Children are always learning. Innovative initiatives that offer opportunities for learning and skill building in environments outside of school are as important as ones designed for the classroom.

Lessons in community building and cultural understanding are important aspects of a 21st-century education. Through such lessons, students gain the keys to societal understanding as they gain knowledge about their cultural and historical contexts, and use that understanding as a setting for exploration of deeper values, emotional experiences, and…

This article shares lessons learned from the implementation of a community-based character education program in Malaysia. The program at Jenjarom Learning Center is directed toward the transformation and empowerment of local children and youth through moral and character education. The stated purpose of the program has been to awaken the…

Natural disasters are among the numerous events known to have a significant probability of producing trauma in school-age children, given the critical mental, physical, social, and emotional development that occurs during childhood. Studies involving children who have experienced natural disasters point to a significant increase in psychological…

Describes 10 activities teachers can use to introduce music and movement which foster individual creative expression. The movement in each activity, ordered by level of difficulty, focuses elementary-age students' attention on one of three specific musical concepts: steady beat, tempo, and meter. (DST)

Contends that the teaching of mathematics permits expansion of the personality and furthers development of intellecutual independence. (Author/DB)

Maintains that learning will be facilitated through appealing displays that permit active participation of children. (DB)

Examines the interrelationships between young children's literacy growth and music development. Discusses five ways in which song picture books promote language growth. Suggests early childhood activities and materials for using song picture books as a resource for an integrated, developmentally appropriate curriculum. (Author/KB)

Encourages parents to be aware of how natural exploration and play can facilitate learning in their children. Gives activities, adjustable in difficulty depending on developmental age of child, such as cooking that can be used to develop readiness for reading, writing, and math. Includes suggestions for inexpensive materials. (ET)

Notes that the hobby of collecting is a way families can reinforce and expand a child's learning when not in school by encouraging development of classification, categorizing, and decision-making skills. Describes resources on and what can be learned by collecting rocks, seashells, cards, and stamps. (DR)

Parents can help children acquire ecological awareness through the use of varied inventories that focus on their family's ecological practices, and through the restructuring of such practices to promote conservation and recycling. Lists specific activities in which preschool and elementary school children can engage. (MDM)

Describes the destruction caused by the Oklahoma City bombing and recounts the reaction of a second-grade class in Oklahoma. Describes class discussions of the bombing and how children found various ways to ask questions and express their feelings about the incident. Provides tips for teachers to help children who are going through trauma. (MOK)

Focuses on the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics 2000 process-oriented standards of problem solving, reasoning and proof, communication, connections, and representation as providing a framework for using the multiple intelligences that children bring to mathematics learning. Presents ideas for mathematics lessons and activities to…