The children and the community

My centre offers the children many opportunities to go out to the community to develop their knowledge about it. This year, they have been to Otara library, Otara shopping centre, Auckland museum, Botanic Gardens, Clarks Beach, Mangere Mountain, Totara Park, One Tree Hill, the zoo and a farm. Last Monday, seven preschool children and two teachers went to Otara library to return some story books.

On the way to the library, we talked about and named numbers and letters on signs and mail boxes. The children had strong confidence to recognize these numbers and letters. Once they found some numbers or letters, they would call them to their friends and see who could say the numbers or letters first. Listen to M: “Look at that number on the mailbox. It’s thir…ty….fi..ve. Am I correct, Virginia?” I replied: “You’re absolutely right. Well done, M.” There was a big smile on M’s face. As Talay-Ongan and Ap (2005) argued, young children’s numeracy skills will be promoted in an authentic learning contexts.

When we looked at the houses along the footpath, some children found some houses with a chimney on the roof and some had none. Then we started to discuss what a chimney is for and why some houses have no chimney. Stonehouse and Gonzalez Mena (2004) emphasized that a sensitive and responsive teacher knows to spontaneously respond to children’s expressed interest to extend their learning. The children shared their knowledge about chimneys enthusiastically. “My house has a chimney”. “My house has a chimney too”. “My house has no chimney”. “We have no chimney at my house but we have a heater”. “My house has a fireplace and a chimney is above it. Daddy lights up firewood when it is cold”… At last they came to a conclusion: a chimney is for the fireplace smoke to go out of the house when we light up wood in the fireplace during winter. The children also figured out how the houses with no chimney or fireplace get heated: S said: “My house has no chimney cos we use an electric blanket”. D said: “We use a heater to heat the house. We don’t need a chimney”.

When we walked up to a pedestrian crossing, I asked the children what we needed to do if we wanted to cross a road. This question sparked a conversation. When T said loudly: “We need to push the button first”. He was echoed by many “yes”. Then T was selected to push the pedestrian button. When we waited for the green light, we waved to the passing car drivers and most of them noticed us and waved back or honked their car horns.

At the library, the children took turns to put the books into the slot and then searched for other books that interested them on the shelves. They were reminded to talk in a quiet voice. After a while, H forgot the library rule and started to talk and laugh loudly with another child. When I was going to interrupt, D turned around and told H in a hushed voice: “Stop it. No shouting in the library. Keep quite.” What a wonderful peer learning here!

On the way back to the centre, we went to a two-dollar shop for some craft paper and we passed a road construction site where the roadmen were repairing the road. S commented on the bad road conditions which made his friends understand the significance of road repairing. He said: “I was bumped up in my seat yesterday when daddy was driving the car because the road was too bumpy.” One and a half hours later we got back to our centre.

The children really benefited a lot from the trip around the community. This trip to Otara library not only offered the children many learning opportunities but also increases their knowledge about our local community. As Ross (2006) claimed, the local community and family is the elementary level in social studies. When the children observed community members participate in daily events, they were learning about the processes, concepts and practices that are valued within their community (Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett, and Farmer, 2007). In addition, Bronfenbrenner (2005) states that the immediate environment, such as a child’s family, his daycare centre and the community, shape children’s learning and has a powerful influence on the child’s well-being. This trip helped build positive connections between the children and the community which increased the children’s social studies, community knowledge and a sense of belonging to the community. The children also developed a sense of civic and social responsibility (Ross, 2006).

I am glad to see the children display their responsibility and competence as junior citizens when participating in community life. They were capable to question, discuss and express their understanding. It’s awesome to see they learned with and alongside their peers. Next, as the lovely summer is around the corner, what about a trip around the neighbor hoodto see what is changing?


References:

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S., & (2007). Programming and planning in early childhood settings (4th ed.). Melbourne, Australia: Harcourt Brace.

Bronfenbrenner, U. (2005). Making human beings human: bioecological perspectives on human development. Thousand Oaks, C.A.: SAGE.

Ross, E. (2006). The social studies curriculum: purposes, problems, and possibilities. New York: SUNY Press.

Stonehouse, A., & Gonzalez Mena, J. (2004). Making Links: A Collaborative Approach to Planning and Practices in Early Childhood. Castle Hill, New South Wales: Pademelon Press.

Talay-Ongan, A., & Ap, E. A. (Eds.). (2005). Child development and teaching young children.Southbank, Victoria: Thompson Social Science Press.