Sandy Green

A basic understanding of research methods is essential for the successful completion of any essay, project or dissertation in health, social or early years care. This work explains all the key issues and techniques that will be of particular use to students undertaking a research project. The book covers the key areas of research methodology, the literature search, ethics, validity, reliability and referencing. It also provides detailed guidance on planning, conducting and presenting your project.

 BTEC First Children’s Care, Learning and Dev’– Textbook (July 2007)
This new addition of Sandy Green’s popular BTEC First textbook has been completely revised and updated to match the new Edexcel BTEC First Children’s Care, Learning and Development specifications.  Simple and easy to use, this book is designed to provide readers with the skills and knowledge needed to gain the BTEC First qualification.  It contains :

• Units that are mapped to the specification, providing an easy to follow qualification
• Complete coverage of all core and specialist units, giving confidence that readers have everything they need to gain the qualification
• Written in a clear and friendly style, this book is indispensable for those studying the BTEC First Children’s Care, Learning and Development qualification

 N.B.  There is a tutor resource available from Nelson Thornes to support this book.

This volume provides complete coverage of the BTEC First Early Years qualification. It covers the core and optional units, so readers can be confident that it contains all the knowledge required to successfully complete the course. Each chapter covers a complete unit of the qualification, providing comprehensive coverage of the new specifications. Case studies with linked questions and activities allow students to apply theory to everyday early years practice and explore what they have learnt.

The new BTEC First Children's Care, Learning and Development text book was published in July 2007 (see below for details).

 BTEC First Early Years – Tutor Support Pack  (July 2003)
This photocopiable pack is designed to support the delivery of the BTEC First Early Years qualification.  It includes material for all of the core and specialist units covered in the related course text book.  It includes :

• Guidance notes for tutors
• Activities and exercises
• OHT sections
• Feedback on questions and case studies from the text book
• Handouts

 This pack will be useful to tutors teaching a range of childcare courses

 BTEC National Children's Care, Learning and Development Book One - Textbbok (Due out August 2007)

Details to follow...


[BTEC National Children's Care, Learning and Development Book Two - Textbbok (Due out Autumn 2007)

Details to follow...

BTEC National Early Years 2^nd edition – Textbook (June 2006)
This very popular textbook has been thoroughly rewritten and updated to match the revised 2006 BTEC National Early Years specification.  Simple and Easy to use, this book is designed to provide the necessary skills and knowledge to help readers gain the BTEC National qualification.  It contains:

• Comprehensive coverage of all core units for BTEC National Certificate and Diploma in /Early Years, ensuring an in-depth knowledge of the key areas.
• Units mapped to the current accredited specification, so it is easy to follow the qualification.
• Engaging text design presenting content in a lively and accessible way, allowing easy navigation through units. 

 BTEC National Early Years – Tutor Support Pack  (Aug’ 2002)
This photocopiable pack is designed specifically to support delivery of the 2002 BTEC specifications.  It includes support material for each of the ten units (eight core units and two specialist units) covered in related course text book, together with ten specialist units.  It includes :

• Guidance notes for tutors
• Quiz sheets
• OHT sections
• Feedback on questions and case studies from the text book
• Suggestions for assignments
• Suggested further reading

 This pack will be useful to tutors teaching a range of childcare courses.

 Scholastic Publishers

10 minute Ideas for Early Years series - Outdoor Play (Jan’2004)
This book is full of ideas for using your outdoor play space to provide fun learning experiences for young children.  It will show you how to view the outdoor area as an extension of the indoor environment across all areas of the curriculum. 

 The activities are quick and easy to use and require little or no preparation.  They can be sued as part of your planned curriculum or simply slotted into moments of the day as required.

 The book provides ten main activities in each section, and is divided as follows :

• Personal, social and emotional development
• Communication, language and literacy
• Mathematical development
• Knowledge and understanding of the world
• Physical development
• Creative development

Baby and Toddler Development Made Real

Winner: Practical Pre School Awards 2004 - Silver

Readers of Nursery World will recognise Jasmine as the baby in Sandy Green's monthly column "A Month in the Life of Jasmine Maya". In this book, Sandy expands on the themes touched upon in her much-loved column, offering a detailed look at baby development from pre-birth to two years. Following the progress of Jasmine Maya, the book examines every part of baby care and development, including: bathing, changing, clothing; health and safety, immunisation; the role of the midwife and health visitor; feeding and weaning; play, stimulation, toys and books; and theories and theorists.

