DonorsChoose Science Challenge Results!

The DonorsChoose Science Blog Challenge is over–and Bug Donors were able to fund a Connecticut teacher! Yay!

Here’s what she had to say:

I cannot even begin to express my gratitude for your generosity. It is so amazing and inspiring to know that you are all committed to expanding my students’ experiences and opportunities. 

The resources that you have provided will give my students first-hand knowledge of life science. Students who have never before explored the natural world will get a chance to observe, care for, interact with, and study live animals in their habitats. My students will be exposed to the world outside of the streets, and this exposure and experience can help them reach their full potential in life. 

I know that my students can succeed, given the opportunity. YOU have helped give them this opportunity. Thank you on behalf of my students and their futures.

With gratitude,
Ms. O

If that letter doesn’t make you a little verklempt, you have a heart of stone.  Thank you so much for your generous donations! It’s not really important to win the competition, but to get kids involved with nature.  The total for ALL the science bloggers that participated was over $50,000 and will affect over 27,00o kids. WIN.

If you haven’t donated yet, there’s still time–you can visit the Insect Donors Challenge page and still give.  We are just $179 away from funding a teacher in Tulsa that wants to give her pre-K urban kids natural materials to learn and play with.  There are two other projects that will involve kids in composting and gardening.

Thanks everyone!

Reminder: Donor’s Choose Entomology Challenge

Yep, it’s time for the yearly DonorsChoose Science Challenge!
I choose 4 insect science projects in high poverty schools, and I hope my buggy friends will step up and fund them.

I especially would like to see the Teach For America student in Connecticut get her project funded, since TFA is a project I love, and it’s close to my new home!  She only needs $100 more to make that happen. 5 people x $10 =WIN!

Why does that math look funny? Because several of the projects have match pledges that will double your donation.

For those of you that aren’t familiar with DonorsChoose, here’s how it works: public school teachers post classroom project requests on DonorsChoose.org.  Anyone can contribute any amount to a project that inspires them. Once a project reaches its funding goal, Donorschoose delivers the materials to the school.  You also get very cool thank you’s and photos from the teachers and kids.

It’s all tax deductible too.

Get with the clicking, people!    

Show other science bloggers what bugologists are made of

Yep, it’s time for the yearly DonorsChoose Science Challenge!
I chose 4 insect science projects in high poverty schools, and I hope my buggy friends will step up and fund them.

I especially would like to see the Teach For America student in Connecticut get her project funded, since TFA is a project I love, and it’s close to my new home!

For those of you that aren’t familiar with DonorsChoose, here’s how it works: public school teachers post classroom project requests on DonorsChoose.org.  Anyone can contribute any amount to a project that inspires them. Once a project reaches its funding goal, Donorschoose delivers the materials to the school.  You also get very cool thank you’s and photos from the teachers and kids.

Get with the clicking, people!    

School of Ants

I love citizen science projects, and this one looks like a great project for teachers!

The School of Ants project is a citizen-scientist driven study of the ants that live in urban areas, particularly around homes and schools. Collection kits are available to anyone interested in participating. Teachers, students, parents, kids, junior-scientists, senior citizens and enthusiasts of all stripes are involved in collecting ants in schoolyards and backyards using a standardized protocol so that we can make detailed maps of the wildlife that lives just outside our doorsteps.

They are not accepting new applications until Sept. 1, but teachers can email and ask special-like.

Can’t wait? Here are some other insect Citizen-Science projects:

• The Lost Ladybug Project
• Firefly Watch
• Sunflower Bee Counts
• Nature’s Notebook (a project of the National Phenology Network)

BTW, don’t confuse this with a similar movie, School of Ant Rock.

I CHALLENGE THEE

Hey–who wants to have a ScienceBlogs vs. Discover blogs vs. Nature Blog Network throw down for Donor’s Choose?

This October, I’ll be part of the DonorsChoose.org Social Media Challenge.  This is a friendly month-long competition between blogs to see which can bring in the most donations to help low-income classrooms on DonorsChoose.org.  DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that provides an easy way for people to fund worthy projects in schools by donating online.

Please visit my Giving Page to make a donation.

