Chit Chatter Clubhouse

In our childcare center we have a variety of materials placed where children are able to access and reach easily. There are six different learning centers for children to explore. There is a carpet area for circle time, a quiet area with books, an area with blocks and puzzles, an area for painting, writing and coloring to develop fine motor skills, and dress-up and pretend home area i.e. kitchen sets with dishes and pretend food,

The preschool that I observed is Twelfth Baptist Church. Their math and manipulative area is between the preschool class and the kindergartener 1 class. They have many materials like puzzles with different shape and size, paper money and coins, measuring tap, clock, blocks, number chart, addition and subtraction charts, number rug, and many other supplies. They also have cooking equipment that they can use it in math like: cookies cutter shapes, bowls, measuring cups with different size, gloves, and apron. In the math center the children used to sit on the rug or on their chair without table as they answering some question on the charts. But when they are doing the activity or the cooking they sit on two big hexagon tables, each one have six

Another indoor environment that supports children’s learning and agency is having a craft area set up with different colors and materials and resources giving the children choice and decisions and variety and giving them independence. The area will provide scissors, glue, paper, cardboard, feathers, buttons, beads, and plenty more sensory items. This area will be well organized so that children can select the particular resources and activites that they would like to involve themselves in, once again giving the child agency. This is sending the message to the children that we trust them with their decision and the materials they may chose and when they choose them. Trust is something educators and children need to build with each other in

Using the ITERS-R Materials Checklist I was also able to evaluate the equipment and materials of the classroom. Essa (2014) defines the equipment as the large furniture that is more representative of a long-term investment in the classroom and defines the materials as the smaller materials that are used and replaced more often. While observing a lot of the equipment was wooden. The shelfs, tables, and chairs in the classroom were wooden. The equipment was hard and looked durable as well as appropriate for the size of the children. The table where the infants eat and the chair they use were all small enough to where the children fit in comfortably and wouldn’t fall off. The shelfs were also tall enough to where the children could reach things

Small spaces can be challenging but is something that A-Binoojii Daycare is very familiar with. The center is licensed family child care program and is housed in a rather small home. For years, the staff have worked to create an early learning environment that is engaging to the children in care and allows staff to have easy access to the items that they need as well. During our time together, the staff identified one of the biggest challenges the center faces as organizing and storing materials in ways that are accessible to both the children and staff (as appropriate) while keeping a professional and organized appearance. As a result of this concern, a mission was set to make better use of some of the adult spaces so items could be moved to cupboards as well as working to organize the children’s supplies into well labeled storage

Hi everyone, I am observing on Wednesdays from 8-10 and Fridays 3-4 in Cuesta Children’s Center Preschool 2. I believe a child’s environment can affect their mood, social skills, ability to learn, mental health, and physical health. These essential elements need to be meet or it will affect their adult lives. I feel the Cuesta Center does a remarkable job of offering all of these, and has wonderful transitions throughout the day. I enjoy observing the teachers modeling acceptable class room behaviors, asking open-ended questions while using descriptive language to help to expand children’s speech, and they were engaged in the children’s presents. I was engrossed with how the class offers multiple opportunities for children to broaden their

Materials and manipulatives are spread along the outside walls of the classroom and children are free to choose which type of materials they would like to work with during independent work time. You do not notice any individual desks and chairs set up in the classroom, rather a few tables and chairs grouped together. The furniture is all child size and you do not see any adult sized furniture throughout the classroom.

