Reference List

Arthur, L. Beecher, B. Farmer, S. & Death, E. (2008). Programming & Planning: in early childhood settings. Victoria: Australia: Thomson.

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2008). Foundations of early childhood education:
Teaching children in a diverse society (4th ed.). Boston, United
States of America : McGraw Hill.

Isenberg, J.P. & Jalongo, M .R. (2001) Creative Expression and Play
in Early Childhood, 3rd ed., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey,
Columbus, Ohio.: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Haugland. (2008). Computers and Young Children. Retrieved August
1, 2010 from University of Illinois • 51 Gerty Drive •
Champaign, IL 61820-7469, Web site:
http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digests/2000/haugland0
0.pdf

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whȃriki mātauranga mō ngā Mokopuna
o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.

Santrock, J. W. (2008). Life-span development (11th ed). New York: McGraw Hill Co. Inc.

Smorti, S. (1999) Technology in Early Childhood. Early Education,
No.19 Autumn 1999.

The projector

This morning I set up the projector and wondered what the response from the children would be. As the children entered the room, they wandered over to explore the projector. They initially watched from a distance and then moved nearer for a closer look. They were very curious especially when they discovered if you put your hand under the light it appears on the wall.

They had learnt that even if you put your hand up high you will still see the shadow appear on the wall. They had then discover that they could make patterns with cut out shapes and the glass nuggets on the wall.

Isenberg & Jalonga, (2001, p. 321) state that” when children play with technology, they have many opportunities to determine the outcome of their play through the use of a variety of symbols”.

The next day I had moved the projector to a different area. When the children arrived today they noticed that the projector had been moved to a different area and a screen was placed in front. They checked it out carefully and then wiggled their fingers under the light to see whether it was reflective on the screen. The children then took turns to place nuggets on the glass to create a pattern and then looked at it on the screen. Te Whariki states “Equipment should be provided for scientific, mathematical and technological learning” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.83). 

The concentration as the children had explored was amazing and their faces said it all!!

After a while I placed a picture which had been drawn on plastic onto the overhead projector. This again provoked interest.  The children asked if they could try creating their own pictures, so I helped them find some plastic to draw on and they then proceeded to experiment with their creations using the projector. The children then discovered that they could make their creations bigger on the screen. Te Whāriki states “children use a variety of technologies for different purposes as they explore their world” (Ministry of Education, 1996. p. 98). This was really exciting for the children as they then tried creating faces using gems that they had placed onto the overhead projector and tried to enlarge their created smiles. This gave them a sense of achievement as they had big smiles on their faces and they appeared to be very proud of their work. Isenberg & Jalonga, (2001, p. 322) state that “materials that promote problem solving provide children with possibilities for gathering information, making decisions, generating creative ideas and solutions, and testing their plans and solutions”.

Exploring with the glue gun

Whenever the glue gun is out I have noticed that it draws children to the table. We have been very lucky to get two new glue guns this week. Today I placed some grease proof baking paper on the table along with the glue gun and glitter glue. As usual the children were straight over excitedly asking if they could have a turn. I told them that since we only have 2 glue guns they would have to have turns using them. Sharing according to Arthur et al, (1996) as cited in Isenberg and Jalonga(2001, p. 21) “maintains positive peer relationships.  It helped to promote social interaction between the children and helped them learn skills such as negotiation and sharing. I placed some baking paper on the table and I explained to the children that they could try making a pattern with the glue on the paper and then peel it off when it’s dry. 

S was the first to have a turn; she created a beautiful piece of art using the glue gun with glitter glue. I was so impressed with her creation that I asked if I could take a picture of her completing her creation, which she responded “yes” to.  In the mean time some of her friends came over to see what I was raving about. S explained to her friends what she was doing saying “It’s like a picture and then you can peel off the paper”. She then turned to her friend K and said “you can have a turn next” and then turned to me and said “I can help and take the pictures of the children when it’s their turn”. S had a turn using the camera to take a picture of K and then decided that it was only fair if K took a picture of the child that created their creation after her.Arthur,Beecher, Dockett and Farmer(2008)encorage the use of real resources as it allows children to have real life experiences. The children had fun taking picture of one another and then viewing them thereafter.  It was really good to see the children share justly during this activity whereby all the children were able to take a picture of their peers whilst working with the glue gun. Strand 3 of Te Whāriki states, “children experience an environment where there are equitable opportunities for learning, irrespective of gender, ability, age, ethnicity, or background; they are affirmed as individuals and are encouraged to learn with and alongside each other,” (Ministry of education, 1996, p.64). Once the children had finished making all of their creative glue art we decided to make a big hanging display. They knew that their contributions were recognised and valued as they tried out the new glue gun and experimented with the glitter glue and baking sheet thereby also sharing their ideas with their peers, (Ministry of education, 1996). The photos that the children took were fantastic and this was also added to the hanging display. Te Whāriki adds that children’s development takes place during active participation, each child should be allowed to “make his or her mark,” (Ministry of education, 1996, p.64).

Our Veggie Patch!

Finally we got our vegetable patch, this morning when we went outside K, our handy man, was busy getting the boxes to the little garden on the side where we decided to set the veggie patch. The children were very curious about biotechnology and started to ask questions. They gathered looking at the boxes while K was stacking them on top of each other.

