In a recent survey of parents and early childhood professionals the prevalence of war play among children and an increase in the amount of violence in children's play was noted. Outlines how the deregulation of children's television during the Reagan administration has affected children's exposure to violence in children's television programming.…

Making students' responses to the news a legitimate part of the early childhood curriculum contributes to their overall sense of safety and well-being, a necessary condition for effective learning to occur. Examples illustrate how children bring news violence into their play, effective responses, and how to talk about disturbing news. (MLF)

Presents four articles discussing mental health issues that pertain to early childhood education: "Granting Children Their Emotions" (Ilse Elisabeth Plattner); "Double Vision: Parent and Professional Perspectives on Our Family's Year in Crisis" (Kirsten Haugen); "Coping with Stress and Surviving Challenging Times" (Alan Cohen); and "When the World…

Noting that peaceable classrooms grow out of understanding how children develop ideas about peace, conflict, and violence, this guide is intended to help early childhood educators create a classroom where preschool through grade 3 children learn peaceful alternatives to the violent behaviors modeled for them in society. The guide is based on the…

Suggests actions that teachers can take to challenge the use of violence by children. Actions include providing early intervention and teaching specific skills to help children resolve conflicts. Discusses adaptation to children's developmental levels and creation of classroom contexts supportive of nonviolence. (LB)

Presents vignettes of everyday situations to describe how children are affected by violence and what early childhood teachers can do to create a peaceable classroom environment. Notes how teachers should outline for the class a safety rule that emphasizes the need for everyone to feel safe. Also discusses other teacher-directed safety strategies.…

Outlines the effects of the deregulation of television advertising and marketing on children's play and behavior. Discusses what early childhood educators can do to counteract these effects. (HTH)

Presents the results of a study exploring teachers' concerns and observations of how the "Power Rangers" television series affects children in their classrooms. Teachers' concerns focus on violence, aggressive play, confusion about fantasy and reality, obsessive involvement with the Power Rangers, and use of them as role models for…

Many early childhood teachers report an increase in children's use of aggressive means to work out disputes, often as a result of such influences as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fad. This article offers suggestions for helping children learn ways to resolve conflicts and for creating a conflict resolution curriculum. (LB)

Contains four presentations from workshop on media culture and young children: (1) "Changing Needs, Changing Responses: Rethinking How We Teach Children" (Levin); (2) "Watching Television: What Are Children Learning about Race and Ethnicity?" (Linn and Poussaint); (3) "Empowering Parents and Teachers To Protect…

Ever since television became a daily staple of U.S. family life, its influence on children has been the subject of study and debate. No aspect of the debate has been more heated than violence in the media. But a growing knowledge base has shifted the focus of the debate from whether media violence contributes to violence in real life to what can…