Creating a Responsive Environment PDF

Preview

Summary

Course info, notes, powerpoints, etc....

Description

RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT PART B 1

Creating a Responsive Environment Introduction Megan Weber 201611864 Mount Royal University Brenda Sauve

ELCC 1110-002

RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT PART B 2 Creating a Responsive Environment Introduction For my fieldwork placement I was placed at the Quarry Park YMCA Child Care Facility, in Pod 3, room P which is in an infant room. An infant room at this building is ages 12 months to 18 months. The room is a basic square room with neutral colors on the walls, both natural and manmade materials and elements. A typical day for this room is the children arrive around 9am, they have a healthy snack around 9:30am, they then play until 11am when lunch arrives, after clean-up it is nap time until roughly 2:30pm, and then it is again snack time, after clean-up it is play time or outdoor play time until 4pm when most children get picked up. Through my minimal yet amazing time at this placement, I developed great relationships with everyone involved and I truly learnt a lot. The Four Main Elements At our fieldwork placement we were asked to take a look at the four main elements of a responsive environment-time, space, materials, and participation-for this assignment. Despite how basic the room appears to be, I believe that for the age group the way the professionals have

the room set up allow for these four elements to be seen within the environment.

RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT PART B 3 As you can see based on the photo above there is a lot of space for the children and the educators. There is enough space for the children to move around freely, for the children to experience various play experiences, for the educators to move around without disrupting the children and for the children’s beds to be set up for nap time. Throughout the room there are also various forms of spaces (as you can see in the photo on the second page). There spaces for eating food or playing on the tables, there are various mats set up to allow for children to play and discover either by themselves or in groups on the ground. There are shelving units in the room, out in the open, filled with toys to allow the children to decide what they would like to play with and this way they do not have to struggle to find the materials. In the back-right corner there is a cube that is missing one-side and this space is generally used by children who need a quiet area to read books or play quietly by themselves. In the far right there is a space with a fake kitchen and various kitchen materials for the children to participate in imaginative play. I believe that the variety of options within the entire space themselves was in fact a great way to utilize the space the professionals were given. In the photo below on page 4, you can see the variety of materials that is used within this room. One of the first things you see is that the room is naturally colored in order to allow the children to be as cam as possible. You also notice that the flooring is made from natural-wood like hardwood to allow the children to get a sense of nature while indoors. You then can see an archway in the middle of two shelving units. On top of those two shelving units are 2 real plants that the professionals teach the children how to care for and water. You can then see a variety of toys, games, and various other play materials the children use in the play every day. On top of the shelving unit to the right although you may not be able to see it clearly within the photo is in fact photos of the children themselves playing in various fashions, and a book of more photos of

RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT PART B 4 the children playing. This allows for the children to get a reflective viewpoint on their play and it is also good for themselves to see what they are doing; the children also tend to thoroughly enjoy seeing pictures of themselves. Most of the toys within the room are manmade, reason behind this as told to me by the professionals is due to the bright colors, various noises, and they are different. However, there are also play materials that are made with natural wood, there are same branches, root cookies, and more that allow children to grasp and feel the natural environment even when they are indoors. Using a variety of materials for the children to play with and use is a great way to allow for diversity, and it also can assist in a professional’s observations when they see what materials specific children generally use often.

RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT PART B 5

Another element

that

cannot

necessarily be seen within the photos in the assignment, but I did get to observe every time I was

RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT PART B 6 there was participation and tried to depict in the photo below this paragraph. However, you can see within the photo on page 4 that there are a variety of options for both space, and materials. This allows all children to participate in whatever form of the play they would like to. During my last day at fieldwork on November 28, 2018 I witnessed all of the children participate in both their own play and group play. Generally, the children either walk or crawl around the room (depending on their age) and find whichever toy or material they find interesting for the day or moment and “play” with it. Usually from what I have witnessed the infants form of play in this room is to shake it, throw it, touch it, chew on it, and walk around with it. Every child participates in the play time during the day whether it is by themselves, with a pairing or in a group. At this age it is usually individual-based play because infants have not yet developed complete communication skills, so it is difficult for them to interact and play with others. However, the one time I did see them play in something in parallel play as again on my last day at November 28, 2018. The educators set up a water play experience. They did this by filling up empty hand soup containers with water and putting them within a bucket for the infants to play with both the bottles and the water. Once the children saw me use one bottle to squirt out water, they all came over together and sat surprisingly nice around the large bucket and each grabbed a hand soap container filled with water and played alongside each other. Trading bottles every now and then and making sounds at each other when one would accidentally hit another with water. I believe that having a variety of spaces for play experiences, and various types of both natural and manmade materials truly allows for children to participate to their fullest extent when within the room. It gives the children the option to play how they want to and gives them the freedom to discover and learn on their own

RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT PART B 7

. Another element of a responsive environment that cannot necessarily be show within a photo, but is depicted in the photo below this paragraph, is the element of time. “Time for play, for inquiry, for thinking, and for pursuing an interest alone or with friends and educators is important if learning is to become meaningful for the learner. Rigid daily routines can create imbalances in daily experiences and minimize the importance of play and learning that children are engaged in. When children experience fluid time that reflects their rhythms in care and play, they are able to develop their ideas alone and with others. When educators consider children’s natural rhythms in the design of the environment, they create a responsive environment. When educators organize time so that children can continue their play over hours and days, children are able to develop their ideas deeply. This may mean that children’s play materials are saved as they have left them or that lunch routines are adjusted in response to children’s play.” (Makovichuk, L., Hewes, J., Lirette, P., & Thomas, N. (2014). p. 63). I agree with this statement and believe that time is very crucial when you are dealing with children throughout the day. At my fieldwork placement I got to witness and be a part of their every day routine/schedule. Usually the children

RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT PART B 8 would arrive around 9am, from there they would have a light and nutritious snack around 9:30am. After they are done eating it is washing hands and clean up time, this usually takes anywhere from 5-15 minutes, dependent on how messy the snack was. Afterwards there would be roughly 1.5 hours for play, usually if the weather permits this is when we would take the kids outside for their play time. At 11am is lunch time, and usually a form of nutritious meat and noodles is served with fruit and water. Once again after eating there is washing hands and clean up time, usually for lunch this takes roughly 10 minutes. After lunch is when they would change every diaper and prep the infants for nap time. Nap time begins at around 12pm and last until 2:30pm. After nap time the children have yet another snack around 2:45pm. Afterwards is again washing hands and clean-up time. From there the children play with the set-up play experiences or with materials from around the room until around 3:30-4pm when most parents pick their children up. However, some do stay until later due to their parent’s schedules. I believe that this schedule works very well from what I have seen based on my experience with the infants. It seems to work best for this age group and allowing them to have a long nap time is truly good for the children’s rest, development and relaxation.

RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT PART B 9

Makers Studio and Making of the Toy For this assignment we went to the Makers Studio at Mount Royal University in order to create a new element for the children to interact with at our fieldwork placement. Since I am in an infant room for my fieldwork placement my options for creating a new material or toy is

RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT PART B 10 somewhat limited due to the physical, cognitive, emotional, social and psychological level in which 12-18-month-olds are at. So, I had to think hard on what I have seen the children enjoy. I remember from my first day at my fieldwork placement on October 23, 2018 most children enjoyed the one shaker bottle they had there. From that observation I then thought that I should create more shaker bottles using different materials on the inside. I then went out and got 6 small bottles with lids and various natural and unnatural materials to place inside them. The reason I chose I variety of materials is because I wanted the children to hear different sounds, feel different sensation and see different materials. The contents of each bottle with the lid glued on for safety reasons are as follows; marbles, sand, wooden blocks, shells, pebbles, and buttons. All these different pieces of materials, colours, and shapes allows children to discover new information through their play. Introducing the New Elements On my last day of fieldwork on November 29, 2018 I had the pleasure of getting to introduce the 6 shaker bottles that I had created with love for the children into their environment. I placed the shakers in their environment during nap time when all the children were asleep, that way I could set it up in a neat display, as an invitation for the children to explore. Within moments of waking up the children saw the new display and automatically went for the bottles. They began to shake them and smiling when it would make sounds. They would place the shaker closer to their ears to hear the sounds the different materials were making. They would then start reaching for different bottles to activate their senses with a new material in the different bottle Most children shook or moved around each of the 6 different bottles I put out for them. Some children even decided to throw them on the ground to hear and see the reaction the bottles had. I believe that these toys enhanced the children’s play because they genuinely appeared to be

RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT PART B 11 enjoying themselves, and their curiosity was peaked by each material in the bottles. You could see that they wanted to know what was making that sound and what was inside the bottles; they kept trying to take off the lids, but I glued them the lids on tight. You can see the photos of the shaker bottles and the display below.

RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT PART B 12

Family Perspectives At my fieldwork placement I got to interact with each of the families, mainly the parents of each of the infants in the room I was in. The parents were excited to have a student learning from their children and were interested in what I was learning. Within the room and building itself they put a high emphasis on family ties. In each room they have photos of the families of each child I the room and they make sure to keep it updated as children move rooms. They believe it is important for the children to remember where they come from and to show others who their parents are. In the building they also like to emphasis diversity by allowing the children to eat a variety of different foods from different cultures and places around the world. I believe this is so crucial because introducing children to the importance of family and cultural diversity at such a young age allows them to be more openminded later on in their lives. Conclusion In conclusion I believe that my fieldwork placement has created a highly responsive environment. They utilize all four main elements of time, space, materials, and participation. The children are highly engaged, and you can tell they feel like they belong there. I believe that when I created my “toys” the kids thoroughly took to them and loved playing with them. Overall I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience at this placement and cannot wait for my future in this program and field.

RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT PART B 13

References Curtis, D. & Carter, M. (2003). Designs for living and learning: Transforming early childhood environments. St. Paul, MN: RedLeaf Press. Curtis, D. & Carter, M. (2014). Designs for living and learning: Transforming early childhood environments (2nd ed). St. Paul, MN: RedLeaf Press. Dietze, B, & Kashin, D. (2019). Playing and learning in early childhood education (2rd ed.). Toronto: Pearson. Dietze, B, & Kashin, D. (2019). Outdoor and nature play in early childhood education. Toronto: Pearson. Deviney, J., Duncan, S., Harris, S., Rody, M. A., Rosenberry, L. (2013). Inspiring spaces for young children. Lewisville, NC: Gryphon House Makovichuk, L., Hewes, J., Lirette, P., & Thomas, N. (2014). Flight: Alberta’s early learning and care framework. Retrieved from flightframework.ca.

RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT PART B 14

Appendix Time The best observation I can think of to relate to time would be the daily schedule I see and how it is the same every day. This way it introduces the children to routines and begin to understand self-regulation. The daily schedule is as follows: usually the children would arrive around 9am, from there they would have a light and nutritious snack around 9:30am. After they are done eating it is washing hands and clean up time, this usually takes anywhere from 5-15 minutes, dependent on how messy the snack was. Afterwards there would be roughly 1.5 hours for play, usually if the weather permits this is when we would take the kids outside for their play time. At 11am is lunch time, and usually a form of nutritious meat and noodles is served with fruit and water. Once again after eating there is washing hands and clean up time, usually for lunch this takes roughly 10 minutes. After lunch is when they would change every diaper and prep the infants for nap time. Nap time begins at around 12pm and last until 2:30pm. After nap

RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT PART B 15 time the children have yet another snack around 2:45pm. Afterwards is again washing hands and clean-up time. From there the children play with the set-up play experiences or with materials from around the room until around 3:30-4pm when most parents pick their children up. However, some do stay until later due to their parent’s schedules.

Space Every day I was at my fieldwork placement I got to see how the educators used the whole room, varying spaces within the building and community in order to allow the children to develop in different play experiences. However, the best example of space would have been on my last day on November 29, 2018. We had to set up winter decorations for the “Winter Celebration” at the YMCA facility. We put a placemat on the floor that was blue with snowmen on it and we taped it down. We then put some Christmas dancing music on and used it as a dance floor. The children danced on the placemat to the music for a long time and were smiling the whole time. I believe this was a great use of space for a rather small room.

RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT PART B 16

Participation On my last day on November 29, 2018 at my placement I got to witness all of the children participate in a single play experience; since they are infant’s they tend to play by themselves. The educators set up a water play experience. They did this by filling up empty hand soup containers with water and putting them within a bucket for the infants to play with both the bottles and the water. Once the children saw me use one bottle to squirt out water, they all came over together and sat surprisingly nice around the large bucket and each grabbed a hand soap container filled with water and played alongside each other. Trading bottles every now and then and making sounds at each other when one would accidentally hit another with water. It started a little game that soon died because some children did not like being hit with water in the face.

RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT PART B 17 This was the first experience where I got to see the children play in parallel play or group play instead of singular play.

Materials Every time I was at my placement, I got to observe the children use a variety of natural and manmade materials in their play experiences. However, I think that one of my favorite observations is from my first day at the placement on October 4, 2018. I witnessed a young child placed various materials both manmade and natural wooden blocks, and then stack them. They were trying to see how tall they could make the structure and they were trying to use everything they could get their hands on to make the structure different and use a variety of colours.

RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT PART B 18

Introducing the Shaker Bottles On my last day at fieldwork I brought in the 6 shaker bottles filled with a variety of manmade and natural materials inside them as I mentioned earlier in the assignment. When I introduced them, it was during nap-time so I could set up an inviting display. The kids took to it like wildfire and each child grabbed one and shook it. They then started reaching for others to hear the different sounds that they create. They then started to throw it around and, on the ground, to hear how it would react. They would then try to take the lids off, thankfully, I glued

RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT PART B 19 them on, so they couldn’t. The kids genuinely enjoyed them and rarely let them go for an hour or so. I believe it added a whole new experience for the infants that they truly loved....