Last Blog & Reflection on my Lab Experiences in the Class

This week I observed the children visiting the LBCC library. The children first had to use the bathroom and then get a partner to line up before leaving the class. Our walk to the library was long because we had to keep stopping to get all the children closer together, not to pick the berry looking things on the bushes, be sure none of the children was missing and remind them to walk behind the the teacher who was the leader of the line.The librarian presented books with the themes about cats and dogs. While introducing the books she asked the children, "Who have a cat and who have a dog." Some of the children said I have cats and dogs and others said either cats or dogs for pets. She read one book about cats and another about dogs. After reading these books she asked, "Who like the book about the dogs and who like the book about the cats?" It was about an equal vote on the books. After about fifteen minutes the teacher picked the books for the selection she would re-read to the children or introduce to them another day. On our journey back to the classroom a Aids awareness representative who had a booth in the quad area asked the teachers if it was okay for the children to watch the break dancer dance. One teacher replied, "yea, okay." So he danced for about a minute to the music and the representative asked, "You guys want to dance, come on and dance?" They began to join him on buy one with unsure expressions. Some children joined and others just watched. The representative asked if it was okay to take pictures. After the teacher said yes the representative asked where would she send them to or drop them off.

The developmental skills the children were using was communication skills, cognitive skills, large motor skills, and listening skills.

To further the interest of the children, as the teacher I would have the children do a art activity about the dogs or cats book. Allowing them to draw or write what they like to help them remember the book the liked best. Then I would have each child speak about what they created on the picture if they want to share. This would be emergent curriculum for the storytelling in the library to an activity reflecting back on the books read to them.

This semester I observed the four and five year olds at work in their classroom, outdoors, and at the LBCC school library with the librarian. I observed the children in dramatic play, pretend play, art activities, storytime, block play, woodworking, legos, painting, drawing, in the sand box, creating music with instruments, fuse beads, snack time, nap time, food experimenting with the teacher, journals, at the climber, light table with magnet tiles, signing in on arrival, singing and dancing. As the children were engaged and exploring with these materials and activities they gain knowledge on what works and what doesn't, enhanched fine and gross motor skills, social/ emotional skills, communication and vocabulary, math and science skills, health and nutrition lessons, turn taking, patience and problem solving techniques. I enjoyed my weekly sitting in this classroom observing and documenting interactions between the children and teachers, parent and child, and parent/ teacher interactions. I believe this experience was life changing for me because I saw how the children enjoyed being there and the teachers involvement with the activies, encouragement, and care they shown throughout the days on a consistant basis. When I have children I would love for them to attend this child care center, if the list wasn't so long I believe my niece would have already been enrolled there today.

8th Observation . . . . . . .

On today after a few children had already arrived to school the teacher had materials set out on the table. She told the children, "were going to make playdough." There was one boy and two girls their to help create with the teacher. The materials present were oil, salt, flour, boiling water, large mixing bowl, spoon and water color bottles. The teacher allowed each child to scoop either the flour or salt into the mixing bowl. After each scoop they also stirred the ingredients the poured into the mixing bowl. At first the teacher counted out loud while the children were pouring the scoops and then a child started to out as he waited for his turn to come. After trying to add the red and blue food coloring to make purple playdough the teacher said, "I'm not going to use this because it's going to make black again, I'm going to use the water colors." The children was done putting the ingredients in and watched the teacher as she added the color and poured the boiling water into the mixing bowl which had all the ingredients in it. A child responded, "We can't touch that, it's hot." Then the teacher said, "It's very hot." The teacher stirred and stirred the materials together. When she was done she gave each child a portion of the their own to explore with. Another teacher put the bucket of tools to roll and smash the playdough but the teacher who made the playdough with the children told her its not a good idea because the playdough is fresh and its going to stick to the tools. So they removed them from the table.

The developmental skills the children were using was math, science, turn taking, communication skills, motor skills, and cognitive skills.

To further the development or interest of the children as the teacher I would, tomorrow I would set out the playdough and add the tools to the table because they it helps them develop their motor skills and use their creative minds when creating with the playdough. I would also explain why we couldn't use the tools with the playdough the following day.

7th Obsevation. . . . . . .. . .

As I observed this week I thought the fuse beads was the most interesting activity the children did. There was three boys and two girls at the table when I arrived. Some children followed the color patterns but others didn't through creating their own color patterns. The object of this activity was to place the very small fuse beads onto the smaller circular balls which fit into the pattern shaped object. The shapes were stars, flowers, butterflies, spiders and apples. Two children were very aware of the fuse beads that weren't shaped properly because it wouldn't fit on the pattern shaped object. One child said, "Look her shirt looks like a fuse bead shirt." The teacher looked and said, "Your right, that's a good observation, it does look like fuse beads on her shirt." Her shirt had dots with a flower pattern on it and she was creating a flower shaped object with the fuse beads. The teacher reminded them that it takes time and be careful not to hit your tray because it would cause the fuse beads to fall off. After the children finished creating with the fuse beads the teacher iron the pattern on wax paper which melted the fuse beads and the children kept the shape object they created. I thought that I was very great of the teacher not to discourage the creativity of the children who didn't decide to follow the color pattern on the shaped object.

The developmental skills the children were using in this activity was creativity, eye hand coordination, cognitive skills, small motor skills, communiction skills, and patience.

As the teacher I would plan a jewelry activity to further the development of the children. I would add jewelry materials like yarn, clips glue to assist them. If the children don't want to particaipate that would be acceptable also.

