From childhood, we are told that lies are bad, but without them, human relationships would fall apart. With a wide variety of children to demonstrate key developmental stages, this program presents the story of how we all learn to read and manipulate each other’s minds. Observed behavior and classic child psychology experiments show this progression in an entertaining way, from learning the boundaries of the body and the mind, through the birth of the imagination, to the ability to lie for good as well as bad—lying as a subtle expression of human empathy. A Discovery Channel Production. (47 minutes, color)

Gradually, a child recognizes that one group of things has the same number of things as another group. Sample activities: matching pairs, distributing materials, placing one toy on each of several blocks, returning materials to shelves. Children find a relationship between two things on the basis of some specific characteristic. Sample activities: playing with blocks (size, shape), sand (heavy, light), water (full, empty), cooking, other comparing (hot, cold, etc.)

The question “Who am I?” is explained in this module. The development of self-identity begins in infancy. By middle childhood, a sense of self and self esteem are well established. The importance of adults in this development is amply demonstrated throughout the module. Through their own observations, and reinforced by others, children acquire ethnic, racial and gender identities. This process is illustrated in the visuals of children at play interacting with parents and other adults, and in scenes of preschoolers at play exploring gender roles. Middle years children are heard grappling with the issue of gender stereotyping.

Moving from shyness to assertiveness is a painful path for many young people. This program helps make that journey easier by offering insights into reasons for shyness and ways to overcome it, then moves the viewer toward the road to healthy assertiveness. Symptoms of shyness are dramatized in an empathetic way, and methods for building self-esteem and social skills are highlighted. Assertiveness is contrasted with aggressive and passive behavior as viewers see that being assertive means positive, honest, and healthy communication. A Cambridge Educational Production. One 25-minute video.

The highest level of phonemic awareness is demonstrated in this video. We begin with the use of Elkonin Boxes to teach the importance of segmenting sound and blending it back together. The use of finger spelling is taught so that children learn to recognize and how to separate phonemes. Later, phonemes can be used to teach children how to spell words systematically. This video also shows how to teach children to listen to and identify beginning, middle, and ending sounds. These skills are important later on for word attack skills and for helping students to become successful spellers. This video has both a teacher and students demonstrating these skills.

Children learn relationships in space: direction, position, distance … and the use of space - organization, pattern, construction. Sample activities: using bodies to explore space - on, over, under, into, in front, behind; creating space in constructions, placing objects. Children use a formal or informal standard for determining length, weight, volume, quantity. Sample activities: playing with blocks and water, cooking, growing plants, seeing if things fit in spaces, playing roles involving measuring.

Featuring over a dozen short experiments conducted by researchers from universities across the nation, this multifaceted program investigates how infants learn to grasp the rules of logic. From knowing the patterns of light and darkness that make up a parent's face to deducing the many examples of object permanence, from basic knowledge of addition and subtraction to understanding other people's intentions, the baby human's mind is always expanding. A comprehensive study of how babies develop their consciousness and a sense of place in the world. A Discovery Channel Production. (52 minutes, color)

Reassure students struggling with grief and loss that they are not alone. Young people express their emotions after the loss of a loved one in this moving program designed for students and educators alike. Feelings of isolation, sadness, and anger are common in the grieving child, and encouraging young people to achieve emotional solidarity is invaluable to the healing process. A multicultural approach makes this program accessible and useful for all audiences. A Further Learning Web site supplements the program, providing learning objectives, Internet resources approved for content, an online teacher’s guide, and more. ©1999

Jean Piaget believed that children go through a universal developmental process that is clearly reflected in their drawings. Is Piaget’s theory valid, and if so, to what extent does culture influence that process? In this timeless program, Peter Willatts, of the University of Dundee; Edith Bavin, of La Trobe University; and other researchers compare and contrast the drawing schemas of Scottish children from Dundee and Aborigine children from Yuendumu in an effort to answer those questions. (25 minutes, color)