In this activity, Summer Water & Sand Activity: Mud Pies and More, students investigate mud while playing and creating with it. Students understand mud, what it is, and how it is formed. Students develop their creativeness by making...

Students critique their own school bag by sketching and writing a detailed description of it. In this creative design lesson, students then design a more efficient carrier for their school supplies on paper. Students explain to their...

In this creative thinking worksheet, students identify and describe ten objects that they would put into a time capsule that people would open in another century. They also draw their time capsule.

An informative one-page resource details the 16 Habits of Mind. Habits encourage positive problem-solving, self-awareness, creativity, and dedication—lifelong skills that can be used in both academic and social settings. 

Here's a project that gives academics the chance to share their opinions on social justice with storytelling, creative writing, or art. Scholars choose what they want to create and are assigned buddies to support their efforts. To...

Fifth graders use critical thinking and problem solving skills. It allows students to make choices and to use imagination to develop a solution for each problem. Solutions are then presented to the class.

Students take notes on how to teach art. They determine if they are right or left brained and experience the frustration of teacher-directed art and trying to stay in the lines of a coloring book. They experience different art...

Fourth graders learn how to classify animals. In this invertebrates lesson, 4th graders discuss how we classify thinks into groups and move into a discussion about classifying animals. Students learn about the differences between...

Young scholars respond to a situation presented about the wetlands. In this wetlands lesson, students understand the various opinions over the use of areas in the wetlands. Young scholars complete a worksheet using critical thinking...

Have your young learners practice using higher-order thinking skills by engaging in this problem-solving activity. They work in cooperative groups to solve problems, and list ways to address a variety of challenges. They explain their...

Students expand their creative outlets. In this science instructional activity, three ideas, including videos, are presented to help get students motivated to think creatively and express themselves.

While simplistic, this resource provides a creative way to talk about peer pressure and making good decisions. The theme is that learners should not be like lemmings, following a leader without thinking. The presentation talks about the...

Our art often reflects who we are as individuals and as part of a larger community. The painting Hopi Eagle Dancer reflects the history and culture of the artists who created it. Critical thinkers analyze the piece and then compose...

Here is a lesson plan that sounds like a lot of fun. Kids discuss the artistic elements and motives for the painting, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. To get the scope and scale of this oversized masterpiece, they use butcher paper and...

After reading about the history and recycling of paper, creative crafters collaborate to think of a new process for making recycled paper. A complete teacher's guide and student worksheets are included. There is no written procedure for...

The four-faced Hamat'sa mask is the inspiration for a lesson on ceremonial art and the process of initiation. The class examines images of the piece, then discusses how the mask represents ceremonial initiation. They get imaginative...

Older learners analyze a controversial painting entitled The Cutting Scene, Mandan O-kee-pa Ceremony 1832. They use the issues raised in the image to construct debate arguments questioning if the artist's painting exploits Native...

Learners create marketing campaigns. In this technology skills lesson, students keep a log as they build prototypes of their inventions. Learners then script and record video commercials to sell the prototypes.

Inventor, astronomer, surveyor, mathematician, clock maker. Learners celebrate the life of Benjamin Banneker by building creative analog clocks, making scale models, and solving problems related to surveying. The activities model the...

This is a strange question; but what kind of vessel would you be and why? After examining images of a large Inca jug, the class sets to writing a creative narrative that answers that very interesting question. They start by researching...

Fully analyze the elements of art and unexpected beauty in the William Merritt Chase's Still Life with a Fish. The class will examine the painting very closely, then use photography to express unexpected beauty in still life. This is a...

Why might toy advertisers use gender stereotypes to sell their products? Young people think critically about media messages and its role in gender stereotyping with a thought-provoking lesson.

Four polygons each have a fraction with unlike denominators printed on them. Creative math minds select several shapes to create a design with and then write and solve a math problem involving the addition of all of the fractions...

Internal and external factors influence behavior and decision making. The third session in a 10-lesson series focusing on Social, Physical, Emotional, Cognitive and Spiritual (SPECS) health explores the impact of these factors...