Visions of Creativity in Early Childhood:
Connecting Theory, Practice and Reflection

by Joy Lubawy

$79.95

Joy Lubawy is a storyteller. Joy illustrates Visions of Creativity with real-life stories from her 30 years as Teacher/Director in Australian early childhood centres. Readers share in her reflections on encouraging children's creativity. Joy has used Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligence as the framework for the book and we see that creativity is for every child, not only for the artists and performers. She has blended her thoughts and stories with responses to ideas from Reggio Emilia as well as other writers from the Emergent Curriculum school of thought. Visions of Creativity is easy to read, thoughtful and inspiring.

Preschool Math

by Joy Lubawy, Bob Williams and Deb Cunningham

$54.95

The authors of Preschool Math - a scientist, a Montessori teacher, and an Emergent Curriculum advocate, two from the USA and one from Australia--come from different backgrounds and all offer unique expertise to the book. This combination gives the book a particularly interesting and stimulating approach, and makes the book usable for any teacher. Preschool Math encourages teachers to listen to and observe young children to better understand how they think about their world. The book uses these prompts to expand into useful and appropriate maths experiences. Teachers will encourage children to use their senses and bodies to explore ideas, record and talk about the concepts, and to learn how math feels, tastes, and looks. Activities in Preschool Math use the scientific ideals of testing, evaluating, exploring, experimenting, problem solving, making guesses, and forming a hypothesis, while utilizing interesting materials and environments in mathematical ways.

“This book is a breath of fresh air for teachers, providing inspiration for meaningful early childhood maths experiences. It is set out so that teachers can “dip in” to easily find activities to support the children’s interests and abilities. The activities enable collaborative learning and are open-ended, to suit a range of abilities. The activities use concrete materials in ways that enable teachers to support and extend children’s emerging discoveries and understandings.” Kelly Denniss, an early childhood educator who is using Preschool Math.

NEW BOOK

More - Observation to Reflection: Working Within The Early Years Learning Framework

by Joy Lubawy

$39.95

We are at the pointy end of 15 years of challenge and change. The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia - EYLF [and it's variations from state to state] is now a reality, and what a marvellous, challenging and supporting document it is. But, we might ask, what do we do with it, and how can we make not only the children's learning more visible, but how can we demonstrate and document the ways we are emergent, intentional, holistic and supporting play-based learning? Joy has been thinking about these ideas and while still promoting documenting using learning stories these thoughts are reflected in an almost complete re-write of the very popular From Observation to Reflection : about 80% is new! 'More' clears up some misconceptions at it takes the reader through from our Image of the child, to using MS Word, and answers a few other frequently asked questions, and makes some comparisons that will delight.

Planning for Provisions, Provocations and Possibilities: Working Within The Early Years Learning Framework

by Joy Lubawy

$39.95

A baby learning to dance, a toddler watering the pot plants, a three year old playing music with improvised instruments and some four year olds on a long learning journey about a shark egg case, are opportunities that practitioners can use to plan for provisions, provocations and possibilities within EYLF.

 Joy answers 21 questions that she has been asked in the years since she began writing this series, beginning with From Observation to Reflection, followed by Pancakes and Red Buckets. Some of these questions are:

• What do you mean by planning? Is this the programme?
• How then, can we communicate our planning to parents? How can they contribute?
• What is a provocation?
• What do we mean, when we say the environment is the 3rd teacher?
• Is the Australian Emergent Curriculum different to what they do in Reggio Emilia?
• What if parents want us to do more formal ‘school readiness’ type work?
• What is a provision?
• What is a possibility?
• Does an Emergent Curriculum work with babies and toddlers?

Pancakes and Red Buckets: Emergent and Intentional - Working within the Early Years Learning Framework

by Joy Lubawy

$39.95

Pancakes and Red Buckets has a new cover, and almost 50% new material. This book explores how we can be intentional and explicit without becoming didactic. 66 pages (30 with colour) and a lot more photographs, all working towards a deeper understanding how to make EYLF more visible. Pancakes and Red Buckets completes the circle, Planning for Provisions, Provocations and Possibilities and More – Observation to Reflection, all working within EYLF.

