This week, we're helping to provide gardening materials for hands-on environmental science lessons for 2nd-graders in a border community school in Texas and middle school students in the metro Atlanta area.
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, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation that facilitates tax-deductible donations to specific, vetted projects in public schools.
Our new projects will help provide hands-on, environmental science lessons, opportunities for therapeutic engagement with nature, and access to better quality food.
This never-before-funded teacher wants his second-graders not just to read about environmental science, but to experience it by starting and maintaining a fruit and vegetable garden at their school. He also hopes they might become interested in eating more fruits and veggies as a result! The city of Donna is located just a few miles from the border in the Rio Grande Valley, which is an ideal location for a school garden like this one.
Resources: Help me give my students gardening gloves, a hose, a greenhouse cover, kneeling pads, seeds and seed starter trays to experience the outdoors in a way many of them do not get to experience.
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: Juan W Caceres Elementary School, Donna, Texas
Total: $266.76
Still Needed: $245.76 Completed, thank you! We’ll be back on Sunday with more projects.
Teacher’s Comments from Mr. Vasquez:
My Students: Hello, I am currently teaching second grade math and science. Math is great, but science really brings out curiosity and creativeness in kids.
Over 90% of my kids are Hispanic and fall below the poverty level.
They are between 7 and 9 years old and are still discovering science around their environment. They love to work hard and explore. Although textbooks are fine, they can only be used to teach basic ideas. I want them to experience science, not just read about it.
My Project: Covid kept most of us learning off a screen for a full school year and a half. After such a draining, technology based year, it is time to recharge. There is no better way to do that than to get back in touch with nature. I am requesting gardening gloves, a hose, a greenhouse cover, kneeling pads, seeds and seed starter trays so my students can experience the outdoors in a way many of them do not get to experience.
Last school year (2019-2020) we started working on building a school butterfly garden.
However, due to Covid and a hard freeze in Texas, we lost the opportunity to keep up with our garden. Even before all these interruptions, I noticed was that just a few weeks in, we had very little to do. Therefore, it is my hope that by starting a fruit and vegetable garden, not only will students remain engaged longer, but might want to consume healthier snacks.
Another never-before-funded teacher wants to provide gardening materials and a portable greenhouse so that her middle school students can learn how to grow food and, in so doing, make a difference in their community.
Resources: Help me give my students some basic gardening supplies to help solve the issue of food accessibility within our community.
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: Rex Mill Middle School, Rex, Georgia
Total: $637.89
Still Needed: $420.89 Completed, thank you!
Teacher’s Comments from Ms. Odom:
My Students: I have the pleasure of teaching middle school scholars at a STEM middle school in the metro Atlanta area. These STEM scholars exude a willingness to learn and push through challenging problems that the world and community face. Through their inquisitiveness and ambition to solve global and local issues, these scholars are able to produce creative solutions and innovative ideas. Perseverance to be a success in this world is easily observed.
These students are unique because they are able to overcome both environmental and social challenges which allows them to diminish any limitations placed on them by outside influences
My Project: Gardening materials and portable greenhouses will provide students with an opportunity to solve food accessibility problems within the local community.
Through gardening, students will be able to learn through critical thinking and problem solving to solve the issue of quality food accessibility.
With these materials, students will be able to engage in real world learning experiences that can positively change their community. Gardening materials (seeds, shovels etc) and portable greenhouses elicits excellent opportunities for students to engage in the core pillars of STEM which will help prepare students for the real world.
Both of last week’s projects were completed with a huge assist from our community! The teacher for Puzzle It Out has thanked her donors in 5 languages (my emphasis below), which is perfect given the diversity of her community!
We are totally funded thanks to your generous support of teachers and their efforts to reach all students on all levels of learning!
We are looking forward to "Puzzling It Out" with our new challenging supplies. I can't wait until they arrive.
Thank you. Gracias. Merci. Danki. Msi.
With gratitude,
Mrs. Lori
STEM For Our Minds was also completed, but the good news apparently hasn’t yet reached the teacher. We’ll watch for that thank-you note and post it in a future diary.
Founded in 2009, The Inoculation Project combats the anti-science push in conservative America by funding science and math projects in traditionally red-state 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, among others.
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 914! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.
