The Visual Arts and Early Childhood Learning

This anthology focuses on the earliest art expressions, experiences and encounters of young children in the educational setting. The 21 chapters include: (1) "The Visual Arts and Early Childhood Learning: Changing Contexts and Concepts" (Christine Marme Thompson); (2) "The Narrative Quality of Young Children's Art" (Marilyn Zurmuehlen; Larry Kantner); (3) "Significance of Adult Input in Early Childhood Artistic Development" (Anna M. Kindler); (4) "Art at Home: Learnings from a 'Suzuki' Education" (George Szekely); (5) "Preschool Children's Socialization through Art Experiences" (Patricia Tarr); (6) "The Case of the Easter Bunny: Art Instruction by Primary Grade Teachers" (Liora Bresler); (7) "Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Art Education" (Cynthia B. Colbert); (8)"A Portrait of an Early Childhood Art Teacher" (Elizabeth Smith Cole); (9) "Liberating Art Experiences for Preschoolers and their Teachers" (Kathryn Gaspar): (10) "Birthdays, Children, and Art: Museums as Meaningful Places for Young Children" (Priscilla Lund; Sandy Osborne); (11) "The Picture Museum: Creating a Photography Museum with Children" (Suzanne Kolodziej); (12) "A Bunch of Naked Ladies and a Tiger: Children's Responses to Adult Works of Art" (Marianne S. Kerlavage); (13) "Art Historical Understanding in Early Childhood" (Mary Erickson); (14) "Understanding Young Children's Ways of Interpreting their Experiences through Participant Observation" (Mary Stokrocki); (15) "Art Criticism with Young Children Experiencing Developmental Delays" (Karen Kakas); (16) "Language and Learning About Art" (Connie Newton): (17) "Art Education and Children's Literature: An Interdisciplinary Approach for Preschool Children" (Florence S. Mitchell); (18) "Early Education in Geography and Art: A Focus on Spatial Ability and Visual Skill" (Joanne K. Guilfoil); (19) "A Cross-cultural Study of Partial Occlusion in Children's Drawings" (Chun-Min Su); (20) "Educating the Artistically Gifted Student in Early Childhood" (Andra L. Nyman); and (21) "Multiculturalism and the Tender Years: Big and Little Questions" (Elizabeth Manley Delacruz). Each article contains references. The work concludes with notes about the contributing authors. (MM)