During my observation at the preschool here at Harper, I looked around and realized a lot of similarities and differences it has; compared to other daycare and preschool centers. The age of children in the room I observed was ages 3-5 with one lead teacher, and depending on the ratio of how many kids showed up on that day, about three or four helping teachers. The program was set up to a very open, happy and overwhelming setting. Every furniture and object in the room had a sign saying what it was, and then underneath the typed out word was the children’s way of writing what the object was. For example, a book shelf was in the corner of the room; on the book shelf was the word printed out “Book

The picture you see above is a floor plan of how my preschool classroom would look it to best suit the learning of the children through what I have learned from Piaget. Piaget said that it is best for children to learn on their own, this classroom is spacious with many different stations so the children can learn on their own with the guidance of the teacher. I have many different centers which many teachers like to call this the center-learning classroom. My centers include a round table in the upper left corner for math and science. I also have the three round tables located in the center of the classroom for writing, reading and science based hands on. The student table that you see in the right side of the classroom is used as a game table for the students when they earn their free time along with the computers you see located on the left side of the floor plan. I put my desk on the top with an isle to display morning activities while the children are sitting on the square rug. I wanted this rug to be by my desk to ensure all kids are in the center away from anything that could be distracting. Throughout the classroom there are two circle rugs which

In early learning environments, children acquire knowledge and develop cognitive, social and emotional, physical and language acquisition skills in the content areas such as language arts, math, science, and social studies in a variety of ways. It is up to the teachers to plan and implement in-depth studies of themes and topics that are meaningful and relevant to the children, being sure to address the development of the whole child while integrating all of the content areas. In the physical classroom the environment should provide students with hands-on opportunities to grow and develop skills, gain knowledge, and have fun as they explore carefully designed learning centers. They should be provided with materials that are related to

Well planned space is arranged to meet the needs of the children in the classroom. The Core of DAP suggests the teacher should consider what is known about child development, learning, individual children, and social/cultural contexts when designing a classroom. Many pieces of the environment can influence how a child feels in the classroom. The text Planning and Administering Early Childhood Programs states that “aspects such as color of the walls, type of

In the dramatic arts areas, I would have dress up clothes, like astronaut clothes, helmets and the different equipment that relates to the solar system. This will help child Q, understand and relate what you have to wear when you go into space. For creative arts, I would have child Q and the class create their own solar system and hang it in the classroom and have the children create their own rocket ship out of the cardboard box. Having the children make a rocket ship, will give the children an idea what it is like to be an astronaut and to go to space. For music and movement, I thought this area is a good area that focuses on social and emotional development, because having songs about space and the solar system, will get the children a chance dance and express their emotions and social skills with the other children in the

In comparison, it is important to reflect on activities done in the classroom and extend the skills to introduce new ones. An example of this would be, all week my cooperating teacher read books about Halloween and about fall. Later in the week she introduced trick-or-treating baskets with fake candy to the children and explained how these items would be placed in the housekeeping center. Recently I have also seen a stuffed turkey make its way into this center for Thanksgiving. As the seasons and holidays change, my cooperating teacher is adding more props to extend the students play. Through reading I also learned that children’s imagination will turn everyday items into “new” materials. Immediately I thought of how the students in my practicum class take the chairs around the kitchen tables and create a cage around the corner of the center for the dog. The chairs act as a gate, similar to a kennel the children would put their dog in at home. However, I read that it is appropriate for children in the housekeeping center to move about the entire space, not just confining to one area because that

These centers are intended to motivate students' investigation/exploration of different topics in which the students have a specific interest. The groups are comprised of objects which the students can explore, for instance: maps, leaves, shells, or magnets, which the educator can center around wide-range topics. Even though the groups are content based, the process skills are essential for students to complete an interest center efficaciously. An interest center using Origami, would entail the students to be able to read and follow the directions whereas exhibiting the rules of geometry. Other examples can be a student’s interest in biology, magnetism, ecology, administration, or melodies can all be designed around reinforcing essential

During my field experience, I rotated in three different classrooms. The amplest of them is the four-year-old classroom, their classroom is decorated with geometric, numeric, and colorful figures. There are red-circular-tables, tiny sofas, blue mats, and shelves full of toys and art craft material. The two-year-old classroom have a moderate size, is full of toys and colorful figures, their tables are white and orange. These two classrooms share a bathroom for children with a door on each side to facilitate the entrance of both classes. The three-year-old classroom is where I spend most of the time; the toys in there are distributed by areas, babies and Barbies on one side, blocks in other side, trucks and cars in other space next to the