I’ve chosen schools in high poverty areas that have insect-themed or garden themed proj
ects. A couple of them are in Michigan!

ALL NATURE BLOG NETWORK FOLK:

Make sure you choose the “Nature Blog Network” as your Giving Group!

I hereby challenge PZ and BA. I think all our the little nature blogs  can kick your A-list blogs’ asses in donations to get kids involved with nature. NEENER! 

Raptor Lesson Plans!

Ooooh…just stumbled over this and thought I would share. The University of Minnesota Raptor Center has a section of lesson plans related to raptors! I especially liked the ones involving math and graphing of data.

Check it out!

[thanks to MikeBaird for the photo!]

End of the Year Donors’ Choose update!

I am really excited to report that the Donors Choose Blogger Challenge was a huge success! Yesterday I got a surprise package from Donors Choose, and this info:

• $276,171 in donations to classroom projects reaching 66,654 students from low income communities
• 168 bloggers participated in 2008, double last year’s participation
• 2910 blog readers donated, up from 1700 in 2007

I’m happy to say that nearly all the projects featured in the Bug Challenge were fully funded. In fact, the Bug Blog donations TOPPED that from Boing Boing. W00t!!
(This came despite my being booted from the Science Blogs category into “general blogs”, since I have not yet been assimilated into Sb™.  I’m totally over it now though. No resentment. Really.)

One project has only 23 days left, and still needs a little cash, if you need an end of the year tax deduction.

THANKS SO MUCH to all of you that contributed! 

New Evolution/Educational resources

A bunch of new FREE stuff out from AIBS:

“The teaching and learning resources compiled for the fifth annual evolution symposium and educator workshop, “Illuminating Biology: An Evolutionary Perspective,” held in October at the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) professional development conference, are now online.”

“The AIBS education resource ActionBioscience.org now has a new section on the site specifically for educators. The “Educator Resources” page…provides easy access to the array of relevant resources provided by AIBS….  All of these resources are available for free.”

The beta site for the Understanding Science project was launched during the California Science Teachers Association annual conference at the end of October. The site includes information for the general public on the real process of science, highlighting the creative and nonlinear paths scientists take.

I especially like this page from Understanding Science on the limits of science. I find that once I clearly separate out science from other ways of knowing, a lot of my creationist students calm down.

DonorsChoose Reminder

Just a reminder–one of the projects I chose that combines Math and Insects only has 8 more days to be funded!

“DonorsChoose.org is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack. At this not-for-profit web site, teachers submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. These ideas become classroom reality when concerned individuals, whom we call Citizen Philanthropists, choose projects to fund.”

Several folks have already donated, and three of the projects were fully funded–Thank you!!

I hope that all the insect lovers out there (and maybe even some entomology departments!) will consider giving to these projects and sharing our wonder in the entomological world.  

I still haven’t had any suggestions on my “offer to do something wacky” if all my chosen projects are funded.  (It’s part of the DonorsChoose blogger challenge.) You’ve already seen me with my arm up a cow butt, and exposing myself to people in Milwaukee.

What can I do that will top that? Feel free to make suggestions.

Donors Choose Insect Challenge!

If you didn’t hear about it, there is a Blogger Challenge for DonorsChoose.org:

“DonorsChoose.org is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack. At this not-for-profit web site, teachers submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. These ideas become classroom reality when concerned individuals, whom we call Citizen Philanthropists, choose projects to fund.”

I have created a page of insect-related projects in high poverty schools that I think are really interesting and innovative.  They use insects in cross-curricular ways, and these are things that I think will be lasting efforts that will benefit future students too.

With the year winding down, perhaps you are looking for something tax-deductible.  Maybe right now you want to do something positive to balance all the negativity in the world.  You can also give a donation in someone’s name as a gift, if you are stumped for what to get someone for the holidays.

I hope that all the insect lovers out there (and maybe even some entomology departments!) will consider giving to these projects and sharing our wonder in the entomological world.

I’m also supposed to “offer to do something wacky” if all my chosen projects are funded.  Nothing much is coming to mind, since you’ve already seen me with my arm up a cow butt, and exposing myself to people in Milwaukee.

What can I do that will top that? Feel free to make suggestions.