The children's song cycle is a group of related songs composed for children, to be sung by adults. Although children's song cycles as a genre have never commanded such attention, these cycles are valuable educational tools that can serve as an introduction to classical music and art songs. (Author)

Explores the assumptions about their readers implied by two children's novels, one admired by adults and one by children, and considers how such attitudes are fostered in early childhood. (HOD)

Reports on the Smithsonian Institution's four-day international symposium on "Children in Museums." (RMH)

Describes a study of the poetry preferences of 15 classes of primary school children. (DD)

Discusses the contributions of Clare Tree Major, the first theatre professional to provide touring plays exclusively for children's audiences, and examines her treatment of classic children's literature through the play "Little Women" Available from: Children's Theatre Review, American Theatre Association, 1029 Vermont Avenue, N.W. Suite…

Contains excerpts from unpublished research which illuminate aspects of the play/drama/theatre continuum--research representing over 20 years of study of college students reflecting on their own childhood performance experiences. Focuses on young performers--how children practice the adult art form of theatre through dramatic play. (PA)

The structure of children's interests changes over time from concrete to abstract. Interest structures differ depending on individual perceptions of preferences and competencies. Longitudinal research with ideographic measures is needed to identify developmental patterns of interests and determine whether Holland's model is valid for children.…

Describes the fundamental attitude of learning-from-the-child as integral to observation. Discusses how one learns what motivates each child through patience, humility, repeated experience, objectivity, and faith. Outlines some human tendencies, and challenges us to ensure these tendencies are answered within the Montessori environment. (JS)

All interest necessarily links the person with the external environment: the object/s of interest. Research into children's interests is examined in the context of a rapidly-expanding literature which has generated several powerful concepts in recent decades, notably "individual interest", "situational interest" and "topic interest". The first is…

Prospect-refuge theory was used to study children's aesthetic responses to landscape paintings. Sixty-seven children between the ages of 8 and 15 years reported their liking for 28 landscape paintings and their perceptions of the degree of prospect, refuge, and hazard in those paintings. Consistent with expectations, children were able to express…

The atmosphere of focused interaction during a summer conference dealing with professional writing for children is recalled in this publication. The publication reports the experiences of diverse writers-in-residence who spent their days at Lake Chautauqua sharing their love and passion for children's literature--guiding, nurturing, inquiring,…

Implications of participation in highly competitive sports by children from 7 through 12 years of age are examined. Evidence supports the conclusion that highly competitive sports are often harmful to both physiological and psychological growth and development. However, through participation in sports and physical activity, children can develop…

Frequency of tomboyism was assessed in two samples, one of junior-high girls, the other of adult women. It was concluded that tomboyism is statistically quite common and there is little indication that it is abnormal. (Author)

Children can be encouraged to take an interest in art at a very early age, says Harlan Hoffa, professor of art education at the Pennsylvania State University. Discusses some key steps in fostering an interest in art in the child. (Editor/RK)