Quarterly Connections

Springtime is a season of increased energy at RAFT. Teachers are focused on covering essential class materials before Spring Break and youth leaders are gearing up for summer camp activities. RAFT’s great ideas and hands-on teaching resources help educators engage their students in the learning process — even those with spring fever!

There are more reasons teachers and youth leaders give for using hands-on teaching methods with their students:

•  Inspires Inventor – the use of readily available materials shows students how to invent with little more than what they have on hand at home. For instance, a shampoo bottle is not very interesting to a young boy or girl until they discover it can be used as a rocket launcher!

•  Supports Sustainability – Responsible consumption and recycling are side lessons learned when a CD becomes part of a solar cooker and a CD case is used to make their very own viewable seed germinator.

•  Transcends Language Barriers – RAFT Activity Kits have been taken by a number of our members on travels far and wide to share with the children in the countries they visit. The photos of the children in other countries making a Tongue Depressor Harmonica or Glove-a-Phone are proof positive that the joy of making and creating is a universal one!  Hands-on teaching takes learning beyond language into the experience of doing.

•  Extends Learning – the affordable prices of educational teaching materials at RAFT allow students to  take home what they build in class. Students excited about what they learned that day repeat the lesson to family members and friends, thus deepening the learning in their role reversal as teacher.

•  Supports Inclusion –every class includes students who are at different levels of learning, with preferred learning styles, and often include students with learning disabilities. Hands-on learning activities are by their very nature adaptable to a number of different learning styles and abilities.  Kids learn better when they use their hands.