Seven Wonders of the Early Childhood World

Abstract

Since the ancient Greeks first identified the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, many similar lists of extraordinary things—both ancient and modern, natural and man-made—have been created. Lash, Monobe, Kursun Koptur, and Black use the format to recognize seven wondrous curricular approaches of the early childhood education world. No less wondrous than the Pyramids of Giza, and just as globally appreciated, particularly since the rapid worldwide growth of early childhood education in the 1990s, the authors explore approaches such as the well-known International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program, the long-revered Reggio Emilia approach, and Te Whāriki, a bicultural national curriculum adopted in New Zealand. Linked by the prevailing view that schooling must prepare children to become global citizens capable of building a more peaceful world, the approaches explored in this article can inspire educators around the world as they consider new directions in early childhood education policy and practice.