This week, we’re helping two elementary schools: an Oklahoma school library needs some jigsaw puzzles, and a Georgia school’s STEM lab needs coding robots. 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.
We have a new project today! Ms. Nelson hopes to establish a jigsaw puzzle table in her Oklahoma City elementary school library.
We have help in the form of 2x matching funds from OG&E (Oklahoma Gas & Electric): With partners in the community like you, we are energizing life for tomorrow by supporting teachers and education today.
PROJECT #1
Resources: Help me give my students engaging jigsaw puzzles to develop critical thinking and spatial awareness.
Economic need: An Equity Focus School; nearly all students from low‑income households.
Location: Coolidge Elementary School, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Total: $241.39 (2x matching funds from OG&E)
Still Needed: $199.62 Completed, thank you! Please consider project #2 below.
Project description by Ms. Nelson: Help us create an engaging and interactive space in our library with jigsaw puzzles. These puzzles will give students the chance to practice critical thinking, spatial awareness, teamwork, and focus—all while having fun.
Puzzle tables bring kids together, allowing them the opportunity to learn how to engage with others, work on fine motor skills as well as problem solving skills.
Our elementary library is a place for reading and discovery, as well as a learning space for students to work on building life skills. Jigsaw puzzles help young learners build essential skills like problem-solving, spatial awareness, and attention to detail. They also foster patience and persistence, boosting confidence as students work toward completing each puzzle. Adding puzzles to the library will create a welcoming environment where students can collaborate, relax, and experience the joy of accomplishment.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
A neurologist speaks about how the brain works on puzzles, and why they’re good for us.
We made great progress last week on project #2! Ms. Mitchell teaches all grades in the STEM lab at the elementary school in this Georgia town, and she needs some coding robots to bring computer science to the students.
We have 2x matching funds from The Ned and Nathalie Fund, which does not offer its own statement, but its current effort is described this way by DonorsChoose: The Ned and Nathalie Fund is supporting projects at Rural schools from teachers who graduated from Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
PROJECT #2
Resources: Help me give my students DASH robots to support our robotics program and STEM program.
Economic need: An Equity Focus School; nearly all students from low‑income households.
Location: Cooper-Carver Elementary School, Dawson, Georgia
Total: $953.46 (2x matching funds from The Ned and Nathalie Fund)
Still Needed: $759.05 $593.79 ($297 from us)
Project description by Ms. Valisa Mitchell: Dash robots play a big part in my Computer Science program. My students love programming the Dash robots. It's an easy way to teach coding to my younger students.
My wish is to have a classroom set of Dash robots for my students.
I teach grades PreK - 5, and they love working with Dash. They are learning to translate what they have learned using code.org to code the Dash robots. It's amazing to have them tell me, "We learned this using code.org." I have about 20 students per class period. This is a good start to our collection of Dash Robots.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
An educator who’s been using Dash robots for some time describes why he thinks they’re a good choice for STEM education.
Our project #1 from last week was completed, with plenty of help from our readers as usual — thank you!
Project #1, Innovate and Create with STEM: Mrs. Tysinger needed some interesting STEM materials to inspire her North Carolina first graders to learn more science.
She writes: I cannot express how thankful I am for your generosity. My students are going to be so excited. They will love these innovative STEM materials! Thanks again. I can't wait for the resources to arrive. I enjoy the look on my students' faces when I show them new materials. They are great kids and love learning. Thank you for your support!​ ​
| 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. |
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 1157! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.
