This week, we’re helping two Texas projects: a Corpus Christi pre-K class that needs puzzles, and a Houston middle school class that wants to make “lava lamps”. 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, math, and literacy projects for public schools in low-income neighborhoods. As always, our conduit is DonorsChoose, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation that facilitates tax-deductible donations to specific, vetted projects in public schools.
Happy January 12, my friends! It’s a new year, in a new and surely more difficult era, and also, we’re coming up fast on our 1,150-projects mark. To recognize these transitions, The Inoculation Project is going to introduce some new artwork for our diaries! I’ll say more about this at the end, but I wanted to get your attention in case you rely on the familiar picture catching your eye, as many do, to help you find us.
This was our #2 project last week, and now it moves here because it is so close to being completed. Mrs. Preciado teaches pre-K for four-year-olds in Corpus Christi, Texas, on the Gulf Coast. She’s asking for a set of sturdy wooden puzzles with number and letter themes.
PROJECT #1
Resources: Help me give my students wooden puzzles to help build number and letter sense.
Economic need: An Equity Focus School; nearly all students from low‑income households.
Location: Hicks Elementary School, Corpus Christi, Texas
Total: $363.69
Still Needed: $119.28 Completed, thank you! Please consider project #2 below.
Project description by Mrs. Preciado: Each week, my students are provided with learning opportunities to help build an understanding of their letters and numbers.
Through the use of puzzles, students will be able to connect their learning of letters and numbers through the use of play.
Play is an important part of Pre-K and working together to complete puzzles will help my students work on skills like sharing, working together, critical thinking and making connections.
For most of my students, this is their first experience at school and with your help, I hope to create a positive learning environment through puzzle play.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
A subset of the Melissa & Doug brand “peg” puzzles (with peg handles on the pieces to help toddlers grip them) feature sound, like this one of musical instruments. I’m not sure if any are among those requested, but it’s a good idea.
Okay, this is an entirely new project #2 from the one we started with, because apparently the old one got blitzed with donations (yay!) last night and early this morning and was completed before it ever appeared here!
This new project is from a teacher in Houston of middle school grades. Dr. Joiner wants her students to do a science project in which simple “lava lamps” are made, as she describes below.
PROJECT #2
Resources: Help me give my students learn about liquid density, the interaction between oil and water, and chemical reactions as they observe color and bubbles forming their own fascinating, dynamic homemade lava lamps.
Economic need: An Equity Focus School; nearly all students from low‑income households.
Location: Cummings Elementary School, Houston, Texas
Total: $182.81
Still Needed: $182.81 $108.99
Project description by Dr. Joiner: Creating lava lamps as a classroom activity offers a unique and engaging way for girls to explore fundamental chemistry concepts, fostering a sense of curiosity and enthusiasm for science. This hands-on experiment not only makes learning about chemical reactions, density, and solubility exciting but also serves as a powerful tool to break down stereotypes associated with STEM fields, particularly for young girls.
By participating in the creation of lava lamps, girls are introduced to the idea that science is not just about memorizing facts and formulas but also about discovery and creativity.
The visual appeal and dynamic nature of the lava lamp experiment help maintain high engagement levels, making the scientific principles more relatable and easier to understand. As the colorful bubbles dance through the oil, students see firsthand the practical applications of density differences and the effects of chemical reactions, concepts that might seem abstract when learned only through exploring.
In an educational landscape where girls are often underrepresented in science and technology fields, engaging them early with positive and fun scientific experiences can be pivotal. It challenges the traditional perceptions of gender roles in science and encourages girls to envision themselves in STEM careers.
Additionally, working together on projects like making lava lamps also enhances teamwork and problem-solving skills. Girls learn to collaborate, share ideas, and support one another's learning, which are essential skills not just in science but in all areas of life.
In essence, the importance of activities like making lava lamps lies not only in the understanding of scientific principles they provide but also in the broader impact they have on girls’ education. They promote a supportive environment where girls can explore their interests in science without fear of judgment, thereby nurturing a new generation of confident, curious, and capable women in STEM.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
This is basically the project Dr. Joiner has in mind.
Our project #1 from last week was completed! This was just what we like to see: our readers arrived and made the first donations to the project, and the activity we created caused DonorsChoose to show the project to other donors, who put it over the top. Thank you all!
Project #1, Science in the Classroom: Mrs. Rios wanted her southern New Mexico second-graders to have both books and materials to learn about a wide variety of science topics, including plenty of work with live plants.
She writes: Thank you so much for your donations! My students are going to enjoy science in the classroom! Students will learn so much about life cycles. This project will be one of the things students remember learning about in second grade. Instead of just showing my students pictures or videos they will see and take part in the life cycle process. I can't wait to bring this project to my classroom for my students - thanks to all of you! Again, thank you!
| DonorsChoose has developed the designation Equity Focus Schools to describe some schools that submit projects. They meet two criteria: at least 50% of students are Black, Latinx, Native American, Pacific Islander, or multiracial, and at least 50% of students qualify for free or reduced price lunch, the standard measure for school economic need. You can read more at the link about their efforts to address the longstanding inequity in education. |
So, let me tell you about this art. We started poking around at it back when nomandates had time to work on these diaries. I’d put something together, and then she would point out that they had changed the way the Front Page treats the “story image” and it would now hack off half the design — lather, rinse, repeat.
At this point, I am tired of putting this off forever, I have rolled back my last set of changes, and we’re going with this one because I like it, and if the Front Page crops it weirdly, oh well, it’ll crop it differently next month. So my plan is, NEXT WEEK when you look for The Inoculation Project, the picture will be SOME part of this:
Founded in 2009, The Inoculation Project seeks to fund science, math, and literacy projects in public school classrooms and libraries. Our conduit is DonorsChoose, 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 projects 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 1147! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.
![Banner for The Inoculation Project series, with added caption "Solid science education is the best inoculation against ignorance."](https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1136033/large/TheInoculationProjectnewbannerorig1024wblue.jpg?1668980926 "Banner for The Inoculation Project series, with added caption "Solid science education is the best inoculation against ignorance."")
