Demonstrates how to build a shadow box in order to make a variety of shadows and explains how the study of shadows led to the invention of the camera

Being kind is contagious as a new girl navigates the art of making friends in a picture book suited for children starting school or moving to a new place. When Sukie’s family moves and she has to start at a new school, she feels shy and lonely at first. But soon she learns that receiving small acts of kindness—someone saying hi, or saving a hoop for her—makes her feel braver, and that passing friendliness along is a good feeling, too. Before long, Sukie, Joe, Poppy, and Stan are all becoming friends! Young readers are invited to join them as they explore meeting new people, celebrating differences, being thoughtful, and standing up for one another.

Sklar's personal account of teaching dramatic writing, direction, and performance, to a group of 7th graders in the South Bronx, reveals the planning and execution of his lessons. It also addresses the reception such lessons received-including resistance. Teachers and Artists-in-Residence stand to gain much from this book, since it deals with real life dynamics in the classroom and necessary strategies for getting through a project in a thought-provoking, fun, and creative way for everyone participating. "I love this book. It's a great read, and it taught me a lot about playwriting, theater, and young people."-Pat Conroy, author of The Prince of Tides.

A game-changing book on child development--and the importance of physical play--for this digital and screen age. For children to develop to their fullest potential, their sensory system—which, in addition to the big five of sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell, includes movement and balance (vestibular), body awareness (proprioception), and internal perception (interoception)—needs to be stimulated from the time they are born. Their senses flourish when they explore their environment by touching new textures, including their food, running, jumping, climbing, and splashing outside. As an occupational therapist with a specialty in sensory integration, Allie Ticktin has seen an increase in cases of children who struggle to sit in circle time or at their desk upright and who are delayed in walking, talking, and playing by themselves and with their peers. In the recent past, kids spent their days playing outside and naturally engaging their sensory system and building key developmental skills. But with increasing time pressures for both kids and parents, children are spending more time in front of screens and less time exploring and interacting with their environment. The good news is that boosting your child’s sensory development doesn’t take enormous amounts of time or supplies, or any special skills. Here, Ticktin discusses the eight sensory systems and how a child uses them, and offers easy, fun activities—as well as advice on setting up a play area—that will encourage their development so that your little one will be better able to respond to their emotions, build friendships, communicate their needs, and thrive in school. That’s the power of sensory play.

Small World Play is a practical and informative book for practitioners and home-based professionals to use in their daily work with young children at all ability levels. It is designed to show how small world play contributes to the EYFS curriculum and to other important areas of children's lives. Explaining exactly what small world play is and why it is so important to all areas of children's development, it describes the different types of small world play, with toys, models, puzzles, construction kits and recycled materials, how to introduce children to small world play and how to encourage children to apply thinking skills more confidently. The themes included in the book cover: people and situations; animals and other living creatures; vehicles and machines; buildings, models and constructions; and recycled and found materials. Chapters are packed with ideas for resources, scenarios and narratives, to enable practitioners and children to share constructive and absorbing play, making this book a valuable guide to developing essential life skills, along with creativity and imagination.

Friendships are like flowers. If you take care of them, they grow and bloom until you have a beautiful garden! The Little Book of Friendship shows young readers what they need to know to make a friend and to be one too.

Separated from his family when they were forced to flee their home, a young East African boy named Deo lives alone in the Lukole refugee camp in Tanzania. With scarce resources, bullies have formed gangs to steal what they can, and one leader named Remy has begun targeting Deo. But when a coach organizes the children to play soccer, everything begins to change for Deo. And for Remy. By sharing the joy of play, –no one feels so alone anymore.” Readers everywhere will be inspired to read how play can change lives.

Helping young people learn through play is the focus of this publication, aimed at teachers and future teachers of children from birth through age eight. Current research presented here examines the positive effects of play on children's social/emotional, cognitive, and physical development. The reader will learn how to assess a child's learning through play, making play a more practicable teaching mechanism. They also will learn step-by-step recommendations for establishing a classroom that promotes play and developing play-based programs designed for children in specific age groups: infants and toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarten children, and primary-age children. Incorporating play into the program of special needs children not only is addressed in each age-specific section, the author pays particular attention to this topic in a stand-alone section. Educators also will value the list of recommended Web sites for further research on the subject, as well as lists of materials and books perfect for play centers.

The classic story of seven children with a longing to be on stage: the inspiration for actors from Maggie Smith to Eileen Atkins In the town of Fenchester, seven resourceful children are yearning to be famous. One day, they come across a disused chapel, and an idea is formed. With a lick of paint and the addition of a beautiful curtain (which, however much they try, won't "swish" as stage curtains ought), the chapel becomes a theatre - and The Blue Door Theatre Company is formed. The children go from strength to strength, writing, directing and acting in their own plays. But their schooldays are numbered, and their parents want them to pack it in and train for sensible jobs. It seems that The Blue Door Theatre Company will have to go the way of all childhood dreams. But with a bit of luck, and the help of some influential friends, perhaps this is not the end, but only the beginning of their adventures in show business...