Smart Starts Kit - Grades 1-2

In rural Wisconsin in 1941, Norman Eckley was struggling to prepare his students for future jobs in agriculture. His struggle had nothing to do with his knowledge, experience, or teaching ability. He just couldn’t find the teaching tools he needed to support his lessons — so he decided to create his own.

Norman’s teaching aids brought learning to life in the classroom and offered his students real-world experiences. Working from his garage, he went on to found Nasco Education and share them with teachers everywhere through his mail-order catalogs. Suddenly, those impossible-to-find resources were all in one place at teachers’ fingertips.

This single-minded mission — to empower teachers with hands-on solutions that prepare, engage, and inspire students — is the foundation on which Nasco Education was built.

Empowering teachers
It starts with making your job easier. Our carefully curated supplies, pre-assembled and custom educational kits, comprehensive curriculums, free lesson plans, and webinars are all designed to save you time and help you deliver lessons students will never forget.

Engaging students
Whether you’re looking for supplies to inspire young artists, math manipulatives for each student, or engaging lessons for science, culinary arts, or AFNR — it’s all here. You’ll even find ways to focus on diversity and help students practice social-emotional skills.

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