Resource Area For Teaching

RESOURCE AREA FOR TEACHING'S (RAFT) MISSION IS TO INSPIRE JOY THROUGH HANDS ON LEARNING.

EDUCATION PROGRAMS & MATERIALS: RAFT IS PROUD TO HAVE SUPPORTED OUR EDUCATION COMMUNITY THIS PAST YEAR. OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS INCLUDE: DELIVERING OVER 120,000 STEAM PROJECT KITS TO TITLE-1 SCHOOLS SO STUDENTS CAN KEEP ENGAGED DURING DISTANCE LEARNING. 30% OF THE STUDENTS RAFT SERVES ARE FROM TITLE-1 SCHOOLS THAT SUPPORT UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. TITLE-1 SCHOOLS ARE THOSE SCHOOLS WITH A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS RECEIVING FREE OR REDUCED LUNCH AND ARE TYPICALLY UNDERSERVED AND UNDERFUNDED. DEVELOPING OVER 120 FREE STEAM LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEETS WITH OVER 10,000 DOWNLOADS TO DATE. THESE SHEETS LEAD FAMILIES IN ENGAGING HANDS-ON LESSONS THAT USE COMMON HOUSEHOLD ITEMS. DEVELOPING VIRTUAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS TO HELP EDUCATORS INCORPORATE HANDS-ON LEARNING IN THE DIGITAL CLASSROOM. OPEN MEMBERSHIP TO ALL SO OUR AFFORDABLE RESOURCES ARE ACCESSIBLE TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE. EFFECTIVE LAST YEAR, ALL PARENTS, EDUCATORS, ADMINISTRATORS, AND EVERYONE HELPING EDUCATE IN THE TIMES OF DISTANCE LEARNING ARE ELIGIBLE FOR A RAFT MEMBERSHIP. VIRTUAL RAFT MAKER NIGHTS. THESE EVENTS WELCOMED EDUCATORS, STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES TO ENGAGE IN COMMUNITY BY BUILDING A RAFT STEAM PROJECT KIT TOGETHER AND CONNECT IN DISCUSSION ABOUT FUN, STEAM ELEMENTS TAUGHT THROUGH THE ACTIVITY AND FUN VIDEOS. ENGINEERING DESIGN CHALLENGES. TO HELP STUDENTS STAY ENGAGED AND CREATIVE, RAFT STAFF CREATED ENGINEERING DESIGN CHALLENGES. THESE CHALLENGES PROPOSE A FUN CHALLENGE, SUCH AS CATCHING A LEPRECHAUN, AND STUDENTS USE HOUSEHOLD ITEMS AND THEIR CREATIVITY TO SOLVE THE CHALLENGE. MAKERSPACE BUILDS AND MAKER MOBILE VISITS TO SCHOOLS. RAFT VISITS SCHOOLS TO HOST MAKERSPACE BUILDS AND THE RAFT MAKER MOBILE BRINGS MATERIALS TO SCHOOL TO HOST ENGAGING, HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES. AFTER THESE EVENTS, STUDENTS REPORT ENJOYING THE ACTIVITIES AND FEEL CONFIDENT WITH THEIR WORK. SINCE JUNE 2020, 1,417 VOLUNTEERS HAVE CONTRIBUTED 4,251 HOURS TO ENSURE OUR RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE TO OUR LOCAL EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS DURING A CHALLENGING TIME.

RESOURCE CENTERS & WEBSITE: AT RAFT'S VOLUNTEER RESOURCE CENTER APPROXIMATELY 300 TONS OF DONATED MATERIALS ARE SORTED, PREPPED AND ASSEMBLED INTO HANDS ON LEARNING KITS BY APPROXIMATELY 6,000 COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS ANNUALLY. DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS, RAFT SHIFTED TO VIRTUAL AND REMOTE VOLUNTEERING TO CONTINUE TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY. OUR WEBSITE AND ONLINE STORE OFFER 24/7 ACCESS TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES AND RAFT EXPANDED OUR ONLINE STORE AND OFFERED CURBSIDE PICK-UP AND DELIVERY OPTIONS. IN 2020, RAFT OPENED OUR MEMBERSHIP TO PARENTS AND GUARDIANS TO SUPPORT THEM IN DISTANCE LEARNING. RAFT DEVELOPED OVER 120 NEW, FREE LEARNING ACTIVITIES AVAILABLE ONLINE TO GUIDE STUDENTS THROUGH HANDS-ON LEARNING AT HOME USING COMMON HOUSEHOLD MATERIALS WITHOUT THE NEED TO PURCHASE ADDITIONAL MATERIALS. RAFT EXPANDED OUR VIRTUAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OFFERINGS AND DEVELOPED ASYNCHRONOUS LEARNING ACTIVITIES FOR EDUCATORS TO SUPPORT DISTANCE LEARNING. SINCE JUNE 2020, 1,417 VOLUNTEERS HAVE CONTRIBUTED 4,251 HOURS TO ENSURE OUR RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE TO OUR LOCAL EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS DURING A CHALLENGING TIME.THIS PAST FISCAL YEAR, RAFT CONTINUED TO SUPPORT EDUCATORS AND THEIR STUDENTS THROUGH DISTANCE LEARNING AND AS THEY SLOWLY RETURNED TO THE IN-PERSON CLASSROOM. RESOURCES WE HAVE USED TO SUPPORT THE EDUCATION COMMUNITY INCLUDE OUR STEAM PROJECT KITS, VIRTUAL MAKER NIGHTS AND RAFT MAKER MOBILE VISITS TO SCHOOLS. SINCE SHELTER-IN-PLACE RAFT HAS DELIVERED OVER 120,000 STEAM PROJECT KITS TO TITLE-1 SCHOOLS SO STUDENTS CAN STAY ENGAGED. THROUGH OUR RESOURCES WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SERVE OVER 14,700 STUDENTS THIS PAST FISCAL YEAR.

MATERIALS DONATION/UPCYCLING PROGRAM: RAFT DIVERTS OVER 300 CUBIC TONS OF MATERIALS FROM LANDFILL ANNUALLY AND MAKES THEM AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS IN OUR RESOURCE CENTERS. RAFT HAS WORKED WITH 240 BAY AREA COMPANIES TO COLLECT AND UPCYCLE MATERIALS THEY NO LONGER NEED, FROM OFFICE SUPPLIES TO LAB EQUIPMENT, SO THAT RAFT CAN REPURPOSE THEM INTO HANDS-ON LEARNING MATERIALS. MEMBERS CAN ALSO BUY THEM IN BULK TO CREATE THEIR OWN LEARNING MATERIALS. SINCE BEING FOUNDED IN 1994, RAFT HAS RECEIVED OVER 3 MILLION CUBIC FEET OF DONATED MATERIALS. RAFT ADDRESSED EDUCATORS' NEEDS AND PROVIDED EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL THAT FULFILLS NECESSARY STANDARDS TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR FUTURE CAREERS.