Infants and Toddlers at Work

by Lewin-Benham, Ann

• ISBN13: 9780807751077
• ISBN10: 0807751073
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780807773376
• Additional ISBN(s): 9780807768785
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-06-15
• Publisher: Teachers College Pr

Summary

This book contains a wealth of practical and specific activities and materials to use with infants and toddlers to enhance growth and development. Writing in the accessible style that her readers appreciate, Ann Lewin-Benham looks at current research from the neurosciences to show what teachers and childcare providers can do with very young children. For each material or activity presented, the text examines its relation to the rapid brain growth that characterizes the zero to three years, including sensory reception, movement, language, cognition, memory, vision, and motivation. Materials, with guidance for their use and where to find them, include: paint, mark-makers, man-made found objects, natural objects, clay, paper, and light and shadow. This is the definitive guide for trainers and professionals who work with young children.

Author Biography

Ann Lewin-Benham founded and for 20 years directed the Capital Children's Museum in Washington, DC, where she also founded and directed the Model Early Learning Center. She is the author of Possible Schools: The Reggio Approach to Urban Education and Powerful Children: Understanding How to Teach and Learn Using the Reggio Approach. For information about Ann's teacher workshops visit her website: AnnLewin-Benham.com.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
Why Use Materials?	p. 9
Infants and Toddlers in Flow	p. 10
Humans: Unique Learners	p. 12
Sitting, Walking, Carrying	p. 14
Structuring the Use of Materials	p. 20
Conclusion: Materials' Meaning	p. 24
Framing Experiences	p. 25
The Brain's Attention Systems	p. 26
Facing Complexity	p. 28
Challenges: Glue, Scissors, Clay, Sewing	p. 32
Conclusion: Accumulating Skills	p. 39
Infants and Materials	p. 40
Infants' Predispositions	p. 41
Adults' Intentionality	p. 43
Food, Paper, Fabric, Sound	p. 44
Day by Day in Provocative Infant Spaces	p. 49
Conclusion: Natural Learners	p. 55
Man-Made Materials	p. 56
Cultural Contrasts: 10,000 Years Ago and Now	p. 57
Reggio and Neuroscience Resonances	p. 60
The Design and Development of Materials	p. 62
One Huge and Many Small Events	p. 66
Conclusion: Meaning-Full Materials	p. 71
Painting with Tempera	p. 72
Stumbling, Reflecting, Learning	p. 73
A Theory of How We Learn	p. 75
Teaching with Intention	p. 77
A Culture of Relationships	p. 78
Beginning Use of Tempera	p. 82
Conclusion: The Joy of Painting	p. 86
Clay	p. 87
6-Month- and 2-Year-Old Reactions	p. 87
Molding the Brain	p. 94
Joyful Tactile Experiences	p. 99
Conclusion: Clay, Creativity, and Competence	p. 100
Mark-Making	p. 101
A Natural Language	p. 101
A Story from Reggio	p. 105
Complex Intersections: Drawing and Decisions	p. 109
Small Choices/Large Impacts	p. 110
Self-Portraits Plus	p. 112
Conclusion: Drawing, An Imperative	p. 114
Exploring Paper	p. 116
Paper, Brain, and Hand	p. 117
New Ways with Paper: Eight Months of Activities	p. 119
Paper, Infants, and Toddlers: Reggio Stories	p. 124
Conclusion: New Perspectives	p. 129
Natural Materials	p. 130
Learning to See	p. 131
Infant and Toddler Investigations	p. 134
The Bounty of Natural Materials	p. 137
Research, Nature, and the Classroom	p. 141
Conclusion: The Power and Pleasure of Nature	p. 144
Light and Shadow	p. 145
How We Know What We See	p. 145
Discovering Light and Shadow	p. 150
Conclusion: Enticing the Infant/Toddler Brain	p. 158
List of Materials	p. 160
Art Supplies	p. 163
Tools	p. 164
Glossary	p. 165
References	p. 167
Index	p. 171
About the Author	p. 180
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