N4 Educare Didactics

Educare Didactics Downloaded from hlayiso.com N4

Module 1: Layout of the baby section (nursery) in both a home-based and day care centre INTRODUCTION Many of the requirements of the home- and centre-based baby rooms are similar but the following aspects should always be considered: • The different types of daily activities carried out; • The safety of furnishings and equipment; • Practicality and ease of working for staff; and • Comfortable and pleasant surroundings. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 1: Layout of the baby section (nursery) in both a home-based and day care centre (continued) GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR A BABY ROOM There are aspects to consider when building and designing a baby room: • The colours to influence the staff and babies’ behaviour and emotions; • Acoustics and the sound quality of a room; • Textures to stimulate babies’ feelings of touch; • Ventilation for free movement of air; • Temperature control; • Storage to keep equipment in itsfrom Downloaded own place. hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 1: Layout of the baby section (nursery) in both a home-based and day care centre (continued) THE LAYOUT OF THE BABY PLAYROOM (NURSERY) Each activity area requires a different floor space. Babies need: • Storage; • A place to sleep; • A place to eat; • A place to bath; and • A means of transportation. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 1: Layout of the baby section (nursery) in both a home-based and day care centre (continued) THE PHYSICAL LAYOUT OF A CENTRE-BASED BABY SECTION The physical layout of a centre-based baby section should take the following into consideration: • The needs of the baby; • The activities taking place in the activity areas; and • The needs of the staff. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 1: Layout of the baby section (nursery) in both a home-based and day care centre (continued) THE NEEDS OF THE BABY Babies have physical needs including fresh air, warmth, safety, exercise, rest and play. A baby needs enough space to be able to play, rest, eat, be washed and be changed in a bright airy centre. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 1: Layout of the baby section (nursery) in both a home-based and day care centre (continued) ACTIVITY AREAS Indoor play areas: The playroom should be bright and cheerful with plenty of natural light and fresh air. Routine areas: Rest and napping areas, toilet and washing up areas, and feeding and food preparation areas. Outdoor areas: Should be a place to encourage movement, stimulate the senses, offer a variety of challenging experiences, and be safe and convenient to use. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 1: Layout of the baby section (nursery) in both a home-based and day care centre (continued) THE NEEDS OF THE STAFF AND EDUCARER Staff and educarers require: • A pleasant, comfortable place to work, with lockers for keeping personal possessions safe. • An area to sit and relax in. This may be a staffroom or a few comfortable chairs placed so that staff can keep an eye on sleeping babies. This can also be use as a place to spend individual time with the babies. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 2: Educational play and toys TERMINOLOGY • A toy is any object that is safe to play with and that interests the child. • Educational play is play that develops knowledge and abilities. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 2: Educational play and toys (continued) REQUIREMENTS FOR TOYS The following requirements are important considerations when selecting toys: • Quality; • Attractiveness; • Safety; • Space; and • The child’s developmental level; • Comparative prices. • The child’s age; Downloaded from hlayiso.com • Versatile and adaptable; www.futuremanagers.com

Module 2: Educational play and toys (continued) SUITABLE TOYS Different toys cater to different children’s age groups. Examples of these are: • 0-to-1-year-olds: Brightly coloured mobiles, toy telephones, teething rings; • 1-to-2-year-olds: Push/pull toys, play dough, toy vehicles; • 2-to-3-year-olds: Pull-along toys, stacking toys, washable dolls; • 3-to-4-year-olds: Wagons, beanbags, swings and slides; • 4-to-6-year-olds: Train sets, climbing equipment, farm and town sets. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 2: Educational play and toys (continued) HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN TOYS You can save a lot of money by making your own toys. These can be: • Blocks; • Musical instruments; • Puppets; • Mobiles; • Sot toys; and • Containers toDownloaded be used in fantasy from play. hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 2: Educational play and toys (continued) HOW TO SELECT TOYS FOR HOME-BASED AND CENTRE-BASED DAY- CARE • Focus on simple toys such as blocks, rattles and puzzles. • Emphasise safety. • Target the children’s interests. • Buy or collect open ended toys that are applicable for children of different ages and stages, such as balls and beanbags. • Home-made toys can work just as Downloaded well ashlayiso.com from bought toys. www.futuremanagers.com

