Metal: A Perfect Play Material for Children's Improvisation

What's In This Kit?
This training kit provides teachers with strategies on enhancing children’s construction, creativity, and improvisation in the block center using metal. This training program contains the following components:

• Expected training outcomes and learning objectives
• Training research
• Training models
• Training benchmarks
• Preparation and implementation steps
• Handouts
• The article “Metal: A perfect play material for young children’s improvisations” by Sandra Duncan and Mickey MacGillivray
• References
• Resources
• Training Certificate for Learner �" Certificate of Attendance and Participation

Who's the Target Audience?
The target audiences for this training kit are beginning and intermediate Learners who are working with preschoolers (3 to 5 years). This kit is designed to help participants observe changes in children’s play when metal is added to the early childhood classroom’s block center.

Teacher Skill Level

beginning intermediate advanced

Children's Age Level

infants toddlers preschoolers school-agers birth to 8

Kit Timeline:
Preparation time for this kit is estimated at 30 minutes. Implementation and actual training time is 3.0 hours, which includes 1.5 hours of face-to-face training and 1.5 hours of independent study and an applied activity project.

Training Outcomes:

1. Learner will add at least 5 metal objects to the block center.
2. Learner will document changes in children’s constructions when metal is added to the block center.
3. Learner will describe at least 2 characteristics of loose parts.

These training outcomes address the following American standards:

• National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) Standards and Accreditation Performance Criteria (2005). (www. naeyc.org).
  • Using developmental knowledge to create healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging environments (1c).
  • Knowing about and using observation, documentation, and other appropriate assessment tools and approaches (5b).
• National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs, National Association of Child Care Professionals (2005). (www. naccp.org).
  • Processes in understanding similarities and respecting differences among people, such as gender, race, special needs, culture, language, and family structures.
• National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs, National Association of Child Care Professionals (2005). www.naccp.org .
  • Written observations are made on each child’s actions, abilities, and knowledge as the child engages in the classroom and in routine outdoor settings (D2).
  • The arrangement of the classroom encourages children to become engaged and promotes child-centered learning experiences.

Note: It is important to determine any additional state and local standards that relate to this topic or requirements of other regulatory bodies specific to your program.

Note: Downloadable PDFs are only available for download in pdf format. Directions for downloading follow immediately after purchase.