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 ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).