The Mystery Box: Introducing Tools and Materials Used for Learning

The first few weeks of school are spent building a learning community that is filled with kind, helping, empathetic problem solvers who love to explore, think, wonder and learn together! We have created a learning community that feels safe enough with each other to make mistakes without feeling embarrassed but rather embracing them and using them to learn more. Our community has worked hard to have a growth mindset knowing we will get better at anything with practice if we put our mind to it…no matter what we are tackling! 

Another thing we needed to do was learn to use our learning materials! I use the “Mystery Box” to introduce new tools! When a tool appears in the mystery box, we 1) Read a story that relates to it, 2) I model how to use the tool and take care if it so that it lasts, and 3) They practice using the new tool to show me they can be safe, respectful and responsible with it. As long as they continue to use them correctly and take care of them they can continue to use them. 

Here are some of the books I used!

Here are some items that have shown up in our Mystery Box that we will use to create, explore and document what we notice with!

The first item to appear was the pencil! We learned how to grip a pencil properly, not push too hard and put them away point up so the lead doesn’t break! “The Line” was a perfect book for this! They used their pencils and lines to create their first drawing of themselves in Kindergarten and to write their name. Next came crayons! “How the Crayons Saved the Unicorn” is such a sweet story about friendship and helping and worked so well to introduce crayons! We learned the same thing with crayons as we did with pencils but also need to put them away with the right colors. 

Next were scissors and glue sponges! We practiced learning to use scissors safely by cutting strips of colored paper. We used the glue sponges to glue the colored pieces to their names. Cutting is a great way to strengthen those fine motor muscles needed for writing!







We also found glue sticks in the mystery box! I modeled how to create a collage with scrap paper and scissors and then used glue sticks to glue them on. Then they practiced making their own! 



They were VERY excited when markers showed up in the box! We learned to put the caps on the backs like hats so the cylinder shaped cap doesn’t roll and get lost! They put them away caps up so we know they all have their caps!

We read “Little Green” and created our own lines capturing how the hummingbird flew! Lines are important because we use straight, curved, slanted, loops, zigzags and more to make letters, numbers and pictures.

They were shocked to see these appear in the Mystery Box! Permanent Markers!! They learned that to use these they have to put the cap on the end and put their paper on a clipboard so it doesn’t mark up our tables. They also learned that Sharpies are only used to make line drawings. Never for coloring! We read “Ish” so they knew their drawings didn’t have to be perfect! They practiced by creating a self portrait using sharpies.  If their self portrait looked “Me-ish” that was just fine!

Watercolors were next! We learned how to keep the colors clean. We also learned that a lot of water makes the colors lighter. Too much water and we can barely see them. A little bit of water and the colors are brilliant and bright! 



We practiced using them by adding some “Oomph” to our plain, white name tags! “Oomph” is an awesome book to help kids add more detail to anything…rather it be illustrations, writing, building, art, observational documentation, etc. 



We also used watercolors to create a backdrop for our self portraits we made with the sharpies! There is a beautiful book called “Our Kindergarten Family” that goes perfect with this!

Permanent markers are a great tool to use with watercolors. They use the sharpie to create the lines then use watercolor to add oomph! We use these together in science a lot to create observational drawings to show what they notice!

Here are some other items we now can use that appeared in the Mystery Box!

Play dough! 

Oil Patels! These are great to use along with watercolors! 





Twistables!



Pipettes!



All of these tools look like they are primarily used in art, but in our room all of these tools are always available for them to use to show their thinking! You can show your thinking with so much more than paper/pencil/crayons! These tools can help them show their thinking from math, to science, to writing, to story-making….every single one of these can be used! Children use many languages to show what they know. The language of  painting, sculpture, drawing, building, creating with recyclables, collage, etc. can be used to both learn from and show what they know about every single subject! It is a beautiful thing to see and I’m excited to see how these kids will use it all!

Here are some other things going on in our class!

We are being exposed to one letter a day and creating an alphabet for our Sound/Word Wall! The picture go along with our keyword for each letter in our phonics curriculum.

We started Learning Stations! We have two playtimes not counting our outdoor play. Our morning play/exploration starts with 15-20 minutes where they are assigned an area of our room (see my last post to see the different areas they would be assigned). After that time is up, they can choose to stay or clean up and make another choice for another 15-20 minutes. Our afternoon play/exploration is about 40 minutes long and is all free choice. Here are some of the literacy and math invitations I set up for them.

Who can find all the letters first?









Build a tree and see how many letters it can hold!



Our new Writing Area!



Developing number sense!

They have shown a huge interest in patterns and using weight as measurement so I put out some invitations for them to explore these concepts!



Bingo is always a favorite! This will help them identify numbers with automaticity! 



We have started exploring color at our Maker Space and Science Areas! You will find out all about that next week!

A Play Based Environment in a Public School Setting

I get many questions on how I work play into a public school setting. In our room, play is the priority and everything else works around it. The reason for this is that play is how kids learn about the world around them and where they practice skills naturally. One way to foster play is to create an environment where play experiences are set up for them to use as they want to and where they can see, think and wonder. They will practice not only academic skills, which do get used constantly in very authentic ways as kids play, but also the life skills they need in order to be successful in any setting. In order for kids to be successful, they need to develop and practice problem solving (this includes problems with others), critical thinking, creative thinking, patience, collaboration/teamwork, communication, and self regulation/self control. In our room, these are the priority all year long.

