CHLD 5 OBSERVATION 3
For this task YOU will directly interact with children in an outdoor activity (Note: Be sure to consult with the classroom teacher prior to directly interacting with children and ease into the group). After interacting with children describe the experience that you shared with them and the teacher.
Task 1: Exploring the Outdoor Learning Environment
• Describe the Indoor Classroom Activities – Utilizing the chart below describe 2 (two) outdoor activities that you observed during your time at the center today.
OUTDOOR
INTEREST CENTER
Identify a possible objective from
each activity
(i.e.: the children
will ….)
List all materials that were provided for the activity
What open-ended questions were asked by the you during the activity?
Group size and age level of children involved in activity
How did the adults participate in the experience?
Task 3: Outdoor activity and experience with children
Answer QUESTIONS A – D of the following section.
? QUESTION A: Give an overall description of the play or activity that you observed prior to joining the group of children.
? QUESTION B: The beginning: Describe how you joined the group of children.
1 If invited by the children give the specific details (what each child said; and your response to the each child.
2 If another adult invited your participation discuss exactly how this occurred.
? QUESTION C: The Middle: Using an anecdotal (see information on page 340 of the text) give the specific interactions, conversations and what occurred during the activity that YOU were involved in.
Child’s Name: Age: Date: Time:
Child’s Name: Age:
Child’s Name: Age:
Child’s Name: Age:
Describe how this play experience was valuable to EACH child’s cognitive development (cognitive development is a child’s ability to think and reason; use judgment, perception and memory).
? QUESTION D: The Ending: Explain how the outdoor play ended, giving specific details as to why the play/activity stopped; who ended the play/activity.
Task 5: Compare your 2 (two) interactions (indoor and outdoor). Answer the following questions using examples directly from your experiences.
? Compare the differences in the children’s interactions between the indoor and outdoor experiences.
? Tell how your responses, interactions or communication with the children differed between the two interactions.
? What were the differences in how the play was initiated?
Did these differences have to do with the change of the environment? Why or why not?
? In what ways were the play/activity experiences enhanced by each environment.
? Describe your level of comfort when interacting with the children; was one environment or activity more comfortable than the other?
Task 2: Outdoor Plans
? Outdoor Learning Environment – Use graph paper, colored pencils and a ruler to draw the outside environment. Label the areas to identify them. You can use a pencil and then add color to embellish the diagram. Learning areas that should be represented in the outdoor environment may include the following:
? Sand Area
? Art Area
? Game Area
? Climbing Area
? Grass or Dirt Area
? Wheeled Toy Area
? Reading Area
? Garden
? Trikes or other large motor riding vehicles
? Other: _____________________
? Other: _____________________