Connecting Animals and Children in Early Childhood

Connecting Animals and Children in Early Childhood
Author: Patty Born Selly
Publisher: Redleaf Press
Total Pages: 182
Release: 2014-04-21
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1605543535

Understand the value of connecting animals and children From family pets and wild animals to toys, stuffed animals, and media images, animals are a central part of every child’s landscape. This book examines the reasons why children should interact and connect with real animals, and it identifies the rich learning that results. You’ll find heaps of foundational support and practical ideas to create authentic experiences that bring children and all kinds of species of animals together—including many adaptations if live animals are not permitted in your setting. Connecting Animals and Children in Early Childhood Examines the basic qualities that make animals so appealing to children Explains how animals impact children’s cognitive, social-emotional, and inter- and intrapersonal development and growth Includes an overview of the many ways animals are present in children’s lives Introduces authentic experiences with animals that are supportive of children’s understanding and learning, and respectful to both animals and people Provides real-life examples of how to bring animals into your classroom with suggestions for planning, ideas for finding the right pet, and resources for making experiences meaningful, relevant, and joyful for children Patty Born Selly is executive director of the National Center for STEM Elementary Education at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota. As the founder of Small Wonders, an educational consulting company offering services to schools, faith-based communities, and other organizations, Patty has developed hundreds of classes to help programs incorporate nature, science, and green education.

Experiencing Nature with Young Children

Experiencing Nature with Young Children
Author: Alice Sterling Honig
Publisher:
Total Pages: 96
Release: 2015
Genre: Early childhood education
ISBN: 9781938113079

Connecting Children to the Wonder of Nature There's a whole world outdoors waiting to embrace young children--with their curiosity, imagination, and enthusiasm--and to impart its treasures. Experiencing Nature With Young Children invites you to explore this world with children from birth to age 8 in ways that will - Awaken their enjoyment and appreciation of nature - Nurture their emotional development - Enhance their cognitive growth - Spark their creativity - Help them discover how we all--people, animals, plants--are connected - Engage families and communities in preserving nature Along the way, children will learn to love nature and its inhabitants. And in learning to love, they will learn to care--helping to ensure that our natural environment will be well looked-after by the next generation. Part ballad to nature, part irresistible invitation to teachers, this book will awaken and renew your own joy in nature--and move you to experience it with young children.

Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8

Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 587
Release: 2015-07-23
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309324882

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

Animals Do, Too!

Animals Do, Too!
Author: Etta Kaner
Publisher: Kids Can Press Ltd
Total Pages: 37
Release: 2017-05-02
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1771388692

“Do you like to dance?” asks the first spread of this book. “Honeybees do, too!” responds the next. In a rhythmic, question-and-answer style, children are introduced to seven playful activities that they share with other animals. Expanding on the science is a brief explanation of what the animals are actually doing and why — for them, it’s not all fun and games! Join gazelles, gray tree frogs, marmosets and more as they play tag, blow bubbles and even get piggyback rides! Who knew our animal friends were so much like us?

Early Childhood Activities for a Greener Earth

Early Childhood Activities for a Greener Earth
Author: Patty Selly
Publisher: Redleaf Press
Total Pages: 271
Release: 2012-07-17
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1605541192

This resource teaches children about sustainability and environmentalism with green-oriented lesson plans, art activities, literature connections, and classroom projects.

Our Wild Calling

Our Wild Calling
Author: Richard Louv
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2020-11-10
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1643750844

“A book that offers hope.” —The New York Times Book Review “A wondrous tapestry.” —Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel Audubon Medal winner Richard Louv’s landmark book Last Child in the Woods inspired an international movement to connect children and nature. Now he redefines the future of human-animal coexistence. In Our Wild Calling, Louv interviews researchers, theologians, wildlife experts, indigenous healers, psychologists, and others to show how people are connecting with animals in ancient and new ways, and how this serves as an antidote to the growing epidemic of human loneliness; how dogs can teach children ethical behavior; how animal-assisted therapy may yet transform the mental health field; and what role the human-animal relationship plays in our spiritual health. He reports on wildlife relocation and on how the growing populations of wild species in urban areas are blurring the lines between domestic and wild animals. Our Wild Calling makes the case for protecting, promoting, and creating a sustainable and shared habitat for all creatures—not out of fear, but out of love. Includes a new interview with the author, discussion questions, and a resource guide.

