3-31-2010
Observation Hours:
Friday 3/26: 10-11 & 2-3
Monday 3/29: 2-3
Tuesday 3/30: 1-3
Wednesday 3/31: 2-3
This week I was listening to the radio and heard an ad that I found to be extremely relevant to our class. The ad started with a mom and a dad talking about their play as children. The dad talked about when he was a kid he played war and used sticks for guns. The mom talked about how she built a castle out of tin cans. In hearing this it reminded me of how creative children are and how they can do make-believe play using any sort of materials they find. My first impression of the commercial was how they were going to say it was a good thing. Next thing I knew they started discussing how their daughter had drawn a picture of a princess castle and how she wanted to bring it to a company that turns children's drawings into real play houses. The girl called her parents "old school" for using sticks and cans to create and play. Now, the playhouse in itself isn't bad. It gets the kids outside and away from the television and computer and there can be a lot of creative make-believe play that occurs within and surrounding the playhouse. My problem with the commercial is that it undermines kids' creativity by implying that playing with cans and sticks wouldn't be fun or beneficial. I can remember playing in the woods by my house and building really cool forts with the sticks and things we found in nature. I also remember having a plastic play house at my babysitter's house that really wasn't as exciting as our forts in the woods. I think that although the business in itself isn't bad and is encouraging play in children, their ad really demonstrates how today's society doesn't give enough credit to the value of playing with found items. In my opinion, the mother, who built a castle out of cans would have shown an immense amount of creativity and would have learned a lot about construction and it would have been a great learning opportunity. Overall, this 60 second commercial from the radio really encouraged me to think about how things have changed when its comes to play and our views on it.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
3-24-2010
Observation Hours @ SNC Children's Center
Friday 3/12 from 10-11am and 2-3pm
Monday 3/22 from 2-3pm
Tuesday 3/23 from 1-3pm
Wednesday 3/24 from 2-3pm
This week in my observations I really tried to pay attention to how children were learning to cooperate with one another through play. I really saw how much children learned to cooperate through play. While the children were playing, especially out on the playground, they would learn a lot about cooperation when they ran into a conflict. Last semester I had to observe and help out in the preschool for 4 hours a week. There was one boy who would often end up in tears over little conflicts because he really didn't know how to tell others what he was feeling, especially if they were making him unhappy. I noticed this week how while he was playing outside, another child bumped into him and knocked him down during a game. I watched how he went up to the boy and said "You knocked me down and you hurt me." Although as adults we often take this kind of interaction for granted, for kids this can be very difficult. Through play, this child learned that it is important to communicate when working with or playing with others in order to let them know how you are feeling so you can better work or play together. I saw how this child is really developing this interpersonal skills through these playful interactions with other children.
Observation Hours @ SNC Children's Center
Friday 3/12 from 10-11am and 2-3pm
Monday 3/22 from 2-3pm
Tuesday 3/23 from 1-3pm
Wednesday 3/24 from 2-3pm
This week in my observations I really tried to pay attention to how children were learning to cooperate with one another through play. I really saw how much children learned to cooperate through play. While the children were playing, especially out on the playground, they would learn a lot about cooperation when they ran into a conflict. Last semester I had to observe and help out in the preschool for 4 hours a week. There was one boy who would often end up in tears over little conflicts because he really didn't know how to tell others what he was feeling, especially if they were making him unhappy. I noticed this week how while he was playing outside, another child bumped into him and knocked him down during a game. I watched how he went up to the boy and said "You knocked me down and you hurt me." Although as adults we often take this kind of interaction for granted, for kids this can be very difficult. Through play, this child learned that it is important to communicate when working with or playing with others in order to let them know how you are feeling so you can better work or play together. I saw how this child is really developing this interpersonal skills through these playful interactions with other children.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
3-11-2010
3-11-2010
Observation Hours:
Aldo Leopold School - Friday from 9:45 until 10:45
SNC Children's Center - Friday from 2-3, Monday from 2-3, Tuesday 1-3, Wednesday 2-3, Thursday 10-11
This week I tried to pay attention to how kids played with the toys they had available to them. I was watching the children at the preschool play outside with hula hoops. The hoops were all different sizes. There were times when the kids would use the hula hoops as they were made to be played with, but more often than not the kids would come up with new ways to play with them. They would put the hoop around a friend and pull them along behind them, hang them on things or jump through them. I have many times seen the kids come up with new and interesting ways to play with toys. I think that this shows how kids can really develop creativity through play because they really learn to think outside of the box.
