All together now!

              Arts
􀀀􀀀􀀀
􀀀􀀀􀀀
􀀀􀀀􀀀
􀀀􀀀􀀀
􀀀􀀀
HESE TYPES OF EXPERIENCES
are a natural part of the
world of a preschooler
who is full of curiosity
and the need to express
what he hears, sees, and
feels. As educators, we
know that young children learn best through
multi-sensory experiences that are based on chil-dren’s
interests. Teaching practices that integrate
the arts—creative movement, drama, music,
visual art—provide numerous opportunities for
multi-sensory experiences. Such experiences stim-ulate
children to express themselves openly and,
at the same time, enhance skill development.
The flexibility of the arts provides a natural link
for supporting the participation and develop-ment
of children with disabilities. Moving or
dancing to a favorite recording might mean
wiggling toes, tapping fingers, nodding the
head, clapping, or turning one’s wheel chair
round and round. By modeling a non-judgmen-tal,
non-competitive atmosphere that respects
individual ability and self-expression, we can
help the children in our care develop a positive
self-concept and mutual respect for others.
If someone asked you to draw a picture, what
would you say? Many adults respond by saying,
“I’m not creative. I don’t know how to draw.
I’m not talented.” However, there are those
who would argue that every person is creative.
All of us, through our mere existence, solve the
challenges of everyday life creatively. We are
given parameters from which we must go
forward. This is especially true for educators
who are challenged constantly to meet the
diverse needs of the children in their care—
creatively. As you consider integrating the arts
into your daily curriculum, remind yourself that
you are creative!
Remember, the arts can provide a natural
method to help children
• practice making choices
• learn risk-taking skills
• learn to feel proud of their own expressions
and creations
• explore new materials and ideas
• learn to appreciate and respectfully accept
the expressions of others
by Belinda Hardin, director of
special projects for Chapel Hill
Training Outreach and author
of numerous early childcare
publications
Vol. III, 3 Providing Quality Care & Education for All Children
Imagine…
Looking at clouds and seeing dinosaurs racing across the sky.
Singing your favorite song as you jump, hop, and run around the room. Pretending
your doll is eating lunch with you. She prefers pizza.
See “Methods,” page 3
Tools for Learning
T
2 • All Together Now • 1997 Vol. 3, 3
from the
Editor’s Pen
BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS ISSUE of All
Together Now!, people all around the
globe will be reading it too—via the World Wide Web. ATN! will
become Partnerships for Inclusion’s first venture into cyberspace. You can
access ATN! by pointing your browser to <http://www.fpg.edu/alltogethernow>.
By incorporating a wonderful new technology called portable document format, or
PDF, what you see on your computer screen will look just like what you see on
paper. When you go to the ATN! page for the first time, you’ll be offered the oppor-tunity
to download a free application called Adobe Acrobat Reader. This application
will open All Together Now! (and any other PDF files you encounter in cyberspace).
Later, a search engine included in the program will allow you to look for key words
or phrases to find articles quickly. Hot links will take you to other articles with just
the click of a button. Pretty cool, huh? We’re excited about it!
The training calendar will include a hot link that will take you to Check-It-
Out!, where you can find even more up-to-date training events than are listed
in ATN! Eventually you’ll be able to register for those events on-line—or at least
indicate an interest. Read Jennifer Ray’s article about Check-It-Out! on page
18 for more information.
Partnerships for Inclusion will soon translate at least some of the articles in ATN!
into Spanish for our largest-growing ethnic group in North Carolina. We are
eager to provide information about quality child care to our new Spanish-speak-ing
neighbors, and ATN! is proud to be an early vehicle. Let us know if you have a
need in your community for Spanish translations of ATN! articles.
ATN! Hits the Road
I’ve been fortunate to be able to visit many of you in your workplaces across
the state. Now I’m meeting even more of you as I travel to conferences—Early
Intervention in New Bern, NCAEYC Annual Study Conference in Greensboro,the
Second Annual Cultural Diversity in Durham, the B–K Coordinators Conference
here in Chapel Hill, and the Leo Crogan Conference in Raleigh. Drop by the
ATN! and PFI booths—I’d love to say howdy in person!
What’s Inside
When Bad News Is Best . . . . . .Parent . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Five Star Folkmoot . . . . . . . . . .Feature . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Dreams to Reality . . . . . . . . . . .Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Combining Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . .Activity . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Training Events . . . . . . . . . . . . .Calendar . . . . . . . . . .10
QuickNotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Announcement . . . . .13
Healthy Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Research . . . . . . . . . .14
Early Connections . . . . . . . . . . .Announcement . . . . .15
SibKids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Help on the Web . . . .15
Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Reviews . . . . . . . . . . .16
Tell Us Why . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Parents . . . . . . . . . . .18
Check-It-Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Interactive Calendar . .18
Kids ‘n Computers . . . . . . . . . .Reviews . . . . . . . . . . .19
Arts & Artists on the Road . . . . .Schedule . . . . . . . . . .20
Editor, Molly Weston
Designer, Gina Harrison
Editorial Board & Contributing Agencies
Kathy Baars NC Public Schools Early
Childhood/Exceptional
Children
Kathy Brownfield NC Division of Maternal &
Child Health
Susan Byerly NC Public Schools
Instructional Services
Karen Chester NC Interagency Coordinating
Council for Children Ages Birth
to Five with Special Needs
Shirley Geissinger Family Support Network of NC
Mike Mathers Head Start ,Chapel Hill
Training Outreach
Ron Moore Head Start
Duncan Munn Division of Mental Health,
Developmental Disabilities and
Substance Abuse Services
Robin Rooney NC Division for Early
Childhood, a division of the
Council for Exceptional
Children
Tom Vitaglione NC Division of Maternal and
Child Health
Pat Wesley Partnerships for Inclusion,
Frank Porter Graham Child
Development Center, UNC-CH
All Together Now! is published quarterly on
recycled paper. Letters, contributions, or reprint
requests should be sent to
All Together Now!
521 South Greensboro Street, Suite 100
Carrboro NC 27510
919/966-0059
FAX 919/966-0862
email Molly_Weston@unc.edu
14,000 copies of All Together Now!
were printed at a cost of 60¢ each.
Photo Credits
1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Don Trull
3, 5–7, 18 . . . . . . . . . . .Molly Weston
10–12, 14, 19 . . . . . . .Gina Harrison
13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pat Wesley
All Together Now • 1997 Vol. 3, 3 • 3
Different areas of the arts benefit young chil-dren.
Included below are suggestions for inte-grating
the arts in planning daily activities for
young children in group care.
Creative Movement
Through body movements, children can express
their unique feelings or interpretations as
inspired by music, ideas, or concepts.
Movement increases body awareness and
supports motor development. Although music or
a drum beat may provide the rhythm, each child
decides on the amount of muscular force she
will put forth and the movements that feel most
comfortable to perform. Body awareness is
heightened during movement activities as a child
learns about the parts of the body, how they
function, and the ways the body can be moved.
Spatial awareness—how the body relates to the
environment—also increases. This includes
awareness of the different directions the body
can move (backwards, forwards, sideways), the
levels at which movements can occur (low,
high), and the range in which the movements
can be done (small muscle movements, large
muscle movements).
When integrating creative movement activities
into your daily planning
• Look for natural opportunities to include move-ment
such as when the children are making a
transition from one activity to another.
• Make sure there is enough space for each
child to move comfortably.
• Predetermine a cue for stopping and starting,
such as “freeze,” a drum beat, holding up a
sign (red light/green light). Practice the cues
several times before beginning the activity.
• Provide closure by winding down with a
simple exercise such as melting to the floor.
