Infant & Toddler

What do you get when you mix a tiger, crocodile, elephant, and a giraffe together? Answer…four new species you won't find at your local zoo! Of course you can also assemble them as nature intended, by matching colors or visual memory.

• Sensory toy featuring silicone bubbles built into a sturdy plastic frame
• Encourages fine motor skills, sensory exploration, cause-effect learning
• A truly beautiful keep-their-attention toy
• Little fingers delight in the sensation of poking the silicone bubbles
• Frame made of high quality ABS plastic
• Bubbles made of 100% food-grade silicone
• BPA-Free, fully safety tested

Developing and Sustaining a Community of Practice in Early Childhood

Communities of practice are an age-old phenomenon representing teamwork. Whether it's researchers developing treatments for a disease or educators sharing best practices to enhance early childhood learning, communities of practice are about connection and shared purpose.

Growing Togetherwill help you define, create, and promote a community of practice to foster collaborative problem solving and enhance professional learning experiences.

You will learn key strategies and techniques to help you:

• Develop a shared vision and structure
• Leverage tools to invite members and build a community
• Build member engagement and investment
• Master facilitation and evaluation strategies for ongoing professional learning
• 136 pages

The Power of Play for School Readiness

Children are expected to read, write, count, and sit still at younger and younger ages. As these unrealistic expectations mount, family members and teachers alike continue to believe that these activities will prepare young children for school. But there is a better way—one that helps children build school readiness through developmentally appropriate activities. Best of all? The children can have fun!

Building on Emergent Curriculum guides preschool teachers to tap into young children's natural inclination for play to build their skills, promote their development, and, ultimately, prepare them for elementary school. Learn:

• why traditional theme-based units don't work,
• what school readiness really looks like,
• how to recognize and capitalize on the many teachable moments that arise during play, and
• ways to train teachers and involve families in emergent curriculum.

Play and learning aren't mutually exclusive. Building on Emergent Curriculum will help readers give preschoolers a solid foundation for elementary school while they do what children do best: play!

168 pages

• Toddlers build and rebuild three different vehicles out of one set of colorful, easy-to-handle parts
• Includes parts needed for a space-age rocket, old-fashioned train engine, and cartoony helicopter
• Kid-sized play wrench helps kids put vehicles together and build understand of real-world tools
• Building-based play supports development of creativity and fine motor skills