CRJ 1 and 2

Well after some delay, I finally got into the Children's Center on campus and was able to observe. I stayed for a little over 2 hours, so I am counting that as last week and this week. I am just going to write one consecutive journal though since I just stayed for 2 hours straight.

Children's Center On Campus
Feb. 8, 2008
2:30-4:30 p.m.

Environment.
Two fish tanks, a computer, bookshelf, big windows but covered in blinds, everything had labels on it, the room was divided into two sections. there was cubbie holes for each child, There is a thing hanging from the ceiling, looks like a dead blowfish. (just the first room)

As I walked into the "blue room", that's what they call it, all the different rooms have different color names, I saw a woman reading a story to three young children. They were all 4. There was one boy sleeping on a cot thing with his shoes off. There was a little black girl, her name was Arielle , she was very interested in the book. Her face was so close to book. There was another little girl, she was a little dark skinned, not sure what race she was, her name was Melody. She had long hair and was sitting there listening to the story. Then Arielle grabbed another book and started reading it. I dont really think she knew what the words said but she tried. Another boy was sleeping in where the cubbies were. He was in a sleeping bag. Arielle is asking a lot of questions to the teacher (Jackie). They ask the teacher to read a 3rd book and you can tell she doesn't really want to. She says that this will be the last one. All of a sudden a boy runs into the room where Jackie is reading. He has one blue jeans and a red sweater. Then girl in a pink flowered dress and shiny black dress shoes, Clara, runs in the room. She is a holding a teddy bear, his name is hiccups. Her hair is messed up. Probably from the nap that she took. Another boy ran in. He had brown shoes on. After 3 minutes the three new kids ran out back to the other side. Jackie asks Melody to clean up her cot from her nap. She puts her blankets and pillows in a basket and then Jackie takes it and puts it above the cubbies. They each bring there own blankets and pillows for when they take a nap. After Jackie gets done reading the last book, Melody starts talking about how her mom can speak Turkish. Arielle walks over to the pencil sharpener and is twisting the sharpener, with no pencil in it. She starts to be goofy and says that clowns are going to come out of the pencil sharpener. Arielle then says that her mom can speak Spanish. I don't know if she really can or not or if she just said it to try to get on the same level as Melody. On the other side of the room there is two adults sitting at the table with a girl who is having a snack. The snack in crackers and orange juice.

Environment.
The second half of the room
There is a loft in the corner. Top, upstairs, has couches and on the bottom there is a play kitchen. There is a real kitchen with a sink and then a cabinet with plates, cups, napkins, and silverware. There is a wooden arch and when you walk through it there is wooden blocks and dinosaurs and all sorts of toys.

At another table there is another adult and 4 kids sitting at a table drawing. They seem very content. Melody is sitting at a craft table. She has put a silky scarf on her head. There is glue on her paper and she is making a collage. The table is covered in newspaper and she sees an ad for the nutcracker. So then she starts talking about a story. She says there was a giant and she was running away from it. The adults just start laughing. Arielle spills her crackers and the adults don't get mad. Ashley, one of the adults, just picks them up and tells Arielle not to eat them. A little boy doesn't want to color. So he begins to kneel on a chair and then he walks over to the paper cabinet and just looks at it. You can tell he is bored. On the wall there is spilt milk Art on the wall. My guess is that the kids put some sort of milk on one side and then they fold it over to squash it. Clara is spinning around and doing ballet moves. Michael is making a fort underneath this high counter. He is making it with a bunch of pillows. On one of the fish tanks there is a sign that says "Will the turtle". Clara takes one of the pillows. You can tell she doesn't want it. She just didn't want Michael to have it. I can tell she doesn't want it because all she does is hide it.

