Free stuff!

NEA Today, Feb 1997

How do you get it for your classroom? Sometimes getting freebies takes forming partnerships with businesses or applying for grants. Sometimes you just have to ask. Here are 50 ideas to help you get started.

1. Kodak will supply a 35-mm class camera, 35 single-use cameras, a teaching guide, poster, film, and other materials to help students in first through sixth grades learn more about their community through photography. For more information on the "Using Cameras in the Curriculum" program. call 800/242-2424.

2. The PE.P. Computer Recycling Web site (http://www. microweb. com/pepsite/Recycle/recycle_index. html) lists organizations that donate used computers by state.

3. Jump ropes, posters, videos, and lesson plans are available to elementary and secondary schools through the American Heart Association's Jump Rope for Heart program. For details, call 800/AHA-USA1.

4. Office supplies, building materials, software, children's clothing, and much more are available through Gifts In Kind International. Schools can receive donations through their PTA. For an application and brochure, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Gifts In Kind International, 333 North Fairfax, Alexandria, VA 22314. For details, call 703/836-2121 or visit the Web site at http://www.GiftslnKind.org.

5. Journey Inside: The Computer Kit from Intel includes a model of a personal computer, transparencies, and supplies like wires and switches for hands-on experiments. Free to science, math, or computer teachers who teach students in grades 5-9. Contact Intel Corporation, 2200 Mission College Blvd., Santa Clara, CA 95052, 800/346-3029, ext. 143, or visit the Web site at http://www.intel.com/intel/ educate/.

6. The IRS provides high schools with tax-education materials like videos and software that walk students through completing tax forms. Call your local IRS office. Ask for the Taxpayer Education Department and refer to Form 1742.

7.The United Nations offers a kit that details the inner workings of the UN-and describes how to get othe educational materials on world issues. Send a postcard to United Nations Public Inquiries Unit, Room GA-57, United Nations, New York, NY 10017.

8. From NASA: NASA Education Horizons reports on inexpensive classroom resources, grant opportunities, contests, and general space program information. Write to NASA, Education Division, Mail Code SEO-2, Washington, DC 20546-0001. The NASA Teacher Resource Center Network Catalog lists space photos, charts, decals, badges, and curriculum guides on the U.S. space program. Write to NASA Core, Lorain County

9. The Foundation Center homepage on the Internet is packed with information on foundation and corporate grantmakers. Also included are listings of publications and training opportunities for novice grantseekers. Visit the site at http://fdncenter.org/ or write to the Foundation Center at 79 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10003-3076, 212/620-4230.

10 Booklets on health and safety 10topics, including drunken driving, seat belt safety, AIDS, and drug abuse, are available free from the Will Rogers Institute, 785 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains, NY 10605.

11. The U.S. Tennis Association provides free equipment, technical assistance, and teacher training workshops in an effort to introduce students to tennis. Contact USTA Schools Program, 70 W. Red Oak Ln., White Plains, NY 10604, 914/696-7000.

12. The Danforth Foundation grants $7.7 million annually to elementary and secondary school projects that demonstrate effective school, family, and community partnerships. For application and details, contact the Danforth Foundation, 231 S. Bemiston Ave., Suite 1080, St. Louis, MO 631051996, 314/862-6200.

13. Adopt-A-Class. Teachers Jean 1 3 Wasson and Amy Young ask family members at Forest Heights Elementary School in Harrison, Arkansas, to adopt a class for as little as $10 a month. "I've received $200 already within the first three months of school," says Wasson, who used the money to buy books and supplies. For details, contact them at 501/741-5837.

14. Blockbuster Video stores nationwide offer free rentals of community service videos. Topics range from nutrition and gun violence to AIDS and fire safety.

15. The Foundation for Exceptional Children funds projects that focus on improving relationships between parents and their disabled children, or on using technology to enhance the education of youths with disabilities. Deadline: March 1. Contact the Minigrant Committee, Foundation for Exceptional Children, 1920 Association Dr., Reston, VA 20191, 703/620-1054.

16. The Smithsonian Resource 1Guide for Teachers ($5) lists lesson plans, posters, videos, teaching packets, and other materials available for free or little cost from the Smithsonian Institution's many museums. Contact Smithsonian Institution, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Arts & Industries Bldg., Room 1163, MRC 402, Washington, DC 20560. Also available: Art to Zoo, a free teaching guide with lessons plans and resource lists for science, social studies, and art teachers.