Complete Learning Center Book: An Illustrated Guide for 32 Different Early Childhood Learning Centers

As I sat reading reviews of the book, and felt a connection to the 2nd reviewer, based on the FACT that young children learn through play and activity, rather than rote seatwork, I was awestruck by the back to basics mentality of the 3rd writer. The "little detail about how to make [the centers] educational" makes me sad in my heart. A restaurant center is educational in and of itself. It provides both math and language development, both of which the reviewer says needs a specific book for. The math is found though the making of change, the prices on menus, the discounts that are sometimes provided, ect. The language comes in with the dialogue that occurs between waiter/ess and customer, when reading the menu, the descriptions of food items, the fact that they are all categorized, ect. The grocery store center has math principles for younger and older children. You could compare prices based on weight, which one saves you money, discounts and coupons, sales, 2 for 1 deals, the transaction that occurs, the handling of money, ect. The language development occurs when needing to read a grocery list, or even the pure knowledge of creating a list when going to the grocery store, reading a map of the store to locate items, reading the coupon, buying ingredients for a recipe, ect. The hat center is extremely valuable to young children. It allows them to learn about the world: the fact that different cultures wear hats, different occupations wear hats, and people wear different hats in different climates. The only thing that I do agree with on this matter with the reviewer, is that yes, these are "complex learning centers".

I used this book with my staff when I was a director and now I use it as a supplemental book for an Early Childhood Environments course that I teach. The students love this book becasue it has creative ideas for learning centers. It is a very helpful book for new and experienced educators.

As a licensed group home provider, the learning through play concept was something new to me. I was one who had thought the children HAD to go home with worksheets and step by step crafts to "show" they were learning something. Through my Early Childhood Education Classes I found a new and improved way to "teach"- through play. I had really no idea where to start and so I borrowed books and this book was one I had to have! I am so happy with how they explain everything, including how EDUCATIONAL play is. I was most impressed with the Web of Integrated Learning for each center. These webs are pretty new to me and so far have me wishing I would have known about them earlier. As it states in the book "Play nurtures children's development in all areas: intellectual, social/emotional and physical." If you remember this (PIES as we call it)while looking through this book, you can see just how educational and benefiting learning centers are for our children. No matter the age. I have children from 2 to 8 and they ALL enjoy these learning centers and actually learn from each other through their play.

Great Resource book for Early Childhood Professionals. This book has lots of great ideas to use in the classroom and they are cheap and easy to implement. Wonderful for Emergent Curriculum and very Language and Literacy Rich. Highly Recommended!