The Roberson Center for the Arts and Sciences in Binghamton, New York, brings art, music, drama, and science to public school children. (DW)

Explanations of a marine mammal rescue program and information on seals and sea lions are presented in this curriculum package for intermediate grade teachers. Activities are highlighted which focus on the natural history of harbor seals. This unit contains: (1) pre-trip activities (including fact sheets and worksheets on the different types of…

Reviews a study which investigated children's predictions and explanations of the formation of images through pinholes by use of extended light sources. Interviews with 9- to 13-year-old children at a science center revealed that a prevalent model for image formation involved light that traveled from the sources as a whole. (ML)

The Lawrence Hall, a science museum and teaching center in Berkeley, California, is providing thousands of students and teachers with hands-on experience with personal computers. This article describes how Lawrence Hall promotes computer awareness and provides science instruction through microcomputer-controlled interactive museum exhibits.…

Sunrise Museum's Science Hall in Charleston, WV, offers 30 hands-on exhibits that introduce children to science. Museum programs use a 9-foot soft-sculptured, unzippable doll to teach children about nutrition and basic anatomy and recruit representatives from local businesses and industry to conduct weekend science workshops. (LP)

Reviews the work of the Program Evaluation and Research Group (PERG) at Lesley College in evaluating informal, nonschool science programs for elementary students. Compares PERG's findings with other published literature about elementary school programs in extraschool science institutions and discusses issues that apply to all such programs from…

Described is the Vale Interactive Science and Technology Adventure (VISTA) center that caters specifically to primary school students, involves concepts and skills from the National Curriculum, and researches playing children's patterns of learning. The plans for the future and early descriptions of students reactions are reported. (KR)

Describes children's interactions with exhibits and each other in a school-based, science-focused mini-museum. Suggests that although children did appear to make some gains in their learning and scientific skills and processes, the largest gains were made in the development of positive attitudes towards science. Contains 22 references. (Author/WRM)

In 2002, HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) carried out a review of the contribution of the Scottish science centres to formal and informal science education as part of a broader review of all science centres in the United Kingdom. This report identifies many strengths in individual centres and across the network. It is clear that the centres…

In-service training of elementary school science teachers, the topic of the United States-Japan Joint Science Seminar held in Kyoto and Tokyo, Japan in 1975, is presented. Program innovations and their relationship to in-service education in the United States and Japan are discussed. The role of Japanese science centers and schools is included in…

Reported are the papers presented at the New England Conference on Ocean Science Education. The purpose of the conference was to bring together prominent oceanographers and New England educators at the primary and secondary level to discuss current progress in oceanographic research and to relate this progress to the needs of schools for materials…

This study investigated the changes that occurred in the knowledge and attitudes of a group of science and mathematics teachers (n=38) who took a museum education course. The course contained lectures and discussions on the rationales and strategies of museum education. The students also learned about the history of museum development in Taiwan…

Discusses the benefits as well as the concerns of changing traditional asphalt and turf grass grounds into educational resources. Benefits include an opportunity for hands-on learning, a softer and more creative area for play, a reduction in school ground violence among students, an ecologically improved landscape, and a reduction in maintenance…

This research paper focuses on "teacher-led" primary school visits to the Eden Project in Cornwall, England. It considers the objectives of school visits and the aims of the Eden Project. The strategies used by the Eden Project to convey their messages are investigated and effective strategies for learning are evaluated, based on…

Presented is a discussion on the value of science and technology centers in providing learning experiences for visitors. The discussion is not limited to science centers but includes applications possible to any museum interested in providing interactive experiences. (SA)