The Significance of Children and Animals

The Significance of Children and Animals
Author: O. Gene Myers
Publisher: Purdue University Press
Total Pages: 259
Release: 2007
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1557534292

What role does an animal play in a child's developing sense of self? This book addresses these and other intriguing questions by revealing the interconnected lives of the inhabitants of the preschool classroom with birds, turtles, bugs, and other creatures. This book will be delightful and rewarding for parents, educators, and students of early childhood social development, as well as scholars of the intersection of human experience and the natural environment.

How Animals Help Students Learn

How Animals Help Students Learn
Author: Nancy R. Gee
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 251
Release: 2017-03-27
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1317217489

How Animals Help Students Learn summarizes what we know about the impact of animals in education and synthesizes the thinking of prominent leaders in research and practice. It’s a much-needed resource for mental-health and education professionals interested in incorporating animals in school-based environments, one that evaluates the efficacy of existing programs and helps move the field toward evidence-based practice. Experts from around the world provide concrete examples of how animals have been successfully incorporated into classroom settings to achieve the highest level of benefit while also ensuring the health and welfare of the students and animals involved.

Play and Exploration in Children and Animals

Play and Exploration in Children and Animals
Author: Thomas G. Power
Publisher: Psychology Press
Total Pages: 574
Release: 1999-11-01
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1135690561

Play is a paradox. Why would the young of so many species--the very animals at greatest risk for injury and predation--devote so much time and energy to an activity that by definition has no immediate purpose? This question has long puzzled students of animal behavior, and has been the focus of considerable empirical investigation and debate. In this first comprehensive and state-of-the-art review of what we have learned from decades of research on exploration and play in children and animals, Power examines the paradox from all angles. Covering solitary activity as well as play with peers, siblings, and parents, he considers the nature, development, and functions of play, as well as the gender differences in early play patterns. A major purpose is to explore the relevance of the animal literature for understanding human behavior. The nature and amount of children's play varies significantly across cultures, so the author makes cross-cultural comparisons wherever possible. The scope is broad and the range multidisciplinary. He draws on studies by developmental researchers in psychology and other fields, ethologists, anthropologists, sociologists, sociolinguists, early childhood educators, and pediatricians. And he places research on play in the context of research on such related phenomena as prosocial behavior and aggression. Finally, Power points out directions for further inquiry and implications for those who work with young children and their parents. Researchers and students will find Play and Exploration in Children and Animals an invaluable summary of controversies, methods, and findings; practitioners and educators will find it an invaluable compendium of information relevant to their efforts to enrich play experiences.

The Extraordinary Spirit of Green Chimneys

The Extraordinary Spirit of Green Chimneys
Author: Samuel B. Ross, Jr.
Publisher: Purdue University Press
Total Pages: 243
Release: 2011-03-15
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1612491812

Green Chimneys is a nationally renowned US nonprofit organization that helps improve the lives of at-risk urban children by incorporating animals and environmental activities into their educational experiences. Founded by Dr. Samuel (Rollo) B. Ross, Jr., “Green Chimneys Farm for Little Folk” opened its doors in 1948 with just eleven students. The property has since expanded to cover nearly seven hundred fifty acres in New York, and the school now serves almost two hundred students. Recognized as a worldwide leader in animal-assisted therapy and activities, Green Chimneys provides innovative and caring services for children and their families, as well as the animals with which they spend time. It targets its services at restoring emotional well-being and fostering independence. For over sixty years, Ross developed and operated this innovative and experimental year-round school, and he still remains integrally involved. This book recounts his experiences, sharing a lifetime of practical learning and insights to benefit and inspire all those who work with troubled children, and who believe in the healing power of the natural world.