This methods book is divided into 13 parts. The first 12 parts (each beginning with a list of performance objectives) focus on: understanding the nature of science and technology; reasons for teaching science to children; a short history of elementary science methods in the United States; the products of science; the processes of science;…

The article presents inexpensive activities to teach elementary school students about electromagnets. Students learn to make an electromagnet with a battery, nail, and wire, then different activities help them explore the difference between permanent magnets and electromagnets. (SM)

Presents class activities to help elementary students learn about changes in the state of matter by making ice cream. In addition to making observations on the changes of state, students can practice measuring and identifying the properties (e.g., color, size, and shape). (SM)

Presents elementary school science activities with a Halloween orientation. One activity teaches students to appreciate and understand bats. A second activity has students group and classify monsters by individual characteristics. Activities for integrating science across the curriculum include creating monster myths, conducting surveys of…

Presents classroom learning activities to help elementary teachers and students learn about and experiment with the sense of taste. One involves tasting an apple while smelling an onion; another involves locating areas of the tongue that respond to salt, sweet, bitter, and sour. (SM)

The "Science Related to Life" textbooks are written to supply the need of elementary science teachers with textbooks that can be used independently by pupils. Throughout the series the author has kept in mind the aims of elementary science, as recognized by modern courses of study, namely to develop in pupils an interest in the natural…

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)

Presents low-cost learning activities to help teach elementary students about the earth's magnetic field. One project has students make a model of the earth's magnetic field. Another has them experiment with magnetism. (SM)

Presents a play, "Winter Skies," that whimsically introduces children to various winter star constellations seen from the midnorthern latitudes of the United States. (PR)

A collection of activities and tips for elementary teachers, culled from material the magazine has published over 20 years, includes cornerstones of classroom management, top teaching strategies, and curriculum classics. A new poster offers activities for commemorating student birthdays and for enjoying the first day of school. (SM)

This problem-solving activity book offers tools for attacking problems in the classroom and beyond (a reproducible card set explaining problem-solving skills, a math problem-solving grid, problem-solving lessons in science, language arts, and social studies, and a poster following scientists as they fight to reclaim an endangered species). (SM)

Provides background information on how scientists have learned about the history of the Earth, including studying fossils, dating rocks, and tracing geological movements. Included are teaching activities about prehistoric animals, state fossils, tracing animal movement and evolution, and discovering fossils. Contains reproducible handouts and…

Provides background information on rocks and minerals, including the unique characteristics of each. Teaching activities on rock-hunting and identification, mineral configurations, mystery minerals, and growing crystals are provided. Reproducible worksheets are included for two of the activities. (TW)

Describes an activity designed to help children understand why there is a limit to the size of animals that live on land. Details the materials and set-up for this activity. Contains a reproducible, three-part activity sheet to accompany the activity. A key for the teacher is included. (CW)

Described are integrated science and mathematics activities that focus on gathering, displaying, and interpreting data on balloons. Students are involved in sampling, taking polls and surveys, doing experiments, classifying, estimating, and measuring. Included are directions, extensions, and activity sheets for students and parents. (KR)