In 1985, the leaders of the Smithsonian Institution and the National Academies established the National Science Resources Center (NSRC) to address the critical problem identified by the "A Nation at Risk" report. Through its Curriculum Development Center and in partnership with its publisher, Carolina Biological Supply Company, the NSRC developed…

Reports the first known survey to evaluate and rank children's museums. The survey was conducted by Child magazine but questions the methodology used to derive the rankings. Identifies the top 50 museums in the rankings. Notes that dinosaurs remain a popular topic and many new programs are designed for very young children. (DLH)

Indicates that museums and visitor centers must prepare to accommodate younger visitors and their parents by providing a range of developmentally appropriate learning experiences. (CCM)

Describes an exhibit called Kid's Kitchen, built within a major exhibit called Biodiversity: Life Supporting Life, in order to discuss environmental prompts hidden within the kitchen designed to surprise students and get them thinking. (ASK)

Describes the role of research in designing ScienceWorks, an innovative gallery at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. The gallery was constructed on the basis of existing and new research on how children think and learn about science. The gallery is atypical in several respects but perhaps most fundamentally in its overarching agenda to foster…

Criticism is offered concerning the biases of exhibits in science and technology centers provided by industries. Some are said to promote the activities of the industry and ignore the chance to challenge visitors by presenting balanced information. (SA)

Describes a unit on local history developed through the classification of projectile points which may be gathered on a field trip or viewed at a local museum. Suggestions for starting the unit and illustrating the nomenclature of projectile points are provided. (JM)

The executive director of the Association of Science and Technology Centers presents his response to criticism of industry-sponsored exhibits in science centers. He emphasizes the role of the classroom teacher in effectively using museums as learning resources where public controversy exists. (Author/SA)

Describes the Kids In Nature (KIN) program which is a partnership between Sedgwick Reserve and the University of California-Santa Barbara's Museum of Systematics and Ecology (MSE). Involves low-performing high school and feeder elementary school students in the restoration of their own land with plants and animals. (Contains 12 references.) (YDS)

Describes the energy education program given for elementary school groups at the Museum of Science in Boston. Several energy machines or demonstrations are described and their use in this energy education program is outlined. Also some other suggestions to illustrate the use, storage, and transformation of energy are presented. (MDR)

Relates how a classroom can support and house a mini-museum of natural science. Describes the various types of exhibits and the range of activities that can be developed from them. Explains student involvement in exhibit design and use. (ML)

The role of the social group in learning at science centers is discussed. The author emphasizes that science centers can contribute to formal science education, although the environment is informal and the learning is not sequential. (Author/SA)

Describes a field trip experience for the Earth Odyssey project for elementary school students focusing on biodiversity. Introduces the concept of diversity, field work, species richness, and the connection between animals and their habitat. (YDS)

Investigates the relationships between students' free exploration of interactive science museum exhibits, conceptual understandings, and cognitive developmental levels. Classifies participating subjects (n=45), ages 5-13, as preoperational, concrete operational (empirical-inductive), or formal operational (hypothetical-deductive). (Contains 22…

A visit to the natural history museum is part of many pupils' educational program. One way of investigating what children learn about animals is to examine the mental models they reveal through their talk when they come face to face with animal representations. In this study, representations were provided by: (1) robotic models in a museum; (2)…