Observation #6

This weeks observation went smooth

During group time, the teacher had an audio book reading that had a voice that was so animated it grabbed all the children's attention.  She held the book and turned the page as the reader on the cassette read the last word.  Pointing to the images on the paper as the narrator spoke the children laughed and repeated the last repetitious line that was said at the end of each page.  With such excitement to whats going to happen next, the children were all sitting up off their bottoms and now on bended legs.

 Teacher: What happened to the pancake
Child 1: the fox eat em up then he put em in his face and eat em up
Teacher: Did the pancake look mad
 Child 2: The fox is gonna eat em

Such great responses from the children.  In the story the fox was telling the pancake to come closer because he didn't hear him.  So after about 4 times of telling the pancake to come closer the reader said the pancake was an inch away from the fox's face.  So when child 1 replied he eat em up, he put em in his face", I thought that was so great how he picked up on the pancake being eatten because he was close to the fox's face. 

The teacher had a table setup for the children to draw the pancake by painting him on a sandwich bag.  That was a nice way of expanding the story to giving the children time to socializing with others with communicating their life stories with the story that was read.  One child even brought up a time he made pancakes at home. I would of extended this story by providing pancakes for snack time.  Prompting the children to pretend like the other animals that were trying to eat the pancake and eventually acting like the fox and eating the pancake.  So because it wasn't done the same time as the reading, I would have it for tomorrow's activity during snack time.

Observation #5

This weeks observation was nice.  Most of the children showed up like it was Monday.  Ready to play and have fun with the friends they missed over the weekend. 


This particular recording was a: child/adult interaction

(Dramatic Play)

Child A walks over to the dramatic area and grabs a princess top off the hanger.
Child A: Can you button this up for me
Staff: You need help Child A
Child A: Yes, can you button this up for me
Staff: Ok
Child A: Can you give me curly ponytails

Staff twist Child A's hair and puts them in bon bon balls. 
Child A goes to the mirror, looks at herself then turns sideways to see the back of the shirt that was button
Child A walks back over to staff

Child A: I like it
Staff: (using the child's name) Child A approves

Child A: (smiles) yes

This was such a self-esteem booster for Child A.  You can obviously tell that the adult interaction made it even that much better.  The look on Child's A face was priceless and she also seen how the adult was please with her new look as well.

I loved the interaction they had.  I wouldn't change a thing.  I would probably add to it on occasion, by asking another child to join in with fixing her hair and helping her button up her shirt. While still participating(adult), with adding additional props, like clothes for the other child and doing their hair.  All in trying to create cooperative play between the children, while they build on their literacy in exchanging dialogue and also making a friendship connection with their peers.

Observation #4

                        During this observation I tried to pay close attention to how the children responded to one another.  For some reason a lot of the children arrived hungry.  For the majority of the observation the only thing you would hear was "when is snack"? 
                        The days play was back to the train table where the children gathered to push their trains on the tracks.  There's a child that loves the train table because he has the same exact table at home.  The staff mentioned how he sometimes thinks its his table. He pushes children that gets in his way of moving his train on the track.  This situation to me is a great situation to start the children off with making a dish that requires each of their help, with the need of sharing what they have to finishing the project.  The children will not only be able to build on their social skills but literacy in hearing and responding to the other children as well.  With the train station being an issue at times, I would make train cookies of multiple colors that represent the multi-colors of the trains they play with and have each child give their cookie to someone that don't have a cookie before enjoying their own.  This activity would help in developing a more cooperative play for the future.  
                      

Observation #3

This weeks observation was nice.  The children i choose to observe was interacting with each other in such a way that had me smiling all day.

Here's the story


Two children were playing with the tornado bottles and yelling at each other to look at the others tornado.  Both repeating "look it" to one another.  Child A rows his on the rug and child B joins him for a minute then went back to his normal play of tornado bottles.

Child A  Leaves his trains alone while playing with Child B.  Child C walks over grab the trains to add to his collection of 8 magnetic trains that were hook together.  Child A runs over yelling and screaming reaching out to Child C in hope to grabbing his trains back. The staff ask " whats wrong Child A", Child C immediately gives Child A back his trains. Child A places the trains in front of him while he return back to the rug area to play with Child B.  Child B picks up the trains as he watches Child C and places the trains behind Child A.  Child A looks at Child B but, does not respond.  Two minutes later Child B and Child B gets up and runs to a table that contained puzzles.  Child C walks over to Child C trains and grab one.  He whispers to Child A "here Child A" with his arm stretched out.  Child A does not respond.  One by one Child C takes the trains and on each on he whispers to Child A "here" until he has all 3.

It was too funny and cute.

Observation Day 2

Conversation; Parent and Staff

Parent Dad: He's always telling me what to do, he says "no dad" and "don't say that"
staff: Giggles

Child is listening from across the room and every so often makes eye contact towards them

Child: Bye dad
Parent Dad: (Laughs) Well I guess it's time for me to go (he leaves)

Parents and teachers discussing the child in front of the child? Good or bad

I feel if they discuss bad behavior then they are prompting bad behavior and good behavior discussions promote positive behavior.

I also witness a teacher setting up the outside play area before the children were able to come out.  Now would this be teacher manipulations where they set up the area, to draw ideas from the child to having creative play or would this be simply regular play time?

Observation Day1

Observing the children was quite interesting, due to it being a play based environment.  The children would run to different activities, not cleaning up any mess they've made.  They would go in and out of other classrooms, hanging out with the other children that shared a pod with them.  One child was outside drawing a picture.  He handed it to the teacher.

Teacher: Who is this?
Child: You and my dad happy together
Teacher: Where are you?
Kid: Home
Teacher: I don't think mom would like if I was happy with dad.

I thought the conversation they were having was too funny..
Either kids say the darnest thing or this kid knows something!!!

Another conversation;

Child is sitting on top of the square chairs that is turned on its back, while having a steering wheel on another chair that is also on its back

child: get in front of me so i can honk at you
Staff: Ok (she gets in front
child: Honk honk get out the way
staff: you wanted me here (stands there)
Child: faces scrunches up then smiles
staff: smiles then moves

This situation i thought was cute in the beginning then i thought about the staff making it about her, it seem to me that it took some of the excitement out of the child from playing.