Let's Take a “Touch” Walk (REC #6202) This lesson invites students to take a walk outside the school building, to use their senses to explore the environment and then to use and develop language skills to describe it.

Interactive Tools for Parents: Developmental Milestones (REC #9602) This interactive tool allows the user to view how a developmental milestone category changes as a child grows.

Pet Survey (REC #6214) This lesson has the children and teacher creating and conducting a survey about pets of friends and family, and eventually analyzing the results..

The Planting Project (REC #11862) How did a tiny seed of an idea bloom into learning all about plants? When the teacher decided to repot the overgrown plants, she noticed that nearly all the children were eager to help. By listening to the children’s chatter about new pots, plant characteristics, and repotting opinions, she soon realized that an investigation of planting would be a perfect class project.

Turning Curiosity into Scientific Inquiry (REC #10316) This is the eighth best practice brief, a concise, but in depth article detailing research based, authentic, and age appropriate experiences for young children.