"Reviewers for the Practical Pre-School Award considered this book to be both informative and factual without being overwhelming. They commented that it is a very suitable resource for all students on early years courses and that parents, particularly first time parents, would also gain a lot from reading it."

 Ready steady Play! series
Guaranteed fun for children and practitioners alike, the Ready, Steady, Play! series provides lively and stimulating activities for children.  Each book focuses on one specific aspect of play, offering clear and detailed guidance on how to plan and enjoy wonderful play experiences with minimum fuss and maximum success.

 Ready, Steady Play! helps practitioners to :

• Develop activities easily, using suggested guidelines
• Ensure that health and safety issues are taken into account
• Plan play that links to the early years curriculum

 Each book in the series includes guidance on :

• Preparing the children and the play space
• What equipment and materials are needed
• Planning and carrying out the activity
• Adult – child ratios
• Developing language and vocabulary
• Extending learning

 These books are for early years practitioners and students on early years course, and parent looking for ideas and inspiration.

Creativity (Sept’ 2004)
Part of the popular Ready, Steady, Play! series

Creativity explains the ideal sue of a variety of creative media and utensils, demonstrating how they can best be offered to support the learning and development of children within early years settings.  Use this book to :

• Encourage children to confidently express themselves
• Develop your children’s painting and mark-making skills
• Promote fun, exploration and investigation through a range of exciting activities

Food and Cooking (Sept’ 2004)

Part of the popular Ready, Steady, Play! series
Exploring how play in this area can develop children’s understanding of world cultures and healthy eating, use Food and Cooking to :

• Help children understand how and where everyday foods come from
• Obtain valuable information on a variety of diets
• Demonstrate how preparing and exploring food contributes to learning 

Role Play (Jan’ 2005)
Part of the popular Ready, Steady, Play! series

Role play focuses on how drama can promote learning and development in the early years.  This book :

• Provides ideas for making props
• Includes templates and guidance for making dressing up clothes
• Is packed full of role play activities that relate  to the early learning goals

 Books, Stories and Puppets (Mar’ 2005)
Part of the popular Ready, Steady, Play! series

Books, Stories and Puppets promotes the sue of stories that are well-known and much-loved by children and adults alike.  This book :

• Includes templates for making puppets that are inspired by stories
• Introduces drama as a mode of storytelling
• Enhances a child’s imaginative, literary and creative outlook

Festivals (Sept’2004)
Part of the popular Ready, Steady, Play! series, written by Carolyn Hewitson.  Sandy Green is the series editor.

Festivals provides an insight into the various events that children may or may not have in common.  Use this book to :

• Enhance your understanding of a range of cultural events
• Provide a range of activities that have meaning for children
• Encourage knowledge and understanding of life in a multicultural environment 

Construction (Sept’2004)
Part of the popular Ready, Steady, Play! series, written by Lorna Boyd.  Sandy Green is the series editor.

Exploring how construction play activities can promote the learning and development of children within early years settings, this book will help you to :

• Enable children to develop an understanding of shape, size, stability and strength when making things
• Encourage the development of children’s large and fine motor skills
• Support the understanding of co-operation and sharing

Playing with Natural Materials (Sept’ 2004)
Part of the popular Ready, Steady, Play! series, written by Alison Howe.  Sandy Green is the series editor.

Play Using Natural Materials shows that natural materials can equal (and far exceed) ready-made toys as an exciting stimulus for play in order to promote the learning and development of children within early years settings.  Use this book to :

• Get out and do
• Support a child’s investigation of the natural world
• Encourage  first-hand exploration of natural objects

Nature; Living and Growing (Spring 2005)
Part of the popular Ready, Steady, Play! series, written by Sue Harper.  Sandy Green is the series editor.

