The University Museum in Fayetteville, AR provides these kits for free to
teachers in a 6 county area.  We have kits on birds, dinosaurs, rocks &
minerals, archeology and insects.  Teachers use these quite a bit and fill
out evaluation forms.  From my experience with these, there are several
considerations that were not addressed when some of these kits were made
but should have been.

1.  Is the kit easy to move around.  If the kits are too heavy, the
teachers need assistance getting them in and out of their cars.  Luggage
carts can make this much easier.

2.  Are teachers obligated to replace lost or broken objects?

3.  Is the kit easy to repack?  We have problems with our insect kit
getting packed inappropriately.


Our kits include real specimens and replicas.  Replicas are always labeled
as such in the teacher's manual.  Unless something is extremely rare, we
usually try to enclose the real thing.  We have had hemp rope from a bluff
shelter in our archeology kit for years and it hasn't been damaged, we
keep it in a plastic bag.

if you have any questions, let me know

sara clinard
[log in to unmask]