Creative materials and activities for the early childhood curriculum / created by Joan Packer Isenberg, Professor Emerita, George Mason University, Jennifer L. Durham, The Lab School of Washington, American University.

Includes bibliographical references and index

Pt. I. Exploring creativity and the arts. 1. Creativity and the arts : Mini case: Creative experiences in preschool ; Learning outcomes ; Defining creativity and the arts ; The value of creativity and the arts for young children ; Aesthetics in the early childhood curriculum ; Theories related to creativity ; Family-school connection: take-home creative activities 2. Facilitating creativity and the arts : Mini case: Second graders studying the artist Jackson Pollock ; Learning outcomes ; The teacher's role in facilitating creativity and the arts ; Play, creativity, and the arts ; Strategies for supporting creativity and the arts ; Creativity and the arts for diverse learners ; Family-school-community connection: resources to support children's creativity at home 3. Designing environments for creativity and the arts : Mini case: Preparing an inspiring classroom environment ; Learning outcomes ; Getting started: thinking about environments for creativity and the arts ; Design elements of the classroom environment ; Indoor environments for creativity and the arts ; Indoor environments for children of different ages ; Outdoor environments for creativity and the arts ; Practical ideas for creative environments ; Brain research and the environment ; Community-school connection: partnerships ; Adapting the environment for diverse learners. Pt. II. Teaching the creative arts: what does it look like? 4. Visual arts and children's development : Mini case: Observing details in a clay animal sculpture ; Learning outcomes ; The importance of the visual arts ; Children's development and visual arts ; Stages of artistic development ; Theories of artistic development ; Elements of art ; Technology, art, and young children ; Displaying children's art ; Family-school connection: sharing art with families 5. Creative materials and activities for the visual arts : Mini case: Native American story tellers ; Learning outcomes ; Guidelines for visual arts materials and activities ; Selecting and using appropriate visual arts materials ; The visual arts center ; Visual arts and diverse learners ; Family-school connection: a traveling artist's bag ; Practical activities for visual arts 6. Creative materials and activities for drama : Mini case: Dramatic play in the grocery store ; Learning outcomes ; Drama in the early childhood classroom ; The importance of drama ; Brain research and drama ; Guidelines for using classroom drama ; The dramatic play center ; Drama and diverse learners ; Practical activities for drama ; Family-school connection: a traveling artist's bag for prop boxes or prop bags 7. Creative materials and activities for music, movement, and dance : Mini case: Understanding rhythm and beat ; Music, movement, and dance in the early childhood classroom ; Learning outcomes ; Developmentally appropriate music and movement experiences ; The importance of music, movement, and dance ; Brain research and music, movement, and dance ; Guidelines for teaching music, movement, and dance ; The music/listening center ; Diverse learners: music, movement, and dance ; Family-school connection: a traveling artist's bag for music and movement Practical activities for music, movement, and dance. Pt. III. Creative materials and activities in the content area. 8. Language literacy and the creative arts : Mini case: Writing and visual arts ; Learning outcomes ; Literacy content in early childhood classrooms ; The importance of language in becoming literate ; Using the creative arts to support children's language and literacy development ; Family-school connection: a classroom lending library Practical creative arts activities for language and literacy ; Creative arts activities for reading and writing 9. Mathematics and the creative arts : Mini case: First-grade geometry ; Learning outcomes ; Mathematics content in the early childhood classroom ; Developmentally appropriate mathematics ; The creative arts and mathematics ; Mathematics, the arts, and diverse learners ; Family-school connection: at-home learning opportunities in mathematics ; Practical creative arts activities for mathematics 10. Science and the creative arts : Mini case: Investigating fish and their basic needs ; Learning outcomes ; Science content in the early childhood classroom ; Developmentally appropriate science ; The creative arts and science ; Science, the arts, and diverse learners ; Family-school connection: engaging families and children in science learning ; Practical creative arts activities for science 11. Social studies and the creative arts : Mini case: Preschoolers make maps! ; Learning outcomes ; Social studies content in the early childhood classroom ; Developmentally appropriate social studies ; The creative arts and social studies ; Social studies, the arts and diverse learners ; Family-school connection: building positive relationships with families ; Practical creative arts activities for social studies. Pt. IV. Planning and assessing creative experiences. 12. Assessing creative learning : Mini case: Using different art forms to demonstrate understanding of African culture ; Learning outcomes ; What is assessment? ; Principles for assessing creative learning ; Types of classroom-based assessments ; Strategies for assessing creative learning ; Family-school connection: sharing assessment with families 13. Planning effective arts-based lessons : Mini case: Planning creative arts lessons and activities ; Learning outcomes ; The importance of arts-based planning ; Essential elements of arts-based lesson plans ; Sample arts-based lesson plans ; Family-school connection: how to include families in arts-based learning opportunities 14. Integrating the curriculum through arts-based units : Mini case: Thinking about arts-based teaching ; Learning outcomes ; Defining an arts-based integrated curriculum ; Understanding an arts-based integrated curriculum ; Guidelines for arts-based units of study ; Family-school-community connection: learning exhibitions ; Practical applications: arts-based unit webs with activities