Drama
Drama is participation in an imaginary environ-ment.
When actively involved in an imaginary
environment, each child expresses her own
dramatic interpretation and response to various
stimuli. Listening skills, conceptual abilities,
and communication skills are reinforced
through drama activities. Drama can occur as
an unstructured, improvised activity or as a
rehearsed performance. Improvised drama can
be an especially effective method of introducing
preschoolers to new concepts. For example,
children can learn the items needed for tooth
care by using puppets that are visiting a store.
As the teacher, you can provide lead-in
sentences to stimulate the puppets’ responses.
Providing props for dress-up play so children
can act out their observations of the world is
another form of drama.
When integrating drama activities into your
daily planning
• Supply plenty of props for imaginary play that
represent a variety of the children’s interests.
• Make sure there is adequate play space.
• Encourage, but do not force, participation in
dramatic activities. Channel energetic or shy
students appropriately.
• Video tape the children’s imaginary play for a
family night event.
• Keep a supply of puppets on hand. Almost
any subject can be made into a puppet story
simply by asking lead-in questions.
Music
Music is creative expression through sound. As
sounds are presented, each child experiences a
unique world that includes moods, pitches,
rhythms, and a form of communication with
oneself and/or others. Through singing, playing
instruments, or listening to music, children
develop auditory memory skills and thereby
expand their capacity to memorize words,
phrases, or whole passages. By listening to
instrumental music, children may also increase
their nonverbal memorization skills by internal-izing
pitches and rhythms. Playing instruments
and/or moving to music provides opportunities
for interactive group participation as well as
motor skill development.
When integrating music activities into your daily
planning
• Adapt familiar melodies with new words that
reflect the children’s interests.
• Teach a new song to students by saying the
words and melody one line at a time, rhythmi-cally,
and asking the children to repeat them.
• Make a variety of multicultural rhythm instru-ments
readily available to children.
• Encourage children to bring music from
home to share. This is a good opportunity to
support the cultural heritage of all children
in your class.
Methods…continu…ed from …page 1…………………………
See “Visual,” page 4
Art, music and motion—all together now!
4 • All Together Now • 1997 Vol. 3, 3
Visual Arts
Through visual arts, children can create a symbol or group of symbols that express an idea or feel-ing.
As children enjoy cutting, pasting, drawing, painting, and manipulating objects to design their
creations, they are reinforcing fine motor skills.
They also learn about spatial relationships,
shapes, colors, and size discrimination.
Pictures, sculptures, and other artwork may
provide insight about the child’s feelings,
acceptance of self, and relationship to others.
When integrating visual arts activities into your
daily planning
• Make sure the children have choices of
colors and materials.
• Provide adequate space and time for doing
the activity.
• Encourage exploration and experimentation
as the children use art materials.
• Ask the children about their finished
creations.
• Display artwork at the children’s eye level.
• Display artwork attractively and with care.
The care you take will help children feel
good about their creative work and help them
develop a sense of art appreciation for other
people’s products.
One of our most important jobs as educators is
to provide a positive role model for young chil-dren.
Because the arts are, by their definition,
expressions of self, they provide numerous
opportunities for us to demonstrate respect
and acceptance of individual differences. In
the words of Socrates, “Education is the
kindling of a flame.” Through the arts, we
can support each child (each flame) to be
confident and positive about who they are
and what they think.
Activities
Invite children to pretend to
be…
• a paintbrush using their
heads as the tip of the brush.
Have fun moving in circles
and lines of different sizes.
• wearing magic shoes (or
socks) that go to a land
where everything moves
sideways.
• melting ice animals—such as
flamingos, monkeys, and
elephants.
• instruments or machines—
such as staplers, scissors, or a
computer mouse.
• make magic potions.
Children will have fun
suggesting different colors,
substances, tastes, and smells
as they pretend to stir their
potions.
Dim the lights and project a
bright light on a wall for shadow
dancing to multicultural music.
Supply large pieces of shiny
fabrics for capes, sunglasses,
and brightly colored hats to
pretend to go on a space
adventure.
Meet the sock family puppets
and learn about family
members as the children
describe similarities and
differences.
Visual…continu…ed from… page 3…………………………
Marbled-paper painting by
Charlotte, age 3
All Together Now • 1997 Vol. 3, 3 • 5
Preparation
Read our file before you talk to us. After my daughter was born, my
husband and baby went to ICU and I went to recovery. Very soon, a nurse
came to my bedside and asked if anyone had told me that something was
wrong with my baby. I had known for fourteen weeks about the micro-cephaly
and hydrocephalus, so I assumed she meant something other than
that—something worse—something life threatening. Fortunately, my
mother was there to ask the right questions and figure out that the nurse
just thought the baby didn’t look right. If she had taken thirty seconds to
check my chart she could have seen my history—and I wouldn’t have had
to live through one of the worst moments in my life. She meant well. She
meant to inform, but she didn’t do her homework.
Assurance
Be sure that I understand what you are telling me—otherwise I may have
heard only what I wanted to hear. When the neurosurgeon examined my
newborn daughter’s cat scan, he told me that the area of her brain where
cysts of cerebral fluid replaced brain tissue was the area of the brain
where vision is controlled. Did I hear that the rest of her brain was small
and malformed—or that brain function can shift around so as to be
unpredictable? No! I heard: If she can see, she’s OK. Because my daughter
was tracking objects with her eyes, I went happily to her next checkup
fully expecting to be told that she was going to be just fine.
Boy, was it tough driving two and a half hours from the hospi-tal
back home. I felt my heart breaking all over again for the
little girl sound asleep in her car seat beside me. It was like I
fell off a cliff, and halfway down I managed to grab on to a
tree limb, claw my way back up to the top, only to have the
branch snap in two just before I got to safety!
I’m still free falling—still looking for branches. Please, if you
have one to offer, make sure it is strong enough to hold.
Sometimes child care providers are the first to recognize developmental delays or disabilities in young children. Sometimes a medical professional identifies special
needs at birth or during early infancy.Nobodywants to tell parents their child may have developmental disabilities. Parents don’twant to hear about difficulties with
their child—but good parenting means accepting children for whoever they are—and doing everything possible to help them succeed.Raleigh mother Lee Ann
Manausa reinforces this theory in her story.
When Bad News
Is Best
by Lee Ann Manausa
WHEN I WAS TWENTY WEEKS PREGNANT, my husband and I did not
want to hear that our baby had hydrocephalus. We did not
want to hear that the odds were only one in three that a baby
with hydrocephalus was normal. We did not want to hear, at the subse-quent
ultra sounds sessions, that the prognosis was getting worse as our
daughter’s head size slipped further; but, had we not been informed,
prepared, and counseled, we would have had an even more difficult time
making decisions on the course of treatment when she was born.
So—what do we want to hear? We want to hear that our daughter’s brain
has miraculously healed itself. My guess is that we’re not going to hear
that particular news. The question then shifts from “what do we want to
hear?” to “how is the best way to tell us what we have to hear?” As profes-sionals,
the news you have to share may not always be good. As a parent, I
expect four things from you as you deliver that information to me.
Honesty
You won’t help me by softening or skirting around the truth in an effort to
spare my feelings. I have to provide for my child’s needs. The only way I
can do that is to know what are her abilities, needs, and strengths. Sure, I
didn’t want to hear that my two and a half-year-old was at a sixth month
level for oral language. But hearing that information motivated me to push
harder for speech therapy and to acquire augmentative communication to,
hopefully, help her learn to speak.