Another thing that I have observed this week is how having free play really helps kids to develop time management skills as well as to become more decisive. In the preschool it is up to the child to decide where they are going to play. They also do not have an organized snack time, the kids can just choose if and when they want to eat. I think that this is good for them because they need to choose to go there if they want a snack. There have been many times when kids have cried after center time because they missed snack and the teachers always just tell them that it is their responsibility to go to the snack table if they want one. I also think kids learn to think for themselves and to become decisive through free center time because they have to make a conscious decision where to go. I do not reallys see many kids who just follow a friend along to centers. Too often kids lives are completely planned out for them and they do not get to make any decisions of thier own. This time is good for them because they can take control of their time and really learn some important skills.
Observation Hours:
Aldo Leopold School - Friday from 9:45 until 10:45
SNC Children's Center - Friday from 2-3, Monday from 2-3, Tuesday 1-3, Wednesday 2-3, Thursday 10-11
This week I tried to pay attention to how kids played with the toys they had available to them. I was watching the children at the preschool play outside with hula hoops. The hoops were all different sizes. There were times when the kids would use the hula hoops as they were made to be played with, but more often than not the kids would come up with new ways to play with them. They would put the hoop around a friend and pull them along behind them, hang them on things or jump through them. I have many times seen the kids come up with new and interesting ways to play with toys. I think that this shows how kids can really develop creativity through play because they really learn to think outside of the box.
Another thing that I have observed this week is how having free play really helps kids to develop time management skills as well as to become more decisive. In the preschool it is up to the child to decide where they are going to play. They also do not have an organized snack time, the kids can just choose if and when they want to eat. I think that this is good for them because they need to choose to go there if they want a snack. There have been many times when kids have cried after center time because they missed snack and the teachers always just tell them that it is their responsibility to go to the snack table if they want one. I also think kids learn to think for themselves and to become decisive through free center time because they have to make a conscious decision where to go. I do not reallys see many kids who just follow a friend along to centers. Too often kids lives are completely planned out for them and they do not get to make any decisions of thier own. This time is good for them because they can take control of their time and really learn some important skills.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
3-3-2010
3-3-2010
"The Nature of Play" Reaction
I was really fascinated by the film "The Nature of Play" that we watched in class. I really thought it was interesting how they looked at play from the perspective of children in different communities. During the segment on the children on Beaver Island I was really struck by the comments made about how nature today is more of an abstraction. Kids know a lot about nature but they don't have a lot of actual experience with it. Putting some thought into it I realized how true it really is. Children aren't playing outside as much as they used to for a variety of reasons including that they are spending more time on electronic games, tv, and the internet, as well as the fact that many kids are in communities without access to more natural environments. Another segment in the movie that stood out to me was when they talked about crime rates. According to the film, crime has declined in the years between '93 and '03, including kidnapping and sex offenses. Of the crimes of this nature, most of the perpetrators are parents or the crimes are committed in the child's own home. I think that this is not the perception that many people have. With the news and now the easy access to news information on the internet, people are getting the impression that crime has skyrocketed and parents aren't letting their kids have the freedom to explore outside their own home and yard like they used to be able to. Overall, I agreed with a lot of the information given in the film. After watching it, I think what needs to happen is that parents need to start acknowledging that play is important and not allowing their own children to fall victim of this trend of declining play. I think as a future teacher I want to make sure I am an advocate for play and educate parents on the benefits.
Weekly Observations
Times: Thursday 10-11, Friday 10-11 and 2-3, Monday 2-3pm, Tuesday 1-3pm, Wednesday 2-3 pm at the SNC Children's Center & Tuesday 9:15-10:45 at Aldo Leopold School
This week in addition to observing at the Children's Center, I was able to go to Aldo Leopold School. At Aldo I was able to observe the kindergartener's literature centers. Melisa does a lot with trying to incorporate different things at the literature centers this week. She asked me to sit at the writing center, where the kids were making maps. There was a large variety in the children's work. Some of the students focused on making sure their map had the right things on it such as a compass, a map key, etc. where as others just focused on drawing the path on their map with the things they would see along the path. The kids really liked to tell stories while working on their maps, which I felt was more playful in nature. That sort of story-telling reminded me of the type of dramatic play that the children do. They were talking about experiences that they had had and then recreating them in a way on their paper. For example, some of the kids were talking about riding their bikes or walking to their friend's house, school, a family member's house, or another place. They talked about ponds they saw or the types of houses. Like in dramatic play, the kids were taking control of the experiences they had had by recreating them and talking about them. I will also be going to Aldo this Friday so I am excited to get the chance to see more of other centers.
