Hands-on Learning

Educators describe practical ideas to help you connect your students to the world beyond the classroom.

Design Challenges Propel Earthly Problems into Orbit
by Anne Ireland
The director for Educational Materials Development for the Challenger Center for Space Science Education describes standards-based activities that bring the excitement of space exploration into the classroom.

The Life and Times of a Bean Plant
by Tom Sprague
Kindergarten is not too early to develop the habits of mind that lead to a literate citizenry.

Aquaponics Encourages Fourth Graders to Eat Their Vegetables
by Crystal McGee
Elementary students in Pennsylvania eat the results of their science lessons. You can't get much more real world than that!

Architecture: An Across-the-Curriculum Project Connects to the Community
by Liesa Schroeder
An art teacher in Missouri describes an award-winning project that helps elementary students look at their community with more awareness.

Cockatiels to Kittens: Animal Behavior in the Real World
by Leah M. Melber
An informal education specialist at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County describes how pet investigations can provide a chance for children to study animal behavior.

Math from the Toy Store
by Robin Cohen
Use of scaled replicas make learning about ratio and proportion fun--and meet New York state standards--in this teacher's middle school mathematics classes.