Judy Harris Helm is the author of 10 books on project work, neuroscience applications, and early childhood programs.Lilian G. Katz is past president of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and professor emerita at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.Rebecca Wilson has a specialization in bilingual education and teaches pre-K in the Van Meter Community School District, Iowa.

• ContentsPreface  xiAcknowledgments  xvIntroduction: How Children Really Learn  1Potatoes, Potatoes, Potatoes  1Learning Is in the Brain  2Connected Learning  3Synaptic Junctions  5Brain Structures  6Pruning  8Respecting Child Thinking  9Play as Mental Development  10Pillars of the Mind  11Using What We Know  141.  Projects and Young Children  15The Project Approach  16Intellectual Competencies of the Early Years  22More on Building Mind and Brain Capacity  23Guiding Projects With Young Children  252.  Getting Started  29Issues in Selecting Topics for Projects  29Anticipatory Teacher Planning  38Building Common Experiences  44Finding Out What Children Already Know  45Developing Questions for Investigation  48Setting Up the Classroom for Investigation  48The Next Phase  513.  Developing the Project  53Beginning Phase II  53Preparing for Investigation  56Moving Into Investigation  624.  Investigation  63Field-Site Visits  63Debriefing  70Moving Into Phase III  805.  Concluding the Project  81Culminating the Project  81The Power of Documentation  86Types of Documentation  87Using Materials and Equipment for Documentation  95Distilling Documentation  96Evaluating the Project  976.  Preschoolers Engaged and Learning  99The Camera Project  99Learning as a Journey  1127.  Using the Project Approach With Toddlers  113The Fire Hydrant Project  113The Sign Project  122Diverse Pathways to Rich Experiences  1258.  How Projects Can Connect Children With Nature  127Thinking About Children's Contact With Nature  127Finding a Project Topic on Nature  128Overcoming Teachers' Fears of Science  130Investigating Nature  131Sharing Nature Projects to Educate Others  134The Canada Goose Project  1359.  Project Investigations as STEAM Experiences  141STEAM and the Project Approach  141STEAM Disciplines  143The Airplane Project  147STEAM in the Airplane Project  15010.  Responding to Challenges Teachers Face in Project Work  153"Yes, But" Thinking  153Focusing on Teacher Decision Points  156Final Thoughts From the Authors  172References  175Index  181About the Authors  190Project Planning Journal

Judy Harris Helm is the author of 10 books on project work, neuroscience applications, and early childhood programs.Lilian G. Katz is past president of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and professor emerita at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.Rebecca Wilson has a specialization in bilingual education and teaches pre-K in the Van Meter Community School District, Iowa.

• ContentsPreface  xiAcknowledgments  xvIntroduction: How Children Really Learn  1Potatoes, Potatoes, Potatoes  1Learning Is in the Brain  2Connected Learning  3Synaptic Junctions  5Brain Structures  6Pruning  8Respecting Child Thinking  9Play as Mental Development  10Pillars of the Mind  11Using What We Know  141.  Projects and Young Children  15The Project Approach  16Intellectual Competencies of the Early Years  22More on Building Mind and Brain Capacity  23Guiding Projects With Young Children  252.  Getting Started  29Issues in Selecting Topics for Projects  29Anticipatory Teacher Planning  38Building Common Experiences  44Finding Out What Children Already Know  45Developing Questions for Investigation  48Setting Up the Classroom for Investigation  48The Next Phase  513.  Developing the Project  53Beginning Phase II  53Preparing for Investigation  56Moving Into Investigation  624.  Investigation  63Field-Site Visits  63Debriefing  70Moving Into Phase III  805.  Concluding the Project  81Culminating the Project  81The Power of Documentation  86Types of Documentation  87Using Materials and Equipment for Documentation  95Distilling Documentation  96Evaluating the Project  976.  Preschoolers Engaged and Learning  99The Camera Project  99Learning as a Journey  1127.  Using the Project Approach With Toddlers  113The Fire Hydrant Project  113The Sign Project  122Diverse Pathways to Rich Experiences  1258.  How Projects Can Connect Children With Nature  127Thinking About Children's Contact With Nature  127Finding a Project Topic on Nature  128Overcoming Teachers' Fears of Science  130Investigating Nature  131Sharing Nature Projects to Educate Others  134The Canada Goose Project  1359.  Project Investigations as STEAM Experiences  141STEAM and the Project Approach  141STEAM Disciplines  143The Airplane Project  147STEAM in the Airplane Project  15010.  Responding to Challenges Teachers Face in Project Work  153"Yes, But" Thinking  153Focusing on Teacher Decision Points  156Final Thoughts From the Authors  172References  175Index  181About the Authors  190Project Planning Journal

Judy Harris Helm is the author of 10 books on project work, neuroscience applications, and early childhood programs.Lilian G. Katz is past president of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and professor emerita at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.Rebecca Wilson has a specialization in bilingual education and teaches pre-K in the Van Meter Community School District, Iowa.

• ContentsPreface  xiAcknowledgments  xvIntroduction: How Children Really Learn  1Potatoes, Potatoes, Potatoes  1Learning Is in the Brain  2Connected Learning  3Synaptic Junctions  5Brain Structures  6Pruning  8Respecting Child Thinking  9Play as Mental Development  10Pillars of the Mind  11Using What We Know  141.  Projects and Young Children  15The Project Approach  16Intellectual Competencies of the Early Years  22More on Building Mind and Brain Capacity  23Guiding Projects With Young Children  252.  Getting Started  29Issues in Selecting Topics for Projects  29Anticipatory Teacher Planning  38Building Common Experiences  44Finding Out What Children Already Know  45Developing Questions for Investigation  48Setting Up the Classroom for Investigation  48The Next Phase  513.  Developing the Project  53Beginning Phase II  53Preparing for Investigation  56Moving Into Investigation  624.  Investigation  63Field-Site Visits  63Debriefing  70Moving Into Phase III  805.  Concluding the Project  81Culminating the Project  81The Power of Documentation  86Types of Documentation  87Using Materials and Equipment for Documentation  95Distilling Documentation  96Evaluating the Project  976.  Preschoolers Engaged and Learning  99The Camera Project  99Learning as a Journey  1127.  Using the Project Approach With Toddlers  113The Fire Hydrant Project  113The Sign Project  122Diverse Pathways to Rich Experiences  1258.  How Projects Can Connect Children With Nature  127Thinking About Children's Contact With Nature  127Finding a Project Topic on Nature  128Overcoming Teachers' Fears of Science  130Investigating Nature  131Sharing Nature Projects to Educate Others  134The Canada Goose Project  1359.  Project Investigations as STEAM Experiences  141STEAM and the Project Approach  141STEAM Disciplines  143The Airplane Project  147STEAM in the Airplane Project  15010.  Responding to Challenges Teachers Face in Project Work  153"Yes, But" Thinking  153Focusing on Teacher Decision Points  156Final Thoughts From the Authors  172References  175Index  181About the Authors  190Project Planning Journal