Transition Magician: Strategies for Guiding Young Children in Early Childhood Programs [Paperback]

Nola Larson (Author), Mary Henthorne (Author), Barbara Plum (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2002

This first-of-a-kind book helps teachers and providers plan transition times so that children aren't hurting each other, toys aren't left all over the place, you know where everyone is and chaos does not reign.

Divided into two easy to use sections, the first section contains a number of simple tools to evaluate environments and schedules to prevent problems. The second section includes over 200 original learning activities. New ideas such as buddy buckets, spider wands, and pom pom pals weave smoothness into activity changes.

Let the chaos end! Imagine having fun getting from circle time to lunch, or from outdoors to inside. The children learn new skills and you become more calm. In addition to the activities, the book includes directions for over 50 props and games.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...I feel this book is a wonderful addition to the field.

I am aware of nothing like it!...It is bursting with creative ideas that have been tested and proven effective...All teachers, novice or seasoned, will find ideas here to brighten their days. -- Barbara Wolfe, Ph.D., Early Childhood - Special Education Project Coordinator, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

For years I have relied on finger plays and songs to get children's attention, but these are some really fun, new ideas. As I have used the evaluation tools, suggestions, and guidelines, it is amazine how much easier it is on everyone and how smoothly things flow. -- Ruth Chvojichek, Early Childhood Teacher, CESA #5

This book, developed by experienced and creative professionals, is a welcome addition to the field of early childhood. It's packed full of creative ideas for enhancing the quality of services to young children...I highly recommend it to all early childhood teachers and educators. The self-assessment tool will be extremely beneficial to the dedicated professionals who continually strive to improve their service. By utilizing the suggestions given in this book, early childhood teachers will make those first experiences in learning magical for the little ones in our care. -- Connie Brown, Exec. Director, HOPES

About the Author

Mary Henthorne has been an Associate Degree Instructor in the Child Care and Development Program at Western Wisconsin Technical College and has done training for Head Start. Nola Larson has done training and technical assistance for Head Start programs in the area of disabilities and is a consultant for the Child Care Improvement Project in Wisconsin. Barbara Plum taught in the ECE Associate Degree Program at the University of Kentucky-Jefferson Community College.

Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: Redleaf Press (July 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0934140812
• ISBN-13: 978-0934140812
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #233,134 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If You Can Only Afford One..., December 14, 2005

By 

Reginald Williams (Orangeburg, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Transition Magician: Strategies for Guiding Young Children in Early Childhood Programs (Paperback)

...please pick this one up. Even though the Jean Feldman's books (TRANSITION TIPS AND TRICKS FOR TEACHERS nd TRANSITION TIME!) have better/quicker organization, this book makes up for this very slight deficiency with an outstanding variety of ways to move from one situation to another.

This book organizes itself by need ("I need to extend this activity for a little bit longer", "I need settle my children so we can get ready for lunch") which works for pre-planning but doesn't work as well for on-the-spot necessitating.

On the other hand, "Stretching, Stretching" and "Bags, Bags, and More Bags" stand as just a few extraordinarily simple techniques that will save you hours of classroom instructional time. That represents the awesome formula for Larson, Henthorne, and Plum's book: simple, inexpensive, and EFFECTIVE.

In the classroom, those words make the sweetest music to a teacher's ears.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is for everyone who teaches young children!, October 22, 2000

By 

Sonja K. Quale "Sonja" (Carver, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Transition Magician: Strategies for Guiding Young Children in Early Childhood Programs (Paperback)

This book does a wonderful job of providing activies that stimulate child learning and development. It provides means for teachers to transition children from one activity to another. This is also good for all parents who need ideas for keeping their kids busy! The authors should be commended for putting into print their experience so we can all benefit.