Dear teachers...

Have you ever heard of the website Donors Choose???

Well, I hadn't prior to the end of last school year either. Apparently it's been around a while, I am really surprised I had never heard of it before, so I'm hoping this will find it's way to many teachers who could use it! :)

What Donors Choose is, is a place where teachers of public schools can post proposals for things they'd like for their classrooms. We all know how hard it is to get funding for things in our rooms, especially us special educators in many cases. This site allows you to dream big and put those ideas out there.

You are "given" "points" for signing up and then "spend" points on proposals. They "cost" different points based on the actual cost of the proposal. You only get three to start and then earn points once you complete proposals and send thank yous, etc. So you would start with some lower priced ones, and work your way up to more expensive ones. (If that makes sense?) I had to figure this out as I went and it was very easy. Once you sign up everything is laid out for you. Then, anyone or any business around the world, can donate money toward your project, or fully fund your project. You send pics, thank yous, etc to them after that.

I proposed two projects last spring. One was to get exercise balls for my kids to use as desk chairs! I had read about this while I was working on myself and had gotten one for my own desk. It's called "active sitting" and works your core, helps you focus, especially for some ADD kiddos, and gives some "feedback" of sorts that more active kids need. I asked for eight of them and the project was quite costly. You order from their online catalog and put them into your project, then they add costs for donations to their site, handling, etc. The second project I proposed was to get 36 rechargable double A batteries and a charger. We had been given a number of Leap Pads, and I had found some at thrift stores, and we had been using them quite a bit. It's a great way for my kids to "read' on their own, look at books they are interested in, and learn. I have phonics books, nonfiction, Magic Tree House, Spiderman, you name it. BUT, we were constantly running out of batteries and that just didn't fly, so we had to stop after a while.

Well, not two days after putting these projects on their website, they were FULLY funded!!! By US Cellular! Go US Cellular!!! But really, what a great way for businesses to know EXACTLY what their money is funding! We LOVE our new exercise ball chairs! They bounced a bit the first day, but it's been GREAT ever since! And the batteries are awesome! We use the Leap Pads a few times a week! :) Such an AMAZING! experience!