DonorsChoose: over the halfway mark

The DonorsChoose drive here at ScienceBlogs is just over halfway finished. My challenge is almost 50% funded, with $952 raised so far as I write this and donations from 10 of you out there (and thank you very much for that). There's still quite a ways to go, however, and many incentives to get there. For one, DonorsChoose will kick in additional money for anyone who meets their challenge goal, so that's great for the kids; and second, Seed is offering a number of prizes for donors (and especially for donors to my challenge, copies of "Vaccine" by Arthur Allen). If you've donated already and haven't registered for any prizes, send along your receipt to scienceblogs@gmail.com for the Seed prizes, or to aetiology@gmail.com for a copy of "Vaccine."

I've highlighted several of the projects I'm supporting here already (and 3 of them are now fully funded!), so I'll take today to describe the last two.

Putting the "Why?" in Science

Needs: $341 (27% funded)
Asking for: Basic supplies for an 8th grade class: graduated cylinders, beakers, filter paper, eye droppers, proto-slo solution, petri dishes, markers, and paper.

The curriculum we study is so exciting and includes geologic history, the hydrosphere, chemistry and microbiology, however, I need the resources to help me teach these subjects and I'm missing the basics right now. I've done my best to buy what I can afford for my classroom, but would love to have some real science equipment for my students to use.

The Human Body: Learning by Heart!

Needs: $165 (0% funded)
Asking for: stethoscopes and blood pressure cuffs for middle school class

As part of a unit on the circulatory system, I would love to have my students be able to listen to their heartbeat and determine their blood pressure under different conditions. Students learn science best when it is hands-on and personal, and what could be more personal than actually hearing their own circulatory system in action?

Funding these projects would impact 340 students this year, and more in years to come. There are also additional projects still in need of funding at my challenge if those don't interest you; again, no amount is too small, and they all add up.