Presents one teacher's perspectives on the priorities that are important for children in an educational environment. (BB)

Observing children's use of space and utilizing materials gathered from the community are discussed as ways of reflecting community in the classroom environment. (RH)

Introduces the nine articles on children's ecological awareness in this special issue. Ways to promote ecological awareness in the early childhood, elementary, and middle grades are described, and a reading list is provided. (LB)

Discusses four factors central to the American playground movement: backlash reaction to cognitive emphasis in early childhood education, influence of European play environments, increasing awareness of deficiencies in traditional American playgrounds, and accumulation of experience with new types of playgrounds. Cites research related to each of…

Describes an art program for preschool children that includes four social dimensions of art in order to heighten aesthetic perception, improve artistic creativity, and nurture self-esteem. The social dimensions are children having power, children acting on norms legitimate in their own eyes, children functioning "nonestrangedly," and children…

Describes two conservation education programs that target local primary schools and use national parks in Malaysian Borneo (Kinabalu Park) and central Brazil (Morro do Diabo Park). Both were designed using a comprehensive systems evaluation model and both resulted in cognitive and affective gains for students. (LB)

Describes characteristics of immigrant children from the former Soviet Union and implications of these characteristics for U.S. teachers. Considers differences between U.S. and Soviet schools in scheduling practices, bathroom routines, racial composition, meals, languages, clothing, naps, and parent/school relationships. (LB)

Suggests ways to help put students in touch with their world, especially the school and local areas. The use of "webbing" to stimulate series of learning activities is also presented. (SDH)

Four major teaching strategies for linking humor and learning are identified: (1) to perform as models of humor; (2) to select learning materials that foster the expression of humor; (3) to elicit expressions of humor; and (4) to be responsive and appreciative. (LB)

Provides suggestions for preschool, elementary, and middle grade teachers on mainstreaming students with physical and medical difficulties. Suggestions focus on parent involvement, peer interaction, environment and training considerations, and instructional adaptations. Discusses topics, such as emergency care plans, that relate to making the…

Swaffield School, a nursery and primary school in innercity London, developed a multidisciplinary recycling project, Save the Trees, which focuses on paper and its link to the forest. The project involves group participation in handmade paper storycloths based on forest images and development of stories derived from the storycloths. (LB)

The MLE Learning Center, a publicly funded day care center and after-school program in Brooklyn, New York, helps children develop awareness of a global community by using local resources to teach the children about the rainforest. (LB)