Explanations
Qualify what the information you are sharing means. Give me a worst and
best case scenario. This will prepare me for the worst—while allowing me
to hope and work for the best. I have never been told what I may or may
not expect from my daughter as she becomes a teenager
or young adult. It is my responsibility to plan for my
child’s future. I need to know the range of what to expect
so that I can plan adequately for her needs.
I do not ask you to predict her future in specific terms;
however, we all know children who accomplish much
more—and much less—than expected. Giving me an idea
of the range of her needs will help me accept what I need
to do to give her the brightest possible future.
6 • All Together Now • 1997 Vol. 3, 3
costumes as college-aged dancers got into place for their entrance.
Suddenly, a welcoming static burst from the loudspeakers—Folkmoot ’97
sprang to life!
Elizabeth Feichter, a Haywood County music teacher, welcomed the groups
and introduced the collaborating sponsors. She then identified the local
children’s groups and they, in turn, performed the contemporary
American welcome dance—the Macarena—in which the laughing young
Polish dancers quickly joined.
Exotically dressed dancers glided, stomped, and kicked their way through
Polish folk dances���from the polonaise to the polka. After each demon-stration,
dancers chose partners from the children sitting around them,
matching their own long steps to the
youngsters’ shorter ones. Soon,
however, most of the visitors gath-ered
their small partners in their
arms, holding them aloft as they
whirled gaily around the floor.
Laughter and squeals marked time
with the instruments from the six-piece
Polish band.
While the actual visit by the dancers
and musicians was the focal point of
the event, Folkmoot was a very real
learning experience for the children. With help from the Folkmoot investi-gators,
who developed a children’s program much like an international
coloring book, teachers coordinated curriculum plans well in advance of
the event. “Everybody began listening to folk music from Poland, tasting
Polish foods, and making costumes. Children love making things to wear,
and the paper hats they’re wearing are replicas of some the dancers will
wear,” Shelia Hoyle, executive director of Southwestern Child Development
explained.
“We all learn differently,” Sulina added. “Some children will remember
their best geography lesson from dancing with these young people today.
Others will think about Poland and its food whenever they drop powdered
sugar in their laps,” she laughed. Indeed, the lessons were well learned—
the visitors were delighted when the children shouted answers to ques-tions
about Poland in a game.
An eleven-day international festival draws folk dancers and musicians from all over the world to converge in Haywood County each July. The
mountain community offers thousands of volunteer hours to make the festival a true melting pot of arts, humanities, and cultural heritage.
Named one of the Top 20 Events by the Southeast Tourism Society for eleven consecutive years, Folkmoot USA is a prime example of collabo-ration
of foundations, businesses, communities and organizations.
Five-Star Folkmoot
OLKMOOT IS A WELL-ESTABLISHED TRADITION in Western
North Carolina, but the fourteenth international festival
was special indeed. Jedliniok, a lively dance troop from
Wroclaw, Republic of Poland performed for Haywood
County children in a gala event hosted by the First
Methodist Preschool in Waynesville. Preschoolers, typi-cally
developing school age children, and children with special needs
attended their own special festival in the church’s gymnasium. Other children
who participated included those from two of Southwestern Child Develop-ment’s
developmental day programs, private preschool programs, and the
Haywood County foster care program children. Children who might not be
able to attend Folkmoot—whether because of lack of funds, transportation
or other reasons—became part of the
festivities for one glorious day.
Sulina George, developmental
disabilities coordinator of the
Southwestern Child Development
Commission, virtually bubbled with
enthusiasm about the project. “I
grew up in India in a family that
celebrated diversity—and learning
new experiences. We wanted to
include every child in our program
in this marvelous cultural
exchange.” With funding from a
community foundation grant from the Asheville Community Foundation,
and cooperation from Haywood
County Public Schools, Southwestern
Child Development, Folkmoot
International Society, volunteers, and
parents, an intense Children’s
Folkmoot became a reality.
Barely suppressed excitement
snapped in the air as two hundred
preschoolers from across Haywood
County formed a half circle on the
floor of the gymnasium. Whispers
ignited the youngsters who
glimpsed fur-trimmed velvet
Folkmoot
is old English for
“meeting of the people.”
Sulina George whirls her partner!
Many of the visitors, too,
were impressed with the
inclusion of children
with disabilities into the
child care setting. Several
of the young people
stopped to ask Nancie
and Shelia more about
inclusion. They were glad
to have the opportunity
to explain. “We’ve found
that many other coun-tries
are not as progres-sive
as we in inclusion,”
Shelia said, “their chil-dren
[with disabilities]
may be institutionalized.
Many of the visitors
asked, ‘Are these kids
just here—not put
away?’” The women were obviously glad to share the joys these children
bring to their families and caregivers!
They were glad, too, to brag about the collaboration that works so
successfully in their area. “Everybody wears a lot of hats—if we didn’t,
we’d never in a lifetime get an opportunity like this,” Nancie confessed.
Sulina added, “One thing that happens in a rural community with a small
base of resources—folks are willing to cooperate to get a job done. We at
Southwestern Child Development act as a clearinghouse for all sorts of
children’s services. In our community this approach helps us stretch our
resources further. We really do practice the collaborative model that North
Carolina’s Smart Start program fosters. Our relationships with larger agen-cies—
NC Division of Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities/Substance
Abuse, local developmental disabilities and mental health agencies, public
schools, and private preschool providers—are important to us, and we
work hard to foster them.”
The work is hard indeed when the object is an international festival in a
rural community, but the collaboration and cooperation bring new mean-ing
to the old phrase, “many hands make light work.” And the glowing
faces of the children—and those of the young visitors from Poland—are
true rewards for a job well done.
– by MollyWeston
All Together Now • 1997 Vol. 3, 3 • 7
Children soon learned that many customs and
games are universal—it’s just that their names
are different in other languages. They learned a
new circle game, “The Old Bear Is Sleeping,”
very quickly—perhaps because it was very simi-lar
to “The Farmer in the Dell.” The visitors
encouraged everybody to participate in the
games, but never embarrassed anyone who was hesitant. While only the
most outgoing children volunteered early, soon it was hard to find an
audience on the floor!
There were plenty of on-lookers available though. Community volunteers
brought Polish cookies and other refreshments. They walked through the
groups serving their goodies, but occasionally stopping to twirl a child for
part of a dance. A small group of elderly ladies came early to claim good
seats in the center back. “No, we’re not part of any organization, my aunts
just read about this in the newspaper and wanted to come,” the youngest
of them responded to my question. One father followed his frolicking son,
urging him to get ready to leave. He explained his appreciation for the day
“Our son has autism, and we’re just delighted how he has responded to
this—look, he’s really having a great time!”
After a full morning of presentations, the dancers visited nearby St. Johns
Learning Center, a developmental day center operated by Southwestern
Child Development. Director Nancie Mehaffey and her staff provided a
delicious sandwich buffet—and a huge welcome cake. The day of the visit
corresponded with one of the dancer’s birthday. Nancie made a photo of
the dancer and some of the children with her digital camera and later
presented a copy to the birthday boy. All the visitors were impressed with
the high-tech equipment available at a preschool.
Program
Feature
All good things must come to an end!
Making friends—and memories!
8 • All Together Now • 1997 Vol. 3, 3
Tuesday evening’s opening session celebrated teachers and
children. UNC Alumni Distinguished Professor of English
Doris Betts, one of North Carolina’s most treasured
authors, spoke of the influence of North Carolina’s teach-ers
on many of its most famous citizens. She reminded the
audience that we all share in the education and welfare of
our children. Sonny Watts, a Winston-Salem artist whose
woodblock drawings are featured throughout the Guide,
was recognized for these contributions to the work.
