How lessons from kindergarten can help everyone develop the creative thinking skills needed to thrive in today's society. In kindergartens these days, children spend more time with math worksheets and phonics flashcards than building blocks and finger paint. Kindergarten is becoming more like the rest of school. In Lifelong Kindergarten, learning expert Mitchel Resnick argues for exactly the opposite: the rest of school (even the rest of life) should be more like kindergarten. To thrive in today's fast-changing world, people of all ages must learn to think and act creatively—and the best way to do that is by focusing more on imagining, creating, playing, sharing, and reflecting, just as children do in traditional kindergartens. Drawing on experiences from more than thirty years at MIT's Media Lab, Resnick discusses new technologies and strategies for engaging young people in creative learning experiences. He tells stories of how children are programming their own games, stories, and inventions (for example, a diary security system, created by a twelve-year-old girl), and collaborating through remixing, crowdsourcing, and large-scale group projects (such as a Halloween-themed game called Night at Dreary Castle, produced by more than twenty kids scattered around the world). By providing young people with opportunities to work on projects, based on their passions, in collaboration with peers, in a playful spirit, we can help them prepare for a world where creative thinking is more important than ever before.

A comprehensive new guide to planning, implementing and reviewing play to promote a child’s learning, creativity and well-being in the ELC setting. Themes and theories are applied to practice throughout.

Creative Arts in the Lives of Young Children draws together two essential strands in contemporary educational discourse: the importance of high quality care and education in the early years, and the central role that imaginative arts experiences can and should play in the lives of all young children. A number of underlying themes are highlighted throughout the book. All are related to the potential for quality arts experiences in the early years to achieve transformational outcomes for children. These include: the enhancement and development of children's creativity and imagination * the encouragement of children's innate problem solving abilities * the opportunity to experience a diversity of cultures and a broad world-view * the scaffolding of positive attitudes, skills, and ways of being (habits of mind), to help children flourish in the 21st century. The book is grounded in current research and practice about the importance of the arts in young children's lives. Written explicitly for early childhood pre-service and in-service teachers, parents, and caregivers, it includes a range of engaging and practical creative arts activities and suggested experiences for children from birth to eight years of age. Creative Arts in the Lives of Young Children provides a combination of research, activities, and real world vignettes. It reinforces partnerships between parents and early childhood practitioners and teachers. The book covers a broad range of artistic experiences, such as storytelling, art appreciation, puppetry, paint, clay, drama, and music.

Creative Block Play covers everything you need to encourage a child's development in a variety of domains through block play. This book is full of photos that illustrate block play in real classrooms and stories from teachers who have successfully used block play to encourage children's development in a variety of domains. Rosanne Regan Hansel has been both a teacher and administrator for a variety of early childhood programs and currently serves as Education Program Development Specialist for the Department of Education. Ms. Hansel received her MS Ed in Early Childhood Leadership from Bank Street College of Education.

From the preface by Deborah Meier: "We have a long way to go to make John Holt's dream available to all children. But his books make it possible and easier for many of us to join him in the journey." In this enduring classic, rich with deep, original insight into the nature of early learning, John Holt was the first to make clear that, for small children, "learning is as natural as breathing." In his delightful book he observes how children actually learn to talk, to read, to count, and to reason, and how, as adults, we can best encourage these natural abilities in our children.

Several children enjoy playing in the snow.