Resource Books

Lilian Katz has spent many years conducting workshops for teachers, parents, and students all over the world, and during those workshops she has often referred to her son Stephen, and what she has termed the "intellectual emergencies" she experienced during the years he was growing up. Her responses to these "emergencies," the moments when he analyzed her actions and challenged her decisions as a parent and a teacher, are pulled together in this book. With music and words from Stephen incorporated into the book, Katz presents an inspirational work for parents and teachers, or anyone who has ever looked into the face of a child and wondered if she was making the right choices.

Preschool is a time of wonder when curiosity, development, and learning intersect. While the new sights, routines, and experiences can make preschool exhilarating, what about children who struggle? Perhaps they exhibit odd behaviors: chewing on clothing, covering their ears, avoiding certain textures, refusing to sit with peers, screaming when frustrated, hitting, kicking, or biting. "Wired Differently" will help you to decode what may seem like every day challenging behaviors. It's possible that these children are struggling with sensory processing disorder (SPD). Paperback. 112 pages.

With the increase in both parents working outside the home during the last two decades, infants and toddlers are spending more time together in infant/toddler programs and family child-care homes. From Biting to Hugging will give you effective strategies to help you take advantage of this peer time. Enhance the quality of peer experiences in infant/toddler group settings. Create responsive adult-child relationships and environments. Encourage positive social emotional development and learning. Teach infants and toddlers how to be in healthy, enjoyable relationships. Learn strategies for gently handling challenging behaviors. 192 pages.

Turn children's love of active games into learning opportunities with these activities. Each chapter is organized by level of difficulty and each one incorporates fun math experiences with movement. Most activities require few or no materials and include related children's books or music to extend the learning. The index is an great tool as it gives teachers flexibility to plan around children's interests. Use these activities during circle or group time, or use them to reinforce other lessons. Research shows that the most effective way for children to learn concepts is to experience them physically. Paperback. 132 pages.

Updated to reflect the latest research about how children learn, the revised edition of 125 Brain Games for Babies is a fun-filled collection of ways to develop the brain capacity of infants. Included are everyday opportunities to nurture brain development in the critical period from birth through twelve months. Each game and sensory experience presented includes an annotation on the latest brain research and how the activity promotes brain power in babies. Paperback. 144 pages.

A beginner's primer to providing professional child care for toddlers and two-year-olds! The elements of a quality learning environment are not the same for every age. The toddler years are unique, and what for preschool does not always work with toddlers. Complete with tips for creating a developmentally appropriate environment and experiences that stimulate muscles and minds, Focus on Toddlers gives caregivers the tools to craft a quality learning environment that's as unique as the needs of the children in their care.

The children in today's early childhood classroom are more culturally, linguistically, and ability diverse than ever. As a teacher, your challenge is to partner with each family through recognizing their individual strengths, concerns, priorities, and resources. Dr. Johnna Darragh Ernst offers practical ideas for creating a welcoming atmosphere for families that will encourage them to participate in their children's learning community. From improving children's school readiness to encouraging positive engagement with peers, promoting student academic achievement, increasing graduation rates, and helping reduce the negative impact of poverty, the benefits of engaging families early will impact the young children in your care long after they leave your classroom! Paperback. 152 pages.

This is the perfect book for teachers who have typically developing young children ages 3-6, as well as children with special needs in their classrooms. Each lesson plan features objectives, a materials list, a circle or group time activity, assessment strategies, accommodations/modifications, and curriculum connections. The curriculum connections expand the children's learning into many areas, such as social studies, art, literacy, science, and music. The modifications and accommodations make the lesson plans accessible for all children, including those with: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Speech or language impairments, Hearing impairments, Visual Impairments, ADHD, Cognitive and/or developmental delays, Emotional disturbances, and Orthopedic impairments. By using the lesson plans in Themes for Inclusive Classrooms, teachers can meet the needs and interests of all the children in their classrooms with a balance of child-initiated and teacher-directed activities.

"99 Tips for School Readiness" is designed to provide simple, developmentally appropriate activities to help children ages four and five get ready for school. The activities progress in difficulty within each skill area and can be used by families or by teachers. Skill areas include: Self-Help, Social-Behavioral, Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Language, and Cognitive. Book measures 9"L x 6"W x .25" thick.

A young child's brain is uniquely sensitive to the effects of stress and trauma, which can have detrimental, long-term developmental impact. "Helping Them Heal" provides answers, ideas, and specific classroom strategies to move trauma-affected children in positive directions. Educators will learn ways to help children build resilience, self-regulation, and self-competence using this sensitive, supportive, and practical guide. Paperback. 192 pages.

