This book examines children's many connections to animals and their developmental significance, exploring the growth of the human animal connection, and showing how children's innate interest in animals is shaped by their families and their social worlds, and may in turn shape the kind of people they will become. Chapter 1 documents how theory and…

Based upon British studies, suggests how the coexistence of different ant species can occur, and discusses competition and niche-separation in relation to a study made in Norfolk. Recommends the elucidation of the mechanisms of niche-separation in ants as an ideal student project. (JR)

Article describes outdoor science learning center constructed at minimum cost with help of parents and landscape architect. Five-thousand-square-foot area includes garden, forest, waterfall, hydroelectric plant, mill, weather station, aviary, animal cages, topographical sandpit, teaching station and specimen display cases. (PD)

Describes the use of capture-recapture techniques to estimate the population of taxis in Liverpool and demonstrates the points of similarity to animal population estimation. Considers advantages of studying taxis rather than organisms in introductory studies of the techniques. (AL)

A school science specialist has animals to loan to elementary school teachers. (CP)

Author presents data on Washoe, a chimpanzee taught American Sign Language; he concludes that this represents true language learning. (SP)

Describes procedures used to study abilities of chimpanzees to be taught written language. Words, sentences, questions, metalinguistics, class concepts, the copula, some quantifiers and if-then logical connections are investigated. Success seems attributable largely to non-linguistic cues. (JM)

Currently available ornithology books are described. These include general reference books on birds as well as guides for identifying birds in their natural habitats. (JN)

Describes how the images of mythical beasts were used in elementary school art projects. Students designed their own mythical beasts in papier-mache sculpture, murals, clay, and cardboard cut-outs, and discussed how the images of mythical beasts were used in literature. (AM)

Indicating that, although no broad conceptual notions in invertebrate paleontology were proposed during 1982, a large number of excellent papers focusing on testing, modifying, and documenting earlier speculations were published or presented at professional meetings. Highlights of papers, conferences, and research studies are provided (including…

A conference on whether food and nutrients affect human behavior was held on November 9, 1982 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Various research studies on this topic are reviewed, including the effects of food on brain biochemistry (particularly sleep) and effects of tryptophane as a pain reducer. (JN)

Activities that are part of an elementary school science study unit on snakes, spiders, earthworms, snails, caterpillars, and crocodiles are described. (CJ)