Kids learn by doing, which, experts agree, is the only real way to teach citizenship. This article presents election-year activities that stress action. These activities will show students what it means to be a good citizen. (Contains 6 online resources.)

The author describes a project in which students studying the Middle Ages were taught in terms of process rather than by juggling historical facts. Ten learning centers tackled important phases of medieval social life, religious groups, military organization, government and the economy. (Author)

Presents new ideas for using buttons, beans, and beads as teaching manipulatives for elementary school children. The ideas include a button scavenger hunt, a button count, a cup puppet bean game, a numbers guessing game with beans in jars, and a bead stringing activity. (SM)

Outdoor learning activities often cause problems in class control. Organizing children into game-playing activities that emphasize ecological and biological themes helps reinforce learning with play. Several activities are described. (DF)

Describes a miniscience unit on frogs for elementary grades that teaches students about how frogs develop from tadpoles and how frogs need water during their entire life cycle. Students learn such skills as observation, collecting, and recording data. Provides addresses for ordering resources for teachers and students. (SM)

A social studies wax museum can teach elementary students facts as they celebrate Halloween. A primary activity has students determine historic scenes to include in the wax museum, practice their poses, and put on a Halloween show. An intermediate activity has students research historic events, interpret information, create backdrops and props,…

Suggests math activities for elementary students that are designed to strengthen problem-solving, computation, and calculator skills by revolving around the real-life situation of a picnic. The article suggests designing a class project to plan and carry out a class picnic, stressing the use of mathematics and calculators. (SM)

Presents two elementary school activities to help students learn about autumn. The activities use autumn leaves to teach that each type of tree has its own distinctive type of leaf. One activity involves tracing, drawing, and writing about leaves; the other involves making a quilt using leaf designs. (SM)

Presents two hands-on mathematics activities for teaching K -3 students to experience fractions on a tactile level. The first uses chocolates to demonstrate that fractions can be part of a whole, can be part of a set, and are equal parts. The second has students design a classroom fraction museum with fraction exhibits designed and presented by…

Hands-on math must also involve students' minds in creative thinking. Math manipulatives must be used for uncovering, not just discovering. This paper presents guidelines for planning hands-on, minds-on math for elementary students. Suggestions include dialoging, questioning, integrating manipulatives and other tools, writing, and evaluating. (SM)

A teacher's guide to affordable field trips with tips on where to go, what to do once the class arrives, and how to cut costs with careful planning is provided. Suggestions include: local must-touch museums; miniexhibits in the class; in-school excursions; and invite-an-expert seminars. Related writing activities are also listed. (JMK)

One creative way that elementary science educators can teach their students about animal communication is to give them glow sticks and a set of cards with descriptions of what different firefly flash signals mean. The paper describes such a project and presents related activities. (SM)

Four elementary teachers present several suggestions for exciting end-of-the-school-year learning activities. Ideas include making math a field day, enjoying an imagination celebration, broadcasting a book fair, planning a turn-of-the-century picnic, celebrating school history, and participating in a moving up day. (SM)

An experienced teacher describes how to provide students with a real audience to motivate them to write. Suggestions include writing letters to make a difference in the community, preparing newsletters, compiling class literary magazines, and writing for local newspapers and businesses or for commercial children's magazines. (SM)

A hands-on science project on watersheds helps elementary students understand the water cycle. The unit, which focuses on the fact that all living things need water and that watersheds are sources of water for rivers and streams, teaches students to observe, make inferences, predict, and draw conclusions. (SM)