Joy writes about - what do we mean by Intentional teaching? How important are interactions with children? What is the difference between a photo journal/day book and a learning story journal? Who are we in the life of a child? How can we make our Intentional Teaching and the Children’s Learning more visible? How do we create an Emergent Curriculum? Does this work for the younger child? Principles and Practices. Where does Intentional Teaching fit with an Emergent Curriculum? Seeing the long-term connections. $39.95 plus postage.

Child Accident/Incident & Illness Report

by Joy Lubawy & Bebe Jarratt

$15.00

50 self-duplicating forms in each pack. Handy for storage for the required number of years and easily completed. A copy for parents to take home and a copy for the centre to keep.

Child Medication Report

by Joy Lubawy & Bebe Jarratt

$15.00

50 self-duplicating forms in each pack. Handy for storage for the required number of years and easily completed. A copy for parents to take home and a copy for the centre to keep.

Play, Dance, Sing with young children

by Joy Lubawy, Team Henderson and others

$25.00

Play, Dance, Sing with young children - music CD

By Joy Lubawy, Team Henderson and others

$25.00

Get those percussion instruments out of the cupboard and into the hands of children.

Play, Dance, Sing with young children has19 useful and exciting tracks for adults to share with children. Joy and her friend Team Henderson with a little help from a couple of friends have written, recorded and produced this fantastic resource. There are some adaptations of familiar songs as well as original material.

Play: The Pathway from Theory to Practice

by Sandra Heidemann and Deborah Hewitt

$74.95

This book contains practical suggestions and theoretical information for helping children thrive with play-based learning. Chapters include an explanation of the functional "Play Checklist" to help you observe children's emerging skills and pinpoint areas for improvement, instructions for writing specific and attainable goals for children, and case studies from real classrooms.

Nurturing Young Children's Disposition to Learn

by Sara Wilford

$69.95

When young children’s learning styles are recognized and nurtured, they are more inclined to develop socially, emotionally, and mentally. Find out how brain research, social issues, and individual dispositions impact children’s learning. Gain perspective on the practices used in your preschool with an examination of classroom ideas inspired by a trip to Reggio Emilia, Italy, and how observation and communication skills are essential in building children’s unique strengths.

The Creative Curriculum for Family Child Care

$249.95 for the set

This completely updated and expanded second edition of The Creative Curriculum® for Family Child Care is designed to help family child care providers offer high quality programs for children and their families. It is the only comprehensive, developmentally appropriate curriculum available for this important community of providers. It describes the what, why, how, and when of providing care and education for children from birth to age 12.

The curriculum leads the process of planning every aspect of caring for children and partnering with families. It shows how everyday routines and experiences are opportunities to build relationships and promote learning, and helps providers be intentional about the activities they plan while still having the flexibility to respond to the changing interests and abilities of young children.

The Set Includes:

Volume 1: Foundation
Volume 2: Routines & Experiences
68 laminated English Learning Games®
DVD of the classic 1991 video, Caring and Learning
CD-ROM with copies of forms and letters to parents
Ages 0-12

Two softbound books, each approximately 250 pages.

Thinking Big Learning Big: Connecting Science, Math, Literacy, and Language in Early Childood

by Marie Evitt

$119.95

BIG activities engage little learners with this complete curriculum for science, math, and language; BIG is powerful. Children want to be BIG. They want to do BIG. They love enormous numbers like a hundred million billion and long words like tyrannosaurus rex. They love to spread their arms wide and run as fast as they can. Thinking BIG, Learning BIG is filled with BIG activities to engage the imaginations of young children. Children learn best by seeing, feeling, and doing. Making things on a grand scale enhances their understanding. When children build a giant spider with eight legs and eight eyes, and a giant fly with six legs and two eyes and two wings, children can experience the difference between spiders and flies, that they are not just bugs. BIG creations are more fun, more memorable, and therefore, more educational. The chapters are organized by topic, with activities that build science, math, and language skills, which form a solid foundation for future learning.

From My Side Being a Child

by Sylvia C Chard and Yvonne Kogan

$82.95

This beautiful book, filled with hundreds of colour photographs from many different countries, invites us to look through a window into the lives of children everywhere. Children are never still. They are always acting and reacting, thinking and speaking, anticipating and reflecting. The photographs in this book illustrate and explore the experience of children, who learn to make sense of their world by interacting with people, places, and objects they encounter in their homes, in public places, in schools, and in daycare centers. We hear the laughter of children dressed for a festival dance, the coos and gurgles of infants in their mothers' arms, and squeals of delight as children skip rocks in a stream.

