A series of kits that have begun to transform science classrooms in Nebraska and nationwide shows that the answer is "all of the above"—and more. Produced by the University of Nebraska State Museum with HHMI funding, the five Wonderwise kits, part of the Women in Science Series, are packed with multimedia resources and lesson ideas to make science come alive for girls (and boys) in the fourth through sixth grades. Each lesson fits into a 50-minute classroom period.

The museum created the kits over several years in partnership with science television producers and multimedia developers from Nebraska Educational Telecommunications as well as freelance science writers and—most important—teachers. Project director Judy Diamond said, "I could call school districts representing each part of the state within a week and get feedback about their needs." The kits were revised for use in many disciplines—not only science but art and social studies—and fitted into boxes that stack easily on a classroom bookshelf.

The long development process is now paying off. The project's evaluators found significant differences between students in Wonderwise classrooms and those that received other enriching science materials. Students whose teachers had used the kits have "different, broader, and more positive conceptions of scientists and their work than students in the comparison group."

Teachers praise the flexibility of the kits, whose materials can be mixed and matched for many lessons. "When I get a kit like this, I'll instantly find one or two activities that fit right into what I'm doing," said Natalie Shepard of Huntington Elementary School, who attended a recent training session. "Once I get used to those, I'll try some of the others." The training session was led by Suzanne Gardner, a long-time science teacher who helped to prepare several Wonderwise activity books. She quickly coaxed the 20 science teacher specialists out of their chairs to practice using the blindfolds, sea shells, maps and other materials. "We're supplementing what these teachers are already doing," Gardner said. "We want the materials to be versatile."

Many other natural history museums across the country also produce kits, footlockers and other collections of science materials for classrooms. The HHMI funds made it possible for the Nebraska team to look beyond the artifacts in their museum's collection to creating new multimedia materials and an elaborate system of field testing, training and distribution. Born in Nebraska, the project is now moving nationwide.