This popular book provides a multitude of practical ideas, suggestions, and activities that prospective early childhood teachers can use to both interest young children in social studiesand integrate social studies with other sciences, art, literature, mathematics, reading, and writing.Because play is the basic means of young children's learning, the book offers a full chapter on the topic and incorporates ideas for "playing" throughout the material. It also presents a separate chapter on diversity in the classroom, children's literature citations/references in every chapter, and a strong focus on child development throughout. There is a new emphasis on the use of such technology as e-mail, digital cameras, and the World Wide Web in this edition; and, current NAEYC standards for quality, curriculum, and professional preparation are thoroughly incorporated.For social studies teachers at the primary grade school level.