Chicken has some unexpected and exuberant cow visitors who have exciting plans for jumping, dancing, and wiggling on his teeny-tiny couch, and Chicken is none too happy about it. That is until the fun concludes with a quiet, cozy and delicious nap for all!
Ensure young learners transition to kindergarten successfully. This tool kit is an ideal planning resource for early childhood professionals as they coordinate a successful transition to kindergarten that benefits children, their families, and schools. Using an anti-bias lens throughout, this updated edition incorporates current best practices in the field while also considering the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on kindergarten readiness. Filled with information, advice, and activities, Ready for Kindergarten includes discussion questions, reproducible checklists, and assessment and planning templates to help you prepare children for the transition to kindergarten.
Celebrate your individuality with this picture book that honors all the wonderful things that make you . . . you. “A picture-book celebration of individuality and diversity. . . . Affirming and welcome.” —Kirkus “In all the world over, this much is true: You’re somebody special. There’s only one YOU.” This feel-good book reassures kids that, whoever and whatever they are, it’s awesome being YOU! Expertly written to include all kinds of children and families, it embraces the beauty in a range of physical types, personalities, and abilities. Kids will love discovering and recognizing themselves in these pages—and they’ll feel proud to see their special qualities acknowledged. Adorable illustrations by Rosie Butcher show a diverse community that many will find similar to their own.
Early childhood educators have the power to help all children learn to respect themselves and others. Creating Diversity-Rich Environments for Young Children is an easy-to-use guide that shows how early childhood professionals can create a positive and inclusive environment for children of all cultures. The newest addition in the Redleaf Press Quick Guide series includes elements of the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) developmentally appropriate practice and ethical standards, early childhood progress indicators, and best practices in adult learning. Guides for reflection and planning for educators and cross-cultural competence checklists will be included to further assist educators.
If you are a first-time parent of a newborn infant, you are just finding out that parenting is not just a job, its a full time, round the clock profession for which there is no pay. I find it hard to believe that we actually get more training for the job of birthing the baby than we do for the profession of raising the child. Almost all parents attend a course that lasts about eight weeks in order to learn about childbirth, which takes an average of eight to fifteen hours from start to completion! And you have a team of experts there with you throughout the entire process. Then comes the day you take the little bundle home. You are given a gift pack from the hospital and sent on your merry way to spend the next eighteen years guessing what to do next! I believe this job is too important to leave up to chance. For a child is a gift from God, much more important than a gift to be placed on a shelf and forgotten all about. Raising a child is an enormous responsibility, and parents must take this responsibility seriously or face the consequences of not doing so. Therefore, I urge you to take the time to read this book. I hope as you begin to walk down the path of parenting another human being, the most important and incredible journey you will ever experience in life, you will not forget the lessons learned from A to Z!
David Sobel’s follow-up to Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens walks readers through the nitty-gritty facts of running a nature-based program. Organized around nine themes, each chapter begins with an overview from the author, followed by case studies from diverse early childhood programs, ranging from those that serve at-risk children to public preschools to university farm programs to Waldorf schools. Sample newsletters in each chapter show how real programs have tackled tough questions and sticky situations. The programs featured in these newsletters are from across the United States: Maryland, New York, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Alabama, Connecticut, Illinois, Vermont, California, Michigan, Rhode Island, Louisiana, and Indiana.