So Much Beauty

11/10/2008

Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.
Albert Einstein

After her trip to Reggio Emilia, Bonnie Neugebauer wrote a report on her experience. The full article, "Unpacking My Questions and Images: Personal Reflections on Reggio Emilia," from which an excerpt appears below, can be viewed for free on the Exchange web site.

"A great deal of thinking and problem-solving has gone into figuring out what comprises a wonderful learning environment for children. This is not an environment where everything matches, where everything is shiny and new — this is an environment filled with unlimited opportunities for discovery. It is an environment that is created by the learning that goes on within its spaces and the learners, both child and adult, themselves.

"It is beautiful in the way that a home is beautiful. It reflects the stories of the people who live within it and it evolves through a sensitivity to natural beauty — wood, sunlight, plants, colors, comfort. It feels like a studio, with plenty of light, comfortable places to sit and work, well-organized materials, careful display of past projects, natural materials creating inspiration for future endeavors.

"It appears at moments to be a magic place, full of wonder and beauty. But this environment is very complex. Great attention has been paid to details and to extending possibilities. Light is transformed by objects in its path — mobiles, transparent or translucent paintings, mirrors. It is turned into reflections and shadows and rainbows and distorted images.

"And it transforms artwork, taking it to new dimensions. What does this collage look like unilluminated, with light shining upon it, with light shining through it? By moving her artwork, the child is able to change the world she sees both indoors and out."

CEUs on Sale

This week only, the Continuing Education Unit modules of Exchange are on sale at a 20% discount. To earn a Continuing Education Unit from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, you purchase the module of your choice, download it, read the 8 to 10 classic Exchange articles, and then go to the University web site to take an online test to earn your CEU. CEU modules available from Exchange include:

For Teachers:

Outdoor Play Environments
Food and Nutrition Challenges
Literacy in the Early Years
Serving Children with Special Needs
Managing Challenging Behaviors
Math in the Early Years
Brain Research Implications for Early Childhood
Involving Parents in Your Program
Observation and Assessment
Reggio Emilia Learning Experiences
Making Play Work
Social and Emotional Development

For Directors:

Leadership in Early Childhood
Supervising Early Childhood Staff
Training Early Childhood Staff
Evaluating Early Childhood Programs
Marketing Child Care Services
Trends in Early Childhood Education
Managing Money
Maintaining a Safe Environment
Physical Environment and Room Arrangement

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For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.