Week 1
Monday, February 25 9:00 - 12:00 Head Start, Torrington
1:00-3:00 Classroom (make introductory poster, set up class blog and personal journal)
Tuesday, February 26 9:00 - 12:00 Head Start, Torrington
1:00 - 3:00 Classroom (discuss 4 developmental areas (social/emotional, physical, cognitive, & language)
Wednesday, February 27 9:00-12:00 Room to Grow (Reggio Emile-inspired curriculum), Litchfield
1:00 - 3:00 Classroom (block play - how does it fit into 4 developmental areas )
Thursday, February 28 9:00 - 12:00 Head Start, Torrington
Lunch out - Panera
1:00 - 3:00 Brooker Memorial
Friday, March 1 9:00 - 12:00 Head Start, Torrington
1:00 - 3:00 Silly Sprout and Litchfield Historical Society, Litchfield
Saturday, March 2 9:00 - 10:00 Classroom
10:00 - 12:00 Torrington Library, Torrington
Week 2
Monday, March 4 9:00 - 12:00 Head Start, Torrington
1:00 - 3:00 Classroom (behavior challenges)
Tuesday,March 5 9:00 - 12:00 Litchfield Montessori School, Northfield
1:00 - 3:00 Classroom (compare educational philosophies of 3 nursery schools / develop project to do with HS)
Wednesday, March 6 9:00 - 12:00 Head Start, Torrington
Lunch out - Torrington
1:00 - 3:00 KidsPlay, Torrington
Thursday, March 7 9:00 - 12:00 Head Start, Torrington
1:00 - 3:00 Classroom (movement and yoga for kids)
Friday, March 8 9:00 - 12:00 Head Start, Torrington
1:00 - 3:00 Classroom (speaker, presentation of projects)
Saturday, March 9 9:00-12:00 Classroom (wrap-up, evaluations)
Day 1: Monday, February 25
We started the day watching a 12-minute movie about the origins of Head Start. Many of the narrators of the movie are now probably in their 70s since the inception of Head Start was over 50 years ago as part of President Johnson’s “War on Poverty”! The program was developed to help 3 to 5 year old children of low income families become better prepared for kindergarten – since then, 32 million children have been in Head Start. We then went to the Torrington Head Start and met the director who explained how we will be able to assist the teachers in the classroom. We spent the afternoon back at Forman making introductory posters to share with the children in our classroom. Not only did we have pictures of our family, friends, and pets, but we also included pictures of our “favorites”-- colors, food, and children’s books.
Day 2: Tuesday, February 26
Today was our first actual day in the Head Start classroom. We divided up into pairs for each of the 5 classrooms. It did not take long to get incorporated into the classroom since the children were immediately interested in a new face. Before long, we were doing such activities as reading stories, playing in the kitchen area, and creating art. Since it was so cold, we went into the gross motor room instead of outdoor play. We returned to Forman for lunch and then met in our classroom. We learned about the four areas of child development: social/emotional, cognitive, physical, and language. After discussing our experiences of the morning, we determined how different activities we did with the children fit into the 4 developmental areas. We recorded our observations on easel paper and will add to it as the Winterim progresses.
Day 3: Wednesday, February 27
Today we went to Room to Grow, a nursery school in Litchfield. This preschool is inspired by the Reggio Emilia educational philosophy. In this philosophy, the belief is that projects and learning should derive from the child’s natural curiosity. We were welcomed into the classroom to actively play with the children. Many of the centers were the same -- a reading area, block play, art activities. There seemed to also be a large focus on science and discovery -- there was a sensory table with huge blocks of ice and plastic polar bears because it is national polar bear day. During circle time, they learned about how to use a measuring scale and guessed which object would be heavier as pairs of objects were weighed against each other on the scale. The scale was then left as an activity for the children to further experiment with. Many of the routines were the same as at Head Start, and we left just before noon when the children were getting ready for lunch and then a nap. We took time in the afternoon for a bonding activity and went to a movie. The next two days will be very full with mornings at Head Start and field trips in the afternoon.
Day 4: Thursday, February 28
We returned to Head Start today to the same classrooms we were assigned to on Tuesday. We joined the children in their day’s activities, and the kids kept us busy doing art, reading, and generally playing. For Mrs. Zullo it was good to see some classic toys and games like Mr. Potato Head and Candyland. Since we were going to be in Torrington for the afternoon, we went to Panera for lunch rather than returning to Forman. After lunch we toured Booker Memorial, a non-profit community center that offers programs in child care and early learning, pediatric dentistry and children's OT, PT and speech therapy. We met with an occupational therapist who explained what type of cases involve pediatric occupational therapy -- everything from working with a child learning to complete daily life tasks if he or she has a temporary or permanent disability to using sensory integration therapy to help a child with sensory processing issue. This exposed us to another area we might want to pursue if we want to work with children. We returned to Forman in time to add to our running documentation of how the activities we do at Head Start contribute to the 4 areas of child development -- the lists are growing.
