Include Students Classroom teachers have offered many suggestions over the years. Perhaps the most obvious is to include the students themselves in the set up and clean up. If science education seeks to give students opportunities to engage in the behaviors of scientists, set up and clean up should be part of the experience. Individuals can be designated as helpers or the whole class can be involved. Each student or team of students should be made responsible for clean up of its own area, for example.
Many teachers assign specific roles to members of small groups.
These may include a materials person to assemble the materials necessary for the activity and to make sure clean-up is done. Distribution Distribution of materials can occur daily. You or your student assistants can get the materials out for the day's activity and students can then pick them up cafeteria style. Or you can deliver materials to the students' work stations. This latter is the teacher as waiter or waitress model, popular with individuals seeking more exercise.