My Connections to Play

Play is our brain's favorite way of learning.

Diane Ackerman
Contemporary American author

Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.

Fred Rogers
American television personality
1928–2003

Include two to three pictures of essential play items for your younger self.

Describe how people supported play when you were younger and/or the role of play in your childhood.

The people who supported play when I was young my baby sitter Ms. Linda. She gave me all types of toys to play with and not only did she do that she played with me also. 

Write a brief entry on how you feel play today is similar or different from the play in which you engaged as a child and what your hope for young is now with regard to play.

Play today is different to me because children have more to play with and there are more day cares available which allows for children to go out and play in a yard with others instead of inside because at the time it was more home day cares. 

Relationship Reflection

Explain why relationships/partnerships are important to you (If you would like, upload a photo or photos of people* who are important to you)

Relationships are important to me because it helps me see things clearly about yourself and things that you may need to evaluate about yourself. You can't do some of these things if you don’t have that certain person in your life to bring it out of you. They are also important because they help you to push for your goals by supporting you and giving you hope. Relationships are also important to me because they allow me to be more open not just with close ones around me but also those that I don’t know. Just in general relationships and partnerships are important to me because there are some relationships you can build up and help you to learn throughout life and not be so dependent on people because they will tell you the truth even if you don’t want to hear it, but to me its better to hear it from a relationship that is important to you then from someone else you don’t have a relationship with first.

 Identify several people with whom you currently have positive relationships and/or partnerships

My mother, my Grandmother, and my Twin sister.

 Describe the ways in which each relationship is positive and factors that contributed to developing and maintaining each relationship

The relationship with my mother is positive because my mother is the one to push me to get things done and support me in any and every decision that I make. My mother also tells me the truth even if I don’t want to hear it because she has been through things way before me and she understands more and just wants me to be better than her and not the same mistakes that she has made in her life. The factors that contributed to developing and maintain each relationship are good listening skills and communication.

 The relationship with my Grandmother is positive because with her she is always there for me to help out with whatever it is just like my Mom. Although my Grandma is out spoken she means well and is always there with a listening ear. The factor that contributed to developing and maintain my relationship with her is the tough love that she gives and the words she speaks into my life.

 My twin is another relationship. This one is so dear and special to me because its like a built in best freind. The positivity in this relationship is that I always have someone one to share my secretes with because sometimes there are things that you can't or would rather not share with parents because they are parents and might not understand you completely. The factors that contribute to developing and maintaining a relationship is that she is always with me where ever I go she is right there and wherever she go I am there and we are always their listening to what each one has to say. It’s a close bond that many people don’t get to experience.

Describe insights regarding challenges to developing and maintaining relationships that you have learned from your experience over time

Some insights to developing and maintaining relationships are miscommunication and not always agreeing with each other. 

What do you see as special characteristics of these relationships that make some, if any, partnerships?

One special characteristic is to understand each other and allowing each other to be heard even if you don’t want to.

 How might your experiences with relationships/partnerships, including your ability to be an active, reflective contributor, impact your work as an effective early childhood professional?

My experience with relationships to be an active, reflective contributor, impact my work as an effective early childhood professional because it will help me to be more understanding to those I come in contact with. It will also help me to become a motivator and supporter for everyone I come in contact with not just families but children also, and another thing is that it will allow me to be a great communicator and listener.

When I Think of Child Development

"Children are our most valuable resource."

 Herbert Hoover

Testing for Intelligence?

Children are growing every day whether its weight, walking, crawling, or talking. When they are growing  this is something that should be assessed because it shows how the child is suppose to develop by a certain age and where they are suppose to be at that age. Some children may grow faster then others but in a certain age range children should be at or around the stage the other children are at. For example, during the age range 7-11 the children are at the stage where they should now starting to think logically and start to do abstract thinking. So I feel that the way a child develops should be assessed. In school the child should be assessed because the teachers should know if the child is on the same level as the children of his or her age or below so that they could know what to do to help that child.

