Hi David (and all,)

In my previous life, I was a teacher, educational supervisor, and
educational consultant. What you're describing is known in the education
community as "activity centers." I believe that museum folks may want to
steal some of the good ideas from the education community, since teachers
are known for their ability to create sound curriculum out of virtually
nothing! 

Basically you're providing an activity that one child (or a small group) can
accomplish with little or no supervision in a relatively small area. All
necessary equipment, resources, etc. should be contained within "the
center." Kindergarten and primary classes often have half a dozen centers at
any one time. In the museum setting, kids can either move through a series
of activities or simply partake of one that grabs their interest. Activity
Centers can be as simple as a small table and cards to sort, or extremely
elaborate. Here are a few links to examples of activity centers from the
education community:

http://www.fi.edu/guide/knox/simulations.html -These simulations help kids
understand aging as part of a multi-generational study. Click on the various
activities to get a full description.

http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/prek2/issues/203issue.shtm -This is a "how
to site" from PBS.

http://www.myschoolonline.com/folder/0,1872,15905-173698-21-40474,00.html
-This is a list of one kindergarten teacher's classroom centers.

http://www.teachersdesk.com/lessons/health/All%20About%20Me%20My%20Senses.ht
m - This site is a teacher's unit plan for "All About Me - My Senses"
complete with her classroom activity centers. (Scroll way down to see the
centers.)

If I were teaching the workshop, I'd start with going where the
interpretation leads. What is the concept/fact(s) you want to teach?
Example: Learning about seeds - You might have a small cup of mixed seeds
(reasonably large seeds) and have kids sort them into cups labeled with
pictures of the seed, the plant it becomes, as well as the name of the
plant. Why would this be a good activity for very young children? Not only
are you teaching kids what a sunflower, pumpkin, or corn seed look like, but
you're also providing practice in matching item to picture, sorting, and a
few new "sight words." So, this single activity has provided stimulation in
science, math, and literacy! All of the materials for this activity could
fit in a shoebox. 

The next thing I'd cover in the workshop is making sure that the activities
are age appropriate...or "all kids are not created equal." You need a
variety of activities at different "challenge levels."

Finally, fun is good! Walk around a Toys R Us store, or visit a couple of
the following sites to get a picture of how to capture kids' imaginations.

http://www.funology.com/

http://www.seasky.org/ 

http://www.sciencemonster.com/

http://www.discoveringegypt.com/

http://www.bananaboo.com/ 

Good luck on your workshop! If  you need further assistance, feel free to
contact me.

Becky Fitzgerald
Executive Director
Susquehanna Museum

-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of David Lynx
Sent: Monday, March 28, 2005 11:59 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Activity bins

I am trying to put together a workshop for a local conference.. The workshop
will be on creating activity bins for child visitors.. Anyone done anything
like this before that would be willing to share ideas?
Thanks
David Lynx

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