Happy <3 Day, geeks! | Nerd Outlet

02.14.2012

Happy <3 Day, geeks!

Categories: ThinkGeek

Roses are #FF0000, violets are #0000FF, all my base are belong to you.
–‘–,–{{@

Happy <3 Day, geeks! As promised, we’ve done our best cupid impression today and given some <3 to deserving students and teachers on DonorsChoose.org in the form of our monthly $1,000 donation. Thanks for your help choosing the projects!

Much like last year, we split the $1,000 between the front runners because these projects were so large that funding the first entirely before moving on to the next classroom would mean only one project would be fully funded. We’re hoping we can bring attention to these classrooms and perhaps some more cupids (ahem) will be inspired to help finish off their goals.

And here are the classrooms we’ve supported for Project Geek<3 2012:

Kazoo Crew, Part Two: We’re On the Move and Growing – $442 to go!
Ms. Taylor, Collierville, TN
“The project was funded and the Kazoo Crew started taking shape. In the initial project, kazoos served as “ice breakers” in small groups where we then discussed friendship, empathy, communication, and conflict resolution. The beauty of the kazoo is that it is whimsical and anyone can play it, as such it tends to generate shared laughter, a true community builder. A growing sense of community is apparent among members of the Kazoo Crew. These students have now asked that I take steps to expand the group to include more kazooists and percussionists. They have also asked that I figure out a way to make us more mobile (a presentation cart to hold our Karaoke machine) and more audience accessible (a TV to display lyrics so that audience members can join in more easily).”

Whimsical Paintings on Canvas – $204 to go!
Ms. Griffith, Phoenix, AZ
“I am requesting 55 stretched canvases for my middle school art students. They will sketch their paintings first in their sketchbooks and then learn how to transfer their drawings to the canvas using tracing paper. The students will paint using acrylics-which is a fast drying medium. The students will be able to display their paintings and then take them home to share with their families. This is going to be a fun project!”

Making Math Meaningful – $249 to go!
Mr. Hall, Bakersfield, CA
“When my students are learning a skill, it is imperative they get feedback to ensure they are learning correctly. Hot Dots Jr pens and cards are designed to support early learners as they practice new skills. There are several sets of cards focusing on many math skills in addition to phonics skills. The children simply select a card and touch the black dot next to the answer of their choice. Instantly, the pen provides a tone indicating whether the answer selected is correct or not. This immediate feedback is invaluable as my students practice new skills. In addition to Hot Dots Jr, each child having his/her own magnetic ten frame card will greatly increase understanding of numbers.”

Help Us Get Our Instruments Fixed! – $1,342 to go!
Mr. Bieda, Indianapolis, IN
“These donations will drastically change the course of the band. Currently we only have about 45 instruments for the 170 students in band to use, so the students already have to share instruments daily. Instruments are not made to be used 5 times a day and our instruments are breaking quickly! Dave Helms is going to teach our students about basic concepts they can apply to help maintain the instruments as well fix the instruments that need to be repaired.”

Not that you were waiting for this part, but we’ve also drawn our random $100 gift certificate winner! Our lucky voter is Julia F. from Santa Fe, and she’s been notified via email of her winningness. So Julia Fs from places other than Santa Fe, sorry about that, but we still love you.

We love all of you, in fact–students, teachers, and geeks of all stripes! Thanks again for your votes, and stay tuned for our March donation. If you have any ideas for charities or causes, please leave them in the comments!

For the procrastinators out there, just a little reminder that gift certificates are super romantic, as are references to hormones and robots in the form of free, printable PDF cards.