This text introduces the early childhood student to the essential aspects of the early childhood curriculum: intelligence and potential, developmentally appropriate practice, healthy relationships, play, values, assessment, and planning. It allows the student to recall, interpret, summarize, associate, relate, apply, create, design, assess, and discriminate the information presented through intriguing journal questions and activities. Vignettes are utilized to enable the student to transfer the theory to reality and to draw attention to key concepts for discussion and debate. The development of symbol systems (beyond reading and writing) is thoroughly investigated. Current brain and intelligence research offers the student the opportunity to see the science behind the pedagogy. The text is motivating and offers inspiration for new teachers through the quotes, journal activities, vignettes, and photographs.