From Kindergartener to Engineer!

I have added our "movie trailer" for this fundraiser. :-) I am a kindergarten teacher in a public school district in North Carolina. The student population which I serve,  includes students from poverty that most likely come to school lacking preschool experiences, background knowledge,  and basic resources that prepare them to become empowered collaborators in a learning community.  Throughout  the 25 years I have taught kindergarten, I have observed how incredibly valuable early childhood experiences are in laying the groundwork for our children to develop a lifelong love of learning.  Through my work collaborating with colleagues on our district's "Power of K" Teacher Leader Initiative team, I learned from both kindergarten teachers and researchers the importance of the power of PLAY in early childhood. Opportunities to incorporate play and intentionally providing students with choices, throughout their day, work to establish confidence, creativity, problem solving, and perseverance in our youngest learners.  I have acquired materials, at my own expense, over the last few years to teach my students how to solve problems while collaborating with their peers. I have used Legos and Duplos to instruct students in using the Engineering Design Process to solve design challenges. I have seen how my students have been empowered to become problem solvers and agents of their own learning! Specifically,  I have seen the transformation of under-resourced students who struggle (initially) with literacy and emergent math skills emerge as  leaders within our classroom community,  displaying smiles of confidence that I cannot begin to accurately describe here! I recently attended a STEM Conference/Lego Symposium at Tuft's University and was able to participate in  learning sessions that focused on the use of Lego materials to teach children problem solving skills from building structures that address specific challenges... to beginning coding and robotics! I have purchased many materials for my classroom instruction, but lack the personal funds to continue. I am hoping to connect with others that share my passions for Kindergarten, Engineering, and Changing the World...one little human at a time!
*My amazing husband converted a train table that I bought from Amazon to a LEGO table for my students. (I purchased  the table, LEGO bases, adhesives, etc... from my own funds).
*2 years in a row, I was able to provide each student in my class with their own Lego kit to build (and keep), teaching them how to following directions in sequence, while practicing fine motor skills and problem solving. (I funded the first year, using lay-a-way at Walmart. The 2nd year was funded by a local car dealership). 
*Through a Donor's Choose Grant, I was able to purchase Lego Education Duplo Early Simple Machine Kits for my students. They have been a huge hit, preparing my students for more challenging projects upon completion!
*After attending the STEM Conference, I couldn’t stop myself from ordering a mere 102 Duplo Bricks to teach the "6 Bricks" method (Brent Hutcheson) to my students in the fall.  I am quite passionate about these methods and materials, eagerly sharing the Kool-Aid with other educators! I will demonstrate this method for colleagues at the WS/FCS Collaborative Learning Conference in August.
(I have spent a great deal of my own money on Legos/Duplos to teach my students using these innovative hands-on lessons.  After seeing the high level of student engagement and the use of higher order thinking skills to solve problems, I am so excited to expand my teaching to include these new materials).
https://youtu.be/3S-_4t-EATw


Thank you so much for reading this lengthy proposal :-)

These are the materials for which I am seeking this funding: Please let me know if you have any questions!

*2 sets:  "Lego Education WeDo 2.0 Core Set"  Primary coding https://education.lego.com/en-us/products/lego-education-wedo-2-0-core-set/45300
*2 sets:  "Lego Education Steam Park" https://education.lego.com/en-us/products/steam-park/45024
*3 sets:  "Simple Machines Set" Duplos   https://education.lego.com/en-us/products/simple-machines-set/9689
*2 sets: Lego "Tech Machines Set"  https://education.lego.com/en-us/products/tech-machines-set-with-storage/45002

Please feel free to share this post with anyone interesting in helping me to acquire these materials and change the world! (Okay, maybe I went too far with "change the world?")