Field Trip: Day Care Observations
Due Date: _________________________
Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________
Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________
A day care center provides an ideal setting to notice the difference a year or two can make in a child's life. This project is designed to demonstrate the differences in children at 2 years, 3 years, and 4 years of age.
Make an appointment:
Call to make an appointment to observe at a day care facility that has students 2, 3, and 4 years old. Be polite and courteous on the phone. It is also important to be honest that this observation is a class assignment. Observing for one full day or half-day would be the most valuable.
Observation:
Divide your time between the three age groups: 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, and 4-year-olds. Watch specifically for:
Write a Paper:
Write a paper giving your observations and your reactions. You should have in introduction that tell about the assignment and how you carried it out. The body of the paper should contain three sections that summarize your observations for each age group and a comparison section that points out the differences in the physical, social, psychological, and communicative abilities of the three groups. The conclusion should highlight the main findings of your observations.
The paper:
Due Date: _________________________
Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________
Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________
Using your text book and other sources on nutrition to determine what foods a child between the ages of 3 and 6 needs the most and what foods should be limited or eliminated.
Research:
First, research the dietary needs of a child between the ages of 3 and 6 years old. Look specifically for foods that should be served frequently and why a child needs the nutrients provided in those foods. Also consider foods that should be offer to a child in limited amounts or perhaps eliminated from children's diets and why those foods are less desirable.
Secondly, plan seven days of meals and snacks. Should young children eat three times a day or four times a day? Should young children be allowed or encouraged to snack? Make a very specific plan for seven full days of nutritious and healthy eating.
What do I turn in?
Due Date: _________________________
Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________
Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________
Although children in early childhood (3 to 6 years old) should be potty trained, enuresis, or bed-wetting, may still be a concern. There are treatments available for children who cannot seem to control their bladder during the night.
Research:
Find out how common enuresis among children of all ages and the affect of enuresis on children as they get older. Also investigate the various treatments or ways of dealing with the problem. You can consult books on parenting, journal and magazine articles, newspaper articles, and the internet for information.
The paper:
You would write a 4 to 6 page paper on the results of your research. The introduction should describe the frequency of the problem and the psychological effects of the problem for children. The body of the paper should describe various therapies, medicines, and/or devices designed to help the child gain control. The conclusion of the paper should summarize your findings and give suggestions to parents.
Specifics:
Survey: Theory of Mind Testing
Due Date: _________________________
Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________
Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________
The goal of this project is to understand the research in the area of theory of mind.
Research:
Locate a psychological research article on an area of study within the Theory of Mind literature called false beliefs. You can do this looking through a bound index called Psychological Abstracts or using the computerized version called PsychLit.
Summarize the Article:
Write a 3 - 4 page paper with the following headings: Introduction, Participants, Methodology, and Discussion. Under each heading summarize the main points from the article. In the Introduction give the main focus of the research. For the participants tell who was studied. Under Methodology tell exactly how the researchers measures the infants' preferences. For the Discussion section tell what the researchers found out from their experiment.
Your Testing:Your Testing:
Create a false belief scenario that is similar to the one in the article you picked. You can do this with a written narrative. What questions would you ask to find out if someone understands the concept of false beliefs?
Give your scenario to the following people: 1 male and 1 female under the age of 6, 1 male and 1 female between 6 and 10 years of age, 1 male and 1 female between the ages of 10 and 15, and 1 male and 1 female between the ages of 15 and 20. Report on your findings.
The paper:
Project: Language Development
Due Date: _________________________
Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________
Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________
Gather Data:
Use a cassette tape recorder to record 20 minutes of language from a child between the ages of 3 and 5 years old. It might help to play with the child during this time to get them to talk. Ask the primary caregiver to help with things that will get the child to talk.
Note: You may have to tape more than 20 minutes and just use the 20-minute segment that contains the most speech.
Analyze the Data:
Listen to the tape once and record each individual word the child uses to get a count of his or her overall vocabulary size. Listen to the tape again for any use of the following: plurals, past tense, overregularization, metaphors, grammar rules and violations, syntax rules and violations.
Write up Your Results:
Summarize the level of language development demonstrated by your participant. Use many pieces of evidence to support your conclusions.
The paper:
Review: Children's Books
Due Date: _________________________
Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________
Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________
Gather Data:
Visit your local library or bookstore to look at children'
s books written for children 3 - 6 years old. Pick out three books to analyze. If at all possible find three book on similar topics (such as sharing, going to school, learning to count, etc.).
Analyze the Data:
Answer the following questions for each of the three books:
Your paper should have an introduction discussing what children can learn about reading and about life while they are read stories. The body of the paper should describe the three stories using the first five questions listed above. The conclusion should include an evaluation of the stories (question six).
The paper:
Debate: Television Violence and Child Development
Due Date: _________________________
Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________
Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________
Your instructor will assign one of the positions to you, and perhaps assign a particular age group for you to focus on. Your research and your paper should cover both sides of the debate.