Creative Curriculum for Preschool (4th Edition)

by Dianne Trister Dodge, Laura J. Colker and Cate Heroman

$119.95 including the linking document to the QIAS

Visualise a classroom full of children - building, creating, experimenting, learning, growing, developing. How can your program support such active learning and demonstrate children's progress in all developmental areas? This completely updated new edition of one of the country's leading research-based preschool curriculum models applies the latest theories and research on best practices in teaching and learning and content standards developed by professional organizations. While keeping the original environmentally-based approach of earlier editions, The Creative Curriculum® Developmental Continuum for Ages 3-5, a valid and reliable assessment instrument.

Learning Together with Young Children

By Deb Curtis and Margie Carter

$119.95

Early childhood leaders Deb Curtis and Margie Carter have set the standard for creating and planning curriculum for young people by providing a state-of-the art model for child-centered, relationship-based teaching.

Combining in-depth theoretical principles with extensive practical applications, Learning Together with Young Children will:

• inspire teachers to create a classroom culture that welcomes and nourishes children and families
• help teachers choose materials and build environments that encourage imaginative play and exploration
• help teachers support children’s connections with each other as they learn to represent their ideas
• show teachers how, through thoughtful documentation, to reflect children’s ideas back to them

Learning Together with Young Children will help teachers reflect on their own professional influences and approach to teaching young children. They will learn to use multiple ways - stories, songs, art, and drama - to foster each child’s expression of his or her unique developmental journey.

The Visionary Director - Second Edition:
A Handbook for Dreaming, Organising, & Improvising in Your Center

By Deb Curtis and Margie Carter

$109.95

Be inspired to create a larger vision in early child care with this practical, popular professional development tool. Thoroughly revised, the second edition of The Visionary Director offers a concrete framework for organizing your ideas and work. Reflecting new requirements and initiatives for centre directors, this handbook also addresses topics such as:

• cultivating a vision
  
• developing "systems thinking" for management roles
  
• implementing principles and strategies for mentoring
  
• building a learning community for adults and children
  
• bringing your visions to life to perform your job with motivation and creativity

The Outdoor Playspace - Naturally

By Sue Elliott

$89.95

This publication will challenge your perceptions about early childhood outdoor playspaces and inspire change!

The Outdoor Playspace - Naturally arose from concerns shared by the editor and contributing authors about children’s playspaces in early childhood services in Australia. It reveals their concerns and offers guidance and information to early childhood educators, centre co-ordinators, management committees, designers and all those involved in the provision of early childhood services.

We can do better for children than quick fix, generic and synthetic playspaces and this publication provides the foundation for creating natural, dynamic and engaging playspaces. At its heart, the creation of a natural playspace is a collaborative venture between children, parents and staff that is locally vital and evolves over time. The inspiring photographs and case studies well illustrate the potential.

The authors of this publication are committed to change — change that will improve children’s outdoor play opportunities, health, well being, connections with nature and promote education for sustainability.

The Creative Curriculum for Infants, Toddlers & Two's (2nd Edition)

By Diane Trister Dodge, Sherrie Rudick and Kai-leé Berke

$119.95

The Creative Curriculum® for Infants, Toddlers & Two's helps teachers appreciate and find joy in the everyday discoveries that delight a child the sound a rattle makes; the leaves blowing in circles by the wind; the ball that unexpectedly rolls across a child’s path; the ants marching across the pavement. It is a comprehensive curriculum that helps teachers achieve the very best program for children under three. If the interactions children have are nurturing, consistent, and loving, and the experiences they have are appropriately challenging, then infants, toddlers, and twos grow and flourish. In such an environment, children learn to trust and joyfully explore their surroundings, making discoveries and developing a sense of themselves as competent learners and caring human beings. This new edition retains its focus on building relationships, responsive care, and routines and experiences, but updates the curriculum in many important ways.

Caring Places, Learning Spaces (Revised Edition)

By Jim Greenman

$132.50

Children deserve to spend their days in well - deigned environments that support their needs and stimulate their learning. Adults who spend their days teaching and caring for young children deserve environments that maximise their skills.