Workers.
There is a girl in a pin and green shirt, her name is Ashley. She seems like she really want to be there. She came up to me and asked why I was here and says that I should consider doing this as a job when i get higher in my studies. She is really interacting with the children. There is a girl in a pink shirt, Nicole, she seems very quiet. she is helpful but really isn't talking much. Jackie, is the main teacher and seems very nice. She is the one that was reading the books. Malcolm was the boy sleeping by the cubbies. he is sleeping and the adults are trying to get him up but he doesn't want to. the adults keep asking the kids what they want to do. The adults got sand baskets out, they put four one table. Fabiola is now there and seems to be having fun. It doesn't take much to keep her amused. Clara seems to be getting in trouble a lot. There is still one person in the arch toy room that is sleeping. Jackie asks if they want to do a collage because she got new stuff for it. Jackie then is explaining to be nice to everyone. She put ballet music on and Melody begins dancing. Clara keeps telling Arielle that she is dancing too fast. Clara just wants to be bossy. They all tell this little boy that he cant dance ballet because he is a boy. Ashley, the adult, tells them that's not true but he then doesn't want to. Melody begins talking about how she can do ballet and hip hop so Clara lashes back and says that she can do both those, and moderate. He keeps repeating it so everyone hears her. Fabiola's mom comes and is speaking a different language to Fabiola. Ashley the adult is reading a book to a boy and Arielle. Then out of no where a little Asian boys nose begins to bleed. Jackie takes him to the bathroom. Now that Melody isn't dancing Clara wants to. Fabiola's mom can't find her snowpants and Nicole, the adult, is having trouble understanding what she is saying. The adults then ask the children is they want to go to the gym. All the kids decide they want to go. There is cubbies outside the gym for the children to put there shoes in. The gym has blue and red squares on the floor. It is in a checkered pattern and is made out of soft foam. There is a two story fort in the corner made of wood. There is two cheese mats and a big square one. There is big balls. Ashley pulls out a container that has orange, pink, green scarfs. They are swinging them around and some of the kids are having them be tied on there bodies. Melody, Arielle, and Clara are pretending to be sisters and keep calling each other that. Michael is pulling a mat across the floor. He isnt struggling at all. Kenlee got an orange scarf tied around his head and some green ones around his arms. He thinks he is a ninja. Arielle's mom comes to get her and she doesnt seem very excited to leave with her. I want to know why. Melody is dancing around with the scarfs and looks to be having a blast. Ashley ties all green scarfs around a little boy named Malcolm. All the adults have hard name tags on. I want one! Kenlee has been misbehaving. So now the three adults are talking about what to do. They dont want him to just think his behavior is okay. Malcolm came p to me and called me teacher. He wanted me to help him take his shoes off. There is tape on the floor. One larger one and then a little smaller one inside. So it looks like a road in the middle of the tape. There is 5 kids on scooters and when they got them they automatically went in the circle. Some cliques I have noticed. Clara, Melody, and Arielle. Michael and Kenlee. Another adult lady, I didnt catch her name, young black woman, is leaning in the doorway. She isnt doing anything, not interacting with the kids or anything. A little bo in gray and Kenlee are wrestling. The get the boys to stop just as it is time to go. Another room is coming in, so they have to leave. When we walk back into the classroom the little boy who had the bloody nose was having a smack. he seemed to be upset he didnt get to go in the gym. Kenlee keeps asking to go on the computer and Jackie says not yet. Another adult walked in, a 20 something year old darker skinned girl. She came in and put her purse in eh closet i was instructed to but kept her coat on. So i think she might work here. At first she really didnt do anything just stood around. Melody asks me to put her smock on for her so she can play at the water table. Clara is at the snack table again. Noe Kenlee, Michael, and Melody and two others are at the water table. they begin arguing after about two minutes. The water is blue I am guessing form food coloring. it is a deep bucket about 6 feet long with a canopy over it. Michael keeps saying i'll tell teacher. Then he tells Kenlee he cant go to his birthday oarty. Melody leaves. Then 2 minutes later, everyone does. Zino is very quiet and Nicole is working with him at the sand table. At 3:40 Jackie yells last call for snack. The adults keep leaving to get the snack. I dont know where they are going. All the boys want to get on the computer so bad. the teacher doesnt want them to yet. Nicole and Ashley leave with Jackie. They take there coat and purses with them. There is a bulletin board right where you walk in. there is a calendar, schedule of daily activities, allergy alerts for each kids, and emergency info. There is a sign with rules on it. the usual. No kicking, hitting, spitting, dont touch other people. Zino is now at the table alone. He looks sad. Michael and Kenlee are arguing in the "toy room". Malcolm wants me to read him a book but i explain that i cant right now. Clara is carrying around a diaper bag and looking like she feels she is in power. Michael is threatening his birthday party invite again to kenlee. Clara's mom comes. Clara wont kiss her when she is trying. Mom is really interacting with the kids at the table. Michael is crying and yelling. Kenlee touched his dinosaur. Phones have rung throughout the whole time i was here. But no one ever gets them. Except for one time. They cant control Michael. He is freaking out. Clara's mom tells her something that gets her to finally want to leave. Michael sits at table with dark skinned, gray sweatshirt adult, and he calms down. Malcolm, Melody, and Zino are at the sand table barely speaking just playing. Gray boy is at water table alone just having fun. Lady tells Michael not to talk to Kenlee once he gets up. When each person has left, they dont say bye. Michael gets up and goes to the fort he started building earlier. Melody is saying my mom told me not to say darn it. Melody asks me again to put smock on. Is it convenience or me?? once its just Melody and Gray he is talking at the water table and having fun. Clara comes back, she forgot hiccup, her bear. Then they say bye. Gray asks me to hold the tube so that it doesnt fall off the funnel. malcolm and Melody come up to me and roll their tongues. I try but cant get it. jackie comes in and talks to Kenlee and Michael . She goes to Michael under the fort and brings over Kenlee. The lady in the coat i think i working but she is sick. She hen goes to the sand table. Melody finally asks what I am doing here. She acts like she doesnt get it. The asian kid and the gray kid are coloring and cutting. Kenlee comes after he is done talking. melody is playing with clay. The gray sweatshirt lady is playing too. A new lady come in and hangs a poster over the sink. Another new lady is talking to Jackie, I don't know about what though. the whole time i have been here not one child has looked at the clock. I know they cant understand it but my point is that they dont care. Adults are so obsessed with the time. but they just dont care. Michael and Zino are playing in the pillow fort together now.

Well that's my notes. I have a lot to think about now and where i want to take my studies next week.