ZsofiKaretkaHawkenProjects2021

  Today, Friday, May 20th, we helped out with two preschool playgroups and one toddler playgroup. The safari theme activities were the same as the playgroups earlier this week because we had kids that had not done them yet. When the kids arrived, we started with taking pictures of siblings. Earlier in the week we noticed that the siblings that were in the same group together were listed under one name, so we fixed that issue by putting them under separate names for separate days in the attendance system. The preschool-age children were all between the ages of 3 and 5 but had different levels of basic developmental skills, for example, some were able to more confidently interact while others took more time to open up. This was interesting to observe. Through these playgroups, Arya and I have both learned a lot about how to approach helping the kids in their activities. We pick up on queues on when to intervene in their struggles or help them resolve disputes. When the preschool pl...

Wednesday was spent with a playgroup of 5 toddlers. The activities we did with them were similar to what we did with the preschool group on Monday, but there were apparent differences in how we approached certain activities and how successful they were.  We started off the day with the same sensory bin that the preschoolers has, the difference being how they interacted with it. The playgroup of toddlers we were with were born during the pandemic. While they were isolated from other kids and the general public, most of their developmental speaking, communication, and gross motor skills are quite underdeveloped. Sensory bin time with preschoolers was loud and busy while sensory time with the toddlers was fairly quiet- a few kids were able to name zoo animals or verbally express themselves. The toddlers were especially distracted by pretty much anything-they would run around and had trouble staying focused for long periods of time. I had to adjust how I interacted with them to encoura...

Today was our first set of playgroups where we worked more closely with kids. We were helping to facilitate a playgroup of 9 preschoolers. Arya and I spent the beginning of the playgroup going around and gathering pictures of kids that we could use for the attendance system. We would take the picture and upload them in an app that would help the playgroup facilitators avoid confusion when differentiating all the kids. While most kids were excited to smile for a picture, some took a bit more effort. We used different methods of drawing their attention to a point of interest at the camera to capture their attention in that instance.  Our first activity with the kids was a sensory bin that has been put together by our mentors. The sensory bin is meant to engage the children while helping them to learn through hands-on play. The Treehouse has weekly themes for the kids, this week was a zoo week. The sensory bin was filled with little toy animals and blocks for the kids to build their z...

My senior project involves spending time at The Inspired Treehouse. The Treehouse hosts playgroups for children of different age groups. Through playing, crafts, and movement based activities, children ages 2-10 can master various childhood development skills. I’ve always enjoyed spending time with kids, and I thought it would be interesting to get more involved in early childhood development for kids. At the Treehouse, Arya and I will be spending time observing and engaging with young play groups while we come up with specific ideas and activities for weekly themes. My junior year, I took the Entrepreneurship macro course and spent time involved in the work of small businesses. As I graduated that class, I looked to broaden my work to one-on-one with small businesses I have an interest in. The Inspired Treehouse was a great opportunity to test my skills in the real world as several of the tasks we will work on involve user experience, networking, and advertising. I look forward to see...