PROMISING PRACTICES

Making connections to urban environments

Type of Submission:

This idea is a submission for:
__A curriculum idea
__Cool things to do
X A special issue

Age group for whom this activity is appropriate:

Early childhood

Brief description of activity:

A discussion of changing seasons in the city

What I did to set this up and how I followed through:

In meetings, we talked about our urban environment and how we notice the change of seasons. We also have a table where we bring in objects from the outside world that show the change of seasons, for example, colored leaves for fall, green leaves for spring, an icicle in winter that quickly melted leading us to a good science discussion

Materials used:

Sammy’s Science House Software

What the children had to do and what I wanted them to learn:

During our morning meeting we always talk about the weather.
We talked as well about seasons.
We identified how we dress differently for different seasons and what we notice in our neighborhoods

Images of the Activity:

Background: How I got the idea:

Most of the software for young children does not show urban environments. The kids really like the Acorn pond program in Sammy’s Science house which encourages investigation of how plants and animals adapt to seasonal changes. I wanted them to realize that plants and animals and the children themselves make similar adaptations even though we live in a very different environment.

Analysis: How the kids and/or parents responded:

I was pleased with this extension to the computer activity. I have often felt frustrated that urban children’s neighborhoods are not represented in the software we have. Even though they like the software as it is, I thought it was important to extend the concepts to their own lives.

Extension

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Culture
How can I provide all children with equitable access to computer experiences, regardless of cultural or social differences?
Gender
How can I provide girls and boys with equitable opportunities to learn with computers?
Learning Disabilities
How can I include children with learning disabilities in the use of the computer?
Physical Disabilities
How can I include children with physical disabilities in computer play?
Stereotypes
How can I avoid cultural stereotypes when selecting software?
Urban Settings
How can I include urban setting to reflect a more diverse population when selecting software?
Violence
How can I avoid the portrayal of violence when selecting software?