This article compares the messages contained in the physical environments of early childhood classrooms in Reggio Emilia, Italy, with typical early childhood settings in Canada and the United States. The article examines the classroom's "aesthetic code"; i.e., the social construction created, consciously or unconsciously, by the…

Compares early childhood classrooms in Italy and the United States. Concludes that art educators must create environments that support children's aesthetic and artistic development, incorporate aspects from the world into the life of classrooms, and critically examine classroom learning spaces. (DAJ)