We have always found the invention table to be one of the most popular areas in the room, except perhaps for the snack table!

It is wonderful early on in the year when the children are exploring the kinder, you and themselves. They can just go for it!

We like to have plenty of supplies such as drawing, sticking and cutting implements …

along with loads of paper, card and envelopes.

Tubs of stuff they can access themselves such as recycled goodies, straws, pop sticks, boxes (we tend to save all our boxes from home during the break to give us a head start), pipe cleaners etc.

Sometimes their creations go home and other times they are just recycled back – they are often not so fussed at this stage about the finished product.

Our invention table is one of our most popular play areas, where the children are free to create whatever their hearts desire!

We keep it well stocked with recycled bits and pieces we’ve collect over time like cardboard, boxes, assorted papers, various types of containers, timber, ribbons and wool etc… as well as things our wonderful families and friends collect and send along for us to use. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure and all that jazz….so true, so true!

The area has a large table at which the children can create and they are encouraged to explore the invention table whenever they need supplies to add to any of our other activities throughout the day.

We have found through experience that by keeping the supplies in easily accessible tubs, in a locker we designed, the children are able to choose the tubs they need, use their contents and return them to the shelves when finished … Okay! well, that is what we encourage them to do anyway!

We are constantly adding to and changing the items in the tubs …

… depending on what we have available.

The children are encouraged to ask an adult for help when they need us to use things like the guillotine, stanley knife or large scissors but they always have access to tools and supplies like the following:

And of course if what they want or need isn’t there, all they have to do is ask and we will endeavour to get it for them or come up with a suitable replacement.