Day 6

5/17/10

11:30-5:30

I arrived at ABC’s today at 11:30. I thought it would be a good experience to see what happens in the afternoon. By the end of the day its relaxing since children are waking up. They then play games, eat snack, and go to the bathroom. Once that is all taken care of they get to go outside again. They get to play outside for about an hour and half. During this time parents pick up the child/children. If a child still hasn’t gotten picked up after the hour and half they go back inside and play. All of the children are gone by 5:30. During nap time I practiced making potato stamps. Its actually a lot hard then it looks. I found directions online but I’m going to adjust them so they are easier to make. I left ABC’s at 5:30.

Week 1 Reflection

Weekly Reflection

Week 1

By the end of the week I learned so much. I have observed the teachers and the children. I know the schedule very well. I also know a little about how children act and think. They want to do what they want to do and when they don’t get their own way they cry about it to get attention or what they want. In the end they never get what they want or the attention. I have also noticed how boys and girls interact with one another. They’re more likely to play with each other inside then outside. When they are outside the boys like to play games that always have a winner while the girls are playing house. It’s a great way to see how the brains are different from each other.

The teachers are very encouraging when it comes do dealing with preschoolers. They are always wanting to let the children know that they are good at something or did something right. They are also good with discipline by talking to the children just like you would talk to an older child.

I have really enjoy my senior project so far. I have never spent time with children before. I find it interesting how children act at this age and what their needs are. I was asked to do certain activities so I could have an understanding of what happens at ABC’s. I played with children, washed dishes, and read stories because those are some of the activities the teachers do. I was expected to see the children playing all the time. I was surprised to see the Pre-K children actually learning by using work sheets. I was also surprised with how the teachers discipline the children. They are calm and tell the children that they did was wrong. My one week of activities will benefit me because now I just need to focus on my interview questions and my art project. The activities helped me to develop the interview questions. They have also shown me what art projects are not too challenging for a preschoolers. I’m excited for week two to start.

Day 5

5/14/10

8:00-1:00

I arrived at 8:00. This morning the children were reading, playing puzzles, drawing, and playing ants in the dogs pants. At show and tell today the children brought in cars, blankets, and books. It was a boys 4th birthday. He brought in a cake that looked like the ocean with all different sea creatures on it. We had a group snack instead of individual. After snack I washed the dishes and we then had circle time. At circle we sang more about dinosaurs. Since it was a cloudy day we didn’t spend that much time playing outside as we usually do. I have noticed that a lot of children cry when they don’t get there own way and when another child hit them on purpose or accident. But after letting them cry for about 5 minutes if it isn’t a big deal they are fine. It’s like nothing ever happened. I have come to the conclusion that they only do this so they get attention and what they want. In the end it doesn’t work out for them. At the end of the day I washed the dishes from lunch and made copies of my photo request for the parents. I left ABC’s at 1:00.

Day 4

5/13/10

8:00-3:00

My day started at 8:00. Instead of playing with puzzles this morning we played a game called ants in the dogs pants. The goal of the game is to flick plastic ants and get then into the plastic dogs pants. Who every gets rid of their ants first wins. But at this age I have noticed rules don’t matter. All they wanted was the color of the ants and trying to get them into the pants was a big enough challenge. At the end of morning meeting we had show and tell. Half of the children go Thursday and the other half go Friday. Children brought in dolls, books, robots, and blankets. When we went outside I really got to observe how the children play. The boys and the girls don’t really play together. The boys are always wanting to play games where there is always a winner. Unlike the girls who like to play house. But they do play with each other in the sand box or playing games where they are getting chanced. During their nap time I got my photo request proof read by my sponsor. I then changed the errors and typed up my interview questions. I also got a chance to look at a preschool art project book. It was full of different ideas. But I’m still going try and see if my potato stamp project will work. I left ABC’s at 3:00 once again.

Day 3

5/12/10

8:00-3:00

My day started at 8:00 again. This afternoon I did some of the activities that the teachers do. At lunch time I helped open snacks and poured drinks for the children. Most of the snacks they bring are to hard for them to open. For drinks they either have a choice of milk or water. Most of the children choose milk. At the end of lunch I washed the dishes. Since the children don’t bring drinks or utensils. Once the dishes were done the tables get wiped the chairs go on the table to create more space for nape time. I then colored with some of the children before story time. I picked out books that would go with what they are learning about which are trees. While reading to them they all wanted to get as close as they could to see the book. They were told it was wrong because children in the back wouldn’t be able to see. During nap time I came up with more questions for interviewing the teachers. I also finished up my request letter to take pictures of the children for when I present my project at the exhibit. All it needs now is to be proof read. I left at 3:00 again. I now have a better understanding of what the teachers do during and after lunch time.

Day 2

5/11/10

8:00-3:00

When I mentioned Circle yesterday it is actually called Morning Meeting. Circle is when they learn by dancing, singing, and hand play. Today I arrived at 8:00 and spent more time observing the children and teachers. I have realized that children are different but have the same needs. They love attention from a new person added to the class. They all love attention but show it in different ways. They might touch you, repeat your name, talk a lot, want you to help with something, and play with them. The highlights of my day was when I played hockey and cars. Outside when we play hockey all of the children get so excited and giggly. It's funny how they will think of ways to block the goal with their body. It is also interesting to see how they play together. I also really enjoyed playing cars. We created courses for the cars by building jumps and requiring the cars to do back flips. During my lunch I brainstormed questions for when I interview the teachers. My day ended at 3:00, I had another enjoyable day at ABC’s.

Day 1

5/10/10

8:00-3:00

I arrived at ABC's Child Care Center at 8:00. Some of the children had arrived but more were coming. I then began drawing and doing puzzles with some of the children. Once everyone arrived we had Circle. I then was introduce to everybody. During Circle the children learn what day it is and what the weather is like. They learn this by singing. Then the children get to choose their morning activities. Such as snack, computer, blocks, and arts+crafts. Next the children get to go outside where they play on the play ground. Outside I helped children on the monkey bars and played hockey. Then it was time for lunch! During lunch each child has to eat two healthy choice so they can get their fruits, veggies, and protein. We then had story time to get everyone ready for nap time. Once nap time began music is played and certain children get their backs rubbed. At the end of nap time the pre-k children get to do worksheets to help them work on matching and counting. All the children started to get up. During this time before they go outside again they have free time or their afternoon activity. By then it was time for me to leave 3:00. I really enjoyed meeting the children today.