Module 2: Educational play and toys (continued) FACTORS INFLUENCING PLAY • The child’s developmental level; • The number of children in the family; • Opportunities to play with other children; • The interest of the child; • The health of the child; • The environment; and • The parents/guardians Downloadedof the child. from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 2: Educational play and toys (continued) WAYS OF PLAYING • Exploratory play: Children explore to discover how things work; • Mastering skills: Children practice certain actions until they develop skill and proficiency in them; • Construction play: Children use certain toys and activities to express their feelings and conceptions of the environment; and • Fantasy play: Children imitate as a way to express their feelings. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 2: Educational play and toys (continued) STAGES OF PLAY • Solitary (younger than 2); • Parallel (2-4 years); and • Social play (4 years and older). Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 2: Educational play and toys (continued) PARENT INVOLVEMENT Parents are involved in the following ways: • Parent’s meetings; • Videos; • Displays; • Photographs; • Posters; • Observation; and • Article; • Reports. • Talks at arrival and departure; • Workshops; Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 2: Educational play and toys (continued) PHYSICALLY ACTIVE PLAY Physically active play includes all forms of play that encourage babies to use and exercise their muscles; such as through play that encourages babies to sit, crawl, stand, walk, run and climb. Some activities could be see-saws, roll- overs, play ball, jumping, leg-kicks and reaching games. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 2: Educational play and toys (continued) MANIPULATIVE PLAY Manipulative play is play in which the main emphasis is on giving babies toys and objects to play and explore with their mouths, fingers, hands and bodies, so that they can develop, strengthen and use these muscles. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 2: Educational play and toys (continued) MESSY PLAY Messy play includes scribbling, painting, tearing, dough-kneading, mud, water play and pasting. Messy play is also called creative activities, which provides babies with good opportunities to develop in all ways. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 2: Educational play and toys (continued) FANTASY PLAY Fantasy play is also called make-believe play. It is a spontaneous form of play and takes place without orders or directions as the child tries to experience life of an adult, for example preparing meals. Fantasy play can happen anywhere and at any time, indoors or outdoors. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 2: Educational play and toys (continued) MUSIC Music is defined as ‘the art of combining sounds with a view to beauty of form and expression of emotion’. Babies like listening to music as they enjoy singing and playing with noisemakers. Through music, they develop physically, socially, emotionally and mentally. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 2: Educational play and toys (continued) LANGUAGE The value of language is in the development of intellectual, social, emotional and physical areas. Language development should take place all day in spontaneous situations. Language activities should take place in group situations and in individual periods with the educarer. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 2: Educational play and toys (continued) DISCOVERY ACTIVITIES Discovery means finding out and learning about things. Babies learn and discover mainly through their own actions: touching, tasting, smelling, feeling, listening to and experimenting with objects. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 2: Educational play and toys (continued) PROBLEM-SOLVING ACTIVITIES Problem-solving activities are activities that pose a problem to the child and that the child must solve. When we give babies simple problems to solve, we are exercising their thinking skills and helping them develops mentally. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 3: Written planning INTRODUCTION Planning, doing and then reviewing make a difference to how effective children are in their activities. It is necessary that, when the carer is planning for a day, week or any period, the planning is recorded in writing in a designated planning book. ‘If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.’ Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 3: Written planning (continued) THE VALUE AND IMPORTANCE OF WRITTEN PLANNING • It encourages the carer to carefully consider the presentation of activities. • The person who will replace the educarer can immediately see what work/activities have been done and what is planned to do next. • It gives continuity to the work. • Keeping a clear record of planning makes future planning easier. • It assists in reports to the principal, committee or parents. • She can plan Downloaded in advance what material fromorhlayiso.com aids she will need. www.futuremanagers.com

