Classroom supplies for Kenya

For my birthday at the beginning of the year, my family got me started on gathering supplies to bring on the trip to Kenya this summer. They started me off with some pencils, some hand pointers, and a classroom set of Tangrams. The pointers and Tangrams were something I brought on the 2011 trip that ended up being fun and very useful. I taught in three fifth grade classes and gave a hand-pointer to each class. It was very interesting when I learned the each class already had a color name and the pointers matched those colors. The green class, the blue class, and the red class each got an appropriate pointer. Theses replaced the old wooden sticks that the teachers used to point to things on the board. I used the Tangrams with each class too, and the lessons worked perfectly with a story that I found to read to each class and a skit that other members of my team presented to various schools. The story is here. 

This year, I would like to generate a couple of lists. One list is items that students at my school, New Searles Elementary School can bring in to donate to the Kenyan schools. I am still working on that list to determine what things would be most necessary and easy for families to purchase and donate. 

The other list is things, that I think would be useful to bring for my teaching and from my observations of what would be needed in the schools. I would also like to add lists and items that other teachers going on the trip might recommend. It will be an ongoing list that can be added to as we approach the July departure. I have never done anything like this, but I have a few ideas: people could purchase things and give them to one of the teachers on the trip, they can purchase many of them on Amazon and have them sent to me or my school, or they can donate money or a gift card to purchase necessary items. I am thinking of posters and other classroom materials that can be purchased at teacher stores. I am open to all suggestions and questions, with the idea of bringing school supplies and teacher materials to the schools in Kenya that we will be working in.

Please stayed tuned for the lists.