WHEN VIEWING ON A MOBILE DEVICE -- DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM Early Childhood Education Understand the value of connecting animals and children From family pets and wild animals to toys, stuffed animals, and media images, animals are a central part of every child’s landscape. This book examines the reasons why chil- dren should interact and connect with real animals, and it identifies the rich learning that results. You’ll find lots of practical ideas to create authentic experiences that bring children and animals together—even if live animals are not permitted in your setting. Connecting Animals and Children in Early Childhood • Examines the basic qualities that make animals so appealing to children • Explains how animals impact children’s cognitive, social-emotional, and interper- sonal and intrapersonal development and growth • Introduces authentic experiences with animals that are supportive of children’s understanding and learning, and respectful to both animals and people • Discusses how to bring animals into your classroom with suggestions for planning, ideas for finding the right pet, and resources for making the experiences meaningful “Connecting Animals and Children in Early Childhood is an excellent resource. It provides the reader with so many ideas, guidance for the planning and the implementation, and questions to consider. We can all benefit from the ideas in this book that teach us the importance of providing children with meaningful animal encounters.” —Samuel B. Ross Jr., PhD, Founder of Green Chimneys and Managing Director, The Friends of Green Chimneys Patty Born Selly is executive director of the National Center for STEM Elementary Education at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota. As the founder of Small Wonders, an educational con- sulting company offering services to schools, faith-based commu- nities, and other organizations, Patty has developed hundreds of classes to help programs incorporate nature, science, and green education. ISBN 978-1-60554-156-3 COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL $24.95