In 1900, the Swedish writer and social commentator Ellen Key published a book called "The Century of the Child," presenting changes she believed were necessary in the care of children in the twentieth century. This article examines the reality of childhood and child care in Sweden, comparing Key's wishes to both actual changes and…

Explores the question of whether or not Mighty Morphin Power Rangers-type aggressive play is developmentally appropriate for the early childhood classroom. Compares results from research in child development to the reality of television programming, highlighting the relationship between television violence and children's aggressive behavior. (AA)

Reports on the beginnings of visual representation in early childhood by using longitudinal studies in both London, England and Singapore. Finds evidence to support the theory that underlying children's use and organization of visual media are certain robust forms of behavior, or deep structures. (CFR)

This guide describes a program that turns ordinary show-and-tell time into a theme-related sharing time, or "sharing circle." In this program, each child is assigned a special sharing day once a month, with the sharing days evenly distributed throughout the month and with no more than three children sharing on a particular day. Monthly…

One of the goals of the Oral Literature Workshop was to point out to parents the "humanizing" experience that can be found in folk literature and to suggest some ways of using this literature in the lives and development of the child. This report of the Workshop contains: the workshop summary, reading aloud to children, some techniques…

Maintains that pictures are one constant aspect of children's books. Reviews research on whether pictures hinder or facilitate the development of reading skills in young children. Provides suggestions on when and where pictures might provide instructional support. (CFR)

This guide contains detailed and thoughtful descriptions of 175 recommended books that teachers and parents can read to children--this revised and expanded edition carries a new section on reading aloud from infancy to kindergarten. Following a foreword by "Mister Rogers," chapters in the guide are entitled: (1) Why Bother? The Case for Reading…

This paper presents a survey of kindergarten children's understanding of social issues. Approximately 350 children from 14 kindergarten classes participated in taped small group discussions with a female interviewer. The classes involved in the study included 11 public school kindergarten classes, two inner city day care center programs and one…

This annotated film bibliography is a compilation of film listings suitable for early childhood education teacher training, parent education, and for viewing by children. The list has been gathered from a variety of sources including the National Association for the Education of Young Children's conference film showings for the past several years,…

The impact of informal learning on young children in the course of their play activities is discussed. A major objective is to emphasize that informal learning can help lay the base for multiculturalism in elementary education. It enables children from different cultural backgrounds to relate to and understand each other through play activities…

Cites research supporting the theory that young children need several exposures to a story for complete understanding and reports on a study involving six rereadings of one book to a five year old over a two week period in an effort to guide "literary" development. (NH)

Noting that a creative approach to early childhood education allows teachers to reinforce the foundation of achievement by encouraging and expanding upon children's play activities, this book provides teacher-developed ideas and strategies for creating learning communities in the early childhood classroom. The beginning chapter introduces creative…

This book considers how children form connections with the natural world, and questions what may happen to children denied exposure to wild places--a reality for many children today. Two men draw on memories of their own childhoods and on their experiences as naturalists and as fathers to tell stories of children learning about wild places and…

This unit of the Flexible Learning System (FLS) describes the development of children's concepts and presents ways that adults can facilitate conceptual learning in children between 2 and 8 years of age. Concepts are described as representable, sharable and organized knowledge formulated around interests, susceptible to agreement and disagreement,…

Reports on research with preschool caregivers, primary grade teachers, and home caregivers of 605 young children on the role the visual arts play in early childhood education. Finds that parents and personnel at day care centers and nursery schools were sensitive to, and positive about, the role and significance of visual arts. (CFR)