Activitymania

In elementary school I absolutely enjoyed the prepackaged activities. For kids it is closely related to a present they get to explore! More importantly, it is an INVESTIGATION they get to complete! Like the article says, if you want kids to do true inquiry, this is a great way to do it!

Activitymania includes the following:

• Team building
• Hands on
• Student-directed
• Differientiated towards level of learning
• Inquiry Based

However problems can arise, such as what if one student completes the entire activity, and the others follow? This is where teachers need to be fully engaged as well. Walking around, asking questions, observing will keep students engaged and on task. Also, if the activity is interesting in itself, students should be engaged based on that.

Games, puzzles, investigations, labs, and activitymania are educational and engaging ways to build a positive classroom environment. Students are enjoying the activity and learning at the same time. They are also building their own knowledge and ideas while doing and learning science. I want students to look forward to science each day, if I use inquiry and exploration through fun activies I will accomplish that!