This article describes activities for developing an understanding of a formula for calculating the volume of a rectangular prism. The core activity concerns determining the volume of water in a backyard skating rink. (Contains 4 figures.)

In order to meet the NASPE (2002) "Active Start" guidelines for preschool age children, it is important to consider a number of factors. Preschoolers should have plenty of unstructured as well as structured (planned) physical play throughout each day. They are quite capable physically and should accumulate considerable practice of their…

To increase preschoolers' science and mathematics learning experiences both within and outside the classroom, we developed age-appropriate materials containing general questions and instructions that teachers and parents could use when interacting with their students and children. The questions and instructions were related to a specific science…

The publication and subsequent distribution and dissemination of "Birth to Three Matters, A Framework to Support Children in their Earliest Years" (DfES, 2002) marks a significant breakthrough in government recognition of the importance of the years from birth to three in shaping children's later learning. However, the Curriculum…

This article describes how the "developmental structuralist" theory of emotional development has evolved over 25 years into the developmental-individual difference-relationship (DIR[R]) approach to assessment and intervention. ZERO TO THREE and the Interdisciplinary Council for Developmental and Learning Disorders (ICDL) trace their roots to the…

In this article, the author proposes to offer a glimpse into the practical challenges of teaching literacy in a public school setting where students enter classrooms at various stages of reading readiness. The author begins with the case of Kahea, a kindergarten student reading at an emergent literacy level, as an illustration of some of the…

The purpose of this study was to investigate how early childhood teachers in Korea understand developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) and follow DAP's instructional guidelines. In order to obtain insights for developing "educare," an integrated system for the education and care of young children in Korea, a comparison of early…

There continues to be a need for providing teachers of young gifted learners with best-practice approaches for the development of curriculum in gifted education programs. Too often, early childhood gifted programs have focused on academic acceleration, and neglect to consider developmentally appropriate approaches to designing curriculum and…

There are many dimensions of play and play's significance for children's development and learning is often emphasized, but how do preschool teachers see children's use of computers in preschool? A qualitative study was done with 13 Swedish preschool teachers that had experience working with computers in preschool. The overall aim of this study was…

This study examined correlations between teachers' attitudes toward mathematics/teaching mathematics and the practice of developmentally appropriate mathematics. This study tested two independent variables: (1) kindergarten teachers' attitudes toward mathematics; and (2) kindergarten teachers' attitudes toward teaching mathematics; and their…

This article presents how Developmental Approaches in Science, Health and Technology (DASH) summer institute sparks the author to try and succeed in using inquiry with her young students. It is a program created by the Curriculum Research and Development Group, University of Hawaii, and funded in part by the National Science Foundation. DASH is an…

The purpose of this article is to question the amount of time that beginning readers should spend reading connected text in school. Based on a study of 66 children in 26 classrooms, the authors found that children in first-grade classrooms with "less" reading of connected text achieved more in their phonics learning than children in classrooms…

This paper focuses on the implications of the Level 1 Technology curriculum for children in Australia. In theory, the outcomes in the curriculum profile could provide useful learning experiences. However, undue emphasis is placed on the designing, making, and appraising components, which have the potential to push young children beyond their state…

This study examined parent and teacher attitudes toward developmentally appropriate instructional practice compared to traditional skill-based instruction in the classroom. The study surveyed parents and teachers of kindergarten, first, and second grade students in Marin County, California. The results of the surveys showed that most parents and…

Issue papers that focus on improving and expanding quality early childhood services in Louisiana are presented in this report. Each paper includes a description of current practice, several questions and answers concerning the issue, and a list of recommendations and strategies. Following an executive summary and introduction (which includes a…