The Ecology of Imagination in Childhood


Book Description




The Ecology Imagination in Childhood


Book Description

Is genius shaped by the imagination of childhood? Cobb's collection of autobiographies and biographies of creative people, as well as her observations of children's play, suggests just that. She sees the child to be innately connected with the natural world. Inner powers alone do not further the imagination. Her book remains an important philosophical meditation on the importance of children's deep experience of nature to their adult cognition and psychological well-being.




Imagine Childhood


Book Description

For children, potential is limitless, curiosity is an electrical current, and every moment is open to the possibility of the unexpected. Day-to-day life is filled with adventure. Road blocks are invitations to try new routes. And the world is vast and expansive. This book is a celebration of childhood through the crafts and activities that invite wonder and play. The twenty-five projects and activities in this book are meant to speak to the way children engage with the world. These projects are not about what is produced in the end (although that part is fun too) but rather they are stepping-off points—activities that spark curiosity, an adventure, or an investigation. They’re about the process of getting there. They’re about the conversations that happen while making things together. They’re about getting to know the world inch by inch. They’re about exploring imaginary universes and running through real forests. They’re about living in childhood . . . regardless of your actual age. They’re about being a kid.




Children and Nature


Book Description

For much of human evolution, the natural world was one of the most important contexts of children's maturation. Indeed, the experience of nature was, and still may be, a critical component of human physical, emotional, intellectual, and even moral development. Yet scientific knowledge of the significance of nature during the different stages of childhood is sparse. This book provides scientific investigations and thought-provoking essays on children and nature. Children and Nature incorporates research from cognitive science, developmental psychology, ecology, education, environmental studies, evolutionary psychology, political science, primatology, psychiatry, and social psychology. The authors examine the evolutionary significance of nature during childhood; the formation of children's conceptions, values, and sympathies toward the natural world; how contact with nature affects children's physical and mental development; and the educational and political consequences of the weakened childhood experience of nature in modern society.




Play and Imagination in Children with Autism, 2nd Edition


Book Description

This now classic text remains a cornerstone of continuing efforts to develop inclusive peer play programs for children on the autism spectrum. The second edition has been thoroughly revised to reflect major new developments in the field of autism. Notable additions include an updated description of the Integrated Play Groups (IPG) model and related research; an examination of the nature of autism and of play from past to present, with major updates on incidence, diagnosis, and characteristics; and a comprehensive review of play interventions. Presenting vivid descriptions of three children with autism over a 10-year period (from age 5 to age 16), Play and Imagination in Children with Autism: Traces the development of the children as they overcome obstacles to enter into the play culture of their peers.Focuses on two critical years during which the children participated in a peer play group.Documents the emergence of remarkable transformations in the children’s social relations with peers and symbolic activity.Includes vignettes, dialogue, and samples of writing and drawing to bring the children’s stories to life.Lays out the implications for new directions in research and practice. Pamela J. Wolfberg is Associate Professor of special education and Director of the autism spectrum graduate program (Project Mosaic) at San Francisco State University. “Play and Imagination in Children with Autism has been the cornerstone of my professional and personal life for nearly a decade. This updated edition retains the original accessible style, explaining so clearly the pivotal role that peer play holds in the lives of individuals on the autism spectrum, while providing readers with cutting-edge developments in theory, research, and practice in the field.” —Heather McCracken, Founder/Executive Director, Friend 2 Friend Social Learning Society “Dr. Wolfberg continues to break new ground with the second edition of her book. What a pleasure for any child to get involved in one of her integrated play groups, and what a relief for parents to know that their child is both learning and having fun! This is a wonderful resource for professionals interested in creating engaging and effective social skills groups for children on the autism spectrum.” —Connie Kasari, UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies “Children with autism benefit in so many ways from social play experiences, despite the significant challenges in symbolic development. Dr. Pamela Wolfberg, a leading expert in this crucial aspect of children's development, once again guides us in a highly engaging manner in supporting social and play development for children with ASD.” —Barry M. Prizant, Director, Childhood Communication Services, Brown University “This book is a ‘must’ for anyone who wants to bring about genuine social reciprocity and imagination in children with autistic spectrum disorders. Pamela Wolfberg takes us on a journey through previously uncharted territory, documenting in rich qualitative detail how to scaffold entry into the culture of peer play.” —Adriana L. Schuler, San Francisco State University “Dr. Wolfberg has done a fine and sensitive job in characterizing the pivotal role that play skills hold in the social and linguistic world of the child with autism. Her development of Integrated Peer Play Groups, and the delineation of the autistic child as the ‘Novice Player’ and the typical child as the ‘Expert Player,’ is a very valuable heuristic tool to all who work with children with autism.” —Bryna Siegel, Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute, University of California, San Francisco




