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In our Beginnings Workshop Book, Curriculum: Art, Music, Movement, Drama, Alison Lutton, Ginny Spade, and Audrey DeCheser contributed an article, "'Look, There is Blue.' A Community of Artists, Teachers, and Children," where they advocate for early childhood programs to engage artists from their community to spend time in their classrooms. In this article they describe the stages that such collaborations follow:

1. At first, early childhood teachers and artists coexist in the same space and time. The early childhood teacher may take the children down the hall to the artist’s space, or step aside in her own classroom as the artist takes over. They may watch each other work, but do not yet share information and ideas.
2. In the next stage, the artist and teacher begin to cooperate. They begin to share some common short-term objectives and to value each other’s work. The teacher and artist begin to share information as the teacher learns more about the arts and the artist learns more about young children. The program supports the artist’s presence.
3. The third stage, coordination, begins when the teacher and the artist begin to adapt to each other. They begin to see a long-term relationship ahead and begin to feel harmony in their work together.
4. Finally, the teacher and artist begin to collaborate. They have built a truly reciprocal relationship based on trust and shared goals. They know each other’s work styles and needs. They plan together to design, implement, and sustain projects.

The full article, "Look, There is Blue" can be found on our homepage, www.ChildCareExchange.com, in the Exchange Resources for You - FREE section.

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Exchange has bundled some of its most popular curriculum resources into a "Curriculum Kit" and has put a highly discounted price tag on the collection. The Curriculum Kit includes:

• Beginnings Workshop Book #5 -- Curriculum: Art, Music, Movement, Drama
• Beginnings Workshop Book #4 -- Curriculum: Brain Research, Math, Science
• Hearing Everyone's Voice: Educating Young Children for Peace and Democratic Community
• Connecting: Friendship in the Lives of Young Children
• The Wonder of It: Exploring How the World Works
• Out of the Box Training Kit: Recognizing the Essentials of Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum

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