Brittany Rubado- LaVare

Observation Paper

On October 29th, 2014 at 10 am to 12 pm, I did my early childhood observation at St.

Regis Mohawk Head start in Akwesasne New York. The building consist of many daycare and
head start classrooms along with staff and administrator rooms too. I did my observation with
Delinda Holmers head start classroom. With Delinda Holmer being the lead teacher, she also
had two assistant teachers along with her. She had a total of 15 students in her classroom
between the ages of three-years-old and up.
The set-up of the classroom was very open, had white walls which the color white is
associated with light, goodness, safety, cleanliness, and is considered to be the color of
perfection. The classroom made me feel safe and everyone made me feel very welcomed too. I
enjoyed being in the classroom and I would really like to go back. Everyone in the classroom
was so nice, they all had smiles, full of laughs and giggles, and it just made me happy to be
there. The classroom set-up was very organized and things were categorized and labeled as
well. I like a classroom that is very organized with their things and that plan things accordingly.
My overall expression of the learning environment and learning centers, I thought was
informal and very orderly. The learning environment for the children is very safe and inviting as
well. I think every child that goes into a classroom should feel safe and comfortable. Its very
important for them to get that sense of feel when being there. The learning centers were very
accessible for the children to be able to have access to all of the centers. All of the centers were
located at a range with the children so they could have easy excess to them. The classroom had

many learning centers. They had a block center, writing center, music center, a manipulative
play center and a center for table top games.
The block center contained wooden blocks, colorful blocks, and soft blocks. The blocks
were all different sizes and shapes. Also along with the block center, they had a wooden train
set for the children to play with as well. Block center is a very important part to a classroom
because children are able to build with them, learn many new math concepts with using size,
shape, number, and quantity. The block center also lets children create, learn, and plan things
because this center is very appealing to children. This center gives children a strong intelligence
with their visual and spacial surroundings, logic and math skills, and body and kinesthetic areas
too. So that is why every classroom should have a block center but it also varies from ages and
depending on the program.
The writing center contained materials like crayons, pencils, markers, glue sticks,
scissors, paper, letters, and numbers for them to trace. The writing center was small but very
accessible to the children. A writing center is good to have for young children because theyre
able to learn new letters, learn how to spell with them, and learn how to trace letters as well.
Learning new letters and creating words with them lets the children think cognitively and
developmentally. When children write they should feel good because they can express
themselves in ways that they never even seen. Writing centers for young children are very
important because it gives them a sense of direction.
The music center had many musical items. It had many instruments from a morocca to a
tambourine and also had many CDs too. Music is a good center to have in a classroom for

young children because it lets them be free and expressive. Feeling free and expressive is
especially good for young children because it allows you and others students see how they
interact with things and others. Music allows children to dance, laugh, and sing and when I see
children doing those things with music, its a joy to see. Hearing them laugh and giggle makes
me happy person. A music center also lets you truly see how a child is when music is on and
playing. A music center overall is fun got young children and Id recommend every classroom to
have one for their children.
The classroom I observed in also had table top games. They didnt necessarily label it as
a center but they had it labeled. They had multiple games from board games to simple games.
Having games in your classroom lets the children interact with each other as well as letting
them be socially with each other too. Interaction is when I child does a certain action as being
socially is when they communicate with others. Table top games are another way for children
to get along with each other and lets them help each other out too. Children can also think
cognitively and developmentally when playing these games as well.
They also had a manipulative play center for the children. It contained many different
activities for them to do. When I was observing a few of the children brought a bucket full of
large beads and shoes strings and started to put the beads onto the string. As I was watching
them, they were amazed at what they created with the beads. Having the beads be different
colors and sizes is also great too. Manipulative play is defined for children to use their fine
motor skills as well as their cognitive skills too. When children use their fine motor skills theyre
using their hands and fingers to do things. When they use their cognitive skills it lets them think
of what to do next or what is next. Manipulative play is important for children because it lets

the children take control of whatever it is that theyre doing and become successful while doing
it. Manipulative play is another way for you to do many activities with them so thats why its
important to have.
The classroom didnt necessarily have a reading center labeled but they had books and books
are great to have for children. I only seen that they had one shelf full of books and they were all
fall themed- books. I think that they do have other books but my guess is that they takes books
out by themes. Books are an important essential for young children to have because it lets
them learn new words, repeat new words, and lets them say new words too. They can also see
the pictures and how they are illustrated and made and lets them see the many colors that are
used on the pages. When you read a book to children you can ask them questions based on the
book and ask them what in the book relates to them. You can do many activities with children
after or before reading a book to them.
There was many things that I liked in the classroom. I really loved how a lot of their
things were home made by them. Another thing I really loved was the quote they had on the
wall, Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.-Pablo
Picasso. This quotes really stood out to me because its true, once you grow up some people
have no intentions to still do art. Art is very important for children because they can express
themselves in so many ways. They can be free and feel when creating whatever it is that theyre
doing. Art is one thing children should have a passion for whether theyre a boy or a girl.
Another thing I liked is over by their rug area they had a calendar, ABCs, shapes, seasons,
numbers, and birthday charts on the wall. Having a calendar is important because it lets the
children know what day it is and the day before and after. Also with the calendar theyre able to

