A teacher encourages other teachers to look beyond rigid, locked-in, over-organized instructional approaches by pointing out the advantages of creativity, risk-taking, and flexibility in classroom teaching. (CB)

Describes an easy, inexpensive way for students to create photographic prints without a camera or film. The prints, or photograms, are made by placing objects on photographic paper, exposing the paper to light, then processing it. For a class of 25, the project costs about $1.50 per student. (SM)

Presents ideas to help elementary educators teach their students thinking skills through word splashes (collages of words and pictures that help students think and make connections). A student page offers a word splash activity. (SM)

This list of practical and useful ideas is compiled from veteran teachers for motivating students, making a dull subject more interesting, or making a difficult subject easier to understand. (MT)

Ideas to help teachers develop motivating lessons that use information from nature for outdoor learning include getting comfortable with the outdoors, choosing familiar sites and subjects, studying several items at once, having a back-up plan ready, choosing open-ended activities, not worrying about students' questions, and listening to common…

Presents 50 hands-on, amusing math activities to inspire elementary students to enjoy learning such math concepts as estimation, linear measurement, weight, volume, time, and temperature. Each activity is typed on a 5x7 index card and has an answer sheet. Following a minilesson, each student receives a card activity to complete. (SM)

Presents activities to help elementary students learn to interpret history. Using the voyage of Columbus, students can learn how history is written, what a historian's job is, and why it is important to analyze more than one point of view. The activities also teach students to understand historical symbols. (SM)

Presents ideas to help elementary teachers encourage their students to discover the excitement of doing descriptive, historical, or experimental research by seeking new information, testing hypotheses, gathering data, drawing conclusions, and using appropriate vocabulary. The article includes questions for children to investigate and words used by…

Presents an inexpensive class activity to teach elementary students about light reflection off various surfaces. The activity involves aluminum foil, waxed paper, magazine pages, newspapers, overhead transparency film, construction paper, fabric, and a hand lens. A student page includes questions to make students think about reflection. (SM)

Students of all ages can apply what they have learned about symmetry by creating quilts on the computer using LOGO. The paper explains how to complete a computer quilting project. (SM)

Notebooks and journals can help interest students in writing. A sample activity suggests that teachers begin the year by reading a poem about notebooks then discussing school supplies and writing. Discussions can examine creative things to write on, creative word choice, creative use of notebooks, and turning favorite words into art. (SM)

Creating a class book can be an effective way to stimulate early elementary students' creativity and self-expression. The six steps are to: introduce the project; create the story; decide who does what; get it down on paper; put it all together; and share the experience. (SM)

Presents a group of 24 innovative social studies activities from teachers nationwide designed to bring the world to the classroom. The article is part of a package of 100 creative ideas for keeping elementary students enthused about learning in language arts, math, science, and social studies. (SM)

Describes a project in which elementary school students create a computer-generated time line of milestones in their lives, noting such an activity can give them a good start on writing autobiographies. (SM)

Teachers can integrate computer use with regular classroom activities to motivate children and to help build self-esteem. Through creative teaching, the computerized classroom becomes a place where children develop problem-solving skills and learn to work together. (DF)