State and district science standards typically call for students to take part in hands-on labs and experiments in the elementary grades. The 1996 National Science Education Standards, which were written by the National Research Council and serve as a reference for many states, emphasize similar activities. Yet the use of even simple labs and experiments in early grades varies widely, say many observers, largely because of the pressure to devote time to other subjects, but also because elementary teachers lack experience and confidence in setting up those lessons. Teachers at Prairie Creek Elementary School and other elementary schools in Kansas' 1,900-student Spring Hill district are trying to give science labs and in-class experiments more weight. The district, with the financial assistance of a grant, is carving out more time for those hands-on lessons and using science "coaches" who meet regularly with teachers to help them craft those activities. The elementary school even sets aside a room--a lab--specifically for science. Linda Froschauer, a former president of the National Science Teachers Association, believes science labs, and science overall, are now gaining ground in elementary schools as a result of more recently implemented mandates in the federal law that apply to science.