Let’s build the world with shapes and sizes! Having this understanding will help promote your child’s preparedness for math. Shapes and sizes create a foundation that will be difficult to forget. That is why it is important that you use the right resources today to better form your child’s academic future. Secure a copy now!

From the former director of the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, a timely and passionate case for the role of the well-designed object in the digital age. Curator and scholar Glenn Adamson opens Fewer, Better Things by contrasting his beloved childhood teddy bear to the smartphones and digital tablets children have today. He laments that many children and adults are losing touch with the material objects that have nurtured human development for thousands of years. The objects are still here, but we seem to care less and know less about them. In his presentations to groups, he often asks an audience member what he or she knows about the chair the person is sitting in. Few people know much more than whether it's made of wood, plastic, or metal. If we know little about how things are made, it's hard to remain connected to the world around us. Fewer, Better Things explores the history of craft in its many forms, explaining how raw materials, tools, design, and technique come together to produce beauty and utility in handmade or manufactured items. Whether describing the implements used in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, the use of woodworking tools, or the use of new fabrication technologies, Adamson writes expertly and lovingly about the aesthetics of objects, and the care and attention that goes into producing them. Reading this wise and elegant book is a truly transformative experience.

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Hunt for shapes of all kinds on this journey through a bustling city, illustrated by four-time Caldecott Honoree Bryan Collier! From shimmering skyscrapers to fluttering kites to twinkling stars high in the sky, everyday scenes become extraordinary as a young girl walks through her neighborhood noticing exciting new shapes at every turn. Far more than a simple concept book, City Shapes is an explosion of life. Diana Murray's richly crafted yet playful verse encourages readers to discover shapes in the most surprising places, and Bryan Collier's dynamic collages add even more layers to each scene in this ode to city living.

Praise for the first edition: "Smutny and von Fremd′s very special talent is in helping adults nurture and cherish the creativity and learning joy that is so intrinsic in young children." —Susan Winebrenner, Author and Staff Development Specialist Education Consulting Service, Inc. "The authors use teacher voices, classroom stories, and solid foundations to guide the reader′s thinking. Practical examples and specific guidelines make the book very useful without resorting to templates or gimmicks!" —Carol Ann Tomlinson, Professor University of Virginia Praise for the second edition: "Using the ideas presented in this book make teaching and learning more personalized and exciting for both teachers and their students. This book provides a breath of fresh air for the teaching profession!" —Carole S. Campbell, Educator Higher Ground Educational Consulting "This book is chock full of great examples and classroom applications, providing specific guidance and clear-headed advice." —Nancy H. McDonough, Second-Grade Teacher Walter Stillman School, Tenafly, NJ Meet the highly diverse needs of primary students with these differentiated teaching strategies! Every student who walks through the classroom door brings special gifts to the learning table. Differentiating for the Young Child helps primary teachers value and support the unique experiences and learning styles of diverse young learners. Joan Franklin Smutny and S.E. von Fremd offer strategies and methods for promoting creative thinking and intellectual discovery across key discipline areas. They also tackle issues relating to underserved students and discuss differentiated technology use. Revised to make differentiated learning easier, this second edition: Includes new charts with high- to low-preparation strategies for differentiating lessons in math, science, social studies, and language arts Presents new focus questions to help teachers clarify their own priorities and target student needs efficiently Offers Web sites for further reference Because the primary grades influence all the years that follow, this resource helps early childhood and primary teachers use creative, differentiated teaching strategies to meet the individual learning needs of all young children and encourage their future academic success.

Blocks are a key teaching tool in any early childhood program. Through well-planned, teacher-supported block play experiences, young children can build math, language, and social skills. Let's Build provides educators of young children with guidance in how to create early childhood environments that support children's natural need to play. It includes strategies for creating and scaffolding the block play experience, recommends children's books that support the learning, and outlines ways to match behaviors, content, and concepts to learning standards. More than just a collection of activities, lesson plans are based on ten broad themes including: Large Buildings Around the World, Wild Animals, Ways to Travel, and Our Families and Ourselves.