Sunday, September 26, 2010
I finally had enough of the Thames and Kosmos stepping into science and my lack of desire to do science even with a begging pre-k'er and bought a Delta Pre-K discovery kit. Boy am I glad I finally caved and got it because it is amazing and I can't wait to get started now! The site description really doesn't do the kit justice either as they do not give page examples of the book and the description is rather vague of just how much is put into the activities.
Disclaimer: You will need to pickup some extra things or make some extra things if you really want to complete all of the activities in the book to their full potential.
What comes in the rubbermaid kit box is:
- Your discovery guide
- Poster of the senses
- Growth Chart
- Measuring tape
- Senses spinner
- 2 REAL! child sized stethoscopes
- X-rays
- Child safe mirrors
- Body shape sponges - quite a few I might add
- Body patterns
The content of the Discovery guide gets an A+ from this mom as they have really put a lot of thought and effort into the knowledge crammed into this! There is a section in the beginning with some science background info for those moms of the non-sciencey variety. The "using this guide" section goes over some helpful tips on making this programs run really smoothly and getting the most out of it for your kiddos. There is a section on using this program with special needs children and second language learner children. Tehn we get to the "creating a sense-sational classroom" section and wow this really has some great idea for setting up some very simple but really fun centers around your home for your DC to interact with! There is a supplemental book list with some great books which are rather easy to find at the library or on amazon (most are 4 for 3 eligible too!) The last page of the introduction is a materials list for the whole unit. A lot can be found locally and rather inexpensively. The more hard to find items I was able to buy from rainbow resource for around thirty dollars but these are purely optional items. A lot of the items on the list that can't be easily found CAN be easily made from easily found objects :op
Now the activities are broken up into categories or sections. The sections are:
- Kickoff activities
- Science center
- Art Center
- Math Center
- Language Center
- Blocks and Building
- Dramatic Play
- Circle Time
- Cooking Activities
- Large Motor Activities
All of the experiments or activities fall within these sections. This unit or kit is EXTREMELY hands on and very FUN! It definitely fits perfectly with the way most pre-k children learn best which is by doing. Each activity is moderately scripted so there is hand holding but It is not overbearing. There are a list of questions you can use to get the child really thinking about the subject matter for each topic. The activities themselves are extremely engaging and fun too which is a super bonus! Our first will be this upcoming friday where we will roll out paper from our drawing paper roll, trace T's body and then cut it out. T can then go to work making him which I am sure will be a big hit! Other activities include things like making cookies, touch and feel boxes, Anatomy T-shirts and much more! I will be posting as many blog entries as I can on our weekly science activities so you can get a taste of how it works.
If you have a pre-K aged child though and are wanting a really fun and hands on way of introducing science then definitely check out these kits! You also have the option of just buying the set of guides for around $70 and piecing together the items yourself.
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