Gingerbread - S3-E11
Factual error: There is a short picture of a 17th century German newspaper. The actual text however not only is written in modern High German as opposed to Mid-High German, but also is full of errors (mixing female articles with male nouns is only one example). Funnily enough, Giles' incantation at the end of the episode is in correct German. (00:30:45)
Gingerbread - S3-E11
Continuity mistake: In the previous episode 'Amends', Buffy was sporting a brand new short fringe. In this episode it has grown out. Completely.
Gingerbread - S3-E11
Factual error: When Giles and Cordelia are driving to save the girls from getting burned at the stake and are making the potion to make the demon show his true face Giles tells Cordelia to shred the Wolfsbane. This is a huge mistake as any Witch will know (my sister pointed this out to me) that Wolfsbane is highly poisonous and should never be touched with bare hands and Cordelia didn't have gloves or anything.
Chosen answer: From what we see in the series, certain girls are identifiable as potential Slayers - Kendra clearly fell into this category. The identification method is presumably mystical in nature, but the Watchers' Council are pretty effective at that sort of thing, so they're quite good at tracking down the potentials ahead of time. Not perfect, though - it does appear that Buffy herself may have slipped through the net - certainly she had no inkling of what she was until she'd already taken on the role of Slayer. It is possible, however, that this was actually cultural - an American family would hardly be likely to turn over their daughter to some strange man for 'training', so the Watchers might have chosen to keep an eye on her covertly, whereas some other cultures (like Kendra's Jamaican parents) might be more willing to believe.
Tailkinker ★