Child Care - Delive services/activities to stimulate children's development and enhance their leisure - Essay Example

An Excursion to the Community Grocery Based on the child care center’s policy on excursions, a good venue to have an excursion for the 3-5 year old class is the nearby grocery. The purpose of the excursion is for the children to experience buying the ingredients needed for the cooking activity for the next day. The trip will be held on a Tuesday, 9:00am. Travel to the grocery will only take a five-minute drive. Volunteer parents are encouraged to drive a group. A group is composed of a teacher/assistant teacher/ supervisor and four children.

All parents are notified beforehand of the location, time, and goal of trip. Written permission must also be obtained from parents for children to participate. Several related activities are planned before, during, and after the excursion to maximize the learning experiences for this activity. Before the field trip, the teacher talks to the children about the cooking activity they will have in relation with their lesson. He or she will discuss the ingredients needed and ask the children where they could possibly get these ingredients.

This will lead the class on their trip to the grocery. The class can talk about their own experiences when going to the grocery. They can have list of the things they expect to see in the grocery. The teacher can lead the children to generate questions they wanted answered on the visit. The teacher can group the class into group of fours, and give assigned tasks during the field trip. One group may look of the wet ingredients, another may look for the dry ingredients, another group can draw and takes notes of other things they saw in the grocery, and another group may interview a staff in the grocery.

This will give the group purpose and focus during the trip. During the field trip, the teacher will use the generated questions as a basis for what to look for and ask about at the grocery. He or she makes sure that every child has the opportunity to observe and participate in purchasing the ingredients and the assigned task. The teacher must also take pictures of the experience. After the field trip, the children can report on their assigned tasks. They can share their answers to the previously generated questions.

They can also write thank you notes or cards for the staff who entertained them, and the parents who drove them to the grocery. They can look at the pictures taken from the activity and write a story about their trip. They can also set-up a make believe grocery in their Dramatic Play Area. The ingredients bought will then be used for the cooking activity as planned. They can also talk about how much they spent for the ingredients. This excursion is appropriate for the 3-5 year old children. The chosen venue is relevant in their lives as it is part of their community.

It is very near the child care center. It provides several learning opportunities for the children. Going to the grocery can be a relevant activity for several themes like food, health, and community places and workers. For an excursion to be a fruitful and meaningful activity for the class, the teacher must first develop specific objectives that help children achieve goals of the program. He or she must make arrangements with those in charge at the point of destination. The teacher must know clearly the rules of the host, the preferred time and date, size of group recommended, safety rules, and parking space.

The teacher must also provide the host the necessary information about his or her class, such as purpose of the trip, age and number of children, date and time of arrival and departure. If the host needs to explain things to the children, the teacher makes sure that the host can communicate to the children. He or she can brief the host in advance the questions the children might ask and give tips on how to talk with the children. The teacher must also make arrangements for the physical needs of the children and adults going to the field trip, like restrooms and places to eat.

The teacher must visit the place before final plans are made. Assistant teachers or supervisors, who will accompany the group, must also know all the details regarding the trip. He or she will lead a group of four children. It is a must that he or she knows the names of the children under his or her care. He or she must work cooperatively with the teacher on the activities during the excursion. The volunteer parent of guardian, who will the drive a group to the venue, must also be briefed about the purpose of trip, rules of the host in parking, and names of children who will ride the car.

It is ideal for a parent of a child in the group to drive them to the destination. This is an opportunity for the parent to get involved in his or her child’s class activities, and for the child to be proud of his or her parent. The resources needed for the excursion are the assistant teachers or supervisors , who will lead a group, the volunteer parents, car or vehicle for transportation, a good venue for an excursion, money if the children need to purchase something, and a camera to document the learning experience.

The teacher must also seek permission from the director of the center for the excursion. Child care centers require teachers to fill up forms giving specifics of the trip. Other relevant records or documents required are the formal letter for the host asking permission for the class to have an excursion in the chosen venues, a letter informing the parents of the plan for an excursion, and written parental consent signed by the parents to keep on file. The teacher must look into and have a copy of records of the children’s medical records, and emergency information records in case an accident or illness requiring emergency treatment occurs during the trip.

Excursions are very important in children’s learning. However, it also entails added dangers as children leave the school or center’s grounds. Careful and thorough planning is required and a great deal of supervision is crucial during the activity.