Caring Spaces, Learning Places is a book of ideas, observations, problems, solutions, examples, resources, photographs, and poetry. Here you will find best of current thinking about children's environments — 360 pages to challenge you, stimulate you, inspire you.

Highly recommended

Insights: Behind Early Childhood Pedagogical Documentation

edited by Alma Fleet, Catherine patterson and Janet Robertson

$89.95

Built around stories of practice from Australia, New Zealand and America, this book raises questions and possibilities related to pedagogical documentation. As the introduction states: "people who choose to work in early childhood...want to explore their own practice and improve the work they are doing, learning from children, the community and each other... We designed this book to help the newer members of the professional community to gain access to the discussion, and also to engage those who have been thinking around these ideas for a longer period of time. Some people might enter this book as part of a course of study while others might dip into it individually or in groups to further their own reading."

It's Not a Bird Yet - The Drama of Drawing

by Ursula Kolbe

$69.95

Building on her enormously popular book, Rapunzels Supermarket: All About Young Children and Their Art, Ursula Kolbe takes an in-depth look at the rich possibilities of drawing. Filled with engaging anecdotes that illustrate the often-overlooked social dimension of drawing, It's Not A Bird Yet offers new ways of looking at drawing. Beautifully illustrated, it celebrates drawing as a powerful tool for thinking and imagining.

Rapunzel's Supermarket (2nd Edition)

by Ursula Kolbe

$69.95

This book shows young children as imaginative thinkers and explorers - artists as much as scientists - in a joyful quest to understand their world. A mix of inspiration and practical advice, it offers you many ideas for helping children realise their potential.

In the Spirit of the Studio

edited by Lella Gandini, Lynn Hill, Louise Cadwell &
Charles Schwall

$74.95

As the authors state in their opening chapter, “prepare to be amazed.” This beautiful book describes the revolution that the Reggio Emiliaatelier (art studio) brought to the education of young children in Italy, and follows that revolution across the ocean to North America. It explores how the experiences of children interacting with rich materials in the atelier affect an entire school’s approach to the construction and expression of thought and learning.

Lavishly illustrated in full colour, this original volume:

Includes detailed interviews with Italian educators from Reggio Emilia. Offers a window into many ateliers within the United States, examining the multiple ways that experience is altered when teachers, parents, and children prepare and work together in the studio setting. Addresses the practical aspects of the atelier, including organizing the environment, using materials, and provides examples of projects. Features a comprehensive approach that addresses many varied issues related to children, including learning, collaboration, relationships, and community.

Smart Start

by Pam Schiller

$42.95

Building brain power in early years

This book offers simple, straightforward ways to boost brain power with active exploration, repetition, sensory exploration, laughter and more. All the chapters describe how and why the brain develops and explains how you can use the activities to give your children the best foundation for future learning.

Stories for telling

by Yvonne Winer

$69.95

Books are selling well, feedback is very positive

A master story teller. Yvonne’s stories resonate with the music of exquisite language, encourage imagination, they make us laugh or gasp in wonder. Yvonne shares with us her incredible talent and artistry in a book that has taken several years to complete. It is finely crafted, creatively imagined, beautifully presented and will prove to be a treasure for generations of young children and the adults who love, educate and care for them. It is the work of a lifetime; bringing a lifetime’s joyous experiences with language, imagining, telling stories and making props. It is a book of incredible significance!

Joy Lubawy

Co-Author of Building Walls of Wombats and Preschool Math.

Art of Awareness
How observation can transform your teaching

by Deb Curtis and Margie Carter

$79.95

Featuring nine observation study sessions, this book offers ideas, activities, and experiences. Chapters cover seven different aspects of children's lives and how to observe them, as well as tips for gathering and preparing documentation.

This is a must for staff doing documentation.