Observation Blog 6... ... ... ... ... .

While the teacher was clearing the supplies from the table she asked the class, "Who wants to help me make smoothies?" The children replied, "Not me, not me." One child came to the table and said, "I'm going to wash my hands." She came to the table and four other children followed. Each child took turns scooping the frozen fruit in the bag or braking the bananas in half. A child said, "It's going to be super fun." Then the teacher asked him, "Is it going to be super fun or super delicious?" Another child said, "I eat yogurt at home." The teacher replied, "You eat yogurt at home too?" She said, "Yes." The teacher said, "I'm making one more with out dairy." A child asked, "What is dairy?" Then the teacher asked, "What is the dairy product?" Adifferent child at the table said, "Banana." "No it's not banana," the teacher said.So a child said, "Yogurt." "It's yogurt," the teacher said. While looking at the blender mix the ingredients they added a child said, "It's red." The teacher said, "It's really red." After they were done making the smoothies the children at it for snack.

During this activity the developmental skills the children used were math, science, turn taking, cognitive skills, following directions, large and small motor skills, and vocabulary/communication skills.

To further the development or interest with the children as the teacher I would plan a list to write to help children remember the activity. We would re-write the process as the children help me while I write what they say. I would also allow the children to draw what they remember the smoothie looked like to emerge literacy to art creativity.

5th Observation. . . .

This week of observation I observed the children in the sand box, listening and asking question at circle time, singing with song cards, creating with art materials, drawing in journals, helping make banana and cinnamon pancakes, building with legos, and at the seed and butterfly bin.

The activity that mostly stood out to me was making the pancakes for snack time with the teacher. The teacher grabbed the materials from the kitchen and asked loudly, "Who wants to help make banana pancakes?" Two girls said, "Me." The replied, "Ok go watch your hands." She unpealed the bananas as the children were coming to the table. She gave them a half a banana with a plate and fork and said, "Okay girls you gotta smash the banana, you remember how to do it?" They replied, "Yes." They smashed about three halfs each and on child said, "I'm tied." The teacher responded, "You not tied you already smashed two bananas." Then a boy came over to join them and sliced his banana with the fork. Then he said, "Im done." The teacher replied, "No you have to smatch it like this." She demonstrated how to smash the banana from her seat will he watched her. Then he caught on quickly. The other child got up from the table and the teacher asked, "You finished, are you leaving?" She said, "yes" and left the table. The teacher said next were going to cook them," after adding water to the pancake mix, cinnamon, vanilla abstract and the smashed bananas. Another girl was the onlooker as the teacher started cooking the pancakes on the portable grill.

The developmental skills the children learned from this activity were science concepts, follow directions, patience, gross and fine motor skills, cognitive and communication skills.

The following day I would elaborate and explain to the children that bananas come from a tree, monkey's eat bananas and ask what other kind of ingredients can be added to pancake mix to further the interest of the children as the teacher of this classroom. I would also read a book about fruits that include bananas and a book about being helpful to others.

Observation blog 4. . . . .

This week I observed the children being active as thy participated in all kinds of activities. Building with blocks, magnet shaped units, reading at the library center, digging at the bird seed and butterfly bin, magna duddles, riding the tricycles, in the sand box and making music with the instruments outdoors.

In the block center their was four children building. One girl seem to be playing alone as she built away from the boys. She gave the aide and teacher that was in this area aslo the blocks she built. She said, "Here's your cake." It was a triangle block on top of the square block. The teacher replied, "That's a good cake, your a good baker." She saw a different boy standing in this area and asked him, "Do you want a cake?" He didn't reply. She walked to him and tried to give him it but he walked away. The aide said, "I have four cakes on my lap, anybody want a cake?" A boy yelled, "Meeeeeee!!." Then she gave him one. A girl said, "I want one." Then she gave her one also.

The developmental skills this child was using were hand-eye coordination, cognitive thought, building with a purpose, sharing and being creative.

To further develop the interest of this child, if I was the teacher I would go to my local library and find a book about cakes or baking. I would read to the children and also explain the ingredients it takes to make a cake and if one ingredient isn't added our cake wouldn't bake properly. I would also tell them experiences of baking cake when I lived with my mom and six sisters when I was a child. We would clean the mixing bowl with our fingers after my mom filled the baking pan and put it in the oven.

3rd Observation............

During this week of observing at the child development center I observed as the children created pumpkin puppets, had free play indoors and outdoors at the rug using blocks and their toy transportation tools, throwing up and putting the hoola-hoop around their waist as they tried to move their bodies in a circular position to keep the hoola-hoop up, group activities as they did song cards, story time and singing in Spanish and they also sung the Five Little Pumpkins song.

The activity I wanted to reflect on which caught my attention was when they had group time on the carpet indoors and the did the "Word of the Day" activity. The teacher decided to choose the word of the day from snack time earlier on this day and she said it was "Pink Strawberry Yogurt." When their names were called it was their turn to repeat the word of the day. If it was difficult to pronounce or if they repeated the words incorrectly the teacher would as them to try it again, ask the class to help them and then repeat it to child. Some child could communicate the words clear and with ease while other children didn't do as well.

The developmental skills the children are using in this activity was listening, paying attention, turn taking, communication skills, cognitive skills and language skills.

To further the development or interests of the children from this activity, if I was the teacher in this classroom I would include the class by asking them what kind of things were new to them today or what was a new word you learning while at school today? This can help the teacher pick the word of the day, help the children feel more involved in the activity and gain knowledge that they thoughts are valued in the classroom.