Diversity Tinker Kit

 
A whole tray of unique loose parts for tinkering transient art portraits - even a mini mask!
 
As they play with this open-ended tinkering kit, kids will naturally reflect on the concept of diversity in a fun and engaging way. The rich conversations that will come about organically will be precious moments to share and learn with each other.
 
This tinker tray pairs perfectly with the original interactive children’s book "What’s in the Mirror?" written specifically for this kit. Social/emotional learning (SEL) and tinkering prompts are embedded throughout the story to foster creative thinking through tinkering and to help parents and caregivers navigate important conversations about the themes of the book including diversity, empathy and kindness.
 
Inside the tinker kit you will find 8 cardstock circle “faces” in a gradient of skin tones and specially curated loose parts that can be combined in thousands of ways to create beautiful portraits. You could make shell “eyes,” a gear “nose,” a line of cloves “mouth,” or spiral pasta “hair.” Your child’s creativity is boundless, and their creations will surely be illuminating.  Materials to create cultural and religious head coverings are also included
 
As an extension activity, the book "What’s in the Mirror" highlights 14 emotions experienced by the characters. Children can experiment with re-creating these emotions using loose parts, and in doing so open up discussions about feelings and avenues of communication. Further exploration into portraying emotion while wearing a mask (think eyebrows!) is also possible using bits from the kit.