Module 3: Written planning (continued) GENERAL CRITERIA FOR WRITTEN PLANNING • Use a black or blue pen. • Write neatly and clearly. • Fill in all necessary information, for example duration, age, aids and aims. • Only write down key words, for example ‘painting’ instead of ‘children must paint’. • File it in an easily accessible book or file for future use. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 4: Observation (birth to 18 months) INTRODUCTION Observation is the gathering of information about the child’s abilities, strengths and weaknesses by attentively watching the child in order to gather information using informal interviews, direct observation, listening how the child communicates with others and the child’s reactions to situations. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 4: Observation (birth to 18 months) (continued) THE VALUE OF OBSERVATION • Parents and carers learn about the child’s weaknesses and strengths. • A programme that suits the needs of the individual can be prepared. • It can be determined whether the child is developing according to the normal developmental stages of his age group. • When a child is referred for special help, the observation done by the educarer on a regular basis can provide the specialist with valuable information. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 4: Observation (birth to 18 months) (continued) METHOD OF OBSERVATION The child must be observed throughout each day to enable the educarer to really know the child with all his capabilities and limitations. Methods of observation are: • Narrative description; • Diary records; • Time sampling; • Checklists; and • Event sampling; • Rating scales. Downloaded from hlayiso.com • Anecdotal records; www.futuremanagers.com

Module 4: Observation (birth to 18 months) (continued) RECORD KEEPING • Attendance register: Complete the register daily. Frequent absentees can be easily traced. • Diary: Keep a record of events that happen during the day. • Daily reports: Keep a notebook at hand to write down important observations. • Checklists: A checklist is important to ensure you record feedings, nappy changes etc. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 4: Observation (birth to 18 months) (continued) DIFFERENT REPORTS • Monthly observation report: This report is confidential. Records are kept daily and this report helps the educarer to write a progress report. • Progress report for babies: This is a summary of the daily observations. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 4: Observation (birth to 18 months) (continued) DISCUSSING PROGRESS WITH PARENTS When discussing the child’s progress with the parents: • Choose a time that will suit the parents. • Avoid using jargon. • Be honest, but bear the parents feelings in mind. • Be professional. • Allow parents to express their feelings. • Be positive and give advice whenfrom Downloaded and where necessary. hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 5: Directed activities (Expressive Studies: Art) THE PRESENTATION OF CREATIVE ACTIVITIES An educarer who is not an artist can still be most creative. She can create an environment that encourages freedom of expression. Planning is an important first step in developing successful art activities for different age groups. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 5: Directed activities (Expressive Studies: Art) (continued) DRAWING Drawing with some or other medium is probably the first form of expression for the young child. It can be presented as a main or sub-activity, depending on the weekly planning. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 5: Directed activities (Expressive Studies: Art) (continued) PAINTING When it comes to painting, the child is more emotionally involved and more aware of colour. Young children like to experiment with colour and form, making designs, and later simple pictures. Young children will also paint one colour on top of another and enjoy the effect and they enjoy the movement involved in painting. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 5: Directed activities (Expressive Studies: Art) (continued) MODELLING Modelling is important for several reasons such as: • It improves the control of the small muscles in the hands and fingers. • The direct contact with clay and its success-spelling qualities provide the child with a release for negative feelings. • New concepts are formed. • The child is introduced to a three-dimensional medium. • Eye-to-hand co-ordination Downloaded is promoted. from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 5: Directed activities (Expressive Studies: Art) (continued) CUTTING/TEARING AND STICKING One should not give a child something to cut if he does not know how to cut, or does not have the physical ability to carry out such a movement. However, this activity is beneficial as it allows for the child to explore and experiment with form, line, texture and colour. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 5: Directed activities (Expressive Studies: Art) (continued) WOODWORK AND WEAVING Woodwork: Material is inflexible and offers resistance as force and physical exertion is required to master it. Children have a wide variety of experiences and learn a lot as they work with wood. Weaving: is the process by which fibres, yarn, string, thread and even paper strips, are interlaced. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 5: Directed activities (Expressive Studies: Art) (continued) BOX CONSTRUCTION Box construction activities are very closely related to the cutting, pasting and collage activities. On completion, it can hang from the ceiling, stand on the floor or hang from a wall. Constructions should be combined in such a way that it doesn’t break easily. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com

Module 5: Directed activities (Expressive Studies: Art) (continued) BAKING AND MAKING Baking is an activity that links closely to the measure of experience of the young child. It is important as the child learns about the different types of cooking utensils and how they are used. The child also learns about nutritious foods and good eating habits while baking. Downloaded from hlayiso.com www.futuremanagers.com