The Crisis Manual For Early Childhood Teachers
How to Handle the Really Difficult Problems

by Karen Miller - Australian Edition adapted by Karen Kearns & Susan Clark

$29.95

Ideal for developing a critical incidents policy, this book explains how to learn effective strategies that address the most challenging problems you may encounter as a teacher. Chapters for each crisis include the following:
describing the problem

• insights from child development
• when to seek help
• how to respond
• who can help
• resources and organisations to use

Designs for Living and Learning
Transforming Early Childhood Environments

by Deb Curtis and Margie Carter

$99.95

Drawing inspiration from a variety of approaches - from Waldorf and Montessori to Reggio To Greenman, Prescott, and Olds - the authors outline hundreds of ways to create healthy and inviting physical, social, and emotional environments for children in child care. Full-colour photographs of actual early childhood programs demonstrate that the spaces where children learn and grow can be comfortable for children, teachers and parents alike.

This is an excellent resource.

Reflections
Reggio Emilia principles within Australian contexts

by Jan Millikan

$49.95

The first Australian book on Reggio Emilia principles and the impact they have upon Australian Early Childhood Services. An excellent introduction for early childhood practitioners and students to the teaching principles of Reggio Emilia and the implications for care and education of young children in Australia. Central to the book's success is a synthesis of a number of discussions involving educators across Australia. Stories contributed by early childhood practitioners share individual responses to implementing Reggio Emilia principles within a variety of settings across age groups.

Solutions to Organisational Problems in Early Childhood Settings

by Karen Kearns and Susan Clark

$19.95

This book offers practical suggestions to assist staff in their task of providing quality care to young children and their families. Covers staff, service organisation, enrolment procedures and communication. Many standardised forms have been included. Examples take into account the diversity of early childhood services, as well as the wide range of qualifications, experience and skills that make up the early childhood profession.

500 Five Minute Games

by Jackie Silberg

$49.95

Jam packed with games, songs and learning fun ideas perfectly suited for 3-6 year olds, this book is ideal to fill those extra five minutes with a developmentally appropriate activity.

The Complete Book of Rhymes, Songs, Poems, Fingerplays and Chants

by Jackie Silberg

$94.95

The Complete Book of Rhymes, Songs, Poems, Fingerplays, and Chants gives children a variety of ways to fall in love with rhythm, rhyme, repetition, and structural sequence-important building blocks for future readers. The 700 selections will help children ages 3 to 6 build a strong foundation in listening skills, imagination, coordination, and spatial and body awareness. In this giant book of rhythm and rhyme, you are sure to find your own childhood favorites!

The Language of Art

by Ann Pelo

$79.95

The book is divided up into two parts. Part one, “Studio Exploration” provides guidelines for setting up a studio space in your child care environment and how to introduce children to art media through open-ended, full-bodied explorations developing their understanding of how a medium behaves, feels on their body, how it can be used and what skills and tools are needed to work with it.

Part two shows how children can use art as a tool for critical thinking, initially in everyday interactions and then expanding on these inquiries to build long term investigations. The final chapter tells the story of a long-term investigation of leaves, incorporating the principles and ideas expounded in the previous chapters.

If you are curious about this method but unsure of how to incorporate Reggio-inspired principles and practices into your centre this is your guide to action.

About the author - Ann Pelo teaches three- to five-year-old children at Hilltop Children’s Centre in Seattle, and she is an instructor at the Seattle Institute for Early Childhood Development. She earned her master’s degree in child development and family studies from Purdue University.

Early Childhood Education and Care

by Susan Edwards

$39.95

Early Childhood Education and Care: A Sociocultural Approach celebrates the ideas of children, families and teachers. Drawn from research conducted with preschool teachers from the City of Casey, Vic., this book highlights how sociocultural theory can be used in practice. The City of Casey has one of the highest populations of children aged 0-4 in Australia. In a commitment to best practice, the City of Casey Managed Kindergartens embarked on a research project to develop new understandings of childrens development. Early Childhood Education and Care: A Sociocultural Approach traces the development of this project and through teacher examples and commentary shows how ideas from sociocultural theory can be and are realised in practice. This text provides a strong introduction to the key ideas emerging from sociocultural theory and is suitable for students, trainee teachers and practitioners interested in extending their thinking around key approaches to early childhood education and care, including observations, and programming and planning.

Sociocultural or cultural-historical theory has provided a useful framework for teachers, researchers and policy developers to imagine new and different possibilities for early childhood education. As a profession we have for too long recycled our practices and beliefs. Many of these practices and beliefs are Western in their origin. However, Australia is a culturally and linguistically diverse community and many early childhood practices may not be culturally relevant for all children and their families. The teachers who participated in the research that sits under this important book have questioned many common assumptions and practices for their cultural bias and have developed new approaches and tools.

