music! Her wish is to implement songs by Jack Hartman into her classroom so that she can teach and reinforce reading skills, while engaging students musically. By making this wish come true, Ms. Beck will combine singing, dancing, and learning, for an overall wonderful classroom environment.

Ms. Beck believes, "Hartman also has terrific break activities, encouraging movement with music. This is valuable for getting the brain activated and working. Everyone can use a brain break from time to time. This virtual opportunity would be part of our literacy month. It would be an all-school experience focused where most appropriate."

Welcoming the Nature Museum to St. Philip Lutheran

Linda Kim

St. Philip Lutheran School, Grades: 2-8

$1,400

Helping young students learn about the importance of species, habitats and the environment is the first step towards constructing a better planet for future generations. The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, "Nature on the Go" program, provides the opportunity to bring rich hands-on learning experiences into St. Philip classrooms. This will be a touchstone experience for students from kindergarten through eighth grade!

Kindergarten and first graders will partake in their "Junior Critter Investigators" and "Bugs Alive" program. Grades 2-5 will combine to participate in their "Reptiles Up Close" and "Collections and Specimens" program. The sixth through eighth graders will participate in the "Schoolyard Biodiversity" and "Collections and Specimens: Ecosystems" programs. By granting this dream, the students of St. Philip will have a unique, hands-on, expert-led learning experience, all centered around investigating local species and habitats.

Sensory Field Trip to the Farm!

Kaitlin Rozny, First Grade

St. Paul Early Childhood Center

$655

Sadly, students have missed out on school field trips for two years! The great news is that there are amazing teachers, like Ms. Rozny, who are committed to making up for lost time. Granting this dream will allow her students to go on a field trip to the Honeybee Garden Family Farm in Downers Grove, IL., giving her students the experience of getting in touch with the natural world outside of the classroom!

Furthermore, students will connect to the plight of the bee. They will learn that the bee is an endangered species, and how it is vital for the survival of humanity. Students will learn measures to take to help ensure the survival of the bee, and hence human survival.

Make this wish come true and become a part of the mission to ensure and help Ms. Rozny's first graders learn how to save the bees and save our planet!

Creating My Own Dress-Up

Irene Camacho, Prek 3 and 4

Lutheran Day Nursery

$1,654.30

Ms. Camacho dreams of providing her two and three-year-old students with new materials for their dramatic play area so that they can pretend, imagine and be creative. She would love for them to be able to explore and recreate their home, school and community life with items in the dramatic play area like dress up clothes, hats, firefighter helmets, work gloves, stethoscopes, nursing scrubs, and a pretend doctor kit.

Fulfill this dream and help the children of Lutheran Day nursery develop numerous skills! This upgraded area will promote high level thinking, problem solving and turn taking. Their classroom will be a place where they will use their fine motor skills, spark up conversations, increase vocabulary and develop a sense of independence.

Ms. Camacho shares, "As children are growing in their new skills, we as educators will help facilitate their growth and help take them to the next level."

Sand & Water Table: A Sensory Window to the World

Doris Knuth and Laurie Mauga, Preschool & Kindergarten

Grace Lutheran School

$565.00

Grace Lutheran School is committed to improving their Early Childhood program by expanding enrollment to include 3 year-old children in their 4 year-old preschool classroom. An appropriate classroom environment enables young children to explore the world around them. Grace is asking for a Sand & Water Table to enhance their Early Childhood classroom environment to provide sensory interactions with a variety of materials.

A dedicated Sand & Water table designed for classroom use will give children endless experiences exploring a variety of materials to support a multitude of activities including but not limited to: pouring, sifting, feeling, moving, changing, weighing, creating, building and discovering. Using the Sand & Water table will also support children's development in science and math.

Grant this dream and help Grace Lutheran provide sensory play for their children and support the Mission and Vision of this expanded program!