Educational kits for children in New Mexico

Learning with Dakota! Educational Kits

Teachers and students in and around Gallup, New Mexico, including on the Navajo Nation, are challenged every day by a chronic lack of prime educational materials. ATD Fourth World has been responding to this challenge by producing high-quality, though low-cost, educational kits. The kits stimulate students’ curiosity and nurture their pleasure of learning.

"Thank you also for making our students enjoy learning through these activity kits." - 4th grade teacher at Catherine A. Miller Elementary School

There are three kits:

  • The Solar System

  • The Natural Habitats

  • The Age of Dinosaurs

Our New Mexico team distributes the kits for free for use at home or at school. These kits are especially useful and appreciated where children have little or no access to digital tools, or even the internet. The current priority is to have the kits reach students in small rural schools.

“I sent home the kits…. One of the moms sent me a note that her son was ‘on cloud nine’ when he got home! Thank you for your work to produce and share this learning kit." - 1st grade teacher at Hozho Academy

The kits demonstrate interactive, engaging and self-guided learning models that introduce teachers in underserved schools to methods that are adapted to 21st century education and that cultivate the desire to learn.

With these engaging and interactive materials, students who are usually less involved in the class demonstrate a renewed curiosity and passion for learning, changing the perception of the teacher about so-called difficult students but also of the students about themselves.

learning with dakota student

Here are a few ways your contribution will make a difference. Thank you!

$50 Provides The Age of Dinosaurs kit to 30 students

$150 Delivers a full set of all 3 kits to 30 students

$500 Contributes to fuel and upkeep of the Story Garden on Wheels van used for rural outreach

$1000 Covers the monthly stipend for the Volunteer Corps member who designs the kits and works with the teachers

"We are a pretty big school and our teachers loved [the kits]! It turns out some of them are teaching the solar system now and the kits are perfect!" - Assistant Principal at Del Norte Elementary School

Katelryn Cheon