A book that encourages children to go and play outside and discover what nature has to offer. Leave the house and roam into the nature: It is a fascinating place, waiting to be conquered by little ones with curious minds. Whether in the garden, park, or a nearby forest, a closer look at nature will draw out budding architects, their first constructions built from stones, branches, and leaves; a thorough investigation of trees will reveal all kinds of insects; and listening to the animals around will teach their sounds. Let's Play Outdoors! is for a new generation of environmentally conscious children, showing them how to interact with their surroundings in a meaningful way. The activities suggested inspire independent learning about animals, plants, and the weather, as well as how to look after the world.

The world has so much for children to explore and discover. There's no better way to see it all-and grow with healthy bodies and curious minds-than by getting outside and playing! Playing outside is fun to do with family or friends, and is a great opportunity to embrace new and exciting experiences. With this book, youngsters can discover many different ways to enjoy the outside-at a playground, in a park, in safe neighborhood streets, or in one's own backyard- including running, biking, swinging, hula-hooping, doing handstands, and exploring. There's no shortage of play activities to choose from!Featuring bright photos of children in motion from mixed backgrounds and abilities, this read-aloud book will inspire young ones everywhere to get outside and play in their surroundings. Author and play expert Pat Rumbaugh offers helpful resources to promote successful play, including suggested activities, play locations, and rules. Let's Play Outside! is a marvelous way to excite and encourage children and adults alike to get outside and play!

Piggie can't wait to go and play in the sunshine. But will a rainy day ruin all the fun? Told entirely in speech bubbles with a repetitive use of familiar phrases, this original book encourages children who are just learning to read.

I'm Jay, Let's Play, by Beth Reichmuth and Nomy Lamm, is a story about Jay's morning at preschool playing with friends. Jay loves playing in the kitchen, driving dump trucks, twirling in skirts and crashing tall towers. Jay, Ren, Finn, Casey and Riley are dynamic kids with exciting ideas. I'm Jay, Let's Play models gender fluidity as a normal and delightful part of the lives of young children. Rather than gendered pronouns, the characters in this book are referred to by their names. Their styles and interests are equally open-ended.To support adults in navigating the conversations that may arise, a note in the back of the book offers some suggestions of simple, inclusive, developmentally appropriate messages about gender for all young children.

Let children experience the learning power of play! Let’s Play is a handbook full of child-led, open-ended learning adventures. The 39 fresh, fun, and budget-friendly activities (plus more than 225 play variations) are packed with learning that helps children develop important motor, cognitive, language, and social skills. These activity starters were all tested by a slew of early childhood professionals and approved by the children they work with. Building on the early learning principles presented in the author team’s first book together, Let Them Play: An Early Learning (Un)Curriculum, they also support your transition to a play-based, child-led (un)curriculum. Jeff A. Johnson has more than twenty years of early childhood experience as a former child care center director and current family child care business owner. He is a popular keynote speaker, trainer, and author of six books. Denita Dinger has been a child care provider for more than ten years and is a frequent speaker at early childhood conferences, focusing on the topics of hands-on and play-based learning. This is her second book.

Every season has outdoor activities for you to enjoy. Being in nature creates special feelings! This book in the Move and Get Healthy! Series will take readers through the basics of healthy outdoor activities that are outlined in First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! Campaign. Clear instructions, applicable suggestions, and quick tips for making healthy choices and being active outdoors will get your students to Move and Get Healthy! Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Looking Glass Library is an imprint of Magic Wagon, a division of ABDO.

"Angela Hanscom is a powerful voice for balance." —Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods In this important book, a pediatric occupational therapist and founder of TimberNook shows how outdoor play and unstructured freedom of movement are vital for children’s cognitive development and growth, and offers tons of fun, engaging ways to help ensure that kids grow into healthy, balanced, and resilient adults. Today’s kids have adopted sedentary lifestyles filled with television, video games, and computer screens. But more and more, studies show that children need “rough and tumble” outdoor play in order to develop their sensory, motor, and executive functions. Disturbingly, a lack of movement has been shown to lead to a number of health and cognitive difficulties, such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), emotion regulation and sensory processing issues, and aggressiveness at school recess break. So, how can you ensure your child is fully engaging their body, mind, and all of their senses? Using the same philosophy that lies at the heart of her popular TimberNook program—that nature is the ultimate sensory experience, and that psychological and physical health improves for children when they spend time outside on a regular basis—author Angela Hanscom offers several strategies to help your child thrive, even if you live in an urban environment. Today it is rare to find children rolling down hills, climbing trees, or spinning in circles just for fun. We’ve taken away merry-go-rounds, shortened the length of swings, and done away with teeter-totters to keep children safe. Children have fewer opportunities for unstructured outdoor play than ever before, and recess times at school are shrinking due to demanding educational environments. With this book, you’ll discover little things you can do anytime, anywhere to help your kids achieve the movement they need to be happy and healthy in mind, body, and spirit.

Everyone in the field of Early childhood Education should be aware of what constitutes a good early childhood education program. Although each individual will work with children in their own way, there is a common basis of competency that should be expected of all teachers. Competencies is divided into six competency areas and 13 functional areas of competence as identified by the CDA National Credentialing Program for center-based teachers of your children. As you work through the learning activities, developing curriculum materials, bibliographies, observational records, etc..., you will be developing materials which can also be used in assembling your portfolio and documenting your competence for the CDA credential. You can also use Competencies as a guide in self-study and training, recording teacher activities, reading resources, and utilizing activities designed to determine the areas and methods in which you feel you are functioning effectively, or those that you may wish to change or improve.