In 2018-19, Dr. Guirong Wang, from Beijing University of Chemical Technology, spent a year with the Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC). CIEC has been involved in world-class outreach work for thirty years. They have combined the design of effective practical programmes with research and evaluation of impact. This article explores…

The author became aware of Children Challenging Industry (CCI) whilst undertaking the Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM) in 2017 was really impressed. The author came to understand the pivotal role in primary education that careers learning has and the vital element of children learning about local industry and being 'hands-on' to make their…

Often unheard of unless you are of a certain age and remember audio and video cassettes, BASF are a multinational business with a large chemical site in Bradford, West Yorkshire. On the BASF site is a 'Kids' Lab' that forms part of BASF's educational outreach work. In this article, Leigh Hoath and five teachers from Bradford schools outline a…

The Arnold Arboretum Field Study Program provides outdoor experiences for children in order to develop authentic firsthand knowledge of life sciences. The Arboretum welcomes approximately 3,200 children (preK-5) from greater Boston annually. During the program called Explorations with Head Start participants, the children visit three times…

Sai Pathmanathan writes in this article that, over the years, her experience working with early-years children (ages 3-5) has taught her that learning it is not about whether the children get the answer right, but more about nurturing their curiosity, encouraging play and learning through hands-on activities, promoting motor skills, group work,…

In this article, the authors describe St Peter's Primary School's and Honiton Primary School's experiences of keeping chickens. The authors also describe the benefits they bring and the reactions of the children. (Contains 5 figures.)

The aim of this study is to identify the views of the teachers on the use of drama as a teaching method in the science and technology courses. In the current study, qualitative research method was used. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The participants of the study were selected via maximum variation sampling. The…

The summer provides a unique opportunity for children to further their interests in science, especially science in the out-of-doors. Once school is out for the summer, there is seemingly unlimited time, with no strict curriculum guidelines to follow. For students with a passion for the out-of-doors, summer science camps and school-based summer…

Photosynthesis may be an unlikely topic to inspire an opera or ballet, but in a 2nd grade classroom in Pikesville, Maryland, the children were asked to use dance to help them learn about that process. Small groups of pupils in this class at Fort Garrison Elementary School brainstormed to come up with dance movements to convey elements of…

Many people look forward to planting their own garden and enjoying its fruitage throughout the summer months. Gardening can be an excellent learning experience in many ways because it offers opportunities to learn about plants and to observe changes over time. This column focuses on a long-term project of understanding plant growth and planting…

For farmers and gardeners, slugs and snails may be serious pests that will limit the amount of harvest, but for a child, they represent a world to be explored. To teachers, however, invertebrates are tools for broadening students' understanding about animals, the connections between animals and habitats or plants, and an engaging subject to write…

Members of a team of educators and university students participating in the project, Pittsburgh Partnership for Energizing Science in Urban Schools, addressed the issue of helping students develop investigative skills within the context of an introductory science unit for fourth graders. The unit focuses on data-collection techniques and is a…

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)

This article presents hands-on, experiential science activities that use mittens to teach elementary students about classification and insulation. The first involves children sorting mittens. The second has them find out for themselves why mittens keep their hands warm. Across-the-curriculum activities are also described. (SM)

Describes a unit on detergents and bubbles that establishes an interest in the properties of materials and focuses on active learning involving both hands- and minds-on learning rather than passive learning. (ASK)