As a new generation of educational environments are designed and built, this design manual helps architects to grasp the underlying educational theories and how they can be realized in built form, so that the building fulfills its role as a 3-dimensional curriculum plan. It presents over 80 international case studies.

This book gathers a selection of international day care centers and schools designed by renowned architects, combining functional, technological and construction features creating imaginative and evocative atmospheres.

Teaching Off Trail describes the transformation of Peter Dargatz, a national board-certified teacher, and public school coordinator, from an anxious assessor to a fair and fun facilitator of learning. It shares his personal professional journey detailing his evolution as an educator while simultaneously offering strategies for readers to implement Peter's unique teaching philosophy to increase opportunities for play, creative expression, and personalization in both the indoor and outdoor classroom. In his own classroom, Peter brought learning outside by creating a nature kindergarten program that emphasizes community partnerships, service learning, and meaningful and memorable experiences in the outdoors. Teaching Off Trail aims to inspire educators, administrators, and parents across all levels to turn their outrage for today’s educational system into outreach that promotes passionate and purposeful problem-solving. He incorporates techniques often seen in private educational settings like Reggio and Montessori—student-centered, self-directed experiential approaches to learning) and shows how they work within a public school system.

This is the standard design guide on schools architecture, providing vital information on school architecture. Mark Dudek views school building design as a particularly specialised field encompassing ever changing educational theories, the subtle spatial and psychological requirements of growing children and practical issues that are unique to these types of building. He explores the functional requirements of individual spaces, such as classrooms, and shows how their incorporation within a single institution area are a defining characteristic of the effective educational environment. Acoustics, impact damage, the functional differentiation of spaces such as classrooms, music rooms, craft activities and gymnasium, within a single institution are all dealt with. More esoteric factors such as the effects on behaviour of colour, light, surface texture and imagery are considered in addition to the more practical aspects of designing for comfort and health. Chapter 4 comprises 20 case studies which address those issues important in the creation of modern school settings. They are state of the art examples from all parts of the world. These examples include: Pokstown Down Primary, Bournemouth; Haute Vallee School, Jersey; Heinz-Galinski School, Berlin; Anne Frank School, Papendract, Netherlands; Seabird Island School, British Columbia and The Little Village Academy, Chicago.

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.

Everything you need to get started and succeed in a nature preschool or forest kindergarten.