Four elementary teachers present earth-friendly ideas to help students explore nature: creating suncatchers out of pressable outdoor items; making and filling nature explorer kits; producing ecology booklets with covers; filling shoeboxes with natural materials to make rhythm instruments; and making crayon rubbings of outdoor items. (SM)

Reports the results of a project designed to make hands-on science the predominant mode of instruction in the elementary schools of a metropolitan district. A pretest/posttest questionnaire was administered to participants in an inservice workshop conducted by colleagues. Results indicated significant changes in teachers' beliefs about teaching…

Reports on how literature books can be used to create authentic contexts for teaching science at the second-grade level. Presents a unit on weather. (ZWH)

Describes how teachers can help primary students study nature and explore the outdoors. The article explains how teachers should give nature studies priority, gather students' ideas on the subjects, assemble an exploration toolbox, measure off spots to study, dig in, return to the classroom, and create cross-curricular activities. (SM)

Presented is a cooperative learning activity in which students assume different roles in an effort to produce a relief map of the ocean floor. Materials, procedures, definitions, student roles, and questions are discussed. A reproducible map for the activity is provided. (CW)

Discussed is the construction of a simple apparatus, the sky window, which can be used to investigate astronomy concepts. Activities using the sky window are suggested. (CW)

Ideas for the collection of hands-on science materials and their storage in sealable plastic bags are presented. The advantages of using this method of preplanning and prepackaging science lessons at the elementary level are explored. (CW)

Presents ideas to help elementary school educators teach their students about magnetic force fields by observing how iron filings line up around magnets. The article lists materials needed and offers a student page with suggested student activities. (SM)

Provides instructional techniques, using samples from evergreen trees, to explain to school children the concept of adaptation. The techniques help children develop skills in observation, classification, communication, inferring, and predicting. A teacher's reproducible is included. (GLR)

Described is a voluntary museum program where instructors teach science, math, and technology through art. Activities that can be used as "hooks" to get students interested in the program are provided. Topics include privacy and personal space, imaginary worlds, toys, behind the scenes, fads, friendly materials, humor, and the imagination. (KR)

Children learn best when given opportunities to connect facts and figures with real-world situations. The article describes two class projects that demonstrate authentic, holistic learning. One project involves planting a classroom garden, and the other explores the desert of the Southwest. (SM)

Six sixth-grade science textbooks were examined for conceptual structure and readability. Hierarchical concept maps were composed on text segments for chosen topics and maps were scored. Reading analyses were also computed. Two trends were visually but not statistically evident. The Fry readability scores were higher than sixth grade, but no…

Presents an elementary school principal's account of how he utilized corporate sponsorship to improve science education. The principal and seven teachers obtained grants and then recruited local scientific companies to become involved in their science education programs. (PR)

Science fair mentorship programs let students investigate a wide variety of science topics under the guidance of interested community members. These programs enhance the relationships among school, community, and home. (PR)

Discusses teaching electrical safety guidelines in the process of teaching the concepts related to electricity. Discusses household current; electrical insulation; and examples of electrical safety in the home related to appliances, the bathroom, the yard and the neighborhood. (10 references) (MDH)