2 INTRODUCTION and cultures, explore friend and family relationships, and develop coping mech- anisms for dealing with change and difficult events in their lives. Each chapter covers one topic and starts with an overview that includes sug- gested interest area materials, learning objectives, vocabulary words to intro- duce and use (which should include vocabulary words in the languages spoken by the families of children in the class), supports for creating the learning envi- ronment, and suggestions for evaluating children’s understanding of the topic. The overview is followed by activity ideas. Icons appear with each activity to identify the areas of development and learning integrated into the activity: a l m p = Arts = Language = Math s e t = Science = Social Emotional = Technology = Physical Each chapter concludes with a family information page and a take-home family activity page, both of which can be photocopied from the book and dis- tributed to families. These pages can also be downloaded from the Growing, Growing Strong page at www.redleafpress.org for electronic sharing or printing. INTEREST AREA MATERIALS Dramatic Play two or more no-longer-working telephones plastic, silk, or dried flower centerpieces unbreakable hand mirrors suitcases full-length unbreakable mirrors luggage carts dolls that cry or laugh empty boxes for packing close-up photographs of faces showing a variety of ethnicities and ages family photos