HEAR, Think, Wonder...

Lately, as I watch videos of our babies in the classroom -- working, interacting, enjoying their environment -- I have been thinking about how our "See, Think, Wonder" protocol helps us to delve deeper in our understanding of what may be happening during a particular moment. We teachers use this protocol as we write learning stories about a moment or moments that spark our interest and curiosity, and while studying videos together, and we invite you to see, think, and wonder about our documentation.

Sometimes, while watching a video together, we use the "see" prompt to objectively point out what we notice not only with our eyes, but with our ears as well.

I started to think about the power of different forms of communication and expression our babies exhibit. When we look at them, we can see their facial expressions, actions, and body language and use these to hypothesize what they may be feeling or thinking...they may show they are tired by rubbing their eyes or putting their head on the carpet...they might express interest in what a peer is working on by turning their head to face them and opening their eyes wide...they can show they trust their caregivers by touching our faces or laying their head on our shoulders.

What about the things we can hear our babies doing? When we spend time with babies or watch a video, we can often hear sounds to accompany what we see...but what if we only focused on the sounds? I decided to take "video" (really "audio") in the classroom and listen and invite all of you to listen as well.

Can we construct meaning in a different way by only hearing and not seeing what our babies are doing?

What do you HEAR, THINK, and WONDER when you listen to this recording?

Thank you for participating in this experiment together with us -- I look forward to your interpretations!

With care,
Christina (with Amara, Dilcia, and Susie)

Outside Babies

Nature is a powerful part of our lives, whether or not we think about it on a daily basis. There are definitely days when I don’t purposefully spend time with nature, but just being outside while commuting on my bike is one way for me to be connected with nature. The wind, the leaves, the acorns on the path, the sun and clouds; I notice these things regularly, whether they are a pleasure or a nuisance in the moment. I believe that being surrounded by nature as a child fostered a deep appreciation of the world around me and desire to maintain the beauty of our crucial natural environment.  I want to share my appreciation of nature with our babies by spending time with them outside, and I have really enjoyed all of those moments thus far.

Edith, Oscar, Nate, and Adi have all spent a lot of time experiencing their outside environments on their backs, looking up. It is not often that we, as adults, get to spend time looking at the world from this perspective, but we have a somewhat idealized view of this experience from the image of lying in a field and looking up at the clouds or the stars. How often do we actually get to do this? And what do we notice if we do? Our babies get to look up at the sky and see the clouds, light, birds flying by, leaves falling from the trees, and the stark silhouette of the tree branches against the brightness of the sky. When a breeze comes, they experience the power of the wind, learning that we can accept it, even if it becomes strong or cold at times.

Oscar has also been exploring the leaves and grass outside. He grasps and picks up leaves while lying on his back or stomach. What might he thinking while looking at that leaf? 

 

 

   

Rui has been discovering all of the properties of leaves. He has watched them fall and move around as Theo crawls through them. He picks them up in handfuls or one at a time. He has even tasted them, though of course we do not encourage him to keep putting things he finds on the ground in his mouth. As an explorer of nature myself, I have also sampled many of the things I have found outside, and while they may not always taste good, it's always interesting to try. 

Theo has been using his time outside as an opportunity to crawl to as many new places as possible. He has also been practicing crawling up and down the steps, and after his first time he quickly got the hang of doing it without getting dirt on his face. He is really learning that the world is so much bigger than the room in which we spend most of our day, and he seems excited about it!

I get excited when I see how our babies react when we take them outside. Sometimes they are curious and become energized, while other times they may have been upset about something and going out is soothing and refreshing for them. All of them seem enthralled with the wonder of the world outside. 

What is your family's relationship with nature? What do you think your baby is learning about outside?  

With love,

Amara (with Christina, Dilcia, and Susie)

Milestones 11.2.15

                                                                                                        

Dearest families,

As I write this our babies are in the classroom giggling, talking, and moving.  There is so much happening everyday in our classroom, making it the place where anyone curious and interested in the development (and many mysteries) of babies should be.

There are so many developments babies go through from the day they are born. I think many of them are not given as much attention as others, such as rooting and sucking, or using both hands together to reach objects. Sitting, crawling, and walking seem to be the "big" milestones, along with talking. Overall, comparing babies when it comes to these accomplishments, or in other ways, is only natural. Especially when you see what others may be doing and your baby is not there yet. Therefore, I would like to share with you a quote from Resources for Infant Educarers founder, Magda Gerber, "All children accomplish milestones in their own way, in their own time."  What this means to me is that all babies are unique. Developmental milestones can range widely in all areas. I have seen babies scooting around at 5.5 months and babies crawling for the first time at just about 11 months. Both my children took their first steps before the age of 1, Lanny being 11 months and Adriel 9, but I have had babies in my care that have taken their first steps closer to 16 months. I have seen babies sitting at 4.5 months and others around 8. Some have 3 words at the age of 1 and others at 16 months. Whether it’s language, cognitive, social, or motor development, all they need is to be given the opportunity, to be listened to and respected. The majority will master these complex tasks on their own time, in their own way, and at their pace. Of course we should follow our instincts while keeping in mind that many factors affect development, but they are not all within our control.

Instead of focusing on what might be next, we focus on what your baby is doing right at the moment...

Edith -socializing, talking, rolling to one side

Nate, exploring his feet, learning to sit

Oscar -rolling to tummy, grasping, and manipulating objects

         

Adi- rolling to tummy, manipulating bigger objects and curious about others

Rui -moving forward from sitting to reach far objects and trying to pull himself up

Theo -cruising on furniture and trying to let go to stand without support

What do you notice your baby's focus to be at the moment? 

Warmly,

Dilcia

 

Relationships

Dear Families,

Welcome to our Infant South Blog - Protagonista!

As I think about how excited I am for us all to be able to communicate through our new blog, I am reminded of why we wanted to start a classroom blog. One of the reasons is that a blog allows for natural dialogue between everyone who interacts with it. We foresee that as all of us engage with the blog, we will form and maintain strong relationships as we reflect together throughout the year. We hope the blog will be like a two-way window, allowing you to see what is happening in our classroom, and allowing us to learn about our babies’ lives outside of school.

We feel so fortunate to be able to spend our days with your babies, bonding with them, and watching them interact and develop relationships with each other. When I see Oscar on his tummy exploring Theo’s nearby feet as Theo pats his shoulder…Adi and Nate looking into each other’s eyes as they lie on the carpet…or Rui sitting next to Edith as they smile and coo at each other, I can’t help but smile and think about how significant relationships are, from infancy and beyond. When our babies smile at us as we say “good morning,” the look of ease and comfort in their eyes seem to show how we have developed trusting relationships with one another.

Through our time in the classroom each day, our face to face conversations with all of you, and our dialogue over the internet, I am confident that all of us – whether you and your baby have been coming to school since August, since September, or if we are waiting with anticipation for you to join us – will come to develop a deep understanding of who we are, as individuals, and as a classroom community.

This week, we ask you:

What do you notice about how your baby interacts with you, other family or friends, or peers at school that shows they are bonding and building relationships?

Thank you for sharing your babies with us and trusting us as caregivers and co-learners to you and your families.

With care,

Christina (with Amara, Dilcia, and Susie)