The Guide addresses four questions common to classroom teachers
everywhere
How do I get to know the children in my classroom?
What do I teach?
How do I teach?
How do I assess the children in my classroom?
Copies of the North Carolina Guide for the Early
Years are available from DPI Publication Sales.
Call 919/715-1018. Duplication of the document
is encouraged with source citation included. The
North Carolina Guide for the Early Years replaces
Circle of Childhood.
Input from literally hundreds of practitioners and educators across the state helps create the
NORTH CAROLINA GUIDE FOR THE EARLY YEARS. Dreams to Reality
by Becky Johnson
Becky Johnson is a consultant on the Early Childhood Team with the NC Department of Instruction.
Written for teachers of children in the state’s preschool and
kindergarten programs, the Guide provides information to
help teachers establish and maintain high quality programs for
the children in their classrooms.
Though the primary audience is early childhood teachers, the
Guide also addresses principals and local administrators who
supervise early childhood programs, as well as educators who
provide inservice and teacher preparation programs.
The Guide is the culmination of a process initiated by the Early Childhood
Team of the Department of Public Instruction that began in 1994, when fifty
educators met at Tanglewood, just outside Winston-Salem, to develop a
guide for teachers in preschool programs. They reviewed curriculum mate-rials,
the needs of children and their communities, and related research
findings. From these discussions they developed position papers. Subsequent
smaller groups reviewed the papers for alignment with the policies of the
State Board of Education and synthesized the initial work. Three years later,
after many versions, several revisions, and multiple changes suggested by
literally hundreds of practitioners and educators, the North Carolina Guide
for the Early Years emerged. Because the orientation session in Greensboro
reached only a small portion of the early childhood audience the Early
Childhood Team from DPI will provide one-day regional orientations
throughout this year.
THREE YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT ENDED when the orientation conference for the North Carolina Guide
for the Early Years convened August 5–7 at the Holiday Inn–Four Seasons in Greensboro. More
than four hundred teachers, child care providers, and other early childhood educators attended
the three-day event introducing the Guide.
All Together Now • 1997 Vol. 3, 3 • 9
Painting Music
Materials
• watercolors, tempera or acrylic paints
• paintbrushes
• paper, matte board or canvas board
• source of music, on tapes, CDs, or records
Process
1. Select a special piece of music. These well-known classical pieces are
great for painting. A librarian will help order and check out cassette
tapes from a public library. Any kind of music is for painting—from
contemporary rock music to jazz or traditional music from around the
world to children’s favorite sing-alongs.
• Bach – Brandenberg Concertos
• Copeland – Appalachian Spring
• Wagner – The Ride of the Valkyries
• Saint-Saëns – Danse Macabre
• Ravel – Bolero
• Grofé – Grand Canyon Suite
2. With eyes closed, listen to the music selection for 5 or 10 minutes with-out
doing anything else. Stretch out on the floor, if desired. Try to imag-ine
what colors, lines and shapes can be used to show the feelings that
the music creates.
3. Now listen to the music again while painting a picture of the sounds.
Use lines, shapes and colors without trying to draw any particular
object. Create an abstract design that is made up on the spot—an
improvisation created without planning or sketching ahead of time.
4. Change the music selection and paint again. Look at the different results
to different kinds of music.
Reprinted with permission from Discovering Great Artists by MaryAnn F.
Kohl and Kim Solga, Bright Ring Publishing, Inc., Bellingham WA 1997.
Combining Arts
Discovering Great Artists
MaryAnn F. Kohl
Kim Solga
ISBN 0-935607-09-0
Bright Ring Publishing, Inc.
OK, so you’ve visited the art museum. What now? This incredible hands-on
guide offers ideas for young children to create art in the style of the great
masters. Using a thumbnail biography and a pen and ink portrait, Kohl
and Solga introduce more than seventy-five great artists to children. The
authors have devised an activity in the style of each artist, and the activities
are icon-coded for experience level, art technique, planning and prepara-tion,
and artist style. A wonderful glossary and helpful charts round out
this essential teaching tool.
The authors graciously allowed ATN! to reprint an activity using both
music and painting. This activity is rated easy to beginning, for artists with
little art experience. It requires little planning and preparation from
adults. The art technique is painting, and the style is abstract. We hope
you’ll enjoy combining the arts in your classroom.
Wassily Kandinsky 1866-1944
Kandinsky (can-DIN-skee) believed that simple pictures were like little
melodies and complex paints were like grand symphonies.
Wassily Kandinsky took music and art lessons as a child in Russia, but he
did not become a professional artist until he was 30 years old. He gave up
his job as a law professor and moved to Germany to study art. In those
days, people thought that a drawing or painting had to look like its
subject—the more realistic, the better.
The Impressionist painters started to paint pictures that didn’t look exactly
real. Kandinsky was the first artist to take the final step away from realism:
he painted the first totally abstract pictures, paintings that were pure
designs, and believed that colors and forms had meanings all their own.
He was a musician as well as a painter, and thought of colors as music.
Simple pictures were like little melodies to him. Complex paintings were
like symphonies. He called many of his paintings “Improvisations,” mean-ing
a song made up on the spot, not planned ahead of time.
Young artists can enjoy the music of colors by letting imaginations fly
while painting to music!
review by MollyWeston
Training Events
1997
DECEMBER 1
Winter Activities (20TA)
Raleigh, Asbury Preschool
Contact: Mary Snow Crowley
919/508-0811
TBA (D, F)
DECEMBER 1–2
Leo Croghan Conference
Raleigh
DECEMBER 2
Observing the Demo. Preschool at
Project Enlightenment (21T)
Raleigh, Project Enlightenment
Contact: Mary Snow Crowley
919/508-0811
TBA (D, F)
DECEMBER 4
Winter Activities (22T)
Raleigh, Project Enlightenment
Contact: Mary Snow Crowley
919/508-0811
TBA (D, F)
DECEMBER 4
Helping a Child Develop Healthy
Self-Esteem
Cary, Lucy Daniels Center for Early
Childhood
Contact: 919/677-1400
TBA (D, F)
DEC. 3, 10
Our Stories, Our Selves:
Autobiographical Storytelling (12TC)
Cary, Methodist Children's' Center
Contact: Mary Snow Crowley
919/508-0811
TBA (D, F)
MARCH 3–4
Best Practices with Developmental
Disabilities Conference
Chapel Hill
Contact: 919/966-5463
MARCH 5
Gender, Race, Culture & Giftedness
Cary, Lucy Daniels Center
for Early Childhood
Contact: 919/677-1400
MARCH 5–6
PAIR Module I
Winston-Salem
Contact: Pam Chappell 919/966-3638
MARCH 6
Positioning/Mobility
Gateway
MARCH 12
The Impact of Divorce &
Other Losses on a Child
Cary, Lucy Daniels Center
for Early Childhood
Contact: 919/677-1400
MARCH 12–13
Needs, Dreams and IFSPS
Morganton
Contact: Becca Moon 704/438-6486
MARCH 12–13
Needs, Dreams and IFSPS
Asheboro
Contact: Anne McNally 910/375-0824
MARCH 12–13
NC Augmentative Communication
Association
Winston-Salem
Contact: Jane Radford 919/967-5092
MARCH 27
JANUARY 28–30
Orientation to Early Intervention
Central Region
Contact: Anne McNally 910/375-0824
TBA
JANUARY 29
Teaching Social Skills to Young
Spirited Children (28T)
Raleigh, Project Enlightenment
Contact: Mary Snow Crowley
919/508-0811
TBA (D, F)
FEBRUARY 5
Assistive Technology Level I
Wilmington, Coastal AHEC
Contact: Jan Rouse 910/251-5817
FEBRUARY 5
Does This Child Have AD/HD?
