Blog: Observing Communication<p>

A few days ago I observed a mother and her child in the grocery store having trouble communicating with each other. The toddler was very upset and hysterical. You could see the mother was getting very flustered and trying to calm the child. She paused then calmly asked “what's wrong” and searched for an injury. The child became more upset. The mother then held the child close and eye to eye she said “Are you hurt? The child shook NO. “Are you thirsty? The child shook NO. “Are you hot? The child shook NO. The mother then calmly said “I don't know what is wrong please tell me so I can fix it”. The child then calmed down a little and thru the sobbing muttered I can’t find my sticker. I was very impressed that the mother remained calm and really went down the child's level to find what was causing the fuss. I could see this interaction was soothing to the child. I think interactions like the one I witnessed will help the child learn affective communication in the future. I learned that although the loss of a sticker seems small to an adult in a child’s eyes it is a big ordeal. I think in our day to day lives we often forget just how important little things are to children. By the mother really trying to figure out what was wrong and not yelling at the child, I feel it help the child to calm down and be able to let the mother know what was upsetting them. When we communicate with young children we need to always remember to get eye level with the child and stay calm which then helps the child to know you are not upset and it has a calming effect and they will then be able to tell the mother or adult what is bothering them.

Creating Affirming Environments: Week 2

Blog Assignment: Creating Affirming Environments: Week 2

 

For this week’s assignment I am opening a Family Child Care Home. There are many factors that need to be thought out when opening a center-the areas and elements need to be consistent with the needs of all children. The areas will need to be well defined and have a welcoming environment.

In order to have an anti-bias environment for my family I will need to have materials for the children that honor diversity both within and beyond their own identity groups (Derman-Sparks, 2010). Some of the materials I would need are; multicultural books for the ages I will care for (infant to four year olds), the books will need to have real life pictures to help reflect scenarios that the children can relate to. I will need to have dolls of many cultures that portray native dress and customs to help children feel more at home and a variety of puzzles that also depict the families that I care for in my home. I will also have an area set up for families that includes important information in multiple languages if needed, it is important to know some of the languages for the families that I will be working with daily. My creative materials need to reflect colors other than your basic white, black and brown. There are many different skin tones that need to be seen and used with paper and paint. I need to use materials that do not reflect one primary group of people because it teaches children that they are not as important as the dominant group (Derman-Sparks, 2010). Posters showing families from all races, ages, and genders will also be displayed in my home. My home center needs to reflect an atmosphere that is welcoming to everyone and shows that I am building an anti-bias environment for learning and sharing.

I want my home center to embrace all my families no matter where they come from and I will blend all cultures throughout my whole home so all families know they are welcome and that includes having separate areas for every family and child because individual space is important for each child. These things are vital for any center to show the families that they are your focus and you will go above and beyond to have the right environment for everyone.

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).