Early Childhood Education and Care: A Sociocultural Approach represents a powerful and contemporary framework for action. As Vygotsky argued, thinking differently about something we know well, is not easy. But, as the teachers have shown through the pages of this book, the rewards are enormous.

Making Links
A collaborative approach to planning and practice in early childhood services

by Anne Stonehouse and Janet Gonzalez-Mena

$49.95

Written by two highly regarded early childhood professionals, this collaborative approach focuses on what you need to know about children, how you translate that information into plans and practice in programs, and ways to engage parents in the process. There are linking concepts that run through the entire book. They are:

• authentic experiences
• a broad approach to planning
• parents and children as partners with practitioners
• a positive image of the child
• discipline and guidance
• diversity and inclusion

More Mudpies to Magnets
A Preschool Science Curriculum

by Robert A. Williams, Robert E. Rockwell and Elizabeth A. Sherwood

$42.95

Mudpies to Magnets and More Mudpies to Magnets books are filled with easy-to-use hands on, science experiments and activities which young children experience first-hand.

Mudpies to Magnets
A Preschool Science Curriculum

by Robert A. Williams, Robert E. Rockwell and Elizabeth A. Sherwood

$42.95

Mudpies to Magnets and More Mudpies to Magnets books are filled with easy-to-use hands on, science experiments and activities which young children experience first-hand.

Magic of Relaxation

by Patrice Thomas

$34.95

This Australian book combines gentle exercises, progressive relaxation and visualisation techniques suitable for all children. Gentle exercises promote strength, flexibility, suppleness, coordination, and good posture. Relaxation techniques teach children the value of stillness and how to enjoy being calm, quiet and inwardly reflective. Most importantly, relaxation and Tai Chi are non-competitive, nurturing techniques that children of all ages can enjoy.

Yoga Play & Relaxation for Young Children

by Gary and Carol Crees

Book $25.00
CD $25.00

A varied movement and relaxation resource that uses playful ways to increase children's ability to focus and balance while increasing their strength and flexibility.

Ideas are drawn from yoga, creative dance, qigong and tai chi in this resource to encourage a varied movement repertoire. Poses, sequences and relaxation activities are introduced in developmentally appropriate and fun ways through stories, music and games.

Songs Around the World for Young Children

by Gary and Carol Crees

Book $25.00
CD $25.00

Traditional songs & singing games from many different countries: Denmark, France, Ghana, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, PNG, Russia, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Syria, Vietnam, & the West Indies. Songs specially chosen & adapted for early childhood classroom. Wide range of instruments & musical styles.

Gary and Carol Crees Favourite Songs
Our most popular songs, rhymes & dances for 2 - 8 years

by Gary and Carol Crees

Book $25.00
CD $25.00

Original action songs & rhymes for 2-8 year olds.

All your favourites & ours from our popular tapes Singasongalong & Ready or Not and more songs from recent shows.

Now you will find : Shane & Josh, Izakazoomba, Dinosaurs don't live here anymore, Singing in the kitchen, Singasongalong, Rub a dub dub & Round in the ring and many more on this Favourites Album. Includes new songs: Singing in the kitchen, Clap your hands, Bang & Crash band plus bonus karaoke backtrax.

Music for Little People 0 - 3 Years
Songs, Rhymes & Lullabies

by Gary and Carol Crees

Book $25.00
CD $25.00

Traditional & original rhymes, songs & lullabies for babies & young children (0-3 years). A wide variety of music to encourage childrens gross motor, cognitive & social learning. Also suitable for children with special needs. Includes songs & rhymes from our popular cassette 'Singasongalong' plus new & traditional rhymes.

Off the Wall Dances - Compilation

by Gary and Carol Crees

Book $30.00
CD $30.00

Suitable: 2-9 years. Our popular Off the Wall Dances for young children, Volumes One & Two combined into one kit. Enjoyable traditional dances from around the world adapted to assist movement skills for young children. Folk dancing is a wonderful way to increase body awareness, gross motor skills and is a means of self expression & social contact. Included are the popular Round in the Ring, Singalsongalong, Little Bird Dance, Minoesjka, The Train, Carnivalito, Robots & Jibidi.