What Then? Part 1
Cary, Lucy Daniels Center
for Early Childhood
Contact: 919/677-1400
FEBRUARY 6
Assistive Technology Video
Teleconference
Contact: Patsy Pierce 919/733-3654
FEBRUARY 12
DHR/DPI Teacher Licensure Training
Southern Pines
Contact: Lynn Graham 919/733-3654
FEBRUARY 12
Does This Child Have AD/HD?
What Then? Part 2
Cary, Lucy Daniels Center
for Early Childhood
Contact: 919/677-1400
FEBRUARY 17, MARCH 3, 17
PAIR Module II
1998
JANUARY 6
Intro. to Medication Administration
Butner, Murdoch Center
Contact: Pat Holliday/Libby Newton
919/575-7986
JANUARY 8
Teaching Young Children the
Language of Self Control (23T)
Raleigh, Project Enlightenment
Contact: Mary Snow Crowley
919/508-0811
TBA (D, F)
JANUARY 8
Putting Aggression to Constructive
Use
Cary, Lucy Daniels Center
for Early Childhood
Contact: 919/677-1400
TBA (D, F)
JANUARY 8–9
Dr. Richard Solomon Workshop:
Stanley Greenspan’s Approach to
Autism
Charlotte, UNC-Charlotte
JANUARY 14
Art as a Process (24T)
Raleigh, Project Enlightenment
Contact: Mary Snow Crowley
919/508-0811
TBA (D, F)
JANUARY 15
Recognizing & Responding to Child
Maltreatment
Cary, Lucy Daniels Center
for Early Childhood
Contact: 919/677-1400
DECEMBER 4
Fine Motor Activities for Teachers &
Occupational Therapists
Greensboro, Moses Cone Hospital
Greensboro AHEC
Contact: 910/574-8212
NOVEMBER 21
Computers II
Charlotte
Contact: Meg Lemelin 704/786-9181
DECEMBER 1–2
Leo Croghan Conference
Raleigh
DECEMBER 4–5
Building Partnerships—Helping You
Help Children
Raleigh
Contact:Tonia Rogers 919/856-7774
DECEMBER 5
Evaluating Young Children in Cases of
Suspected Sexual or Physical Abuse:
Advanced Forensic Interviewing
Raleigh, Wake Medical Center
Contact: Toni Chatman 919/250-8547
DECEMBER 12
PAIR
Asheville
Contact: Pam Chappell 919/966-3638
DECEMBER 11–12
Conference for Preschool
Coordinators of LEA Exceptional
Children's Programs
Chapel Hill, Friday Center
Contact: Trish Mengel 919/962-2001
MARCH 27
NECAT Positioning & Mobility
Boone
Contact: Jane Radford 919/967-5092 or
Maureen Schepis 704/438-6503
APRIL TBA
Feeding
Rocky Mount
Contact Susan Henke 919/443-8858
APRIL 1
Escape from Deadly Training
Morganton
Contact: Becca Moon 704/438-6486
APRIL 2
Helping Step Families Come
Together
Cary, Lucy Daniels Center
for Early Childhood
Contact: 919/677-1400
APRIL 7, 21
PAIR Module II
Winston-Salem
Contact: Pam Chappell 919/966-3638
APRIL 16
Supporting the Adopted Child
Cary, Lucy Daniels Center
for Early Childhood
Contact: 919/677-1400
APRIL 16–17
Collaborative Early Intervention-
Early Childhood Conference
Winston-Salem
Contact: Patsy Pierce 919/733-3654
APRIL 23
How Therapeutic Preschools
Help Children
Cary, Lucy Daniels Center
for Early Childhood
Contact: 919/677-1400
APRIL 24
NECAT Feeding
Concord
Contact: Jane Radford 919/967-5092
PAIR Module II
Clinton, Sampson Community College
Contact: Gloria Cates 919/559-5204
FEBRUARY 19
Cognition & Memory in Early
Childhood
Cary, Lucy Daniels Center
for Early Childhood
Contact: 919/677-1400
FEBRUARY 20
Level I AT
TBA
FEBRUARY 25
PFI On-Site Consultation Model
Central Region
Contact: Brenda Dennis 919/962-7359
FEBRUARY 27
Level I AT
Concord/Charlotte
Contact: Jane Radford 919/967-5092 or
Meg Lemelin 704/786-9181
FEBRUARY 27–28
Parent-Professional conference
Asheville
Contact: Dave Wilks 704/257-4481
MARCH TBA
Early Intervention-Early Childhood
Forum Teleconference
MARCH TBA
Early Intervention & Autism
Conference
MARCH TBA
Positioning & Mobility
Elizabeth City
Contact: Valerie Mitchell 919/338-4044
MARCH TBA
Disability-Specific Classroom Strategies
Partnerships for Inclusion
Contact: Brenda Coleman 919/962-7364
Contact: 919/677 1400
TBA (D, F)
JANUARY 15-16
PAIR Module I
Clinton, Sampson Community College
Contact: Gloria Cates 919/559-5204
JANUARY 15 & 22
Attention Deficit Disorder:
An Overview (25T)
Raleigh, Project Enlightenment
Contact: Mary Snow Crowley
919/508-0811
TBA (D, F)
JANUARY 22
Fears & Phobias in Young Children
Cary, Lucy Daniels Center
for Early Childhood
Contact: 919/677-1400
JANUARY 23
ICC Meeting
Greensboro
JANUARY 23–24
Parent Professional Conference
Greenville
Contact: Gloria Cates 919/559-5204
JANUARY 28–30
Orientation to Early Intervention
Asheboro
Contact: Anne McNally 910/375-0824
JANUARY 27
Observing the Demo. Preschool at
Project Enlightenment (26T)
Raleigh, Project Enlightenment
Contact: Mary Snow Crowley
919/508-0811
TBA (D, F)
JANUARY 28
Spotlight on Toddlers: Music,
Movement, Cooking, & Interactive
Games (27T)
Raleigh, Project Enlightenment
Contact: Mary Snow Crowley
919/508-0811
TBA (D, F)
More 1998 Training 
APRIL 24
ICC Meeting
Greenville
APRIL 24
Feeding
Gateway
Contact: Paula Justice 910/375-2575
APRIL 24
Feeding
Concord
Contact: Meg Lemelin 704/786-9181
APRIL 27–28
PFI On-Site Consultation Model
Contact: Sandy Steele 919/559-5156
MAY TBA
Best Practices in Developmental
Disabilities Conference
Chapel Hill
MAY TBA
Communication Level I
MAY 1
PAIR Module II
Winston-Salem
Contact: Pam Chappell 919/966-3638
MAY 1–2
Parent-Professional Conference
Asheville
Contact: Dave Wilks 704/257-4481
MAY 4-6
Orientation to Early Intervention
Hickory
Contact: Becca Moon 704/438-6486
MAY 7
Encouraging Language Development
Cary, Lucy Daniels Center
for Early Childhood
Contact: 919/677-1400
MAY 14
Childhood Bereavement
Cary, Lucy Daniels Center
for Early Childhood
Contact: 919/677-1400
MAY 14–15
Needs, Dreams & IFSPs
Burlington
Contact: Anne McNally 910/375-0824
MAY 21, 22, 28, 29
PAIR Module III, Raleigh
Contact: Pam Chappell 919/966-3638
MAY 21
Television & Other Sources of
Overstimulation
Cary, Lucy Daniels Center
for Early Childhood
Contact: 919/677-1400
MAY 28
English as a Second Language
Cary, Lucy Daniels Center
for Early Childhood
Contact: 919/677-1400
MAY 29
Communication I
Cullowhee
Contact: Jane Radford 919/967-5092 or
Janis Bing 704/274-2400, ext. 4030
JUNE TBA
Computers Level I
New Bern
Contact: Nancy Perdue 919/514-4770
JUNE 12
Computer I
Greensboro
JUNE 12–14
NCDCA State Conference
High Point
JUNE 18
PAIR Module III, Raleigh
Contact: Pam Chappell 919/966-3638
JUNE 26
Computers I
Morganton
Contact: Jane Radford 919/967-5092
JUNE 26
ICC Meeting
Hickory
JUNE 26
Computers I
Morganton
Contact: Patrick Bartholomew
704/438-6503
JUNE 26–27
Needs, Dreams & IFSPs
Kinston
Contact: Gloria Cates 919/559-5204
JULY TBA
ATRC Training
Contact: Jane Radford 919/967-5092
AUGUST TBA
ATRC Training
Jane Radford 919/967-5092
SEPTEMBER 25
Level II at
Concord
Contact: Jane Radford 919/967-5092
OCTOBER 10
Communication II
Asheville
Contact: Jane Radford 919/967-5092
NOVEMBER 20
Computers II
Morganton
Contact: Jane Radford 919/967-5092
Types of Credit Offered
A Infant Toddler Personnel Certificate
B Preschool Handicapped Licensure
C B-K Licensure
D Teacher Renewal
E Nursing/Continuing Education
F Child Care Training Credit
G General CEUs
This product was developed in response to
needs expressed by early childhood and early
intervention consultants across North Carolina:
to be able to answer simple questions about
early childhood inclusion and to provide quick,
written resources on various topics related to
quality child care. Guided by a survey of more
than 300 child care licensing consultants, early
interventionists, and public school coordinators
about priority topics for QuickNotes, PFI staff
created the portable, modular set.
