Presents results from ethnographic study on children's everyday life in Finnish daycare centers. Raises question of the relationship between play and real life, and analyzes play and playfulness as communicative resources used by children in creating everyday routines. Argues play is not a separate children's world; by using play, children also…

Describes four Norwegian kindergarten/day care programs: (1) Tislegard kindergarten and day care center, using community sculptures as the basis for art activities; (2) Bjerkeallen Barnehage, examining the impact on activities and staff relationships when half the staff are men; (3) Labakken, using nature as a central arena for play; and (4)…

Discussed are adults' egocentric attitudes about children, particularly toddlers, and ways in which such attitudes can creat unnecessary stress in the caregiver and toddler. Emphasis is given to: (1) hostile myths about toddlers that obscure reality and muddy relationships; (2) misunderstandings about ways in which toddlers think; (3) young…