Many childrens' clubs are available throughout the country and can be a source of enrichment and enjoyment for school children. Information about clubs for those interested in sports-card and postcard collecting, teddy bears, yo-yos, pencils, left-handedness, and other subjects is provided. (PP)

Investigates the influence of content knowledge on topic choice in children's writing. Finds that children have significantly more knowledge about topics they want to write about than about unwanted or teacher topics. Emphasizes the importance of topic self-selection, and the role knowledge plays in topic choice. (MM)

To determine if children watch adult programs on weekday prime-time television because more suitable age-specific programming is unavailable, a study was conducted to assess children's viewing preferences using a forced-choice instrument. After a pilot study established the validity of the instrument, four popular children's programs were…

A "children's festival" can be an exciting and meaningful alternative to the traditional school carnival, which often emphasizes competition rather than cooperation and learning. Ideas for such a festival that can generate money, provide fun for adults and children, encourage cooperation, and provide learning experiences are presented.…

The purpose of this study was to determine the scores of children's ideas for creative writing when given freedom of choice of topic, and to determine if those children who expressed ideas reportedly original to them were more or less creative than the others. The subjects, selected from grades 2, 4, and 6, were a stratified random sample…

Suggests ways parents can help steer their children toward the field of science, noting the current decrease in the proportion of students in science and engineering. Some of the ideas are to take children to museums, watch science specials on television, and buy toys and tools that teach. (SM)

This paper reports a survey of children's interests at two ages. Data was obtained from a questionnaire administered to 200 grade 1 and 180 grade 7 boys and girls in ten different primary schools in the Perth, Australia area. Children were administered a 10-question questionnaire designed to measure leisure and academic interests. First grade…

In this study of children's television viewing, 105 junior-high-school students reported the television programs they watched, the amount of time they spent each day watching television, and their reasons for watching television. The following results are reported: sixth graders watch more television than do seventh or eighth graders; sixth-grade…

A curriculum model is presented for stimulating wide interests at the elementary level, to develop a student pool that would sustain a nationwide residential high school for the gifted. The model presents 16 conceptual schemes for developing curricula in social sciences, humanities and sciences. (Author/KM)

Questionnaires were distributed to 6,354 elementary school students participating in the Holt Basic Reading System Field Study. Primary students reported that their favorite activity is watching television; intermediate students, playing sports. Approximately 25% of the students did not have a pet; 46% reported having a dog; 15%, a cat. Almost 48%…

The elementary social studies curriculum should be restructured in a way that promotes a broader study of people, places, and events that are distant in space and time. The "Expanding Horizons" framework guides social studies curriculum in New Brunswick, as well as in many other Canadian provinces and the United States. It emphasizes moving from…

Suggests that both boys and girls are interested in sports and recreation. Describes activities which utilize the topic of sports to highlight diverse vocabulary terms, encourage playing with language, and develop listening and writing skills. Provides an annotated bibliography of sports books for children. (ARH)

Intended for use by teachers, librarians, parents, and elementary school students, this book provides 115 pathfinders to a variety of subjects to guide a student's research and broaden a child's interest base. Each pathfinder (i.e., collection of resources on a given topic) includes: a description of the subject; the Dewey Decimal numbers specific…