ELSA Net has published 7 new resources on its website at elsanet.org. [toggle title_open="1. The Early Childhood Development Kit" title_closed="1. The Early Childhood Development Kit" hide="yes" border="yes" style="white" excerpt_length="0" read_more_text="Read More" read_less_text="Read Less" include_excerpt_html="no"]The Early Childhood Development Kit contains a Treasure Box of activities from UNICEF, filled with materials and ideas for learning and fun. The items have been chosen to support work with pre-school-aged children. The materials can be used in different ways depending on the age and interest of the child. The kit addresses the question of how much young children are affected by events that take place around them. “Parents and caregivers play a very important role in helping young children cope with and recover from traumatic and stressful experiences. Providing young children with sensitive and responsive care takes a lot of emotional and physical energy. But the everyday moments shared between a child and caring adults can be mutually healing.” The kit includes a variety of activities to use with puzzles, board books, paper and crayons, puppets, dominoes, modelling clay and other materials, as well as activities without materials including:

1. Singing games for infant and toddlers to let them know what will be happening next
2. Movement games with infants and toddlers
3. Sound, work and movement copying games
4. Using your body to make music: clapping, snapping and tapping
5. Name recognition games: people and objects
6. Quiet talking time: focused listening and communication activity
7. Hide and seek movement game
8. Follow the leader game
9. Partner activities: developing cooperative skills
10. Sharing learning activity: developing cooperative skills
11. Partner movement exercise: developing cooperative skills

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[toggle title_open="2. Winter 2014 Newcomer & Diversity ECE Resources" title_closed="2. Winter 2014 Newcomer & Diversity ECE Resources" hide="yes" border="yes" style="white" excerpt_length="0" read_more_text="Read More" read_less_text="Read Less" include_excerpt_html="no"]Links to:

1. ELSA Net childcare educators resource page
2. AMSSA Newcomer Children Information Exchange
3. Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre
4. CMAS New to Country Early Childhood Free Online Courses & Resources
5. Early Childhood Educators of BC
6. BC Association of Family Resource Programs
7. Mothercraft Caring for Canada’s Children free online professional development courses for settlement workers
8. Refugee Health Vancouver printable translated educational handouts on health issues
9. Early Childhood Investigations free online professional development series
10. Embracing Diversity: Sharing Our Songs and Rhymes website
11. Parents Matter website with valuable free downloadable multilingual information
12. Mantra Lingua UK publishing website supplying bilingual resources around the world
13. Rainbow Caterpillar website supplying children’s books in many languages
14. Attachment Across Cultures toolkit for exploring and validating cross-cultural attachment beliefs, values and practices
15. Positive Parenting videos
16. Mama Lisa’s World of music, kids songs and international culture
17. The Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children user-friendly training materials, videos and print resources
18. Stand Together or Fall Apart, a new publication by Dr. Judith K. Bernhard of Ryerson University in Toronto, published by Fernwood.
19. Linguistically Appropriate Practice, a new publication by Roma Chumak-Horbatsch of Ryerson University
20. Welcoming Newcomer Children, a new resource book by Dr. Judith Colbert.

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[toggle title_open="3. Healthy Baby, Healthy Brain " title_closed="3. Healthy Baby, Healthy Brain " hide="yes" border="yes" style="white" excerpt_length="0" read_more_text="Read More" read_less_text="Read Less" include_excerpt_html="no"]A website designed to help parents support their baby’s brain development, with videos on:

1. Start Early
2. Love Builds Brains
3. Playing Builds Brains
4. Health Builds Brains
5. Baby’s World Matters

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[toggle title_open="4. Early Literacy Resources " title_closed="4. Early Literacy Resources " hide="yes" border="yes" style="white" excerpt_length="0" read_more_text="Read More" read_less_text="Read Less" include_excerpt_html="no"]In English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Somali, Russian and Burmese from the Washington Learning Systems website.[/toggle]

[toggle title_open="5. Adaptation Difficulties for Refugee Children " title_closed="5. Adaptation Difficulties for Refugee Children " hide="yes" border="yes" style="white" excerpt_length="0" read_more_text="Read More" read_less_text="Read Less" include_excerpt_html="no"]New brochures in multi languages from the Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre website.[/toggle]

[toggle title_open="6. Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre " title_closed="6. Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre " hide="yes" border="yes" style="white" excerpt_length="0" read_more_text="Read More" read_less_text="Read Less" include_excerpt_html="no"]Current listing of workshops and short courses.[/toggle]

[toggle title_open="7. The Vancouver ECE Calendar" title_closed="7. The Vancouver ECE Calendar" hide="yes" border="yes" style="white" excerpt_length="0" read_more_text="Read More" read_less_text="Read Less" include_excerpt_html="no"]A new resource for Vancouver child care professionals, including ECE workshops, conferences and other training programs for early childhood educators and child care professionals that are offered in Vancouver, BC and nearby cities.[/toggle]