This special book and DVD set includes 13 of Aboriginal Nations' award-winning animated short films and a guide to using them in a diverse range of early childhood settings. Dreaming Stories are important parts of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' cultural heritage, and invaluable sources of knowledge and wisdom for everyone. In early…

This article explores the process by which different elements of the material culture of educational settings, including learning tools, classroom design and other aspects of the physical environment that embody a particular educational philosophy, become transmuted when taken over by those with very different pedagogical aims. The article focuses…

Discusses how children can widen their experiences and also acquire a fresh perspective on their everyday experiences through movement and dance. (CM)

This paper addresses the simplification of music as a way to introduce all beginners to making music. Creative play is emphasized to encourage students to feel ownership of the music they create. Suggestions are given for improvisation to known songs with small guitars, ukuleles and dulcimers. The paper advocates a return to the roots of music…

A 2-year experiment with Hungarian kindergarteners concluded that handicraft activity which evolved out of play experiences had the most positive effects on different kinds of children. (JF)

Discusses the New Games movement which promotes a series of innovative creative group games for children and offers a list of games and directions on how to play them. The games provide an unstructured, cooperative alternative to the structured, competitive games traditionally played by young children. (CM)

This article draws on systems views of creativity and their application in music education, to argue that young children's independent invented song making evolves from their early musico-communicative interaction with others, is evidential of their capacity for "elaboration," and is foundational in the development of creative thought and activity…

This paper presents a guide to the selection and use of finger plays with children. Finger plays are defined as brief stories that rhyme and can be dramatized by fingers. After touching briefly on the origins of finger plays, the paper lists several uses for this activity, including motivating students, introducing new themes or units, and…

Discusses a national trend toward overtesting and isolated skills testing of young children, an approach growing out of behavioral programs for the handicapped. Advocates treating all children as gifted and providing them with activities encouraging curiosity, creativity, independence, sensitivity, and self-expression. Includes nine references.…

The creative workshop is facilitating change in our present educational approach through the reeducation of adults who work with children. The program actively engages adults in adapting to and exploring our dynamic environment in the hope that children taught by these adults will learn to challenge facts and their relevance rather than passively…

Creative movement and drama can expand children's understanding of their environment, extend knowledge levels, and broaden creative self-expression. This article describes the benefits of incorporating such learning experiences in the classroom and presents several children's books and related activities that lend themselves to the integration of…

This article reports the results of a preliminary study that applied a randomized posttest-only design to evaluate the effectiveness of a literacy curriculum that incorporated explicit opportunities for Spanish-speaking Head Start preschool children (N = 76) to develop writing abilities in English. The study also addressed English language…

This "funbook" presents reading and writing activities to help children prepare for reading and writing. Activities introduce the alphabet, and assist children to print letters of the alphabet and engage in other readiness tasks. The margins of many of the pages present instructions for "reading partners." The booklet includes…

Presenting activities, facts, and illustrations, this book takes learning the alphabet to a new level. After an introduction and a brief cartoon look at the history of the alphabet, the book presents 26 four-page mini-chapters (1 for each letter) that include a brief visual history of the letter; trivia tidbits; project ideas; a list of people,…

This special section on the spirit of play discusses (1) characteristics of adult play; (2) styles of playfulness; (3) the creation of environments that foster children's sense of wonder; and (4) strategies for training teachers to be playful and to be attentive to children's play. (HOD)