So many times I wish I had everything I need to do an activity with my five classes of two to five-year-olds—all in a kit. Managing materials in a way that doesn’t distract from the concept being explored, but keeps it foremost in the children’s attention, can be tricky. Because young children won’t wait for the teacher to find the bag of cotton balls or some other piece of equipment, I try to have everything in a box or on the table. Planning over a period of years, gathering materials for one kit at a time, is less daunting than feeling I have to have it all this year. If the preschools had a bigger science budget I would be interested in buying pre-made kits. Any suggestions from those of you who have used kits?
Note in the photo, that baby food containers are handy to re-use as small animal observation boxes.
Peggy