Nature, Living and Growing focuses on outdoor play and how nature can contribute to a child’s learning and development.  Split into four sections, which focus on each of the seasons – spring, summer, autumn and winter, this book :

• Includes activities appropriate to each season
• Offers ideas for ‘wonder walks’ to inspire creative play
• Promotes knowledge of the environment and how to use natural resources effectively 

Displays and Interest Tables (Spring 2005)
Part of the popular Ready, Steady, Play! series, written by Jayne Olpin.  Sandy Green is the series editor.

Conveying how collections and displays can become the focus for much discussion and debate in circle times, and how they can be linked to other play area and themes running throughout the nursery, Displays and Interest Tables helps you to :

• Demonstrate the value of young children’s efforts
• Stimulate learning through two- and three-dimensional displays
• Create exciting visual features for your setting

Music and Singing (Spring 2005)
Part of the popular Ready, Steady, Play! series, written by Julie Durno.  Sandy Green is the series editor.

Music and Singing is packed full of exciting activities that display how song and music can enhance a young child’s learning and shows how you can :

• Have confidence in sharing music with young children
• Explore a range of musical instruments
• Have fun with sound

Self-development for Early Years Managers  (Sept’ 2004)
Part of the Managing in the Early Years series - Co-written with Chris Ashman

This book :

• Clearly identifies and explains the managerial roles of team leader, senior supervisor, deputy and manager
• Focuses on the sudden change that takes place as you move from colleague to boss
• Offers advice on what is expected from you as you move into a managerial role

Winner:  Practical Pre School Awards 2005 - Silver

Managing People and Teams  (Sept’ 2004)
Part of the Managing in the Early Years series - Co-written with Chris Ashman

This book :

• Includes advice on grounding the approaches to good management in the values of excellent childcare practice
• Offers advice on equality, quality and standards
• Clearly explains every aspect of managing people from support and appraisal to recruitment and induction

Winner:  Practical Pre School Awards 2005 - Silver

Managing, Environment and Resources  (Dec’ 2004)
Part of the Managing in the Early Years series - Co-written with Chris Ashman

This book :

• Provides comprehensive advice on managing resources
• Includes guidance about health, and promoting a healthy environment
• Offers a clear introduction to measuring costs, incomes and efficiency
• Suggests how to bring about change and improvement

Winner:  Practical Pre School Awards 2005 - Silver

Planning, Doing and Reviewing  (Dec’ 2004) 
Part of the Managing in the Early Years series - Co-written with Chris Ashman

This book :

• Clarifies the manager’s responsibilities and his or her duty to lead
• Explores the sue of policy and procedures – why we have procedures, how to create them and how to put them into practice
• Gives advice on effective planning – how to monitor progress and activity, and tips on feedback and reflection

Winner:  Practical Pre School Awards 2005 - Silver

Flight (2005)
Part of the Exploring play series, written by Sue Sheppy.  Sandy Green is series editor 

Flight takes a look at the different ways in which objects and creatures become and remain airborne.  Children will :

 Learn about the various forces of flight through creative activities
 
Use their bodies to explore both flight and movement

Be challenged to think about both natural and assisted power 

The Sea (2005)
Part of the Exploring play series, written by Sue Sheppy.  Sandy Green is series editor

The Sea takes a look at what can be found both on and in the sea, as well as along the seashore.  Children will :

• Enjoy topical links to favourite stories
• Explore a natural environment that is exciting and full of surprises
• Identify and explore the features of a range of natural objects 

Water (2005)
Part of the Exploring play series, written by Carolyn Hewitson.  Sandy Green is series editor 

Water takes a look at the impact this natural force has on the world around us.  Children will :

• Learn about the importance of water in everyday life
• Explore the properties of water through experimentation
• Investigate water through music, art and dance

Ourselves (2005)
Part of the Exploring play series, written by Helen Shelbourne.  Sandy Green is series editor

Ourselves takes a look at each of the main aspects of a child’s life.  Children will :

• Explore their feelings and those of others
• Be challenged to think about their bodies and how to keep healthy and safe
• Identify similarities and patterns in their lives and those of their friends 

Woodland Creatures and their homes (2005)
Part of the Exploring play series, written by Helen Shelbourne.  Sandy Green is series editor

Woodland Creatures takes a look at those animals that inhabit our woodland areas as well as looking at the woodland environment itself.  Children will :

