A play brings together art, writing, acting and many other skills, making it a great way to harness all the talents of your elementary school classroom. Read a chapter book with the class and discuss your favorite parts of it. Make a list of some of the key scenes in the story and have each child write a part or come up with ideas. Then put together a script, using at least some of every student's contribution. Involve students, aides and parents in building sets, props and costumes as much as possible, and let each child play a part. The result will build skills and foster community.
Have your students learn about the natural world by studying the parts of it in your own back yard. Go to a local pond or creek and study the plants and animals there, from waterfowl to insects. Then, take samples of the pond water and put drops under a microscope to study the tiny, living organisms. If you have time, put together a pond in a small aquarium, using plants and water from your own local pond or native to your area.
Let your students share their knowledge with parents and the rest of the school by building a museum in your elementary school classroom. Put together the museum at the end of the semester or the end of a unit based on a particular topic. Combine demonstrations, reports, artistic projects or models, games and other exhibits to share what you have been learning. Enlist student volunteers to act as curators, showing guests through your museum and explaining the exhibits. Serve refreshments and play some music to give the whole place an exciting atmosphere.
Whether you are studying poetry, mythology, fables, science fiction or some other type of writing, give the students something to remember with a collection of class writing. Have the students collect all of their writing from during the semester, and assign each student to pick out at least one piece to put in the book. Allow students who want to contribute art design the cover and vote on a title for the whole collection.