REFERENCE LIST

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

Gibbons, A. N. (2006). The politics of technology in early childhood in Aoteroa/New Zealand.
Vol 31, No 4 pp.7-14.

Mindes, G. (2006). Social studies in kindergarten. In D. F. Gullo (Ed.), K today teaching and learning in the kindergarten year. (pp.107- 115).Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Ministry of Education (1996). Te Whāriki, He whāriki matauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington: New Zealand: Learning Media.


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

Scholl, M. (2005). Social studies in action. Young Children. Vol 62 (4) 
pp.1-5.


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

Cup Cakes, Yummee!!!

A cooking experience is always captivating for children especially on a rainy day. The children were looking forward to baking their cup cakes for morning tea. Apart from an enjoyable experience, there were many learning outcomes achieved by the children. The boys and girls eagerly participated in the baking activity and it is through these learning experiences that children and educators discover new interests and abilities. For example Joseph was confident in using the camera and he captured these special moments using the digital camera. The children also learned skills of working with their peers by taking turns and respecting their spaces.

Cooking and Baking, categorized as Food Technology, is an important area of the technological curriculum. Children develop an understanding of cooking and baking processes, preparing and presenting food (Manukau Institute of Technology, Course Notes, 2010). The children followed the recipe, thereby developing an understanding of “process cooking” (Smorti, 1999). I also provided an electric hand mixer, which led to discussions of how mum previously had to use a wooden spoon when baking and now it is much easier to mix the ingredients using an electric mixer. The children were eager to have their turn with the electric mixer and some needed me to guide and help them hold it. Theorist Lev Vygotsky affirms learning in a social environment when support is provided by more experienced peers and teachers (Santrock, 2008).

Strand 1 Well Being of Te Whariki states, “children develop self- help and self-care skills for eating, drinking, food preparation,” (Ministry of education, 1996, p.48). Strand 3 of Te Whariki 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 others,” (Ministry of education, 1996, p.64). The children then individually spooned the mixture into the cup cake trays, chose sprinkles to decorate their cup cake and we then baked them in the oven.

Smorti, affirms that using a process approach to technology supports the doing as more important rather than the product (1999). In this activity there was an end product and the children were excited to see the baked cup cakes and then enjoyed them for morning tea, this builds their self-esteem and self-confidence. They know their contributions are recognised and valued as they try out new equipment during experiments and share their ideas, (Ministry of education, 1996). 
Te Whariki affirms 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).

Kiddies Express, Choo Choo!!

"I'm the Train Driver," said Bailey.

During our exploration of the different modes of transport, we had been enjoying learning activities such as art & craft, music, reading books and stories in relation to transport on land, rail, air and sea. We had also used videos on transport to extend children’s learning. After morning tea, a group of children were busy in play, making a pretend train. They innovatively turned the wooden boxes around, arranged them in a row, to make their pretend train. They were all different age groups and I was captivated at their thinking and problem solving skills.

"Choo Choo," said Bailey

Technology emphasises creative and productive aspects of problem solving (Smorti, 1999). We sometimes use the wooden boxes as tables, and they turned it around to enable them to sit in the carriages. Bailey took a chair and positioned it at the front and said “I’m the train driver.” All the children hopped on board, “choo choo,” they said on board our kiddies express.

The children developed their skills in materials technology as they used wooden boxes to design a pretend train. It is a practical invention as they could sit inside the so called carriages. Strand 3, Contribution of Te Whariki, supports children learning with and alongside others (Ministry of Education, 1996). Working in groups encourages “co-operative learning” (Mindes, 2006, p. 112). Through this approach, children learn co-operative problem solving behaviours, they also learn to listen to other’s point of view, share their own ideas and discover solutions to problems (Mindes, 2006). Strand 4, Communication of Te Whariki, supports children using materials and technology in creative construction and expressive arts (Ministry of Education, 1996). The children’s learning in this activity 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).

People in our Community

“Social studies is the exploration of people’s interactionsin and with their social and physical environments,” (Mindes, 2006, p. 107). Children develop an understanding of their wider world, by forming relationships and having experiences with their family, school and community (Mindes, 2006).

During our exploration of the child’s environment we discussed the people that help us, doctors, nurses, firemen, teachers and the police in our community. As part of our collaborative approach to planning which involves families and communities in children’s learning and development, we invited the Fire Department to visit  our centre (Arthur, Beecher, Dockett, Death, Farmer, 2008).

 Te Whariki also affirms the links between the child’s environment ie; home, school and community (Ministry of Education, 1996). The children were excited to see the firemen, the fire engine and they waited in anticipation for the events that followed. Before going outside, the firemen demonstrated their protective gear and spoke to the children about fire safety. “The fireman saves us from the fire,” said Chanel. Many of the children were knowledgeable about the firemen, which sparked interesting discussions with the firemen, they could even name some of the protective gear. The children also practised the stop, drop and roll safety strategy. Mindes (2006) affirms that educators need to establish children’s knowledge base and then extend on what they already know, while focusing on what we want to learn. The firemen then led the children outside where they had a look at the fire engine and while the siren was exciting for some, some children were scared of the loud siren.

The highlight of the day, was when each child enjoyed a first hand experience with the firemen and had the opportunity to hold the fire hose with water gushing out. When the firemen left we reviewed what learning had taken place and gave the children stickers of the stop, drop and roll to re-enforce safety procedures.

Many children shared their experiences at home, and we then discovered that one of the children had an uncle who was a policeman and he was happy to visit our centre. Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory is relevant to the influences that several environmental factors have on children’s development and learning (Santrock, 2008). Bronfebrenner extended on Vygotsky’s ideas and he included places, connections between people, places and things in the environment surrounding a child, as being significant to children’s learning (Santrock, 2008). The Meso-system focuses on the relationships between family members, friends and classmates at school. The Exo-system refers to the wider social setting that directly influences the child, like extended family, community, work, travel and neighbours. These are most relevant to our learning and development (Santrock, 2008). We were fortunate to have had the firemen and the community police as part of our learning journey on people in the community that help us.

Technology in Early Childhood Education

Early childhood centres has been transformed by technology in recent years. It is another change to curriculum and is widely accepted as providing exciting opportunities to 21st century teaching and learning. ICT is now a reality and “no institution whether private or public will be immune from technological change,” (Gibbons, 2006, p.8).

Contemporary government policies in Aoteroa New Zealand support children being adequately prepared from an early age, for the technological society that we live in (Gibbons, 2006). One such project by Comet (City of Manukau Education Trust) donated a Smart Centre, Computer, to our pre-school. The project aimed to develop ICT plans to foster the use of technology as beneficial learning tools in children’s learning and development.

The children at our centre are so excited and are making the most of the Young Explorer Programme. They look forward to their fun, yet educational session with the computer. Children develop their confidence in using the computer, interacting with technology while playing and learning. The “Young Explorer” incorporates maths, reading, science, language, arts and creativity. The children are confident in using the mouse and are developing a higher level of thinking and problem solving skills by attempting the different programmes available. We have been exploring maths in Millie’s Math House and alphabets in Bailey’s Book House. Te Whariki states “Equipment should be provided for scientific, mathematical and technological learning.” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.83).