"That was so fun!" is a phrase that physical education teachers and coaches will likely never get tired of hearing from children. Without fun, youth are unlikely to voluntarily engage in physical activity. While the notion of fun (i.e., enjoyment) in physical activity has been increasingly studied over the past few decades, there has…

As part of a 3-year longitudinal study, 136 sixth-grade students completed an engineering-based problem on earthquakes involving integrated STEM learning. Students employed engineering design processes and STEM disciplinary knowledge to plan, sketch, then construct a building designed to withstand earthquake damage, taking into account a number of…

To evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based structured versus unstructured coloring on test anxiety, 52 participants (53.8% female; M[subscript age] = 10.92 years, SD = 0.82) were randomly assigned to either a structured mandala (n = 26) or free coloring condition (n = 26), and completed a standardized anxiety measure to assess anxiety…

Mathematics is an important aspect of daily life. Basic numeracy skills are needed to accomplish everyday tasks. However, research regarding the relationship between cognitive ability, mental age, and basic numeracy skills for children with intellectual disability (ID) is scarce. This research study investigated the correlation between…

Discusses how students in a culturally diverse fourth grade class explored their own cultures and learned about other cultures, using quilts as a context. Notes that the students read books about quilts, conducted oral interviews of family members, wrote about their cultural traditions, and designed individual quilt squares. Concludes that the…

Describes a study in which fourth and fifth grade students drew pictures of what they believed a scientist looks like. Scientists then visited the classrooms and students were asked to draw another picture of what scientists look like. More stereotypic views of scientists were seen in the first drawings than in the second. (SAH)

One fourth grade class studied Van Gogh by investigating his art and life on the computer, painting still lifes, then learning to draw in perspective, creating colorful images of their own bedrooms using Van Gogh's bedroom as a model. Students extended their learning by examining relevant literature and completing timelines, biographical reports,…

Two experiments were conducted with fourth- through eighth-grade students to study two problems in drawing faces realistically: placement of features and the use of light-dark gradients to render depth. Results indicated that drawing rules are practical and effective for teaching realistic drawing to children. (Author/SR)

Studied the effects of borrowing norms for the Human Figure Drawing Test for use with children in Curacao, for whom there are no norms or studies of validity for this test. Results for 96 fourth graders suggest that frequency tables for the United States are better for scoring Human Figure Drawing Test results for these children than are Dutch…

Describes how sketch journals are used at various times throughout the day and consistently throughout the year in the author's classroom. Presents a demonstration of the theme of experience and the powerful role that it can play in helping teachers improve. Notes how the author encourages students to reach deeper and to enter their own doorways…

Three art activities are described. Intermediate and junior high school students made sculptures from geometric shapes cut from corrugated cardboard; eighth-grade students did freehand drawings using gridiron patterns; and junior and senior high school students studied antique valentines and then made their own. (RM)

By photosketching, students can alter an existing image in a personally expressive way and render a black-and-white photograph into line art. The technique involves students in drawing with India ink or any permanent colored ink on top of a black-and-white photograph, changing the photo in at least 10 ways. (RM)

Maintains that scientific illustration helps students develop visual acuity and drawing proficiency. Demonstrates how intermediate-grade students can combine elements of science and art through various scientific illustration projects. (JDH)

Fifth-grade art students examined Greek artists' drawings on the surfaces of clay vases and wine cups and read Greek mythology. The students then drew their own designs for ceramic pots. (RM)

Described is an art activity in which sixth graders were asked to draw something that they hear. The children created aural pictures that were truly inventive personal interpretations. (RM)