Science In Action!

Our Science Resource Grants enhance classroom instruction through hands-on learning activities and experiences with a focus on life sciences and chemistry. Through this program, any TK-12th grade teacher working at a Title 1 public school in Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, or Santa Clara County can apply for a grant up to $500.

PVF loves to hear from grantees, partner organizations, and teachers about their experiences. Read a letter from a 6th grade teacher in Santa Clara County who was awarded a grant for science kits. 

Dear Philanthropic Venture Funds, 

My students and I would like to send our sincerest gratitude for the Science Resource Grant! We have been using the kits extensively and are so excited ! Every single student was engaged, reading, writing, researching and LEARNING science as well as many other imperative academic skills. Each student or pair of students in making a google slideshow to display their use of the Scientific Method. One student commented, “This is borderline miraculous; you made us a science lab out of a regular old classroom!!” I agreed and told them it was a wonderful collaboration, Philanthropic Venture Funds, their donors, teachers,  and of course them, the students! We all came together to provide hands-on science experiments infused with reading, math and writing! We have not yet used the potato clocks or water cycles as those come later in the year.

Currently, we are studying the Scientific Method as well Body Systems (which, of course, lends itself less to experiments). Those two areas may seem to be a random pairing, but I try to attempt high interest and also stay on schedule with the school prescribed curriculum. Time is typically the main prohibitive and hindering factor for doing a lot of hands-on activities in science. Having the kits enables us to do lots of experiments for every student with little or no prep time. The kits give the students and me the gift of time. We now have more time to read from the science book more (an arduous task with literally 6 different reading levels represented in a given class), time to edit and revise the writing we do about our readings or experiments, another monumental task for the same reason as reading! Thank you for giving us the gift that we desperately need, the gift of more time! 

Thank you SO much for providing these fantastic resources that enable us to use our time wisely and efficiently as well as teach science effectively! We are over the moon excited to have our “science labs in boxes”! 

We all say “Best Warmest Wishes and Thank You!”