Day 5: Friday, March 1
It’s the end of our first week at Head Start. Already, the kids are looking for us and are excited when we arrive. Each class has a structured morning schedule, so the students have learned when to expect to do such activities as go to the gross motor room or have clean-up time. The classes have been learning about inclines this week, so a lot of the activities stressed all the things you can use to roll down inclines. In the afternoon today, we went to Silly Sprout, a local toy store. The manager talked to us about what toys are appropriate for different ages. We also found out that Lauren knows the daughter of Melissa and Doug, the founders of the toy company by the same name in Westport. Sarah at Silly Sprout said Melissa & Doug make some of the best regarded toys for the toddler and preschool age. We then went across the street to the Litchfield Historical Society for a program on the museum fulfills its educational mission to reach young children through such interactive stations as dress-up area of Colonial-era clothes and floor size maps with blocks representing the historical buildings.
Day 6: Saturday, March 2
Our original plan was to go to the children’s section of the library where we planned to do a scavenger hunt and then choose a book to take back to the classroom to read to the kids. Today was going to be a perfect way to celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday. BUT...the weather did not cooperate. It was snowing this morning, so the library was closed. Mr. Bartlett did venture out for a Dunkin run -- a small consolation. Instead, we stayed in the classroom and made play doh. The determination was that our playdoh was not as soft and stretchy as the store-bought version. Some added flour to reduce the stickiness, but that only made it crumbly. Next time, we should follow the recipe exactly!
Day 7: Monday, March 4
Another weather cancellation! In fact, most of the public schools announced last night that there would be no school, so we were not surprised. Instead of going to Head Start, we stayed in the classroom and learned about Conscious Discipline. This involves helping children be more aware of their feelings and gives them strategies to self-regulate their behavior. One focus of this strategy is reducing bullying by giving the aggressive child alternative ways to behave and teaching the more passive children to be more assertive so they do not become victims. We also worked on our projects and the daily journal entries to be added to the blog.
Day 8: Tuesday, March 5
Our original plan changed AGAIN -- this time because of illness and not weather. Litchfield Montessori School cancelled early this morning because the director and one of the lead teachers were out sick. Fortunately, we were able to return to Head Start. As we worked in the classroom, we were to be particularly attentive to conflicts in the class and report back how we or the teachers handled it. We found that in some instances the children were using Conscious Discipline-type behaviors to settle conflicts without adult guidance. We came back to school for lunch and then Ms. Lucarelli came in to talk to us. She worked with the Early Childhood Education Winterim for 7 years before retiring 2 years ago. She shared experiences that she remembers and reminded us about how important this winterim will be to our future if we want to work with children as a career.
Day 9: Wednesday, March 6
We went back to Head Start today -- this was the 5th day in the classroom for some of us. Because of illness, some have not had as many consistent days, but nevertheless it has been enough to give us a good feel for what it is like to work with preschool kids every day. Mr. Bartlett reminded us that Ms. Lucarelli stressed it takes patience and endurance to do work with young children -- she is right! It is also very rewarding. After relaxing at Panera for lunch, we went to Kids Play, a children’s museum in Torrington. Some favorites for all ages were the body-size bubble maker and the wind chute with balls and scarves. There’s also a maker space activity every Wednesday, and the educator talked to us about the importance of that area in promoting the curiosity and creativity of children. This museum is a fun outlet for the children of Torrington -- in fact, Hannah and Lauren even recognized a photo on the wall of one of the children in their classroom at Head Start.
Day 9: Thursday, March 7
We were in the Head Start classroom again today. We are doing more and more with the kids each day. We know the names of the kids in the classroom now and know what to expect from them. After lunch at school, we went over to Silly Sprout to choose books to give our classes as gifts. The manager, Sarah, helped us pick out the right books. Then, Nurse Ann from the Health Center came in to talk to the class about yoga for kids. She gave us yoga movements to use to energize children at the beginning of the day, others to calm children or maybe relieve anxiety, and other to focus children. She also brought mandalas for us to color -- a good way for both children and adults to get focused and calm.
Day 10: Friday, March 8
This was our last day at Head Start. Before we went to the school, we glued pictures of ourselves in the front of each book and wrote a message to the children. We are excited to give the books to the classes -- years from now, the books will be part of the reading nook collections. Ms. Lucarelli warned us that it might be hard to say good bye to the children -- in 2 short weeks they get really attached to us, and vice versa. When we returned to the classroom, we worked on our projects and blogs.
Day 11: Saturday, March 9
On our final day, we celebrated with doughnuts. Wet completed winterim evaluation forms (if we had not done it on Friday). To bring closure to the winterim, we shared our Google Slide presentations with the class.
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