Parents or Pop Culture?!?

1) Which messages do children listen to the most?
In my opinion children listen to the postive messages form their parents and TV the most. I think this because most children watch tv everyday. In the atricle it says that 77% of children go home and watch TV everyday. Also children are always with their parents, the article also says even though77% of children watch TV each day most of them look up to their parents. Now, some TV shows give off negative messages but i think most children will know not to listen to or do the negative thigs said on TV shows. Also parents always tell their kids about the dangers going on in the world. By telling them this information the child will not want to be involoved in anything negative.

2) Whom do children want to be like?
Like I said in number one most children would love to be like their parents. In the article 65% of children admire people they know. I would also be in that percent and so are most of my friends. If my mom tells me something i take it to heart. For example, my mom told me when i was little the dangers of drugs and alcohol and now i don't even want to touch a cigarette or alcohol.

3) Do their role models vary according to children's ethnicity and gender?
Role models do vary according to ethnicity and in gender. In the article it shows the difference of ethnicities and their role models. Many whites picked people they know. This seems true to me. For example all my role models are people I know. Also most African Americans pick people they know. This also seems true because african americans are always with there families and they always seem very close to one another. Latinos are in between known and unknown role models and most Asian Americans picked unknown role models. Also boys are most likely to pick men role models and girls will pick women role models. For example, four out of my six role models are women.

4) What role can educators play in teaching children about role models they may never have considered?
Educators play a very big role in teaching children about role models they may have never have considered. Educators such as teachers play a big role in teaching students about different role model because they are the ones who help children learn about interesting people. In the article is say that educators can talk about historical figures and authors. Also educators can expose children to interesting people of diiferent gender or race. Doing this will affirm children that their race and gender are worthy of representation . Also it helps children apreciate themselves and the diversity of others. Also coaches in middle and highschools should encourage girls to play sports and should encourage boys to appreciat girls who play sports. This will help girls appreciate themselves and it wil help boys appreciate a different gender other than themselves. As you can see their are many ways teachers/educators can do many things to teach children about role models they may never had considered. That is why Educators play an important role in teaching children about role models they may have never thought of before!

Constructive Use of Time

The most important way to spend your time when your in middle childhood years is with your family. So the most important asset to me would be Time at Home! This is the most important asset because if you spend a lot of time with your parents and siblings you will be a close family forever. For example, I always spent time with my family at home playing board games and most of the time just talking about things and I'm still close with them and i tell them everything going on in my life now. Also spending time at home can make you a better person. My mom and dad told me all the bad things about drugs and alcohol at a kind of young age and if I have questions about other things she is and was very open and honest. With her being open now I don't even want to touch drugs or alcohol. Also my parents always told me not to be a snobby person and now I never like to be mean to anyone. That is why i feel that the most important asset of middle childhood is time at home!!!

Skills for School Readiness- and Life

1) Summarize each part of the article in your own words.
Idependence: Toddlers start working independently and do not allow other children to work with them most of the time and also will start not asking for help from their parents. They also start taking responsibily for their own actions.
Compassion: Toddlers start learning how other people feel by putting themselves in other peoples shoe's. They only know how to express their own feelings.
Trust: Toddlers only know that they can trust the adults they know( relatives and friends parents) , they start to fell protection from them.
Creativity: Toddlers are very creative. They are always exploring things and places. Even the way they play is creative like the way they play house. they are creative because of their imagination.Also their creativity comes from the questions they ask others.
Self-control: Toddlers have little self-control. they haven't learn that they can't always get what they want. They haven't gotten to the age where they need to understand rules yet. They start to have respect for others and their things
Perseverance and Resilience: This is when toddlers start learning cause and effect. They start trying things over and over again until the accomplish the thing they are trying. For example, walking, and toddler is just now starting to walk without help and they are determined to get it right. They want to suceed no matter what it takes.
2) Explain how one of the activities that your group choose to share with the class supports all of the attitudes and behaviors from above.
One activities that supports all but one of the examples from above is house. Children have to be able to trust everyone they are playing with. They have to have self control because they can't change who they are in the game or snatch something they want when someone else is playing with it. Also they have to have creativity because with out it the game will be boring. They have to have compassion because if you don't like the game your playing you will never have any fun. The last thing you have to have when playing house is independence because if someone works by themselves like in a pet store owner and the others haven't made it to that store yet they will have to keep themselves occupied until the others make it to that store.

Mature Play

List three ways that mature play can be implemented in the classroom? What are the benefits of these?

three ways mature play can be implemented in the classroom are...

- having centers like; reading center, a center where they can play house, and a center where they can write or draw

- have the kids work in groups

- go on weekly field trips

The benefits of my examples are that in centers children and interact with others and since there is more than one center the children change roles throughout them. This makes the centers flexible. Children will start to have a longer attention span because they will have to wait until that centers time is over and start to develop impulse control. In the house center, kids need to have a lot of impulse control because if a kid is "washing" the dishes another kid can't just take one from him because he wants it. Also kids interact a lot because they can't just play house by themselves they need more people to play, this will cause the kids to start talking to each other and they might even become good friends. The kids will also They will also begin to master their literacy skills, like in the reading center they develop a wider vocabulary. In the reading center the kids can have many roles and can do many different things. The kids can either play school or read to each other. The benefits of this is that the kids will develop empathy because they will start to understand how a teacher feels.

