'Caring and sharing' is a very simple phrase to which young children readily respond. If this approach to interacting and living with others is introduced in a positive and enjoyable way, and followed from an early enough age, it can enhance a child's learning potential and personal skills and build a firm foundation for later life. The practical activities encourage active learning and family involvement, so that the adults at home and those in the early years settings may work together consistently to support the children's developing skills and values. They include ideas for encouraging...

The family is the microcosm of a child's world, making it an ideal early years theme. It enables children to discover that, although they have a unique place in the world, they still share much in common with others. The practical activities include helping children to learn their addresses and telephone numbers, making individual and group books, looking for details in photographs, making models, considering behaviour, matching and ordering numbers, sizes and quantities and miming actions associated with family life. Every effort has been made to respect different family lifestyles and to...

This book provides ideas and inspiration for basic woodwork skills for children aged 3-6. Organized into 3 levels of competence: beginning - sanding, using rulers to measure wood; emerging skills - mini hand drill, hammer and nails; developing competence - screw driver, mini hacksaw, advanced - pliers, glue guns. Includes practical advice on tools and how to use them (both real and play/pretend tools), construction materials (where to source and store), safety issues, role of the adult, where to site the woodworking area in the setting, key vocabulary and decorating/painting wood. Children's...