More About Classroom Kits
During the first round of virtual classes this year, we sent out our kits (see earlier posts of 2/1/21 and 9/21/20) without a lot of explanation, but we realized that we wanted to be more explicit about the role of “curating” in the second round of classes.
For our most recent cycle, we decided to offer even more guidance/direction - this time centered on the integrity of the kits as a whole (and the intention behind that). We mailed the kits to each teacher, and had them open the box as they would a gift at the beginning of one of our class sessions, with the children present (in person or virtual). We asked teachers to put out only a couple of containers during subsequent classes, and made suggestions about which material might be good to share first based on the progression of our classes.
Before we start each new session of these classes we rework how we incorporate the kits into our virtual classes, and we learn more about how to help children and adults explore the concept of curating. Our latest observations:
Each teacher presents the classroom kit in a different way. In one classroom it’s on a table in different containers than the ones we sent. In another it’s on the floor (in the containers we chose) for children to come and collect items as they are inspired. In another classroom the materials are in the middle of a large classroom mixed in with other objects the teacher collected on their own.
It is important to let teachers explore the kit in their own way and at their own pace, mirroring how we work with children and materials. It’s a good reminder that trust is at the core of every facet of this work.
It’s exciting to see how we all (children, teachers and us) have grown in our understanding of and ease with incorporating kit materials into our playing, creating, building -- and teaching!
