Now in a second edition, this popular resource shows teachers and childcare providers how to work with young children based on current neuroscience research. Revised and expanded, it contains a wealth of practical and specific activities and materials to use with infants and toddlers to enhance growth and development.

Contents Foreword to the First Edition Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi  xi Acknowledgments  xiii Introduction  1 Impetus for the Book  1 Research  4 Teaching Techniques  5 Materials  6 Learning Exemplars: The Reggio Schools  7 Chapter Overviews  7 Four Big Ideas in This Book  10 1.  Why Use Materials?  13 Infants and Toddlers in Flow  14 Attention and Materials  16 Humans: Unique Learners  16 Sensitive Periods and Brain Plasticity  19 Structuring the Use of Materials  27 Conclusion: Materials’ Meaning  31 2.  Framing Experiences  32 The Brain’s Attention Systems  33 Facing Complexity  36 Challenges: Glue, Scissors, Clay, Sewing  40 Conclusion: Accumulating Skills  48 3.  Infants and Materials  49 Infants’ Predispositions  49 Adults’ Intentionality  52 Food, Paper, Fabric, Sound  54 Day by Day in Provocative Infant Spaces  59 Conclusion: Natural Learners  65 4.  Man-Made Materials  66 Cultural Contrasts: 10,000 Years Ago and Now  67 Reggio and Neuroscience Resonances  69 The Design and Development of Materials  73 One Huge and Many Small Events  78 Conclusion: Meaning-Full Materials  83 5.  Painting With Tempera  84 Stumbling, Reflecting, Learning  85 A Theory of How We Learn  87 Teaching With Intention  90 A Culture of Relationships  91 Beginning Use of Tempera  96 Conclusion: The Joy of Painting  101 6.  Clay  102 6-Month- and 2-Year-Old Reactions  102 Molding the Brain  110 Joyful Tactile Experiences  116 Conclusion: Clay, Creativity, and Competence  118 7.  Mark-Making  119 A Natural Language  120 An Innate Drive  123 A Story from Reggio  125 Complex Intersections: Drawing and Decisions  129 Small Choices, Large Impacts  130 Self-Portraits Plus  133 Conclusion: Drawing, An Imperative  135 8.  Exploring Paper  136 Paper, Brain, and Hand  137 New Ways With Paper: Eight Months of Activities  139 Paper, Infants, and Toddlers: Reggio Stories  145 Conclusion: New Perspectives  150 9.  Natural Materials  153 Learning to See  154 Infant and Toddler Investigations of Nature  157 The Bounty of Natural Materials  161 Research, Nature, and the Classroom  165 Conclusion: The Power and Pleasure of Nature  168 10.  Light and Shadow  170 How We Know What We See  170 Discovering Light and Shadow  175 Conclusion: Enticing the Infant/Toddler Brain  184 11.  Using Technology with Infants and Toddlers  186 Alex Morgan Learning the Language of Technology  187 Exploring Digital Humanity  188 Building Community Through Technology  190 Conclusion  193 12.  Making Meaning With Technology  194 Ryan Kurada Coding and Robotics  194 Augmented and Virtual Reality  195 Digital Photography  195 Digital Landscapes  195 Spectrogram  196 Conclusion  197 Appendix A: List of Materials  199 Appendix B: Art Supplies  203 Appendix C: Tools  205 Glossary  207 References  211 Index  215 About the Author and Contributors  224

“In this well-researched and aptly illustrated book, master educator Ann Lewin-Benham surveys authorities (like Piaget), exemplary programs (like Reggio Emilia), materials (like paper and clay), as well as current research on the brain and on technology—and skillfully integrates them.” —Howard Gardner, Hobbs Research Professor of Cognition and Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education