December 3
My main focus coming in today was to get to know the children and educators in the desert room. I started off by introducing myself to every child that came in, learning their names, and writing them down. I then moved around the room to watch and play with the children, using their names when I talked to them. I began to memorize everyones names very quickly. I started to learn more about some of the children, such as their interests in reptiles, cars, and princesses.
While the children were outside, I learned very quickly that they enjoy imaginary play. A large group of children were playing ‘kitties’ for the majority of the time outside. Another group was pretending to be different animals ‘scaring’ their friends by loudly making animal noises. And another group was playing family.
Watching and listening to the children’s play turned out to be useful to me in one situation. I noticed that a group of 4 children were all pulling on one chair, so I walked over to them. One child told me “I had it first!”. Since I knew that this group was playing family and the child that supposedly had the chair first was the ‘baby’ I said “Babies cant stand up by themselves, so can she sit on the chair?” After I said this, the other children had no problem letting go of the chair. Because I already knew what they were playing and which child was in what role, I was able to change the narrative and diffuse the conflict easily.
One thing that really stood out to me today was a conversation I was having with two children at lunch time. The children were joking around saying “I love you” and “I don’t love you” to me. Then, one child said to me “I don’t like teachers cause they boss us”. The BC ELF positions educators as collaborators and co-creators with children. If we were to live this philosophy, then children shouldn’t feel that we are just there to boss them around. As a future educator, I want children to know that I am there to live and learn with them, not tell them what to do. I wonder how I can bring this vision into my practicums with me after having built a solid relationship with the children?
December 4
Today, I focused on building relationships with children I hadn’t interacted with much yesterday. By observing their play, I discovered some loved imaginary play, building blocks, and playing with cars. A few invited me into their activities, and I also assisted with problem-solving during their play.
There was one child that was very upset outside, and I tried my best to comfort him. He held my hand until we got inside and then sat with me while we were listening to stories. He then asked me if I could sit with him at nap time. I was glad to offer reassurance and become a safe person for him, especially since we hadn’t interacted much the day before.
The highlight of my day was watching and taking part in a drum circle with Sarah. We sung and drummed to three different indigenous songs. The children love the coyote song and are always howling like coyotes, so it was great to see and hear them singing the song with the drums. It was also very interesting to see that every time Sarah lifted her drumstick in the air, the children did the same and stopped making noise. I’ve witnessed the children ‘not listening’ to the educators a few times now, but it was interesting to see that when they were engaged and having fun they had no problem listening to Sarah and staying quiet when she was speaking.
December 5 & 6
While we were outside this morning, a few children invited me up onto the hill to their “fire”. They then asked me if I could help them gather materials such as wood, leaves, pinecones and newspaper. In the duration of being outside and playing this game, 3 other children from different rooms joined in with us. This is something I would love to revisit with these children. Later, when me and a child were playing with magna-tiles after nap time, we were building structures with many different pockets. We then came up with a game where one of us closed our eyes while the other hid a toy in one of the pockets, then we had to guess which one it was in. Although the game was pretty repetitive and not very challenging, we ended up playing it for around 20 minutes. Something I have noticed with these children is they do not get ‘bored’ easily, and they will keep coming back to the same games. And even though I was not very excited with the game after a while, the child still wanted to keep playing so we did until she wanted to move on.
I have come to learn that the children in the desert room love to build with the magna-tiles. And there are a few children that like to knock structures over, sometimes without asking. I noticed that when children’s structures fell over or were knocked down, they rebuilt them without getting upset. I have loved seeing their resilience and problem-solving skills.
I’ve also started picking up on patterns in children’s behaviours, such as who tends to play together and how I can intervene in recurring conflicts. These observations are helping me address challenges before they escalate.
December 6 & 9
The children are beginning to trust me more and come to me for help, which feels rewarding. I’m also beginning to feel more comfortable stepping into conflicts to mediate when necessary. And knowing the daily routines now allows me to focus on being fully present with the children.
Today we took a walk along the Rivers Trail, where we spotted deer, geese, ducks, and seagulls. This started conversations about the animals and their habitats, deepening my connection with the children through shared curiosity.
I’m also having more meaningful conversations with the children as our relationships grow.
December 10 & 11
While sitting and reading a book to a few children, I noticed others gradually joined us, forming a large group. I’ve learned that children love reading the same books repeatedly, which seems to provide comfort and familiarity. Every time I would finish reading a book, they would say “again!” and flip the book back to the front for me to start it over again.
We had another drumming circle with Sarah, this time outside. The children remain captivated by the coyote song and are eager to participate. It was awesome to see many children from each room joining together to drum and sing with Sarah and the other educators.
Starting to build a relationship a child with Down syndrome in the room was another highlight. For the first few days, I chose to introduce myself then sit back, observe, and get to know how he communicates. And now that I feel more comfortable and he is more familiar with me, we have started to communicate and play together. I use words to talk to him and he uses sign language or his tablet to talk to me. Today we played a game where we knocked down a tower of yogurt containers then picked it back up gain before knocking it down, and his excitement was heartwarming.
The children are also starting to invite me into their imaginary play, such as pretending I’m their “mom” and they’re my “kitties.” I feel I’ve developed solid foundational relationships with all the children, including the more reserved ones, who are now opening up to me more.
December 16
For my last day, I focused on being present and in the moment with the children. I made sure to play with and talk to every child, and let them know it would be my last day seeing them for a little bit. I am eager to go back in March and see how much they’ve changed, grown, and stayed the same.
I feel that I was successful in building relationships with the children and staff in the desert room. By the end of the 8 days, I feel confident in knowing the children, the flow of the day, staff duties, and how I can assist the room.