QuickNotes modules are organized by topic in
a three-ring notebook with a table of contents
listing the subtopics for that particular module,
numerous information sheets, and a resource
list. All ten notebooks are stored in a portable
plastic crate. Nine of the notebooks contain
both English and Spanish versions of the
module. (To access the Spanish version, you
simply flip the notebook from top to bottom!)
QuickNotes provides critical content related to
quality child care in an easy-to-use format that
is designed to be copied and distributed. This
resource is not a curriculum or textbook and is
not organized by topical importance for early
childhood settings. Some handouts may provide
All Together Now • 1997 Vol. 3, 3 • 13
PFI Introduces…
PARTNERSHIPS FOR INCLUSION is pleased to announce the publication of a product that has been in the
works for two years! QuickNotes is a ten-module information set covering a broad range of topics
related to quality child care in a variety of settings. Terminology applies to a broad audience of
direct service providers who serve young children with and without disabilities and their families—child
care providers, family child care providers, early interventionists, preschool teachers, developmental day
teachers, and assistants.
QuickNotes Inclusion Resources for Early Childhood Professionals
only introductory information. At
the end of each module is a list of
related print materials, many of
which may be borrowed from the
North Carolina Early Intervention
Library. Each child care consultant
with the Division of Child
Development will have a copy of
QuickNotes. For more information
about QuickNotes, contact
Sabrina Tyndall
Special Projects Coordinator
Partnerships for Inclusion
CB #8185, UNC-CH Campus
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
Phone 919/966-7174
Fax 919/966-0862
Email: sabrinatyndall@unc.edu
We hope QuickNotes will be a valu-able
resource in your efforts to
enhance the quality of child care for
all children. Please let us hear your
comments and reactions as you use
this product.
–by PatWesley, director of Partnerships for Inclusion
THE HEALTHY STEPS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN PROGRAM at
UNC Hospitals’ Ambulatory Care Center offers a new
approach to health care for the whole child, going
beyond traditional pediatric medical care to emphasize chil-dren’s
intellectual and emotional development. Services offered
by the pediatric clinic will include home visits if desired, help
from a Healthy Steps specialist trained in child development, a
child health development record for parents to maintain, tele-phone
information lines, and parent support
groups.
Healthy Steps was developed by the New York
City-based Commonwealth Fund to help parents
by fostering close relationships between them
and pediatric practitioners. The fund is a philan-thropy
that sponsors health and social research.
Funded by a Duke Endowment grant, the clinic is
one of fifteen nationwide to be included in a
three-year study by Johns Hopkins University to
examine the program’s cost effectiveness, as well
as parents’ satisfaction with results.
A survey of more than 2000 parents with chil-dren
under age three, commissioned by the
Commonwealth Fund, found that parents wanted
more information, services, and attention from
doctors to help insure healthy growth and devel-
14 • All Together Now • 1997 Vol. 3, 3
opment of their children. The survey also found that parents
who received special services such as home visits after birth
were more satisfied with doctors’ care than those who did
not receive such services.
The Commonwealth Fund and local organizations support
Healthy Steps. The fund also sponsors curriculum develop-ment
at Boston University School of Medicine and evaluation by
Johns Hopkins faculty. The American Academy of
Pediatrics is a co-sponsor.
Healthy Steps Program team members at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School
of Medicine and UNC Hospitals include principal
investigator Dr. Jacob Lohr, associate chair for
ambulatory programs and chief of community
pediatrics; Dr. Rebecca Socolar, co-principal
investigator and clinical assistant professor of
pediatrics; and program coordinator Sandy
Fuller, research associate at the Center for Health
Promotion and Disease Prevention. Healthy Steps
physicians are Angie Sidler, Lynne Morgan, Steve
Downs, Socolar, and ten resident doctors.
Other UNC health-care providers involved are
Carla Fenson, Sandy Fuller, Dr. Peter Margolis,
Kathy Cheek, and Viva Combs.
—by David Williamson, director of research news at UNC News Services
Healthy Steps
Enrollment
Families may enroll in
Healthy Steps when
their children are born
at UNC Hospitals. If
Ambulatory Care
Center is the health
care provider, families
may enroll at the
clinic before the baby
is twenty-eight days
old. Currently forty-six
families are enrolled in
Healthy Steps. For
more information,
contact Sandy Fuller at
919/966-9914.
All Together Now • 1997 Vol. 3, 3 �� 15
by Pam Winton &Susan Valiquette
ARE YOU A FAMILY MEMBER OR PROFESSIONAL with expertise or a story to share? Do you
know someone who is? Family Support Network/Central Directory of Resources is
looking for families and professionals with knowledge and experience about special
needs, diversity issues, English as a second language, screening and assessment, community
collaboration and other topics to become part of their new Early Connections directory.
Early Connections is a new state-wide initiative whose purpose is to develop an extensive
database of training partners. Central Directory of Resources staff will facilitate matches
between people with expertise in early childhood topics and faculty, trainers, and adminis-trators
who are looking for assistance and training partners.
Over the last ten years, many individual personnel development projects and initiatives have
been developed and implemented across North Carolina. Because these projects were not
coordinated through a central sponsor, many individuals who participated or were trained
through these programs have virtually disappeared as resources. Early Connections is seeking
to re-identify these individuals, and others, and make them a part of a statewide resource
network. Many trainers and administrators across the state need access to human resources
(families, practitioners, and individuals representing diversity of discipline, background, and
experience) who might become training partners with them to ensure that personnel develop-ment
efforts reflect an interdisciplinary, community-based, family-centered approach.
