To introduce right brain activities into the elementary school curriculum, science activities were generated for gifted children in which every item for investigation was made from a three-by-five card. Three major steps were repeated in developing activities: copying materials, adapting materials, and inventing materials. (SW)

Suggestions for developing creative and original science fairs include trying new categories, issuing a challenge, and involving the community. (DF)

The purpose of this booklet is to bring into the classroom the ecological processes and principles that underlie nature. Students get the opportunity to work with natural objects and to learn about the principles that regulate them. In this revised edition, a number of publications have been compiled and printed under one title. The booklet is…

Describes a long-term project, Moonwatch, which introduces the relationships between the earth, sun, and moon, highlighting the broad conceptual themes of patterns and change. (MKR)

This article offers quick, inexpensive activities for teaching concepts in three basic areas of the elementary science curriculum (air, sound, and light) with instructions for assembling more sophisticated laboratory tools (e.g., an electroscope and a balance scale). Hands-on science activities that use household items are described. (SM)

Activities for teaching about the solar system, the earth's rotation, plants, pendulums, and animal adaptation are described. Included are suggestions for building scale models to illustrate the solar system's proportions and the earth's rotation speed, and for using playground swings to demonstrate pendulum motion. (PP)

Describes a project that encouraged combining pictures and words by middle school students to create science picture books. Suggests six steps to help students plan, research, and create picture books. Discusses a variety of final products that emerged, and benefits of the project. (BAC)

Describes how photographs of students' faces can be used to produce booklets, posters, and newsletters to enhance science class projects. (PR)

Discusses how to teach children about electricity via home projects involving electricity games. The concepts of circuits, conductors, and insulators are illustrated by having students build their own game boards. Instructions for making a telegraph and learning the Morse code are provided. (SM)

Describes ScienceFest, a program that teams up students and teachers in an effort to create and perform original science-related plays. (PR)

Students explore the workings of the lever, wheel and axle, and the inclined plane as they build simple toys--a bulldozer and a road grader. The project takes four weeks. Diagrams and procedures are included. (PR)

Describes a school program in which two sixth-grade science classes researched, created, and put together an ocean museum targeted at kindergarten through eighth graders who are geographically distanced from the ocean. Details the process for investigating topical areas, organizing teams of students, researching, writing, creating displays, and…

Since 1975, the Association for Childhood Education International has published a column called "Classroom Idea-Sparkers" in each issue of Childhood Education journal. The column provides practical help for classroom teachers, preschool through middle school, offering educators ideas and activities to help extend learning and make it more relevant…

Through the use of science-reading kits, one teacher develops practical application of children's reading skills. Each child designs and builds appropriate materials for science learning kit on the subject of his/her choice. (SA)

Presents year-long, elementary science projects that address the question of why daylight hours vary in length according to locality. Provides three instructional units designed to commence in September, including data collection activities for sunny days encouraging later classroom calculations; on-going graphing activities; and modeling…