Research:
This topic continues to be controversial. As you research the effects of television violence on children try to separate facts and opinions. Look for controlled research studies. Try to determine whether someone'
s argument is based on opinion, correlational data, or experimental data. Also, when reading about an experiment, pay attention to the age of the children involved.
Write a Reaction Paper:
Write a 4-6 page paper on your findings. Your paper should include an introduction, a summary of the main points in the debate of the effects of television violence on child development, and a concluding summary paragraph.
The paper:
Meet with the other student(s) on your side of the argument Share your ideas and determine your strongest arguments. Decide who will give the presentation and make some notes.
Class Debate:
Each side will be given 5 minutes to present their side of the argument. Those arguing that television violence does not encourage children to be more aggressive will present their side first. There will be a 3 minute break after the two sides have presented their cases. During this 3 minute break the rest of the class will write individual a one page reaction papers describing their own position on the issue. The two groups will spend the 3 minutes outlining their rebuttal statements. Each group will have 3 minutes to give a rebuttal statement, with the those arguing television violence does not encourage aggression in children presenting first.
Class Vote:
When the debate has ended the class will vote on their position: Television violence (1) does foster an increase in aggressive behavior in children or (2) does not foster an increase in aggressive behavior in children.
Brochure: Child Abuse
Due Date: _________________________
Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________
Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________
The goal of this project is to produce a brochure that addresses child abuse in either your local area (home area) or in the area of your college or university.
Research:
Look for books, journal articles, magazine articles, newspaper articles, and community agencies that that can give you (1) general information on the types of child abuse, (2) the signs of abuse one should pay attention to, and (3) very specific information about the frequency of child abuse in your area. It will be important to get information that details the scope of the problem but also information that gives resources parents, relatives or neighbors can use when confronting child abuse.
Write a brochure:
Based on your research write a brochure which gives (1) general information on child abuse, (2) data showing the scope of the problem in your area, (3) warning signs of abuse, and (4) agencies (with addresses and phone numbers), hotlines, and other resources (both local and national) that can help in abuse situations.
What do I turn in?
Brochure: Fostering Altruism/Decreasing Aggression
Due Date: _________________________
Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________
Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________
Research:
Look for books, journal articles, magazine articles, and newspaper articles that discuss ways of fostering altruism and/or decreasing aggression in children. For this assignment the focus is on specific things parents can do to increase altruism and decrease aggression, as opposed to a more theoretical or research oriented approach.
Write a brochure:
Based on your research write a brochure that gives parents very concrete and specific suggestions on ways of increasing altruism and decreasing aggression in their children.
What do I turn in?
Due Date: _________________________
Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________
Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________
Preschool programs can vary depending on the achievement level of the students and the goals of the program. For example, some preschools are designed to help students prepare for first grade, some are for gifted and excelled students, and some programs may emphasize social or religious values. For this assignment you can observe at any type of preschool program.
Make an appointment:
Call to make an appointment to observe at a preschool. Be polite and courteous on the phone. It is also important to be honest that this observation is a class assignment. Observing for one full day or half-day would be the most valuable.
Observation:
Watch the children specifically for:
Write a Paper:
Write a paper giving your observations and your reactions. You should have in introduction that tell about the assignment and how you carried it out. The body of the paper should contain three sections that summarize your observations. The conclusion should highlight the main findings of your observations.
The paper:
Survey: Gender Stereotyping in Children's Television Programming
Due Date: _________________________
Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________
Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________
Watch two hours of children'
s television to determine the number of gender stereotyped events. It may be helpful to videotape the two hours so you can stop the film while writing.
Preparation:
Determine which two hours you will watch. Set up the videotape equipment and get paper and a pen. Before you watch the programs think about examples of gender stereotyping. If the characters are stereotyped what would they look like? If the characters play stereotyped roles what would they act like?
Watch the Programs:
Continually remind yourself to look for gender stereotypes. Sometimes we are so used to seeing such stereotypes that we might miss them. Keep a checklist of the incidents of gender stereotyping you notice.
Your Report:
Write a paper giving your observations and your reactions. You should have in introduction that tell about the assignment and how you carried it out. Your introduction should define gender stereotyping. The body of the paper should summarize your observations and give many examples. The conclusion should highlight the main findings of your observations and your reactions.
The paper:
Survey: Gender Stereotyping in Advertising for Children's Toys
Due Date: _________________________
Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________
Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________
For this assignment you will need to visit the toy section in a local department store or a toy store in your area. Try to pick a store that carries many types of toys for young children.
Survey:
As you walk through the toy section look closely at the packaging. Are there boys or girls or both on the packages? Are the children American? What ethnic groups are represented? If you compare the scene on the package to the toy which is being marketed, are gender stereotypes being encouraged?
Also, consider the task of buying a gender neutral toy. What can you find at the toy store that doesn'
t encourage gender stereotyping in young children.
Your Report:
Write a paper giving your observations and your reactions. You should have in introduction that tell about the assignment and how you carried it out. Your introduction should define gender stereotyping. The body of the paper should summarize your observations and give many examples. The conclusion should highlight the main findings of your observations, your reactions, and examples of gender neutral toys.
The paper: