Single Activity, Science ZipKits
At Third Church Head Start Demonstration Center, we use Science ZipKits as a
way of reaching out to parents. Each ZipKit contains all the materials and
instructions needed for carrying out a hands-on, language rich, science
activity. The instructions are divided into the four parts of the cycle of
scientific reasoning - Reflect & Plan, Predict, Act & Observe, and Report.
We try to keep the instructions simple.
The activities are previewed in class before the children take them home.
The preview motivates the children to make sure the parents do the activity
and the preview helps assure that the children know how to do the activity
even if the parent is reluctant or unable to read through all the
instructions.
Parents are enthusiastic about the Science ZipKits. For many of our
parents, this is their first experience with "educational toys" and with the
types of parent-child interactions that are possible with this sort of
open-ended, intellectually challenging material.
Teachers can adapt the basic idea of the Science ZipKit for use in the
classroom.
Click here for a sample ZipKit.
Last updated: November 22, 1997 by
Charles S. Yang
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