Discovery Chest
As a child one of my earliest memories is of playing with my Grandmothers’ button box. This Aladdin’s Treasure Trove contained not only buttons, but a mesmerising variety of fascinating objects; old costume jewellery; thimbles; coins; pieces of ribbon; smooth shiny pebbles; lengths of chain; tiny enamel pill boxes – the list goes on. It kept me amused for hours!
Imagine my joy when many years ago whilst I was still a young practitioner, a well respected Early Years specialist; Eleanor Goldschmeid, spoke about Treasure Baskets for infants and how valuable they were to support those early connections between the synapses of the brain. Well Head Start have taken exploration and discovery play one step further in the form of our new discovery chests in toddler and preschool rooms. In the same way as treasure baskets do for infants, they offer children early science experiences. Exploring, discovering, investigating, asking and answering questions. The chest is topped up with new items every week, allowing the children to 'discover' something different. The objects range from marble eggs to pieces of chamois leather and the occasional real orange, lemon or lime. These objects, made from natural materials, stimulate the senses in a way plastic toys cannot and give young children the sensorial input their brains need to build up information about taste, smell, weight, texture, and temperature. These experiences are later recalled and used to understand and explain the world in general. How can we imagine what an elephant would feel like to touch if we have never experienced the different textures offered by sand paper, tree bark, and leather? How can we build a rich vocabulary if we have never heard words such as cool, warm, smooth, rough, delicate, furry, shiny, grainy, waxy and can associate them with an actual feeling?
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