1. Rent a Toy

Every kid likes toys, and families like to give them toys. But when children are young, they can outgrow toys quickly. Replacing them can be expensive for parents and relatives. Now a Texas businesswoman has come up with an idea to save parents money and give kids a steady supply of new toys. Lori Pope has started a Web company called Baby Plays that lets parents rent toys for children, and then return them when the kids grow older and lose interest. Every day, people come up with ideas for new businesses. With a partner, look through the newspaper for ads for local businesses. Pick one and write out whom the business serves and why the owner started it. Then write out a way the owner could make this business even more successful.

Learning Standards: Responding to a variety of written, visual and electronic texts by making connections to students' personal lives and the lives of others; describing major kinds of economic activity and concepts of supply and demand.

2. Tiny Pterodactyl

The great thing about dinosaurs is that scientists are always discovering new things about them. This month scientists in the Asian country of China are excited by the discovery of a new type of pterodactyl (TERR-o-DACK-till). Pterodactyls were flying dinosaurs, and up to now it was thought they only lived near the coasts of oceans. A new pterodactyl fossil has been found, however, in an inland forest region of China. The new species, which was about the size of a sparrow, is forcing scientists to rethink what they know about pterodactyls. As a class, talk about the ways scientists discover new things and how their discoveries help people understand the world. Find examples in the newspaper and make a poster of what you find.

Learning Standards: Engaging each other in conversations to explore issues; showing how science concepts can be interpreted through creative expressions such as language arts and fine arts.

3. Presidents (Hair) Day

Monday, February 18 was Presidents Day, a holiday on which the nation celebrates the February birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. The Academy of Natural Sciences in Pennsylvania this year celebrated Presidents Day in an unusual way. The Philadelphia museum displayed a scrapbook of hair clipped from the heads of the first 12 presidents of the United States! As a class, talk about what you know about early U.S. presidents. Then divide into teams and find stories about the current president or people who would like to be president. Pick one and write a sentence describing something you would display in a museum to tell people about this presidential person.

Learning Standards: Generating questions about issues that affect students or topics about which they are curious; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

4. Name That Boat

The names people give their boats often tell something about the owners. Names can reveal things about people's personalities, experiences or dreams. Every year the BoatUS group makes a Top 10 list of the most popular boat names. Number 1 this year was "Black Pearl," from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. Other top choices were "Liberty," "Second Wind," "Amazing Grace" and "Second Chance." As a class, talk about what kind of boat you would like to own. Then think up a name for your boat that would tell people something about yourself. Finish by creating an ad for the newspaper advertising this boat to others.

Learning Standards: Responding to a variety of written, visual and electronic texts by making connections to students' personal lives and the lives of others.

5. Honor Your Mom

This May, the nation will mark the 100th anniversary of Mother's Day. To celebrate, and to honor today's American moms, the Teleflora flower company and NBC television are asking people to nominate their moms in an "America's Favorite Mom" contest. The top 15 moms will appear on NBC's "Today Show" and the top five will be chosen by "Today" viewers to appear in a TV special called "America's Favorite Mom" on Mother's Day May 11. Families and teachers can get information about the contest at www.AmericasFavoriteMom.com. Pretend you are writing a newspaper story about your mom for this contest. List 10 things she does that would make people want to honor her as "America's Favorite Mom." For added fun, write the story of your mom!

Learning Standards: Identifying and explaining how individuals in history demonstrate good character and personal virtue; writing fluently for multiple purposes; identifying and researching issues of importance to the community.