A comprehensive survey will be the tool for gathering information—from area of expertise
to geographic availability, from level of participation (panel member, presenter, facilitator,
mentor, or telephone resource only) to reimbursement required. This information will be
used to match conference planners, university or community college faculty, program
administrators, trainers—virtually anyone looking for an expert in any area of early child-hood—
with human resources who can respond to their needs.
You can help this innovative effort in several ways. First, if you have expertise in a particular
area and would be willing to share, Early Connections needs you. Second, if you know of
someone else willing to share their expertise, please ask them to respond to the survey. For
further information about Early Connections, call Family Support Network/Central Directory
of Resources at 800/852-0042 or email <cdr@med.unc.edu>.
Pam Winton is a research investigator at FPG, where she
directs the Research to Practice strand of the National Center
for Early Development & Learning.
Susan Valiquette runs the Central Directory of Resources
(CDR) at Family Support Network.
SibKids
THE SIBLING SUPPORT PROJECT of Children's
Hospital and Medical Center in Seattle,
Washington has a new website and listserv.
SibNet and SibKids are the Internet's only listservs
for and about brothers and sisters of people with
special health, developmental, and emotional
needs. Both SibKids (for younger brothers and
sisters) and SibNet (for older siblings) allow broth-ers
and sisters an opportunity to share information
and discuss issues of common interest with their
peers from around the world. SibKids and SibNet
are also interesting to parents, service providers,
and others interested in the well-being of siblings.
For a no-cost subscription and to learn more about
SibKids and SibNet, visit the Sibling Support
Project's newly updated Web Page at
<http://www.chmc.org/departmt/sibsupp>.
To learn more about SibKids, SibNet, or the work
of the Sibling Support Project, contact
Don Meyer
Sibling Support Project
Children's Hospital & Medical Center
PO Box 5371, CL-09
Seattle, WA 98105-0371
Phone: 206-368-4911
Fax: 206-368-4816
email: dmeyer@chmc.org
website: http://www.chmc.org/departmt/sibsupp
direct link to SibNet:
http://www.chmc.org/departmt/sibsupp/
sibnet.htm
direct link to SibKids:
http://www.chmc.org/departmt/sibsupp/
sibkids1.htm
Experience
Trainers
Early Connections
Links
16 • All Together Now • 1997 Vol. 3, 3
Baby Duck
and
the Bad
Eyeglasses
Amy Hest illustrated
by Jill Barton
Candlewick Press
ISBN 1-56402-680-9
Baby Duck is absolutely
inconsolable about her new
eyeglasses! She
doesn’t look like herself
anymore, and they really
cramp her style when she
goes on an outing with her parents. Only when her
kindly grandfather comes for a visit does Baby Duck
see the advantages to her glasses. This beautifully
illustrated, oversized storybook is so much more
than a pleasure to read: It shows how children with
disabilities react to their assistive technology, and it
shows the special relationship that young children
have to their older relatives. The lovely pencil and
watercolor pictures will brighten a rainy after-noon—
or recall the pleasures of spring.
A Child’s Book of
Art: Great Pictures,
First Words
Selected by LucyMicklethwait
Doring Kindersley
ISBN 1-56458-203-5
Lucy Micklethwait has selected more than one hundred exquisite paintings
from museums all over the world to illustrate a dictionary for very young
children. Families, pets, concepts, senses, emotions, colors, work, play—
everything that touches people through the ages is featured in this magnifi-cent
oversized book. The lunch picture is “One of the Family,” which shows
a farm family at table, with their work horse sticking his head in over the
top of the Dutch door. The mother is actually holding something for him to
Spot a Cat
ISBN 0-7894-0144-4
Spot a Dog
ISBN 0-7894-0145-2
LucyMicklethwait
Doring Kindersley
By combining children’s
favorite “I Spy” with some of the
world’s most beloved paintings
Micklethwait takes even the tiniest
children on a tour of fabulous art
galleries—and she makes the tour
interactive! Familiar animals hide in
each painting, and finding the dog or
cat will give way to many questions—
about dress, transportation, lifestyles,
people, and culture. Older children
will notice differences in color, tech-nique,
and style. These marvelous
companion books will take you and
your children on a fabulous journey
without leaving the comfort of your
reading chair!
Reviews
Book
by MollyWeston
eat, while the dog waits patiently for his turn. This homely scene is juxta-posed
against the featured dinner of “The King of Portugal and John of
Gaunt,” a 15TH century French manuscript illustration. The king and his
entourage, who are dressed in rich colors, are seated at a formal table with
waiters, musicians, rich colors on the walls and floors, and opulent decora-tions.
This book will provide hours of entertaining learning for children of
all ages.
All Together Now • 1997 Vol. 3, 3 • 17
A Child’s Book of Lullabies
with paintings by Mary Cassatt
Compiled by Shona McKellar
ISBN 0-7894-1507-0
Doring Kindersley
Why didn’t somebody think about this book sooner! Lullabies are ubiquitous to all cultures—moth-ers
sing them in every language. Mary Cassatt is probably best known for her impressionist paintings
of mothers and children. What could possibly make a better book for children and the people who
love them? Thirteen favorite lullabies—from “Cum By Yah” to “Lullaby and Good Night” to “Hush,
Little Baby”—with all the verses in large type, and a simple-to-play music score are beautifully
matched with a full-page reproduction of a Cassatt pastel. A brief biography of America’s first interna-tionally
famous woman artist makes the book even more special.
The Maestro Plays
Bill Martin Jr.
Illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky
Voyager Books, Harcourt Brace & Company
ISBN 0-15-201217-6
Surely the author and illustrator of this grand book didn’t read this issue
of All Together Now! before publishing��but they did incorporate many of
the ideas for movement and art projects. Words such as “reachingly,
zippingly, clippingly, pippingly, and slowly” describe a musician’s style so
vividly that children will be inspired to mimic the antics of the maestro.
Strong primary colors and distinctive typography highlight the words and
give clues to their meaning. This will be a marvelous transition tool from a
movement activity to art project.
Phoebe’s Fabulous Father
Louisa Campbell
Illustrated by Bridget Starr Taylor
Harcourt Brace & Company
ISBN 0-15-200996-5
Phoebe and her mom race all over Cloud Valley running errands. It’s
Saturday, and the family has a concert tonight—Phoebe plays violin, Mom
plays viola, and Dad plays cello. Like many children, Phoebe wishes her
dad would spend less time working and more time playing—with her. As
their errands take them around the city, Phoebe begins to see how impor-tant
her dad is just the way he is and how important she is to him. The
lovely chalk pastel and acrylic illustrations will foster marvelous discus-sions
about families, music, love, and children.
Books reviewed in All Together Now! may be
borrowed from the NC Early Intervention Library. To
check out books, contact
Clara Hunt
300 Enola Road
Morganton NC 28655
704/433-2670
NORTH CAROLINA NETWORK OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT LOAN
PROGRAMS’ CHECK-IT-OUT (CIO) is a coordinated effort to streamline
the loan of assistive technology equipment to North Carolinians with
disabilities, their families, and their service providers. The goal of this
statewide network is to increase accessibility to adaptive devices by
combining inventory and loan information from existing loan programs to
a site on the World Wide Web. This strategy offers borrowers and/or their
service providers an efficient means for locating and requesting equipment
loans from across the state. The CIO web site can be visited using a
computer with Internet access. The site features a searchable inventory of
equipment, search results that show equipment located closest to the
borrower, and e-mail messaging to start the loan process. On-line instruc-tions
guide users through these activities.
Another important feature of Check-It-Out is a comprehensive training
calendar—just like the one in All Together Now! Because Check-It-Out
is on-line, it can be more up to date. Point your browser to
<http://www.check-it-out.org/calendar.html>. Soon it will be possible to
register for training on-line.