Here is a tour of the areas in our new room in our new school and why they are important! The room has already changed a bit since these pictures were taken and will continue to change as I get more shelves and tables needed for some of these areas! Here is what it looks like so far and how each area fosters learning.

Here are a couple before pictures of our room. It is truly a beautiful new room/building and I love it!! It’s so big! The building and technology are top-of-the-line! And we have air conditioning! I am very appreciative of all they did for us in this wonderful new building.

Here is our room after I added my own things that I feel are also necessary to teach early childhood and my own personal touches. We do put a lot into our classrooms. The art easel and Dramatic Play furniture came from my old classroom. The baskets you see are not for decoration but are used as containers for different things we use throughout the year.

Here is our literacy area. I desperately need a bigger table dedicated for writing! Hopefully soon! In this area, books for enjoyment and learning can be enjoyed and provide inspiration! Laying down with a good book is also a great way to self regulate and calm big feelings! Same with writing/drawing! Writing materials such as crayons, thick and thin markers, colored pencils, pens, scented markers, water colors, etc. will be kept here for them to record their stories. Also, decodable  books and literacy stations will be here for them to practice phonics and other reading skills. They choose what they want to work on when they visit here.

Here they are practicing making different lines by painting them on a rock with water. Lines are important because we use them when forming letters and drawing pictures. 

This is the math area. Right now they are exploring the different materials we will use when exploring math concepts and learning how to take care of them and put them back where they belong when they are done.

Measuring by weight is a huge interest I have noticed as they played so I will set something up here soon so that they can explore that concept further!



This is our Dramatic Play Area where they can role play different roles such as those at home, in restaurants, at the airport, flower shop, beauty salon, space station, bakery, toy shop, etc. This area will be changed based on their interests! Here they practice most of the language skills in our state standards. They also write for authentic reasons because they need to. They build vocabulary as it turned into new areas. They practice problem solving skills as problems arise between them and their friends or when something isn’t going as planned. They act out stories showing knowledge of sequence and comprehension. They use critical and creative thinking skills here also! It’s one of the most important areas in an early childhood setting!

Next is our art area! I need to add another table to this area also! Here is where their creative thinking skills can shine! Things will be hung up to inspire them, but I always let them listen to their inner artist in this area! Art builds confidence and also is a calming self regulation tool that can help with mental health! Tempera paint, water colors, play dough, clay, colored paper, yarn, collage materials and more will be made available in this area.

The glass jars hold loose parts that will be used in pretty much every area in the room! 





This area is our Maker Space. Ultimately it will be the area where kids will write out a plan and create using art materials and recyclables. Paper tubes, puff balls, beads, feathers, wire, pipe cleaners any odds and ends parents send in that they think kids could create something with! A mixture of art and engineering happen here. They have to be both creative and critical thinkers and also problem solvers when their idea or materials they chose aren’t working out! They will sometimes collaborate with others to create a project together or ask for someone’s help if they can’t figure it out. Here they have to learn to deal with frustration and have grit! They learn to not give up but instead to sometimes walk away from it then come back and  problem solve! At first they created with mandala pieces until they learned how to be responsible with glue and scissors. For now they can create with paper, scissors and glue but as they learn to take care of more materials, more will be added. 

Here is our Engineering Area! It is filled with Engineering toys such as Legos, Magnetix, K’Nex, etc. Here they will use creative and critical thinking skills, problem solving skills and will also collaborate with a team to create things! Also, what is more calming if your frustrated, angry or sad than building with these toys! 

This is our Building Area! It fosters similar skills as Engineering, but also creative storytelling! I love the stories they share with the settings and characters they create here with blocks and other materials. I also see a lot of math and physics being explored in this area!

Our Science Area has been very popular the first week of school! These kids love to wonder, look closer, and explore and this is the place to do it! It also happens outside! Some are very interested in bugs. Here they will also use writing skills as they create informational writing about what they see, wonder and think! They will be able to use art materials including paint and clay later to show what they notice as scientists!

I love how they made friends for an ant they caught so it wouldn’t be lonely! They tried so hard to catch the grasshopper!



We have a sensory area where they can calm through running their hand through different materials. They can also explore math and literacy concepts here. Right now they are filling, scooping and dumping!

We have an area to explore through light but it has not been opened yet!

Drawing and writing materials are always available at their tables also! I separate crayons by color because it makes them choose colors more deliberately rather than just grabbing a random crayon from a box. They also take much better care of them this way so they last much longer!

This will be where I do small group instruction. Reading, writing, and math will be practiced here but we will also use this space for group projects that go along with the subjects we will study in science and social studies.



And last but not least is our whole group area where I provide whole group instruction in all subjects but also where we dance, sing, be silly and enjoy good stories together!

And that is our new room! As you can see, play has many benefits. Not only for learning but for mental health and community building. Almost every area can be used to clam down or get your mind to take a break from problems or emotions that sometimes might take it over. I started teaching this way the last 10 of my 29 years of teaching and the difference in the kids problem solving skills and coping skills is amazing! The first half of the year I guide them through it, the second half of the year, most are doing most of it on their own. 

We had a great first week! You will hear all about what we have been learning about in next weeks blog post!