This week at the Children's Center I have been listening for kid's humor as well as just observing the types of play they choose. I have noticed that a time when the kids really participate in humor is during lunch time. They really socialize a lot through humor. They will joke about having milk that is a silly color or maybe make jokes about the food before they eat it up. Once one child starts to make a certain kind of joke, the others try to do the same to be part of the joke. Starting last week as well, there is an ongoing joke at the sensory table about mixing up gross food for them to eat. They will ask a helper to make them "yucky foods" and then they pretend to gobble it all up. They still get a laugh out of this game after its been almost a week. I was able to make a lot of connections between the humor with those children and this week's readings.
"The Nature of Play" Reaction
I was really fascinated by the film "The Nature of Play" that we watched in class. I really thought it was interesting how they looked at play from the perspective of children in different communities. During the segment on the children on Beaver Island I was really struck by the comments made about how nature today is more of an abstraction. Kids know a lot about nature but they don't have a lot of actual experience with it. Putting some thought into it I realized how true it really is. Children aren't playing outside as much as they used to for a variety of reasons including that they are spending more time on electronic games, tv, and the internet, as well as the fact that many kids are in communities without access to more natural environments. Another segment in the movie that stood out to me was when they talked about crime rates. According to the film, crime has declined in the years between '93 and '03, including kidnapping and sex offenses. Of the crimes of this nature, most of the perpetrators are parents or the crimes are committed in the child's own home. I think that this is not the perception that many people have. With the news and now the easy access to news information on the internet, people are getting the impression that crime has skyrocketed and parents aren't letting their kids have the freedom to explore outside their own home and yard like they used to be able to. Overall, I agreed with a lot of the information given in the film. After watching it, I think what needs to happen is that parents need to start acknowledging that play is important and not allowing their own children to fall victim of this trend of declining play. I think as a future teacher I want to make sure I am an advocate for play and educate parents on the benefits.
Weekly Observations
Times: Thursday 10-11, Friday 10-11 and 2-3, Monday 2-3pm, Tuesday 1-3pm, Wednesday 2-3 pm at the SNC Children's Center & Tuesday 9:15-10:45 at Aldo Leopold School
This week in addition to observing at the Children's Center, I was able to go to Aldo Leopold School. At Aldo I was able to observe the kindergartener's literature centers. Melisa does a lot with trying to incorporate different things at the literature centers this week. She asked me to sit at the writing center, where the kids were making maps. There was a large variety in the children's work. Some of the students focused on making sure their map had the right things on it such as a compass, a map key, etc. where as others just focused on drawing the path on their map with the things they would see along the path. The kids really liked to tell stories while working on their maps, which I felt was more playful in nature. That sort of story-telling reminded me of the type of dramatic play that the children do. They were talking about experiences that they had had and then recreating them in a way on their paper. For example, some of the kids were talking about riding their bikes or walking to their friend's house, school, a family member's house, or another place. They talked about ponds they saw or the types of houses. Like in dramatic play, the kids were taking control of the experiences they had had by recreating them and talking about them. I will also be going to Aldo this Friday so I am excited to get the chance to see more of other centers.
This week at the Children's Center I have been listening for kid's humor as well as just observing the types of play they choose. I have noticed that a time when the kids really participate in humor is during lunch time. They really socialize a lot through humor. They will joke about having milk that is a silly color or maybe make jokes about the food before they eat it up. Once one child starts to make a certain kind of joke, the others try to do the same to be part of the joke. Starting last week as well, there is an ongoing joke at the sensory table about mixing up gross food for them to eat. They will ask a helper to make them "yucky foods" and then they pretend to gobble it all up. They still get a laugh out of this game after its been almost a week. I was able to make a lot of connections between the humor with those children and this week's readings.
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