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The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of circus arts instruction on the physical literacy (PL) of children in grades 4 and 5. Methods: A prospective, clustered, quasi-experimental design was used to compare schools with circus arts instruction in physical education class (PE CIRCUS) to three matched schools using standard Physical Health and Education curriculum delivery (PE). PL assessments were obtained at the beginning and end of one semester using PLAY Tools (physicalliteracy.ca). These tools provided an assessment of 1) motor competence, confidence, and comprehension, 2) the child's self-report of physical literacy, 3) the PE teacher's surrogate assessment of the child, 4) the parental assessment of the child, and 5) an inventory of the child's activities. Results: 211 students participated, with equal numbers in grades 4 and 5, and an even distribution between PE and PE CIRCUS groups. There were significant (p<0.05) improvements in motor competence in movement skills (curricular linked) over time for both school settings, but with substantial endpoint differences (7.9%, p<0.01) in favour of PE CIRCUS for 15 of 18 movement skills in grade 5 only. The gender gap in motor competence in the PE CIRCUS group was smaller than that in the PE group. Children in the PE CIRCUS schools revealed greater movement terminology comprehension and higher confidence in execution (p<0.05). Children in the PE CIRCUS schools reported greater confidence, felt more talented, were more eager to participate (p=0.055), and girls associated physical activity with happiness (p<0.05) more than those in the PE schools. Conclusion: Circus arts instruction can effectively aid in the development of physical literacy in children. Providing a quality physical literacy experience, such as circus arts instruction, does not amplify the gender gap, but provides equitable levels of motor competence development for males and females, and assists with achieving current PE curricular objectives. The results of this study provide insight to allow for further development of effective physical education delivery methods in schools, and provide quantitative research to support the positive effects of circus arts instruction reported qualitatively. [author summary]

Circus is increasingly being used as a developmental and remedial activity for children. However, it is in the paradoxical nature of circus that it operates in a way both mysterious and easily accessible. This thesis proposes that circus as education is more effective when both teacher and student have a better understanding of circus as an art form.

To explain this I first introduce six 'elements' of childhood, whose absence often seems to result in an incomplete personal maturity. I then conduct a wide exploration of both the real and the imagined circus, showing how these elements occur or are evoked there, and I establish a correspondence or 'homology' between the two entities - childhood and circus. The discoveries shed light on the aesthetic code of circus itself, leading to the conclusion that circus works as an artform because its essential composition recalls profound experiences of childhood.

I argue that contemporary Western childhood presents unexpected hazards, mostly involving passivity and over-protection. In other parts of the world, and in some Western populations, childhood has other problems, linked to deprivation, exploitation and physical danger. In either case, a child involved in circus activities has a chance to make good some deficits, by experiencing constructive physical risk, aspiration, trust, fun, self-individuation and hard work. My hope is that this dissertation will contribute some strength to the case for well-designed programmes of circus activities for young people, in both formal and informal settings. [author summary]

The integration of children into the daily lives of their communities, and engagement with adults in productive activities and shared endeavours, are two positive elements which have been previ-ously overlooked in discussions of alternative educational approaches. Children, families and communities all benefit when children have regular opportunities to be embedded in the daily social fabric of family and community life, interacting across ages and generations. Interviews with families enrolled in British Columbia's SelfDesign Learning program demonstrate how the opportunities possible for children who learn outside of school are broad, powerful and should be recognized as legitimate by anyone involved with children. [author summary]

Objectives : The purpose of the present study is to assess the effect of circus activity training on postural control of 5–6-year old children.

Material and methods : Two groups of 5–6-year old children (12 practicing circus activities and 12 controls) voluntarily participated in this study. Children were asked to stand as still as possible on a force platform with eyes open and closed in a static posture and in two dynamic postures (in the sagittal or frontal plane). Postural control was assessed with centre of pressure excursions.

Results : The results revealed that Circus group children have significant (P < .05) better postural control than controls. The significant (P < .05) effect of postural task difficulty on postural control was similar for both groups. Removal of vision decreases significantly (P < .05) the postural control of both groups similarly in all postures. This effect increased significantly (P < .05) when the difficulty of the postural task increased.

Conclusion : Our results suggest that 2 years of experience in circus activity training improves postural control of 5–6-year old children. Nevertheless, this effect could not nullify the common effect of removing vision on postural control of these children.

Social environments and experiences get under the skin early in life in ways that affect the course of human development. Because most factors associated with early child development are a function of socio-economic status, differences in early child development form a socio-economic gradient. We are now learning how, when, and by what means early experiences influence key biological systems over the long term to produce gradients: a process known as biological embedding. Opportunities for biological embedding are tethered closely to sensitive periods in the development of neural circuitry. Epigenetic regulation is the best example of operating principles relevant to biological embedding. We are now in a position to ask how early childhood environments work together with genetic variation and epigenetic regulation to generate socially partitioned developmental trajectories with impact on health across the life course. [authors summary]