Kindergarten Learning Toolkits

Funded Sep 8, 2020

Several months ago I requested your help in providing support in the development of hands-on learning resources for the remote or in-person classroom. Thanks to your generous donations I was able to order a diverse range of educational items to place into sturdy storage totes so students would have access to their own learning manipulatives. After a few shipping setbacks, items finally began to arrive in December and I was able to complete the learning tool kits by the end of January. Luck would have it that Kindergarten students were scheduled to begin in-person learning in my classroom on February 16th. The tool kits would be ready and available for students to utilize for in-person instruction!

I would like to begin by describing the joy and creativity that I have had the privilege of witnessing in my classroom. My students look forward to using these tool-kits each and every single school day. We call this time "Free Exploration" and while I have given students guidelines on appropriate use of the tools inside, I do not dictate how they use their free exploration time. Currently students are restricted to staying within their own 35 square feet of space in the classroom, therefore collaboration with other students is limited. Also, this restricts students from moving around the room from center to center, which is so important in Kindergarten.

However, even with these parameters, students are still sharing their creative ideas using parallel play! So far students have come up with very unique ideas with their tools, such as: veterinarians removing "fleas" from play-dough dogs, creating zoos with play-dough animals and pipe-cleaner enclosures, and "guess the footprint" in which the students create "footprints" in the play-dough and ask others to guess what animal made the print. These are all ideas that they have come up with and shared on their own.

Each week I change in and change out some of the materials to continue to spark excitement and engagement. At the beginning of each week, students are curious about what I "hid" in their tool-kits. Additionally, at the end of each day we organize and tidy up our kits so they will be ready to play with the next day (a good lesson on management and responsibility with personal items). I have observed these tool-kits inspire creativity, guide a responsible attitude towards learning materials, and give students an engaging way to interact with the core instruction while incorporating the imaginative outlet they are so deserving of. I cannot begin to thank you enough for helping to make our Learning Tool-kits a possibility.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Geringer