In this article, I will examine the use of picture books as a means of supporting the intellectual pursuits of young children. Theoretical frameworks will be discussed as they pertain to the integration of these books in the Municipal Infant Toddler Centers and Preschools of Reggio Emilia and Pistoia, Italy. The pedagogical framework of these…

The cultural components of drawing allow one to consider it a symbolic form of cultural communication. The behavioural and cognitive mechanisms involved in the cultural transmission of symbolic communications are situated in an environment embedded in cultural-historical features that should be taken into account, as they give rise to variations…

This paper underlies the importance of the museum and the international scientific partnership for the promotion and valorisation of regional cultural heritage, as a condition for developing greater awareness of civilizational framework of cultural inheritance at the global level. The goal of the action research that was carried out in parallel in…

The preschool program of Reggio Emilia, Italy is discussed in terms of the quality of the program's environment, the quality of its students' work, and student and teacher planning involved in the projects undertaken by the students. It is maintained that children in the Reggio Emilia program know what is important to the adults around them.(BG)

In light of criticisms that many early childhood programs fail to engage children's minds, this study suggests that children need programs in which they can: (1) explore experience in visual ways; (2) experience aspects of different cultures; (3) extend their thinking; and (4) develop their imagination. That art and play can provide suitable…

Investigates school children's images of scientists in Brazil, the United States, France, Italy, Chile, Mexico, India, and Nigeria by having them make drawings. Discusses the relationship between image and career choice. (DDR)

Three- to six-year-old children in the preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, worked on a project called "The City: Images, Ideas, and Theories," in which teachers investigated the children's ideas, hypotheses, and theories about cities in general and their own city in particular. Children's knowledge about the city was surveyed in…

Examines children's art creations in a child care center in Reggio Emilia in northern Italy. Suggests that, to produce art, children need many interesting experiences in classroom and community, as well as encouragement to think, talk, and create art in response to their experiences. Under such circumstances, their art is as intriguing and…

Maintains that there is increasing interest in the approach to art education in the Reggio Emilia schools in northern Italy. Describes the Emilia approach to early childhood education and characterizes it as child-centered and emergent. Includes a dialogue between a teacher and students using the approach. (CFR)

This book is a collection of stories describing the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education, based on the author's internship in the Italian preschools and a 4-year adaptation effort in one American school. The book's prologue describes the author's work before using the Reggio Emilia approach, the history of Reggio Emilia, the…

The municipal early childhood program in Reggio Emilia, Italy, one of the most renowned examples of community-supported child care systems in the Western world, is described. A brief historical overview is followed by discussion of such aspects of the Reggio Emilia project as the high level of exchange between families and schools, the…