In Cuba the children are assessed depending on the way that they can read. Since education is the number one thing in Cuba the people there make sure that the children who are there learn to read. For example, in Cuba all the schools closed down for a long period of time so that the children could learn to read, so that one day they could all become successful and have a better life. The teachers in Cuba would make sure of it by going to the houses where the children stayed.

I think that children should not be assessed when it comes to entering into a college or graduate school because to me a student could be smart but when it comes to standardized  test they don’t do as well. For example, the SAT, ACT, the MCAT and whatever else requires students to get accepted into another school or pass to another grade like the LEAP, or GEE. Now I believe the IOWA is okay because its just testing to see where the children are but it does not hold them back if they don’t pass.

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

I didn’t understand the whole idea of racism when I was a child until an incident happened to me. I couldn’t understand why the incident happened the way it did.I wasn’t really sad about it after it happened because I got over it quick. My aunt on the other hand was kind of upset. Being that I was young I did not stay sad long because I knew nothing about racism. I could remember that I wanted two balloons when my family and I went to the fair because I saw the little Caucasian girl in the front of me get two balloons. When I got to the front I asked if I could have two and I was told no you are only allowed one but I didn’t understand why and they were free, but the girl in the front of me got two and then when I left I saw the other little Caucasian girl get two. I got upset afterwards because I thought to myself I thought we could only get one, it was then that I found out about racism and what it was from my aunt.  The way that I coped with it was just from the comfort of my aunt telling me not to worry about it and just to continue having a continue to have a good time and that she would take me to get more balloons from the store. 

Africa includes some of the poorest countries in the world. In much of Africa south of the Sahara, harsh environmental conditions exacerbate the conditions of poverty. (Fight Poverty, 2006). The country that I would like to know more about when it comes to poverty is one of the third world countries such as Africa. I would like to see why is it that they don’t have enough money or food so that those children can eat and get the proper nutrition they need.  The way that poverty is affecting the development of these children is that they are malnourished and have lots of diseases that can kill them because their country is not a developing county. What is happening now in Africa to stop or reduce poverty is that there is a thing were HBCU students with choices purchase African- manufacturing apparel, including t-shirts, jeans and jackets, from campus stores.

Fight poverty. (2006). Retrieved May 23, 2012, from https://www.fightpoverty.mmbrico.com/facts/africa.html

Child Development and Public Health

Access to healthy water is an important topic to me because it makes up most of the most of the world. so to have access to it is very important. For example, water is what we drink,  use to cook with in some cases, to shower, and many other things so this is why we we should have access to it. Access to water is also important because of hygiene purposes which is why we should have access to it. In Indonesia there is access to healthy water in some areas but not all areas. In order for the people in certain part of Indonesia such as Jakarta boil their water to make it safe to drink. So this is one area in Indonesia that does not have clean and safe drinking water.

The information that I have learned may impact my future because by me learning that everyone can't have access to healthy water makes me want to go and make sure I make a difference in the world. I can do this by going to different areas of the world by helping to go and do volunteer work. For instance, I would like to go and bring clean water to those countries who are less fortunate so that they could survive longer because drinking contaminated water causes health issues. So, I would like to make sure these people young and old get clean, safe, and healthy water.

Childbirth in Your Life and Around the World

A birth that I experienced personally was my nephew three years ago. What I remember about his birth is taking pictures of him on one camera while recording his birth on another one. I remember waiting patiently for him to enter into the world. When he finally came into the world he came out quiet he did not start crying until the doctor kept wiping him off. I chose this birth because it was the first birth that I experienced up close and personal. My thoughts regarding birth is that it is a beautiful thing and a joy to experience and the impact it has is unbelievable because it shows what women have to go through to bring a new life into the world.

One particular region that I have chosen is China. The births that happen in China that is different then United States is that in China that married couples in urban areas are only allowed one child and girls in china are not allowed to be born if they are they will be drowned. What I learned about about this is that you can't down someone else culture just because of your own beliefs because they might think about your culture and think the same thing. The impact of the birthing experience on development  that I gained was that I did not know that different cultures such as the ones in China kill baby girls and are limited to one child if in an urban area. It is kind of sad to know this because of the fact that I love children and that they are all a gift and blessing from God but because of our different beliefs we can't say whats wrong or right.