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Introduction                                                                 

 
Tiffany Wilson, Editor 

This Fall issue is fully committed to providing readers with information that promotes the 
holistic learning and development of children. The content provides teachers, parents, and pre-
services candidates with several strategies to support a variety learning experiences for students 
inside and outside of the classroom.  

 

Articles: 
The Importance of Learning Through Play in Early Childhood Education: Reflections on The 

Bold Beginnings Report 
Manal ObedAullah Alharbi, Mona M. Alzahrani 

 
In the article “The Importance of Learning Through Play in Early Childhood Education: 
Reflections on The Bold Beginnings Report,” Manal ObedAullah Alharbi and Mona Mohsen 
Alzahrani compares two perspectives on using play while learning. The authors of “The Bold 
Beginnings” support the idea of providing a structured learning environment as the best approach 
to helping children in early childhood reach academic success earlier upon entering elementary 
school. Moreover, Alharbi and Alzahrani explain the added benefits students receive when play 
is incorporated into the learning process, as it encompasses a more holistic approach to learning.   

 

Pictures for Reflections 
Bubbles and Balls in Belize: A New Perspective on Play 

Rebecca Giles 
Photographs by Jim Hoot 

 
“Bubbles and Balls in Belize: A New Perspective on Play,” by Rebecca Giles, sheds light on the 
importance of allowing children to engage in what is already available instead of creating an 
environment of play that could be too restrictive. After more exposure to the different dynamics 
of play during her visit abroad, the experience provided a new definition of creating the best 
possible learning environment for young children. 

 

 
 
 
 
 



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Tech Talk 
Finding Flexibility with HyFlex: Teaching in the Digital Age 

Leslie Trail, Stacy Fields, Nancy Caukin  
 
With the impact that the year of 2020 has had on different areas of life, Leslie Trail, Stacy Fields, 
and Nancy Caukin draw attention and discuss changes on the delivery of education, in the article 
“Finding Flexibility with HyFlex: Teaching in the Digital Age.” The authors recognize that the 
challenges in delivering instructional material during the spring 2020 semester pushed teachers 
of all levels to seek alternative ways to teach that would continue to be engaging. In this article, 
Trail, Fields, and Caukin describe the various ways that the new school year began, in terms of 
delivery systems. The authors further discuss the implications of one specific educational 
delivery service: the online and in-person blend of teaching. This modality gave name to the 
HyFlex model because of its need for flexibility for both educators and students. The authors 
further describe the values of this model as well as personal experiences from the authors.  

 

ETC. 
Using Children’s Books to Foster a Growth Mindset 

Angela Danley  
 

In “Using Children’s Books to Foster a Growth Mindset,” Angela Danley writes about the 
important role parents and educators play in promoting a growth mindset in children. Danley 
explains that the process of fostering a growth mindset is important to begin during childhood to 
be best equipped with the skills to maintain a growth mindset as the child ages. Danley describes 
the use of books as a way that parents and educators can help children foster a growth mindset. 
In this article, Danley specifically provides “Beautiful Oops” by Barney Saltzberg and “Stickley 
Makes a Mistake: A Frog’s Guide to Trying Again” by Brenda S. Miles as two examples of 
books that promote a growth mindset through resiliency.  

 

Children and Families: Health and Wellness 
Sleep Hygiene: Evidence for a Healthy Family Habit 

Barbara Whitman Lancaster 
 

Barbara Whitman Lancaster dives into the discussion surrounding sleep hygiene in the article 
“Sleep Hygiene: Evidence for a Healthy Family Habit.” In the article, Lancaster describes sleep 
as a mystery, yet its power can revitalize and rejuvenate everyone, regardless of age. 
Nevertheless, not practicing sleep hygiene can affect various areas of health (e.g., obesity), 
performance (e.g., decreased school performance), and attitude (e.g., poor behavior). Even 
though sleep hygiene is crucial to overall health, healthcare providers often times do not discuss 
sleep hygiene. Therefore, in this article, Lancaster aims to inform the importance of sleep 
hygiene to parents by defining sleep hygiene, explaining overall benefits, and providing the 
overall process of sleep hygiene.   



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Education by the Numbers 
How Does Level of Education Affect Income?   

Donald Snead 
 

In “Education by the Numbers,” Donald Snead brings awareness to the affect that level of 
education has on annual income. In his summary, Snead reviews earnings based on various 
levels of educational attainment and compares the earning among gender as well as race.  

 

STEAM 
Innovative and Engaging Approaches in a Middle School Science Classroom: Ideas to Capitalize 
on Student Interest 

Shelley Wermuth 
In “Innovative and Engaging Approaches in a Middle School Science Classroom: Ideas to 
Capitalize on Student Interest,” author Shelley Wermuth shares a middle school teacher’s 
experience in shifting the current educational paradigm to a paradigm that is more inclusive of 
innovative approaches in STEM education. In this article, Wermuth discusses the literature 
supporting the move of a curriculum-centered paradigm to a student-centered paradigm. The 
review of the literature explores the changes in the instructional delivery, such as with the use of 
technology, of STEM courses has provided a learning environment where students are not 
actively engaged in the learning process. However, a student-centered approach to STEM 
courses highly encourages active experiences and meaningful integrations among other benefits.  

 

Page Turns: Books for Children 
Page Turn: Books for Children  

Katrina Bartow Jacobs, Carla K. Meyer, Michelle Sobolak, Patricia Crawford, Maria T. Genest 
 

Katrina Bartow Katrina, Carla K. Meyer, Michelle Sobolak, Patricia Crawford, and Maria T. 
Genest review a collection of children’s literature. They provide literature for children of all ages 
aimed at various developmental areas.  

  


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