 Explore a habitat that appeals to them

Learn about animal habits such as life cycles and hibernation

Be challenged to think about conservation 

Bears (2005)
Part of the Exploring play series, written by Helen Shelbourne.  Sandy Green is series editor 

Bears takes a look at the ever-popular toys based on these animals, through a range of hands-on and creative activities.  Children will :

• Develop self-expression and creativity through familiar bear stories and rhymes
• Build on mathematical concepts such as counting and size
• Extend their knowledge and understanding of a range of scientific principles

Bringing the Steiner Waldorf Approach to your Early Years Practice (2007), written by Janni Nicol.  Sandy Green is series editor

Have you ever wondered what Steiner education is, where it came from and how it can be used with young children in your early years practice?  Bringing the Steiner Waldorf Approach to your Early Years Practice is an excellent introduction to this philosophy.  It includes :

• A discussion of play as the serious work of childhood
• An explanation of the principle of rhythm, repetition and reverence
• Ideas for activities based on festivals, storytelling and puppetry
• A discussion of the use of resources

Bringing the Montessori Approach to your Early Years Practice (2007), written by Barbara Isaacs.  Sandy Green is series editor

Have you ever wondered what the Montessori Approach is all about, where it came from and how it can be used with young children in your early years practice?  Bringing the Montessori Approach to your Early Years Practice is an excellent introduction to this philosophy.  It includes :

• Examples from specialist Montessori schools and nurseries
• Examples for non-specialist settings implementing some Montessori principles
• Practical activities

Bringing the Reggio Approach to your Early Years Practice (2007), written by Linda Thornton and Pat Brunton.  Sandy Green is series editor

Have you ever wondered what the Reggio Approach is, where it came from and how it can be used with young children in your early years practice?  Bringing the Reggio Approach to your Early Years Practice is an excellent introduction to this philosophy.  It includes :

• An explanation of how the approach works in its Italian town of origin, Reggio Emilia
• Examples of how practitioners in the UK have been inspired by the Reggio Approach
• Suggestions for reflecting on your own practice
• Advice on ideas to try 

Helping Children to Stay Healthy (2006)
Written by Ann Robert and Avril Harpley.  Sandy Green is series editor

Helping Children to Stay Healthy covers the key areas within the ‘Birth to Three Matters Framework, including :

• Emotional well being
• Growing and developing
• Keeping safe
• Healthy choices

Easy to read and implement, each book within the series will help practitioners acquire a reflective and creative approach to the developmental needs of babies and toddlers within their care.  Books include :

• Practical activities to support the area of learning
• Outcomes for the child
• Professional focus points
• Ideas for staff discussion

Helping Children to be Skilful Communicators (2006)
Written by Ann Robert and Avril Harpley.  Sandy Green is series editor

Helping Children to be Skilful Communicators covers the key areas within the ‘Birth to Three Matters Framework, including :

• Being sociable
• Finding a voice
• Listening and responding
• Understanding and being understood

Easy to read and implement, each book within the series will help practitioners acquire a reflective and creative approach to the developmental needs of babies and toddlers within their care.  Books include :

• Practical activities to support the area of learning
• Outcomes for the child
• Professional focus points
• Ideas for staff discussion

Helping Children to be Strong (2007)
Written by Ann Robert and Avril Harpley.  Sandy Green is series editor

Helping Children to be Strong covers the key areas within the ‘Birth to Three Matters Framework, including :

• Me, myself and I
• A sense of belonging
• Being acknowledged and affirmed
• Developing self-assurance

Easy to read and implement, each book within the series will help practitioners acquire a reflective and creative approach to the developmental needs of babies and toddlers within their care.  Books include :

• Practical activities to support the area of learning
• Outcomes for the child
• Professional focus points
• Ideas for staff discussion 

Helping Children to be Competent Learners (2007)
Part of the Birth to 3s series, written by Ann Robert and Avril Harpley.  Sandy Green is series editor

Helping Children to Stay Healthy covers the key areas within the ‘Birth to Three Matters Framework, including :

• Emotional well being
• Growing and developing
• Keeping safe
• Healthy choices

Easy to read and implement, each book within the series will help practitioners acquire a reflective and creative approach to the developmental needs of babies and toddlers within their care.  Books include :

• Practical activities to support the area of learning
• Outcomes for the child
• Professional focus points