With schools shifted to online classes and opportunities for in-person activities few and far between, two divisions in the City of Chandler created new interactive ways to bring hand-on educational programs to students: take-home activity kits.
Parents, caregivers and educators can engage the kiddos and teach them something new while staying safely at home with these unique activity kits available at the City’s own Environmental Education Center and Chandler Museum.
Science in a Box Exploration Crates
The Environmental Education Center (EEC) is bringing you six new, interactive ways to learn about science in our environment — without ever leaving your home.
Parents, students, teachers or residents can now take home a “science lab in a box” Exploration Crate from the EEC. These all-inclusive experiment kits combine science and art to make STEAM-based learning fun for learners of all ages.
Each crate includes three inspiring safety-tested and kid-approved experiments that spark creativity and cultivate respect for the environment.
The crates come in six different themes, selected to line up with the science curriculum for third, fourth- and fifth-grade students:
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Rock Cycle
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Aquatic Ecosystem
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Light and Sound
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Matter and Energy
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Weather
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Solar System
“They are designed to align with the science curriculum, but these boxes are fun and entertaining for kindergartens up to active adults. They offer a hands-on, interactive learning experience to give students a break from lectures,” said Ariane Francis, a recreation coordinator at the Environmental Education Center.
All supplies you need to complete the activities, including instructions and background education on each scientific topic, are included in the kit.
With COVID-19 derailing many schools’ field trip plans this year, Chandler’s Recreation Division created the idea to give educators a hands-on alternative to lecture learning, without compromising safety.
“The Exploration Crates bring the field trips to the students,” Francis said.
The crates come in sets of 10 individual boxes for teachers, educators or group learners, or are available individually to purchase at the EEC. Each student is intended to work out of his or her own box. All items in the box are sanitized and safely packaged for their recipient.
Educators who purchase a set also receive their own box with activities for demonstration, with a special bonus activity inside.
For more information on claiming your Exploration Crates, contact the Environmental Education Center at 480-782-2890.
Museum in a Box: Family Edition
The Chandler Museum offers its own spin on at-home learning with a new educational offering known as the Museum in a Box: Family Edition.
The boxes, which are available for purchase at the Chandler Museum, offer parents and children a selection of three to five at-home activities centered on a historical theme. The current box offered — “Build It! Frank Lloyd Wright in Chandler” — includes three activities and a book aimed at inspiring children’s curiosity and interest in architecture.
Take home a box to design a city, test your building skills with edible construction supplies, and review shapes hidden within authentic Wright drawings. The box also includes the book “Who Was Frank Lloyd Wright?” from the popular Who Was? book series.
The boxes, while engaging enough to entertain students of all ages, were designed with students age 7-10 in mind. All of the supplies needed to complete the activities are included in your box.
“This is a winner. The box is perfect for the way we work in our homeschool,” said Britain Earl, art instructor and mom of five, who tested the box with her kids before it went into production.
According to families who tested the boxes, children learned something new, had fun and were inspired to learn more about Frank Lloyd Wright after completing the activities.
The “Build It!” box is the first edition for sale at the Museum. However, additional take-home kits are in the works, including a Día de los Muertos themed box to accompany the upcoming traveling exhibition A Celebration of Souls: Day of the Dead in Southern Mexico, as well as Date Night boxes designed for adults.
“Built It! Frank Lloyd Wright in Chandler” boxes retail for $18 at the Chandler Museum Store, 300 S. Chandler Village Drive. The store is open during Museum hours, Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. The facility is closed on Mondays.
For more information, contact the Chandler Museum at 480-782-2717.