Designs for living and learning : transforming early childhood environments / Deb Curtis and Margie Carter.

Includes bibliographical references.

Lay a foundation for living and learning -- Think beyond a traditional classroom -- Create connections, a sense of place and belonging -- Keep space flexible and materials open-ended -- Design natural environments that engage our senses -- Provoke wonder, curiosity, and intellectual challenge -- Engage children in symbolic representations, literacy, and the visual arts -- Enhance children's use of the environment -- Launch the process of transforming an environment -- Face barriers and negotiate quality standards -- Seek children's ideas about environments.

You likely have dreams for your early childhood environment that are greater than rating scales, regulations, and room arrangements. Designs for Living and Learning has been a favorite resource among educators and caregivers for more than a decade, and this new edition is packed with even more ideas that can be used as you create captivating environments that nurture children, families, and staff while supporting children's learning. With hundreds of all-new colorful photographs of real early learning settings and a multitude of simple and practical concepts for creative indoor and outdoor spaces and learning materials, this book truly is a source of inspiration as you learn how to shape welcoming spaces where children can learn and grow. Expanded chapters include new information reflecting current trends and concerns in early childhood, such as the use of repurposed and nontraditional materials, children in the outdoors, alternative ways to think about providing for learning outcomes, facing and overcoming barriers and negotiating change, and the impact of environmental rating scales in Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS). Two new chapters are included, one highlighting the transformations of environments with before and after photos and outlines of the process, and the other with examples of soliciting children's ideas about the environment.