Each chapter describes an issue that infants face every day, making this a perfect resource for all infant providers. There are scenarios that illustrate the challenges and suggest solutions to meet baby's needs while learning about the developmental stages. This hands-on resource is for infants 6 weeks to 18 months old and for your resource library.

3 years & up. Introduce STEM concepts to your class with this exciting Science Is Simple Engaging STEM Activities Book for Preschoolers. Like learning to count or read, understanding the fascinating world of science is an essential skill. This innovative book encourages young children to predict outcomes, ask questions, and investigate answers. Watch preschoolers develop essential observational and analytical skills as they eagerly jump into the hands-on, interactive process that is science.

Written by a teacher with more than 25 years of experience, this book offers a jargon-free view of Waldorf education and its philosophy of the importance of a three-dimensional education. Through learning experiences that involve all of the senses, children use a variety of intelligences to develop thought, feeling, and intentional, purposeful activity. Whether you're Waldorf parent or teacher, or you just want to learn more about these innovative educational concepts, this book contains important ideas on learning that you can apply today. Paperback.

Children are innately interested in their world. The activities in this book invite children to explore the world around them, learn about different cultures, enjoy a variety of careers, and discover the uniqueness of their very own neighborhood. From the many ways we are alike and different to the variety of homes around the world, children will delve into these social studies activities that are perfect for children ages 3 to 6. 128 pages. Paperback.

Now teachers can bring the magic of each season into their classrooms with these activities that introduce children to the wonder of the seasons with a year full of fun! Classroom-tested teacher favorites, this book features activities that teach children to understand the difference between the seasons, as well as activities that can only be done during certain seasons. Children will love making paper cutout fall leaves, suns, and snowflakes as they celebrate the joy and excitement of the world outside all year long! 128 pages. Paperback.

Veteran teacher Judy Fujawa offers over two decades of experience in her warm, witty book of lists. Filled with the imminently practical (Creative Gift Ideas, Things to Do With Boxes, Supplies or Materials That Encourage Children to Be Creative) to the philosophical (How Children Learn, Answers to: Why Read to My Child?) to the hilarious (The "F" Words Children Are Allowed to Use, Things Found in Children's Pockets), these lists cover nearly everything one needs to know to work with and raise young children. 128 pages.

Classroom-tested and teacher-approved, these activities help children ages 3-6 learn all about numbers. With 100 engaging and fun activities, Learn Every Day® About Numbers offers everything a teacher needs to build a foundation for future math learning. Each activity offers learning objectives to meet standards, a materials list, related children's books, and an assessment component to measure children's learning. 128 pages.

This award-winning 10-step guide lets you work with portfolio assessment at a comfortable pace, breaking the process down into easy-to-manage steps. 192 pages.

This manual provides caregivers of infants and toddlers knowledge about the creating and implementation of loving, playful, developmentally appropriate experiences for infants and toddlers. ISBN 978-088076-794-1.

A young child's brain grows at a phenomenal rate in the first years of life. Revised and updated to reflect the latest research on how children learn, 125 Brain Games for Toddlers and Twos is packed with everyday opportunities to contribute to brain development. Each game is accompanied by an annotation on the latest brain research and how the activity promotes brain power in the critical period between twelve and thirty-six months. Paperback. 144 pages.

3 years & up. A comprehensive collection of the best art and craft activities for young children! These teacher created, classroom-tested art activities will engage children's imaginations! The result of a nationwide competition, these art and craft activities are the best of the best. Paperback 500 pages.

3 years & up. Introduce more activities to arts and crafts lessons with this wonderful Activities Guide for Preschool Art Clay and Dough Crafts with Recipes. Encourage your children to explore art though clay and dough. This guide includes 50 easy activities with an emphasis on the process of art, not on the product. Also included are recipes to create play dough, tissue Mache, yeast dough and more. Follow along for fun classroom activity ideas. Paperback. 58 pages.

Math crops up in everyday activities in so many ways. You can help preschoolers see math in the petals of a flower, the shape of a window, the bounce of a ball, the growth of a plant, and the repetition of a song. Instead of teaching math to preschoolers, you can be their guide as they experiment, think about problems, try solutions, gain understanding, and discuss their findings. With your guidance, preschoolers can figure out how the world of mathematics works and how math works in their world. Paperback. 104 pages.

With 52 weekly plans, this book makes it easy to come up with appropriate learning experiences that children will love. This essential classroom resource covers every topic and other things that you probably never thought of. 384 pages.