The Oxford Handbook of the Development of Imagination


Book Description

Children are widely celebrated for their imaginations, but developmental research on this topic has often been fragmented or narrowly focused on fantasy. However, there is growing appreciation for the role that imagination plays in cognitive and emotional development, as well as its link with children's understanding of the real world. With their imaginations, children mentally transcend time, place, and/or circumstance to think about what might have been, plan and anticipate the future, create fictional relationships and worlds, and consider alternatives to the actual experiences of their lives. The Oxford Handbook of the Development of Imagination provides a comprehensive overview of this broad new perspective by bringing together leading researchers whose findings are moving the study of imagination from the margins of mainstream psychology to a central role in current efforts to understand human thought. The topics covered include fantasy-reality distinctions, pretend play, magical thinking, narrative, anthropomorphism, counterfactual reasoning, mental time travel, creativity, paracosms, imaginary companions, imagination in non-human animals, the evolution of imagination, autism, dissociation, and the capacity to derive real life resilience from imaginative experiences. Many of the chapters include discussions of the educational, clinical, and legal implications of the research findings and special attention is given to suggestions for future research.




Children, Citizenship, and Environment


Book Description

Her comparative discussion with the US and UK draws on lessons from New Zealand, a country where young citizens often express a strong sense of personal responsibility for their planet but where many children also face shocking social conditions. Hayward develops a 'SEEDS' model of ecological citizenship education (Social agency, Environmental Education, Embedded justice, Decentred deliberative democracy and Self transcendence). The discussion considers how the SEEDs model can support young citizens' democratic imagination and develop their 'handprint' for social justice.From eco-worriers and citizen-scientists to streetwise sceptics, "Children, Citizenship and Environment" identifies a variety of forms of citizenship and discusses why many approaches make it more difficult, not easier, for young citizens to effect change.




Last Child in the Woods


Book Description

The Book That Launched an International Movement Fans of The Anxious Generation will adore Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv's groundbreaking New York Times bestseller. “An absolute must-read for parents.” —The Boston Globe “It rivals Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring.” —The Cincinnati Enquirer “I like to play indoors better ’cause that’s where all the electrical outlets are,” reports a fourth grader. But it’s not only computers, television, and video games that are keeping kids inside. It’s also their parents’ fears of traffic, strangers, Lyme disease, and West Nile virus; their schools’ emphasis on more and more homework; their structured schedules; and their lack of access to natural areas. Local governments, neighborhood associations, and even organizations devoted to the outdoors are placing legal and regulatory constraints on many wild spaces, sometimes making natural play a crime. As children’s connections to nature diminish and the social, psychological, and spiritual implications become apparent, new research shows that nature can offer powerful therapy for such maladies as depression, obesity, and attention deficit disorder. Environment-based education dramatically improves standardized test scores and grade-point averages and develops skills in problem solving, critical thinking, and decision making. Anecdotal evidence strongly suggests that childhood experiences in nature stimulate creativity. In Last Child in the Woods, Louv talks with parents, children, teachers, scientists, religious leaders, child-development researchers, and environmentalists who recognize the threat and offer solutions. Louv shows us an alternative future, one in which parents help their kids experience the natural world more deeply—and find the joy of family connectedness in the process. Included in this edition: A Field Guide with 100 Practical Actions We Can Take Discussion Points for Book Groups, Classrooms, and Communities Additional Notes by the Author New and Updated Research from the U.S. and Abroad




Children and the Environment


Book Description

In the first two volumes of the series we elected to cover a broad spectrum of topics in the environment and behavior field, ranging from theoretical to applied, and including disciplinary, interdiscipli nary, and professionally related topics. Chapters in these earlier vol umes dealt with leisure and recreation, the elderly, personal space, aesthetics, energy, behavioral approaches to environmental problems, methodological issues, social indicators, industrial settings, and the like. Chapters were written by psychologists, sociologists, geogra phers, and other social scientists, and by authors from professional design fields such as urban planning, operations research, landscape architecture, and so on. Our goal in these first two volumes was to present a sampling of areas in the emerging environment and behavior field and to give readers some insight into the diversity of research and theoretical perspectives that characterize the field. Beginning with the present volume, our efforts will be directed at a series of thematic volumes. The present collection of chapters is focused on children and the environment, and, as much as possible, we invited contributions that reflect a variety of theoretical and em pirical perspectives on this topic. The next volume in the series, now in preparation, will address the area of "culture and the environment. " Suggestions for possible future topics are welcome. Irwin Altman Joachim F.




Pretending and Imagination in Animals and Children


Book Description

This book provides an overview of recent research presenting conflicting interpretations of children's understanding of the psychology of pretense and describes sociocultural factors which influence children's pretenses. Studies of nonhuman primates provide examples of their pretenses and other simulative activities, explore their representational and imaginative capacities and compare their skills with children. Although the psychological requirements for pretending are controversial, evidence presented in this volume suggests that great apes and even monkeys may share capacities for imagination with children and that children's early pretenses may be less psychological than they appear.