This week, we’re working on funding some smart-board math games for an Oklahoma kindergarten, and two compact compost bins for a Georgia middle school’s lunchroom scraps (the latter in honor of Earth Day tomorrow!) We hope that readers who support quality public school education will help by sharing or supporting our featured projects.
The Inoculation Project is an ongoing, volunteer effort to crowdfund science and math projects for red-state public schools in low-income neighborhoods. As always, our conduit is DonorsChoose.org, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation that facilitates tax-deductible donations to specific, vetted projects in public schools.
This week, we’ll take on a couple of projects with matching-funds offers. This Oklahoma classroom is eligible for 1.5x matching funds from Verizon: Verizon is helping to give millions of kids the tech education they deserve. We're putting technology, access, and innovative learning programs in the hands of students to put them on the path to success.
Among the several reasons I chose this project over others is that I noticed the two extant donations were from the teacher. My reading is that she’s afraid nobody’s going to fund her project, so she’s bent on at least getting a little help from the matching funds. How about if we help her out a bit more than she expects?
PROJECT #1
Resources: Help me give my students interactive games for use on the SmartBoard as a way to strengthen and grow mathematical knowledge in a hands-on way through the use of technology.
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: Epperly Heights Elementary School, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Total: $422.09 (1.5x matching funds from Verizon)
Still Needed: $304.74 Completed! Thank you! Please see next project.
Teacher’s Comments from Mrs. Harris:
My Students: Our school serves low-income families. We are 100% free lunch program at our school. Our school is at-high risk for behavior issues and is a high-need school in cases of remediation; we have many students requiring special services for education and general daily needs.
I have the pleasure of working with a wonderful group of 5- through 7-year-olds in kindergarten.
My class amazes me every day. This group of students is so hungry to learn that it is not odd to find them reading to each other or wandering the classroom writing during their free choice time. They love to learn together.
My class is inclusive. There are no cliques. They go across the class to seek out a friend that is sad or alone. They want everyone to play and be seen. They clap for each other in success and encourage each other in failure. They love to be together.
My class is compassionate. A hurt friend or a tear in the eye is a reason to stop playing and seek help or become help. There is nowhere that is too far to aid a fellow student.
My Project: I am requesting a set of SmartBoard games specifically focusing on beginning math skills used in kindergarten. These games would allow students in our program to have access to technology for the purpose of strengthening learning and helping to build new knowledge in a way that traditional paper and pencil would not be able to.
In kindergarten we are teaching our students the foundations of math, and with the use of technology we will be able to grow a passion for numbers and a joy for learning.
Many students would not otherwise have access to this meaningful learning tool without the support found in the classroom.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
Here’s an Earth Day project in a Georgia middle school, receiving 2x matching funds from the Johnson Ohana Foundation: The Johnson Ohana Foundation was founded by Kim and Jack Johnson to support environmental, art, and music education. As part of the Johnson Ohana Earth Day Match, qualifying environmental and/or earth day projects, including school garden requests, recycling & composting efforts, and plastic free & waste reduction initiatives will be funded. The Johnson Ohana Foundation believes strongly in fostering environmental stewardship and service learning opportunities in the classroom.
PROJECT #2
Resources: Help me give my students schoolyard compost containers to turn lunchroom waste into black gold for the garden!
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: Hilsman Middle School, Athens, Georgia
Total: $441.99 (2x matching funds from Johnson Ohana Foundation)
Still Needed: $441.99 Completed! Thanks, everyone! See you next week!
Teacher’s Comments from Ms. Hughes:
My Students: A typical day in my school includes seeing students, members of the Science & Energy Team, walking through the hallways with Energy Star pledges and recycling bins. My students are from a community that is classified as, "high poverty," and they are engaged and actively want to make a positive difference in our school and community.
They manage the school's recycling and energy conservation program.
They host conservation fairs and eco-trivia nights. They also volunteer at community events to teach younger students and adults ways to conserve resources. The students donate their earnings from recycling to the hunger relief agencies.
My Project: I am requesting two compact, upright school size compost containers to turn lunchroom waste into rich compost that can be used in our school gardens. These units take up very little horizontal space which is fantastic because many of my students live in apartments and duplexes, so this will allow them to see a real example of a type of composting that they can do at their own home. In fact, it will teach them how to compost in a small space so that they can carry this with them wherever they live in the future - college apartment or suburban neighborhood.
My students live in an urban area where landfill space is in short supply.
In fact, there is no more space in our county to build a new landfill. There is an urgent need to reduce waste so that our landfill will last longer. Reducing waste by composting is something that I can teach my urban students to do. Our lunchroom waste will create black garden gold that can be used to make our school campus more beautiful. Composting lunchroom waste will be a win-win!
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
Both of our projects from last week were completed, with a big assist from our readers!
Mrs. R’s Florida second grade will be reading a series of new, illustrated non-fiction books about animals, thanks to the project Little Scientists Want to Know the Truth.
She writes: Thank you so much for fulfilling the project Little Scientists want to know the truth. I'm so excited to share these exciting and inviting science books with my students. My hope is to spark an interest that will inspire a new generation of scientists. Thank you for supporting education.
And in North Carolina, Me. Perez’s high school chemistry students will have materials to do some hands-on labs, thanks to the project ChemLabs in Chem Class.
She writes: I would like to express my gratitude to all the generous donors. Your willingness to help fund this cause will surely make a difference into the lives of my students.
Thanks to all of you, you have provided my students the needed resources that they can use in class.
I truly appreciate you all for your kindness and support, you are an instrument in making the world a better place!
Our Dollars at Work
In January, we helped Mrs. Crump’s gifted second-graders in small-town Mississippi. They needed an array of Snap Circuits kits, to allow them to easily design and build electrical devices with many functions. The project was Oh, Snap! Let's Learn About Circuits! (More photos at the link.)
My students are using the Snap Circuit kits to explore circuitry and electricity. We have talked about how circuits work and completed simple circuit experiments in past lessons. As students are discovering what makes the switches turn on, how the spinner is able to rotate and/or fly into the air, and why the speaker works, I am facilitating. I am allowing them to take control of the lessons and learn through experimenting. Students are learning about group dynamics and problem-solving as a team. As I observe each group, I can reteach old concepts or teach new ones, depending on what that specific set of students need. As each child progresses through the lessons taught in the different kits, I can change up the groups and allow students to work with peers who are ready to progress onto the next level. What a fun way to differentiate my lessons and provide real-life, hands-on experience! Thank you, again, for your generous donations!
Founded in 2009, The Inoculation Project combats the anti-science push in conservative America by funding science and math projects in red-state classrooms and libraries. Our conduit is DonorsChoose.org, a crowdfunding charity founded in 2000 and highly rated by both Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau.
Every Sunday, we focus on helping to fund science or math projects, preferably in neighborhood public schools where the overwhelming majority of students come from low-income households. We welcome everyone who supports public school education — no money is required!
Finally, here’s our list of successfully funded projects — our series total is 737! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.org.