Well-planned play opportunities enable young children to learn and develop. This book is divided into two sections. The first contains ideas on how to design resource areas to stimulate purposeful play. The second contains 120 planned science and technology activities divided into the following chapters: All about people; Changing materials (food); Animals; Variety of materials; Plants, leaves and flowers; Light and colours; The outdoor environment; Sound; Exploring materials; Movement and forces; Joining materials; Electricity The activities are clearly laid-out with the Purpose, Resources and Safety points given, as well as 'Challenges', which can be used to provide a focal point for each activity. Assessment is an integral part of the book and the activities are linked to the seven areas of learning and development and the Early Learning Goals of the revised Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (September 2012), as well as to the National Curriculum for Science in Key Stage 1, to provide a smooth transition for children as they move from the Foundation Stage to Year 1.

Used as a measure of quality in the ground-breaking Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) project, Sustained Shared Thinking is fundamental to good early years practice. It costs nothing, yet research has shown that it improves outcomes for children by supporting their holistic development. This book clearly explains what Sustained Shared Thinking is and examines the skills and expertise needed to initiate, encourage and facilitate it. The book explores the attitudes, knowledge and understanding that a practitioner must adopt in order to start or develop successful Sustained Shared Thinking. Combining theory with practical guidance, it demonstrates how it can be achieved, covering all aspects of early years practice including the Characteristics of Effective Learning, the Prime and Specific Areas of learning development, the role of the practitioner, the environment and working with parents. Features include: boxed links to key theory and research; practical strategies highlighted in the text; consideration of children at different ages and stages of development; links throughout to the Early Years Foundation Stage. Written by a leading consultant who regularly delivers training on Sustained Shared Thinking, this will be an essential text for students on foundation degree and childhood studies courses as well as early years practitioners.

Purposeful Play for Early Childhood Phonological Awareness provides 70 activities designed to help students detect and manipulate the sounds of language. Whether through singing songs, engaging in role-playing games, or tossing balls of yarn, every activity provides fun ways for children to interact with language and one another while offering explicit support for developing phonological awareness. Use fun, engaging activities, grouped according to phonological skills, that build sequentially and reinforce previously learned skills while introducing new skills. Address how to isolate sounds in words so young children can hear and recognize individual words, syllables, initial sounds, rhymes, and phonemes. Pronunciation guides give explicit instruction so that all sounds are correctly articulated.

Well-planned play is the key way young children learn. Science and Technology for the Early Years is divided into two sections. The first contains ideas on how to design resource areas to stimulate puposeful play. The second contains 120 planned science and technology activities. Each activity is clearly laid out with a purpose, a list of resources, and any safety points. Assessment is an integral part of the book and the activities are matched to the Early Learning Goals, as well as to the content areas of the National Curriculum so as to provide a smooth transition from the Foundation Stage to Key Stage 1.

Stimulate and engage children's thinking as you integrate STEM experiences throughout your early childhood program. More than 85 engaging, developmentally appropriate activities maximize children's learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Each experience combines at least two STEM disciplines and incorporates materials and situations that are interesting and meaningful to children. As researchers and educators increasingly recognize how critical early childhood mathematics and science learning is in laying the foundation for children’s later STEM education, this second edition of Teaching STEM in the Early Years is a much-needed resource for every early childhood classroom. It will encourage you to think differently about STEM education, and you will see how easy it is to accommodate curriculum goals and learning standards in math and science activities. This edition provides updated research and references and adds Ideas for incorporating literacy with STEM activities, including children’s book recommendations STREAM It segments that incorporate reading and art into STEM with art and music extension to activities Suggestions for varying the difficulty of activities for a variety of learners

Play is serious business. Whether it's reenacting a favorite book (comprehension and close reading), negotiating the rules for a game (speaking and listening), or collaborating over building blocks (college and career readiness and STEM), Kristi Mraz, Alison Porcelli, and Cheryl Tyler see every day how play helps students reach standards and goals in ways that in-their-seat instruction alone can't do. And not just during playtimes. "We believe there is play in work and work in play," they write. "It helps to have practical ways to carry that mindset into all aspects of the curriculum." In Purposeful Play, they share ways to: optimize and balance different types of play to deepen regular classroom learning teach into play to foster social-emotional skills and a growth mindset bring the impact of play into all your lessons across the day. "We believe that play is one type of environment where children can be rigorous in their learning," Kristi, Alison, and Cheryl write. So they provide a host of lessons, suggestions for classroom setups, helpful tools and charts, curriculum connections, teaching points, and teaching language to help you foster mature play that makes every moment in your classroom instructional. Play doesn't only happen when work is over. Children show us time and time again that play is the way they work. In Purposeful Play, you'll find research-driven methods for making play an engine for rigorous learning in your classroom.

Interact with language in a fun and meaningful way! This book provides students with over 80 early childhood activities that focus on engaging with the sounds of language. From singing songs to participating in role-playing games, students will have fun and develop important language skills. Students will gain quality speech and listening practice while learning about individual words, syllables, rhymes, phonemes, and graphemes. The book also contains helpful teacher and family resources and tools to support diverse learners. Build phonological awareness for pre-K through first grade students with this exciting product!

Build phonological awareness in a fun and meaningful way! This book provides pre-K through first grade students with over 80 research-based early childhood activities that focus on detecting, manipulating, and engaging with the sounds of language.

Explores the science inherent in good early years practice and provides ideas for early years teachers and practitioners.

"This book brings together research and practices regarding digital and social technology integration in the K-12 classroom, sharing practical and conceptual aspects of using digital and social technologies as tools for transforming K-12 learning environments"--