When kids work in groups they are also interacting with others and they will also develop better language and social skills. Also they will need impulse control in this example because if they don't like what one kid says they will most likely yell at the person, but they start to learn that that is not ok at school. Also they will learn how to cooperate with others. The teacher most likely will pick the groups and if you don't like a person in your group that doesn't matter you must learn to cooperate with that person. another reason working in groups is mature play is they will learn new problem solving strategies because if another student knows another way to solve a problem and you find it to be easier you will start to use it.

The benefits of the last example is that kids will learn how real life people have different roles at there jobs. For example, a zoo keeper has to feed the animals, wash the animals, and clean their cages. and also the teacher can help the kids point out people in different scenarios. The benefits of going on a feild trip are the students will be curious to know more about the place you went. Also they will learn to develop concentration because if they don't and the teacher asks a question he/she will not know what she is talking about. Also they will have empathy for the people who work at the place they go. And will start to understand different places and professions.

Do you think maddie should play organized soccer?

Relate your reasons why to the notes on Mature Play!

I think maddie should play organized soccer especially if she wants toplay it.I think kids should start sports early because organized sports help you meet new people and even become friends with them and since you can see these people alot they will become your good friends. Even though this isn't technically mature play there are clearly defined rules and it does have a little bit of languange development. I think maddie will have a blast playing organized soccer.

Nature vs. Nurture

My belief about nature vs. Nurture is that both of them impact you greatly. I think you are born with two different thoughts. For example, your are born with the thoughts drugs are band and drugs are good. You need someone to tell you what to think about drugs. For example, your mom keeps telling you that drugs are bad and since you trust you mom you will now begin to say and know drugs are bad for you and you shouldn't do them. But also even if your mom keeps telling you drugs are bad and then your friend asks you to smoke it is up to YOU to make the decision, should i do it or not! Those are my beleifs about nature vs. nurture.


I think a prenatal child is impacted more by nurture, but a one year old is impacted by both nature and nuture equally. I think a prenatal child is impacted by nurture more because this is when if a mother smokes or drinks when she is pregnant then the child can be born addicted to nicatine and can do drugs when older. Also i think a one year old is impacted by both equally because it can be born with thoughts but by the way their parents act around the baby it can learn its personality or what its does for when it is older. that is why i think a prenatal child is impacted more by nurture but a one year old is impacted by both equally!


Nurture has impacted alot of my life. I have learned how i act and what to do from my mom and dad. Both my parents were very open with me at a young age. Anything I asked my parents they would give me the answer. For example, they told me that drugs are bad and i have seen how things like drugs can ruin a persons life. For example my old neighbor would do drugs out side and she looked and acted horrible. also they told me that cussing isn't cool and I don't cuss. as you can see nurture as a great impact on my life so it can have a impact on other people's life too. that is why i act the way i do.

Journal Entry #4

1. My reaction to Mr. Orsini's talk was shocked and interested because i learned so many new things about teaching kids with disablilties. i did not it took so long for a kid with disabilities to learn how to tie their shoes. that really suprised me.

2. yes i do have intrest in teaching children with learning disabilities i think it would be a great oppurtunity and career.

3. children with disabilities can learn everything we do, but they have to learn it at a very slow pace over and over again.

Developing High-Quality Family Invovlement Programs in Early Childhood Settings

1. Head Start is a national, federal funded, community-based program for chidren from families with low incames and their parents.

2.One of the most accurate predictors of achievement in school is the extent to which parents believe they can be key resources in their children's education and become involved at school and in the community.

3. An Early Childhood Program is a community of families , teachers, and neighborhood residents accepting mutual responsibility for sustaining enhancing relationships that promote children's success.

4.some road blocks to establishing parent involvement in Early Childhood Pragrams areteachers comcerns over the ability of parent s to maintain confidentiality to not knowing how effectively recruit, user, or supervise volunteers. Parent soften feel they do not have tome to volunteer or do not know what they can do to help. Teachers often feel they do not have time to prepare activities for volunteers.

5. Some ways to establish parent involvement are develop a short survey or meet with other staff to determine where, besides the classroom, parents can make contributions and in what ways.

6.Cultural differences can be promoted by asking parents to hep create signs that hang on each entrance of the schol and each classroom that says "Welcome" in all the languags spoken by families in the program.

7. The benifit of having a well-planned oreintationis that it eases anxiety and confusion, alleviate fears, and increases the chances of parents maintaining a long-term relationship with the program.

8. A good orentation should include volunteer job descriptions and expectations, how volunteers are supervised, and how volunteers should check in and record their hours.

9. Parents that can not come into the classroom can design and update the center's webpage, create a newsletter, design forms and stationary. other tasks a family might do at home include creating homemade learning games and toys for the classroom, reading and tape-recording stories or music, sewing costumes and uniforms for the dramatic play area, of making curtains for a puppet theater.

10. An exploration kit is a kit that contain videos, books, learning toys or games, and index cards with parent-child activity ideas that focus on a particular topic.