Believes that serious fun holds great promise for engaging special needs students in meaningful learning experiences in social studies. Describes how creative play with plastic action figures led to four students in a self-contained special education classroom collaborating on writing and illustrating their own book. (CMK)

Analyzed the diagnostic teaching abilities in the domains of literacy and numeracy of second-year teachers in a Dutch primary school. Assessed student's literacy development using standardized tests, and compared results of these tests with teachers' criterion-referenced judgment of their pupils' literacy development. Found teachers' judgments to…

Examined parent-child play with sex-stereotyped toys in young U.S. children of varied ethnic background. Found that the play activity accounted for a large proportion of the variance in parents' and children's mean affiliation and assertion ratings. Identified gender and ethnic group differences. Highlighted the importance of role modeling and…

Describes how a seventh-grade teacher introduced her students to poetry by having them create performances of rhythmic poems. Describes how her students created moving performances of poems and responded to poetry with deeper and more personal insights than she had ever seen. Describes students' public poetry performances. Offers examples of…

Addresses six environmental variables that can influence the behaviors of young children with disabilities: theoretical orientation of the program, amount of space available, classroom arrangement, length of the play period, effects of social vs. isolate toys, and the effects of different quantities of toys. (Author/CR)

Asserts that, for young children's development, there is no other activity as meaningful as play. Discusses how play helps in life skill development, how children learn through their senses during play, how play contributes to children's independence, how to shop for toys, and age-appropriate toys and activities. (EV)

Presents tips to help early childhood teachers and caregivers teach young children fire safety. Provides checklist for preventing fires in the kitchen, classrooms, and storage areas. Offers suggestions for classroom learning activities and for educating families about fire safety. Includes annotated bibliography of children's books dealing with…

Presents a detailed description of the process of outpatient therapy provided to 56 children who were alleged victims of a day-care sexual abuse case. Therapists utilized a wide variety of techniques, most reflecting a psychotherapeutic approach, with some educational interventions. Examines reasons for therapy termination, and discusses…

Selected resources from the ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) and ECER (Exceptional Child Education Resources) databases concerning play and learning of children with disabilities, accessible playgrounds, toys, and assistive technology are identified in this article. Each listing includes the title, author, and a brief description of…

Presents a list of imaginative design options for optimal outdoor learning as well as intimate contact with nature. Focuses on entrances, pathways, signage and displays, barriers and enclosures, manufactured equipment and play structures, multipurpose game settings, groundcovers and safety surfaces, landforms and topography, trees and vegetation,…

Discusses the importance of designing settings for children that encourage hands-on creativity through play. Suggests the designs are art forms requiring a participatory art teaching style. Describes the technique and provides proven design ideas. (CMK)

Describes constructive play and its importance to young children. Offers suggestions for facilitating constructive play outdoors including: (1) providing access on the playground; (2) bringing the classroom outside; and (3) addressing the challenges of loose articles outside. Calls for reversing current trends that discourage outdoor constructive…

Considers the nature and developmental functions of physical activity play. Distinguishes three kinds of physical activity play with consecutive age peaks: rhythmic stereotypies, exercise play, and rough-and-tumble play. Considers gender differences and function in terms of immediate and deferred consequences in physical, cognitive, and social…

Used Neukater and van der Kooji's parental attitude questionnaire to ask three groups of mothers (Estonian, non-Estonian in Estonia, Russians in Moscow) about their attitudes toward children's education and play. Found that Estonian mothers applied least control and that higher mother education resulted in less child control and instruction. (DLH)

This article describes the Let's Play Project model, which uses play as the outcome for families and children with disabilities. The model is family-centered, play-focused, and uses assistive technology in the facilitation of play and development. Six assistive technology categories that are used are explained with examples of low-tech…