18 • All Together Now • 1997 Vol. 3, 3
BEFORE WE ENROLLED OUR DAUGHTER, Karen, in child care, we looked
at different programs trying to find the one that offered the best
early child hood experiences and the best teachers. I was
adamant that Karen have at least one setting where she was treated like a
typical kid. Because she has spina bifida, we see a lot of specialists. I
wanted the child care program to be a place where we could escape from
the disability focus. So when the program director asked me to sign an
information request form so she could get a copy of Karen’s Individualized
Family Service Plan (IFSP) and other records, I refused. I wanted the child
care program staff to treat Karen like all of the other kids—this was the
one setting where I hoped her disability wouldn’t be the primary concern.
A few months later, Karen’s teacher asked again if I would be willing to
share the IFSP. She explained that it would help her develop better lesson
plans if she knew more about what Karen could do and which skills we
were working on. That was the first time I realized that Karen’s special
needs could be incorporated into the games and activities that happened
in child care. Although still a little reluctant, I signed the form to give my
permission.
Now I wish that at the very beginning the director had explained why it was
important for them to have Karen’s IFSP and how they were going to use it.
You can’t blame parents for wanting to protect their child’s (and their
own) privacy. I would suggest that before child care providers ask parents
to sign a request for information, they are sure the parent understands
how it will be used. I remember being offended when asked to release
Karen’s records, and I am sure that other parents feel the same way. I
refused to sign the request the first time because I thought it would turn
child care into one more special service, and I never thought that having
more information about Karen’s needs could actually make the child care
setting a better place for my daughter.
Tell Us Why
Is it play or speech therapy?
For more information on the Check-It-Out project, contact
Jennifer Ray
Project Administrator
704/336-6630
(jray@check-it-out.org)
Sonya Van Horn
Coordinating Agency
919/850-2787
(svanhorn@check-it-out.org)
Patsy Pierce
State AT Consultant
919/733-3654
(ppierce@check-it-out.org)
Reprinted from CHILD CARE plus+,Missoula, MT.
Jennifer Ray is the project administrator for Check-It-Out! and an assistive technology specialist for
Mecklenburg County Preschool Services in Charlotte.
Check-It-Out
by Jennifer Ray
All Together Now • 1997 Vol. 3, 3 • 19
The Jolly Post Office
based on Janet &Allan Ahlberg’s bestselling books
DKMultimedia
This CD offers a plethora of games to entertain and teach, each at three
levels of difficulty. Inside the post office, a child clicks on an object to take
her to the activity of her choice. Tristin reports, “My favorite is the broken
packages that you put together like a puzzle. You see, you drag the pieces
to where they belong.” Then the completed package zips into the outgoing
mail, and another set of pieces takes its place.
Tristin also enjoyed two other areas where he exhibited his own creativ-ity—
the print shop, where he produced a party invitation, and the stamp
shop, where he designed his own stamp. Tristin watched his color printer,
with barely concealed excitement,
“Here it comes, here it comes! Oh
wow! You’re gonna love this!”
Everybody’s standby favorite game,
concentration, has an updated
twist—if you match all the pieces
before your time runs out, you get
to see what the postman was
dreaming about while you helped
him sort the letters.
Amazing
Animals
DKMultimedia
Tristin also enjoys this marriage of real and computer-generated animals.
When asked to make a choice between the two, he replied, “Both are my
favorites.” Henry the gecko (computer generated) narrates the CD and
guides children through the lively activities. Tristin enjoyed matching
animal moms to their babies, but his favorite seemed to be the photo
safari: Children are challenged to use their mouse to take pictures of
different types of animals—those with scales, those with feathers—and
they win points for photographing the correct animals.
Younger children will enjoy unscrambling the mixed-up images of
animals. A thumbnail picture provides guidance that’s particularly helpful
for reptiles and spiders! Throughout the CD, animal experts earn virtual
stickers as they correctly identify animals and remember facts about them.
by MollyWeston
ONE OF MY FAVORITE MYSTERY AUTHORS CONFESSED RECENTLY that
she’s not too adept at using her new computer—but her grand-son
in California is always happy to walk her through her diffi-culties.
Today’s children are taking to the technology like proverbial
ducks to water, and software vendors are providing excellent learn-ing
games for all ages. Fortunately there are always youngsters
around the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center, and
they’re usually quite happy to test new products. Katherine Favrot,
PFI’’s inclusion specialist in the West asked her young friend, Tristin
Boyd, to tell All Together Now! about two new computer games.
Both cross-platform (Mac & IBM) CDs have internet link-up for accessing more activities. Dial-up information is included with each CD. Both
programs are available in computer and bookstores. Estimated price is $24.95.
Tristin, a kindergartner at Glen Arden
Elementary in Asheville, is five years
old. He has a year and a half of
computer experience behind him.
Non-Profit Org.
US Postage
PAID
Permit No. 177
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-1110
All Together Now!
521 S. Greensboro Street, Sheryl-Mar Suite 100
Carrboro NC 27510
Addressee: Please share ATN! with your colleagues.
WORKS FROM WINNERS of the
1996–1997 North Carolina Arts
Council Film/Video and Visual
Artist Fellowship Awards will be exhibited
around the state in a travelling exhibition.
The presentation will reach more people
than ever before.
“The show has long been a marker for visual
arts activity in the state. The fellowship program
and exhibition are an acknowledgment of the
indispensable contribution artists make to our
quality of life in North Carolina,” said Jeff Pettus,
visual arts director at the North Carolina Arts
Council. “From the beginning of the program,
the Council board recognized the importance of
artists to the state’s artistic and cultural growth.
This program was conceived both to recognize
outstanding artists for their accomplishments
and to help them produce new work by giving
them the time and resources to develop their
ideas,” Pettus continued.
“Artists are worth our investment, just like our
roads and buildings, our universities and
public schools, our business and our natural
environments,” said Mary B. Regan, executive
director of the Council. “Our fellowship recipi-ents
have repaid us many times over.” As artists
and citizens, they contribute their vision to the
broader community, and, in the process, give
us new perspectives on the world.
Although earlier exhibitions were shown at
some of the largest and strongest visual arts
institutions in the state, they rarely travelled
beyond the initial venue or reached small towns
and rural areas where the love of art is just as
strong as in the larger centers.
“This year we are delighted to have a traveling
exhibition that will reach into smaller commu-nities,”
said Pettus.
The Mint Museum of Art will coordinate the
project to bring the state-sponsored program to
the community level, sharing North Carolina’s
creativity with North Carolinians in every region
of the state. The Council assured All Together
Now! that preschoolers would be welcome at
the exhibitions, but suggested coordinating
visits with the local arts councils hosting the
exhibits for adult to child ratios, best times to
visit, and other suggestions.
Fellowship
Exhibition
August 25–October 13, 1997
Craven Arts Council and Gallery
New Bern
November 10–December 10, 1997
Dare County Arts Council
Kill Devil Hills
January 9–February 1, 1998
Chowan Arts Council
Edenton
February 5–March 3, 1998
Caldwell Arts Council
Lenoir
March 5–March 29, 1998
Randolph Arts Guild
Asheboro
April 1–April 30, 1998
Cleveland County Arts Council
Shelby
June 1–June 28, 19981
Four Seasons Arts Council
Hendersonville
July 1–July 31, 1998
Edgecombe County
Cultural Arts Council
Tarboro
What art offers is space—a certain breathing room for the spirit.
—John Updike
Arts & Artists to You!
Reprinted with permission from NCARTS, Fall 1997.