When K started to fill the boxes with soil, K, Z and F were the first children to explore. I initially assumed that they liked the texture of the soil, but I later learned that they were looking for earth worms as K told them that there were many of them hiding in there. J rushed to the sandpit and brought a little bucket and started to collect the worms, but after explaining to them that earthworms were important to plough the soil by tunneling through it so that their tunnels provide the soil with passageways through which air and water can circulate, and that's important because soil microorganisms and plant roots need air and water just like we do. Without some kind of ploughing, soil becomes compacted, air and water can't circulate in it, and plant roots can't penetrate it. The children then decided that the earthworms needed to stay alive in the soil so our plants could grow.

When K brought in the garden mix in the big wheel burrow, Z and F helped him pushing it all the way up the pathway to the garden. When K tipped up the compost mix in the boxes he asked the children if they could help spread it evenly all over. 

This was good as you could see the interest that the children were taking in preserving nature and getting the planting started. According to Kellert(2002) as cited in Gonzalez-Mena(2008, p. 243)”society today has become disconnected from its natural origins that people no longer recognise our basic dependence on nature as a condition of growth and development.

Z and F, had always showed an interest in gardening and specially helping K in whatever he was doing. Sometimes the children did weeding whilst at other times they would get their little wheelbarrows and follow K around. This time the children helped K to spread the garden mix and they listened attentively to him when he asked them to wash their hands after they had finished spreading the soil. I was impressed with the children’s hard work and perseverance as they did not lose interest and leave what they were doing to do something else, thus indicating their love for gardening. Te Whāriki states that “children develop a relationship with the natural environment and knowledge of their own place in the environment” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 90).

We all know that a child’s early years are a crucial time of development and that educational experiences during these first years significantly influence the rest of their lives. Hands-on projects like gardening allow children to explore at their own pace and engage in experiential learning have a high rate of success We would like our children to learn about nature and living things, and we therefore encourage them to explore in the garden and look after the plants. Now that we have started on the veggie patch this will be a great opportunity for them to learn about growing food and taking care of plants and maybe encourage some children who do not like to eat veggie to start trying them!

 Who knows maybe some children will start their own veggie patch at home.

Computer Fun

The children in my room have a strong interest at the moment on working on computers. Children can build a variety of skills while exploring the functions of a classroom computer. There is a computer list next to the computer where we encourage children to write their names down. This aids in us being able to see who the next person is to have a turn. This, I believe has been a great exercise to encourage children's early literacy skill's which helps them to write their name even if it is the first letter of their name. Te Whāriki states that children develop "experience with some of the technology and resources for mathematics, reading and writing" (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 78). The computer list also encourages turn taking which helps to teach the children how to play with others fairly. I believe that turn taking offers more than just fun, they provide the youngest of children with valuable lifelong lessons in sharing. The children are also allocated time on the computer which is not only managed by the clock but also by a timer. Technology emphasises creative and productive aspects of problem solving (Smorti, 1999). Here again the children familiarize themselves with numbers that are found on both the clock and the timer and they are able to grasp the concept of time.

The programmes on the computer are all educational so the children are learning through playing games such as memory games, counting and adding games and matching, sorting and pairing. The children’s learning here is affirmed by Piaget’s cognitive theory, which acknowledges children as being capable of constructing their own knowledge and finding their own ways of making sense of the world around them (Santrock, 2008). I have noticed that the children have become confident with how to operate the computer, for example turning it on and then selecting the programme and game that they would like to play with. Te Whāriki states that children develop "familiarity with the properties and character of the materials and technology used in the creative and expressive arts" (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 80). They have the ability to operate and control the mouse and type letters using the keyboard. I found a lot of Vygotsky’s scaffolding taking place here, especially with the children that have just transitioned into the preschool room from the toddler room. The children use the computer to create art, make music, tell and record stories, and play educational games that can connect with off-screen learning and play. Isenberg and Jalonga, (2001, p. 25) state that “developing the young child’s problem solving processes gives children the time and opportunity to explore materials and use hands on approaches in pursuing solutions to interesting challenges”. Careful planning of computer use lets children explore these new opportunities.

Research by Haugland, (1992) has shown that 3- and 4-year-old children who use computers with supporting activities that reinforce the major objectives of the programs have significantly greater developmental gains when compared to children without computer experiences in similar classrooms-gains in intelligence, nonverbal skills, structural knowledge, long-term memory, manual dexterity, verbal skills, problem solving, abstraction, and conceptual skills. Haughland, (1992) adds that the benefits of providing computers to preschoolers vary depending upon the kind of computer experiences offered and how frequently children have access to computers. I believe that computers enhance children's self-concept in that children demonstrate increasing levels of spoken communication and cooperation. Haughland further states that "the potential gains for preschoolers are tremendous, including improved motor skills, enhanced mathematical thinking, increased creativity, higher scores on tests of critical thinking and problem solving, higher levels of what Nastasi and Clements (1994) term effectance motivation (the belief that they can change or affect their environment), and increased scores on standardized language assessments" (1992). From the observations that I have made in my room I definitely believe that children share leadership roles more frequently and develop positive attitudes toward learning when using computers.

Kia ora
Welcome to my blog on people, places, things and events.