know that date of a day and how many days there is in a week and weekends and lets them
know how many days there are in that particular month. They also had a chart for the children
that were absent and along with that they had a chart for the children that rode a bus or for
those who got picked up. They glued a childs picture to a clothes pin and then put the clothes
pin the place where it needed to go depending on if the child was there or not. They also had
posters on choking and a CPR one next to it to show you what to do if that ever happened. The
classroom had a fire alarm and next to it they had escape plans and they had a first aid kit too.
They also had red tape in the middle of the room for the children to line-up on it for when they
go outside, which I thought was pretty neat.
Through my whole observation I learned and gained that you dont have to have highquality things to make a classroom fall together. I also think that having a classroom full of
people you didnt know and eventually grow onto them is what makes a classroom because
having people that were once a stranger to you now be someone that you love and care about
it truly amazing to have that. Its phenomenal to grow close to someone that was once a
stranger to you. One thing I do know is that I really wasnt too fond to do an observation. I felt
like an observation wasnt long enough and it was boring. I wanted to actually be able to go
there longer than one day and be able to have more interaction with the children than what
little interaction I did have with them. But overall my observation went great.
The learning centers I thought were little, I think that they should have been bigger for
the children. But I also had to take into consideration the size of the room and the things they
had in it. If I could I would make the classroom bigger for everything that was in it and also add

more centers to the classroom as well. The centers they had were great but with the children
could do so much more too.
If I were the teacher in the classroom and had to work with what I had in and with the
children I had along with the assistant teachers, Id feel very happy and content. I know being
the lead teacher of a classroom can sometimes be overwhelming for you but I also know that
youre going to do what it takes to satisfy your needs and everyone elses in the classroom. As a
child Id feel excited and very happy because for one you get to meet new people and you can
play or do many activities that are within the classroom. I know that sometimes being a child
can be hard sometimes but you just have to help them look past the negative things and onto
the positive things so they can succeed. And for being a parent Id hope that I could trust the
classroom that I send my child to is going to be safe, comfortable, and happy. Id also want to
know that my child is learning and following along with what is being taught to him/her.
The philosophy of my program was Head Start. It basically gives children a head start
prior to school. Head Start was established in 1965 with it meeting the needs of disadvantage
children and families. It also met the needs of children health and well-being too. John
Comenius was a historian that believed education should follow natural order and that children
learn best hands on. Plus he also wrote the first picture book which is great for young children
because now they can actually see pictures instead of just words. I believe that children learn
best hands on because I can relate because I do too.
The development of the whole child consist of cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and
language. Cognitive development gives you the abilities to think, so when the children were

sitting on the rug, the teacher was pointing to the numbers on the calendar, they had to think
of what number that was next and shout it to the teacher. Physical development is where you
move your whole body or parts of your body. So when I went outside with them, many children
were running around, using their hands and feet to climb the rock wall or stairs. Some were
kicking balls, balancing on logs, and playing tag and tumbling with each other too. Social
development is when you communicate with others to build a conversation up or just a quick
chat. Many of the children were talking to each other when they were all playing inside before
they went outside and they were also talking to each other outside too. Emotional
development is when a child is feeling sad, happy, mad, etc. This little girl in the classroom I was
observing was running around outside, she got tired out and hot. She then went to the teacher
and told the teacher that she was sweaty and wanted to take her coat and hat off. The teacher
told her no because it was cold and windy out so sat on the ground and started to cry just about
till they went back inside. The teacher told her that shes going to have to have her mom send
her with a lighter jacket so she wont be so sweaty the next time they go outside. Language
development is used when the child hears or sees words. So when everyone was outside one of
teachers was under this gazebo they had and she was singing songs and playing hop scotch with
them. The children sang along with her and laughed and smiled too.
When I got to my observation the children were all sitting on the rug in a circle and the
teacher was joined in with them. She then brought out two pumpkins in the middle of the rug
and had the children name what that item was. Then she had them feel the pumpkin and had
them tell her if it was soft, smooth, hard, or rough. She had a big pumpkin and a little pumpkin
and she passed the little one around to have the children feel the weight of it. So the kids were

passing it around and then a little boy was passing it to the little girl next to him and her fingers
accidentally got caught underneath it. So she started and crying the teacher told her to get up
and go over to her. The teacher then asked her what happened and asked her if she was okay.
The teacher hugged and nurtured her too and then everything was all better for her. I think
when you have that sense of caringness and lovingness to a child they feel much safer and
better afterwards. Its almost like being a second mother to all the children in your classroom.
Being kind, nice, loving, and caring are all good qualities to have when being a teacher. The
children will feel much safer and happier within the classroom and with the people in the
classroom as well.
Over all my whole observation was great but I wish that it was longer. The observation
was a good experience for me and for anyone that is interested in the early childhood major. I
think that if the observation was longer than a day I could have gotten more out of it. I wanted to
actually be able to interact with the children and the teachers as well. But I am looking forward
to the upcoming semester when I can actually intern in a classroom and be interacted with the
children and the teachers too.