Early Childhood Education

Creative Block Play covers everything you need to encourage a child's development in a variety of domains through block play. This book is full of photos that illustrate block play in real classrooms and stories from teachers who have successfully used block play to encourage children's development in a variety of domains. Rosanne Regan Hansel has been both a teacher and administrator for a variety of early childhood programs and currently serves as Education Program Development Specialist for the Department of Education. Ms. Hansel received her MS Ed in Early Childhood Leadership from Bank Street College of Education.

Use the Project Approach to engage toddlers' interests, guide in-depth explorations, and help them embrace learning Toddlers and two-year-olds are in a fluid and dynamic state of development. They have a sense of wonder that is easily activated, and they are always ready to learn. In this book, you will learn how to use hands-on creative projects to engage very young children's interests and nurture their unique ways of exploring and learning. You will be inspired to implement your own project-based curriculum, recognize and respond to children's innate ability to create, and support their curiosity and self-discovery. This book Reviews the major theories of toddler development. Outlines basic goals and guidelines for applying those theories as you set up your space, select materials, develop your curriculum, and incorporate the Project Approach. Presents twelve art projects--from simple to long-term--with narratives describing the processes in action as children participate in each project. Todd Wanerman has been teaching toddlers and twos for twenty years. He is the coauthor of Including One, Including All.

Typical art resources for teachers offer discrete art activities, but these don't carry children or teachers into the practice of using the languages of art. This resource offers guidance for teachers to create space, time, and intentional processes for children's exploration and learning to use art for asking questions, offering insights, exploring hypotheses, and examining experiences from unfamiliar perspectives. Inspired by an approach to teaching and learning born in Reggio Emilia, Italy, The Language of Art, Second Edition, includes: A new art exploration for teachers to gain experience before implementing the practice with children Advice on setting up a studio space for art and inquiry Suggestions on documenting children's developing fluency with art media and its use in inquiry Inspiring photographs and ideas to show you how inquiry-based practices can work in any early childhood setting Ann Pelo is a teacher educator, program consultant, and author whose primary work focuses on reflective pedagogical practice, social justice and ecological teaching and learning and the art of mentoring. Currently, Pelo consults early childhood educators and administrators in North America, Australia, and New Zealand on inquiry-based teaching and learning, pedagogical leadership, and the necessary place of ecological identity in children's--and adults'--lives. She is the author of several books including the first edition of The Language of Art and co-author of Rethinking Early Childhood Education.

Winner of the 2015 Brain Child Award from Tillywig & Toy Media Awards Use loose parts to spark children's creativity and innovation Loose parts are natural or synthetic found, bought, or upcycled materials that children can move, manipulate, control, and change within their play. Alluring and captivating, they capture children's curiosity, give free reign to their imagination, and motivate learning. The hundreds of inspiring photographs showcase an array of loose parts in real early childhood settings. And the overviews of concepts children can learn when using loose parts provide the foundation for incorporating loose parts into your teaching to enhance play and empower children. The possibilities are truly endless.

Every state has developed some form of early learning standards. Find out how you can apply and use them in ways that are most beneficial to children. Updated to reflect the continuing evolution of early learning standards, this book offers help and hints, support and clarification, and clear explanations of how you can make early learning standards come alive in your early childhood classroom or program. You'll find tools to communicate exactly how you are addressing children's learning as you plan for cognitive and foundational skill development, as well as suggestions to assess children's progress. Easy-to-read charts present information about each major content area or area of development and descriptions of what those standards might look like in classrooms. The charts also suggest activities and interactions to support a child as he or she makes the first attempts toward the standard, progresses toward it, and finally accomplishes the standard. New to this edition: A chapter focusing on Approaches to Learning standards The most recent information on early learning standards from across the country References to the Common Core State Standards and their relationship to early learning standards Gaye Gronlund has consulted for national organizations, state agencies, school districts, and early childhood programs for more than twenty years. She helped two states write their early learning standards. Gronlund is well known for her many books and keynote presentations.

