Discovery Kits at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg, MA

Sample of some of the items in the Arts and Music of Africa and Asia Discovery Kit

Do you know about the Discovery Curriculum Kits available at the Meekins Library?  This is an amazing resource for both homeschoolers, afterschoolers and school classrooms.  Last year my family checked out the Arts and Music of Africa and Asia Discovery Kit for a homestudy on music from other countries.  And this year we checked out the Community Awareness Discovery Kit for my daughters classroom, which her teacher loved and used frequently for their curriculum on community awareness!

These kits are full of a variety of materials designed to appeal to teachers and kids alike, including a large selection of books and props.  Each kit comes packed in its own wheeled suitcase with an extendable handle ready to take back to class or home. Kits contain materials appropriate for use by a range of learners.

More information about each kit can be found by clicking on the name of the kit below for a full description as well as availability. Information about the kits can also be had by calling the Meekins Library at 413-268-7472.

These kits were made possible by a Library Services and Technology Act Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.  Spread the word!

• Africa is not a Country, a small class or home study kit for grades 1-4 provides books, videos and realia about the continent of Africa and how children and families live in a variety of settings.
  

  Community Awareness Discovery Kit

• Arts and Music of Africa and Asia, a large teacher/classroom only kit, contains musical instruments as well as videos, prints and books about arts and music of Asia and Africa for teachers in grades 3-12.
• Bird is the Word, a kit for children in grades k-3, provides an opportunity for children to learn about birds with an emphasis on backyard birds of the northeastern United States and bird watching.
• Colonial America is a large kit including books on each colony, games, and videos for classroom use and home study of the colonial period from 1600-1775 grades 3-6.
• Community Awareness explores the basic elements of community for teachers and students grades k-3.
• Endangered Species explores the fragile interaction of life on earth for grades k-3.
• Families Around the World provides world atlases as well as a variety of books, videos, puzzles about families her in the United States and around the world for students k-4.
• Folktales and Storytelling a kit for all ages provides a variety of resources including a small plush fairy and gnome house complete with inhabitants, CD’s, videos and tapes as well as stories to learn about the fine art of storytelling and folktales for all grades.
• I can learn to speak Spanish a class or home study kit provides Spanish language and bi-lingual books as well as other materials to augment the study of culture and language for grades 1-4.
• Mother Goose supports early literacy in schools and homes by providing an opportunity for young children Pre-k-2 to learn nursery rhymes and the alphabet and to experience the fun and joy of chanting and singing.
• Mystery! a truly multi-media kit augments the language arts, science and math curriculi in grades 4-6 using the theme of mystery to delve into the genre of mystery writing and to solve math and science mysteries and puzzles.


Colonial America Discovery Kit

• Native Americans provides resources for teachers and students grades 2-5. The kit’s concentration is on history books about New England’s Eastern Woodlands Indian tribes including the Wampanoag, Iroquois and Naragansett.
• Oceans provides an opportunity for children k-3 to learn about oceans, marine life and seashores.
• Prehistoric Life provides an introduction to prehistoric life and the reign of the dinosaurs.
• Revolutionary War and the Birth of the U.S.A. provides resources for grades 3-6 to study the Revolutionary War period from 1775-1783.
• Rivers & Salmon provides resources about the life cycle of salmon, the water cycle and rivers for grades k-3.
• Seasons provides resources for students and teachers k-3 to explore the changing seasons in the northern United States with a focus on Fall and apples and pumpkins.
• U.S.A. Heroes and Heroines focuses on the study of American social reformers, civil and human rights leaders, their biographies and the study of biography as a genre for grades 4-6.
• Viva Mexico! is a large teacher/classroom only kit provides a wide variety of historical information, real crafts, as well as Spanish language materials for grades 4-6.