Empowering Young Minds: Elementary Students Apply Critical Thinking Skills for Playground Improvement1981-03-06unknownhttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NKC/1.0/enghttp://congressarchives.org/record/CAC_CC_109_4_22_2_0008First and second grade students at Walt Whitman Elementary School successfully applied high level critical thinking skills to a real life problem of purchasing playground equipment with grant money from Cities Service Company. Through a unit of study on playgrounds and recreation, the students learned to gather information, present their findings in various formats, and practice skills of a social scientist. The curriculum also focused on developing high level thinking skills and relating to the larger community. The students were able to effect positive change and are now applying their critical thinking skills to other subjects.