During the past six months the author was fortunate to travel to Hungary three times. Although all three trips had different purposes, they had one thing in common: professional conversations between colleagues from Hungary and the United States. In this article, the author would like to provide a short overview of these visits, which resulted in…

Points out how dice games can be used to teach mathematics concepts, discussing 13 dice games of varying difficulty. (RH)

Understanding the differences in values that differing cultures attach to play may help educators (1) to clarify the role of spontaneous play, (2) to recognize the limitations of competitive play, (3) to better balance directed and spontaneous play, and (4) to view play as absorbed, joyful, educative activity. (Author/AJ)

Explains free-flow play, in which children make the rules of play, as opposed to adult-led play; stresses the value of firsthand experience; and discusses the relationship of free-flow play to games and representations. Cites 12 ways adults can help children achieve quality learning through free-flow play, including helping children explore and…

Three child development specialists give their views on the major value-attributes that need to be nurtured in children to produce adults who continue to exhibit curious minds; and recommend books for teachers concerned about encouraging curiosity in children. (ED)

Home, neighborhood, and community are critically examined from the perspective of a young child, and some hard questions are posed as to the value structures that various environments implicitly reinforce. (CS)

Emphasizes the importance of spontaneous play for growth in cognition and social values. The author specifically discusses finger painting, water, blocks and dramatic play. (AJ)

Describes a process used for training prospective teachers to gain some initial skill in the observation of children. (JMB)

Sixteen books for kindergarten through sixth grade were chosen and reported on at the Annual Study Conference of the Association for Childhood Education International, held in Denver, Colorado, April 1972. (CB)

Discusses the teacher's role in stimulating children's curiousity. Areas touched upon include teacher attitudes, teaching techniques, materials, readiness, abstract concepts, and time factors. (JMB)

Describes how a teacher, faced with the task of taking an inventory of classroom materials, used the situation as a meaningful method of teaching mathematics, social studies and language to her third-grade pupils. (Author/MP)

Distinguishes between surface and meaningful parent involvement in reading. Describes six situations that meaningfully involve parents in school: (1) parent learning stations, (2) newspaper activities, (3) a parent talent bank, (4) "thin-book" reading from "cut up books," (5) parent activity sheets, and (6) a parent recreation room. (BJD)

In this article, the authors present a travelogue about the book bag partnership. The book bag literacy partnership is a multi-faceted collaboration between school and home, and between children and adults. It uses literature to elicit readers's responses and perspectives. Designed for children from infancy to the elementary school years, the book…

An argument for support for legislative proposals to achieve quality day care for children under age 5. Proposes programs should (1) augment, not supplant, family, (2) include parent participation, (3) be constantly monitored, (4) provide stimulation emphasizing all facets of children's growth, and (5) return greatest educational dividend for…

Authors summarize some simple, basic ways innovative teachers have sought to extend and unify learning environments for boys and girls in elementary schools. (Authors/CB)