In 2012, the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation within the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, engaged Mathematica Policy Research and its partners to conduct a project titled "Assessing Early Childhood Teachers' Use of Child Progress Monitoring to Individualize Teaching Practices". The purpose of the project is to develop a conceptual framework of early childhood teachers' use of ongoing child assessment to individualise instruction and to create a measure to examine this process. The ultimate goal of this book is to help teachers conduct ongoing assessments, use the assessment data to "individualise" instruction for each child, and enhance their children's outcomes.

Updated information and unbiased, developmentally appropriate strategies and activities to celebrate, rather than exclude, diversity, traditions, and holidays. Many programs are establishing a "no holiday" policy, but this book shows you how to celebrate and adhere to school policy. Among other topics, it includes evaluating holiday activities for appropriateness, addressing commercialism and stereotypes, involving families, and developing inclusive policies. Julie Bisson provides training on subjects ranging from culturally relevant and anti-bias curriculum to holiday curriculum. Louise Derman-Sparks has worked for over fifty years on issues of diversity, social justice, and activism in early childhood.

Effective early intervention doesn't stop when the provider leaves the family's home. That's why every interventionist needs this practical sourcebook, packed with research-based strategies for helping parents and caregivers take a consistent, active role in supporting young children's development. Targeting 80 skills in 6 key developmental domains for children birth to three this reader-friendly guide gives professionals dozens of ready-to-use ideas for helping families and caregivers embed learning opportunities in their everyday routines. Early interventionists will turn to this book again and again for strategies that enhance child development, strengthen attachement, and help children with developmental delays participate fully in family life. Empowers families to: work on IFSP goals during commonly occuring routines and activities; understand child development and establish appropriate expectations for their child; support skills critical to promoting development growth and participation in family and community activities; transform everyday materials and routines into powerful new learning opportunties; and give children multiple opportunties to practice and reinforce new skills thoughout the day. Supports 6 key areas of skill development: Behaviour Regulation and Social; Cognitive and Receptive Language; Expressive Language; Gross Motor; Fine Motor; and Self-care/Adaptive.

With Susan M. Mitchell, Cen Campbell, Rolf Grafwallner, Kathleen Reif, and Stephanie Mareck Shauck Collaboration involves a fusion of individual talents and skills through outreach and cooperation. And it is one of the key ingredients of a vibrant, successful library that is also relevant to the community it serves. But it doesn't just happen magically, and it's a challenge to kindle those original sparks of inspiration into a sustainable effort. Written by a team of librarians and community partners who themselves learned how to collaborate successfully, this uplifting book takes a fresh look at the essentials of how to nurture the best within ourselves and our colleagues in order to create lasting partnerships that will continue to thrive. Its breezy tone encourages reflection and discovery while giving practical suggestions on how to plan for short-term gains and long-term results. Questions and points to ponder included at the end of each chapter will facilitate discussion and planning. Helping you harness creative thinking and channel it into everyday work, this book discusses why collaboration is so important and provides numerous tips for cultivating it; examines what to do when things go wrong, including techniques for generating patience and perseverance to help produce positive results; offers new ways to plan and implement, featuring guidance on how to establish a core group; explores ways to prioritize by starting with clear goals; describes the fundamentals of engaging with fellow staff and the wider community; and highlights ideas to spark curiosity that benefit everyone. An array of appendices with worksheets, examples, suggested readings, and other tools complete this celebration of collaboration, a book that will inspire effective communication and accountability within your organization and among community allies.

94 character-building activities for a peaceful and supportive learning environment Help preschoolers develop compassion for others with this collection of classroom and at-home activities. These simple but powerful lessons help children practice loving values as they contribute to a supportive learning environment--a place where all children seek out the goodness in themselves and others. The Kindness Curriculum, Second Edition, provides a variety of new and revised experiences that strengthen the building blocks of positive character development. Children will enjoy the expression the activities encourage and the playfulness they provide as they learn about love, feelings and empathy, gentleness, self-control, respect, friendship, and conflict resolution. This edition includes activities that aim to prevent bullying before it starts by teaching young children about pro-social values in a peaceful classroom community. This comprehensive collection of activities helps foster an atmosphere of acceptance, empowerment, and love. It also supports the important lesson that a little kindness can go a long way. Judith Anne Rice is a keynote speaker specializing in character building. She is the author of several books and an early childhood family education teacher.