1.

Description
There were eight children and three adults; only 3 of the children were the 24-30-month range
that I was observing inside the classroom. The playground was large with grass and a cement
walkway for bikes to circle. There were different areas for play. Swing set and slide, mud pit,
bubble area, sound wall, plastic kitchen area, and a plastic tool area. There was also a small area
with trees that grows fruit and a climbing tree. There was a mixture of ages up to 60 months
playing freely with a total of 8 adults outside monitoring the areas. Inside the classroom, there
were areas for play set up to one side, and small tables for four used for snack time and activities
on the other side. There was a safe zone for children to go if they needed space or were upset,
reading area, dress-up area, and toys labeled and organized throughout.

2. Cognitive play
a) The play materials were able to be grabbed and used at any time were as followed. Building
blocks made of soft plastic and also shapes and blocks made of wood. Legos, that were separated
by types, such as people and shapes and they were also larger sized, so they couldn’t easily
swallow. Puzzles, large wood puzzles, the pieces were laying across the top of shelves. Career/
make-believe area that had fire hats, medical bags, princess dresses, and so forth. There were
books in the story area, in addition to balls, cars, ramps, plastic dinosaurs, safari animals, all able
to be reached at any time and they were well organized.

b) There were a few choices of play materials that caught my attention. The cordless telephone
was a predominant choice, the three children I observed would pick the phone up say hello,
mumble a few things and put it down, shortly after another child would come and do the same. It
was one of the most grabbed and used play material used. The next item was the puzzles, they
were frequently used, and one of the things the caregivers didn't put away after being left alone
for too long. The third choice made was the plastic/ rubber animals and dinosaurs. Children
loved these and would try to imitate the sounds of them and loved showing the caregivers them.

c) The phone was played with continually throughout the 1.5 hours of indoor play. The longest
the phone had a toddler's attention was 4 minutes but was back on it almost 15 minutes later.
Another toddler would pick it up, talk for a few seconds to a minute and put it back down. All
three children being observed played with this item. The puzzles also were played with by all the
children. Sometimes for only seconds and other times they were engaged for closer to 5 minutes.
The children seemed to lose interest after they couldn't get the piece into the slot they were
trying. They would put it down and come back to it. Lastly, the plastic/rubber animals and
dinosaurs. These were toys that they would show to caregivers and hold onto for several minutes
at a time. They would take it and try to imitate the sounds such as a lion. They would wave it in
front of the caregiver and try to say the name. One child was very interested in the rhino but kept
calling it an elephant. However, by the time I left, he had started calling it a rhino. He had held
onto that toy for most of his observation, only putting it down briefly for about 30 minutes.

d) I saw many indications that showed that the toddlers were actively involved and engaged
during play. When focusing on the puzzles, the toddlers were quiet. They focused hard on the
shape and photo on the puzzle, while trying to fit it into place. They were determined to get a
piece on the board. The phone engaged them by being able to pretend they were talking to
someone. They were reenacting/ mimicking what they see adults do. The children would even
hand it to the other toddler standing next to them. With the plastic/rubber animals and dinosaurs,
they would make the sounds and have them climb all over. They would take the animal, and
have it climb walls and blocks, drink water, eat food, and they would imitate the sounds they
make. For the most part, the toddler stuck with the same animal during my whole observation. If
they put it down, they would go back to that one instead of picking a new one.

e) The children were learning about shapes and matching photos with the puzzle, also working
on patience and trial and error. With the animals, they were learning sounds and pronouncing the
animal's name they had. The role-play with the phone was teaching conversation.

3. Social play
a) Solitary Play- There is one toddler in an area of all dirt with a caregiver watching from a short
distance away. The child is in the mud area. There is a bucket that is filled with water, some
cups, bowls, pinecones, and plastic mixing utensils. The child is playing in the dirt. He is
scooping up dirt from one area and putting it in an area that is slightly wetter. He then mixes it
and scoops it into a bowl. He grabs more water and pours it on the dirt. Once again, he scoops up
dirt from an area and pours it on the wet area, then again, he scoops it into a bowl. He goes over
and grabs two pinecones and puts them in the mud bowls. He dumps the bowls out and begins to
mix the dirt up again.

b) Parallel Play- Two children are playing with ten small white balls, Goldie and Xavier. The
caregiver had supplied a cardboard box that was cut open and made into a type of ramp. At first,
the caregiver had it propped up, and the toddlers were rolling balls down it. After a couple of
minutes, Chris laid it flat on the ground and began collecting the balls and then pushing them
down to the other end. Goldie then grabbed a few of the balls and started rolling them around on
the ground towards a shelf. Chris, who was still playing with the cardboard box, goes over and
grabs the balls on the ground that Goldie was playing with and returns them to the cardboard
box. Chris began rolling them back and forth again. Goldie went back to the cardboard box and
balls and watched for a couple of minutes, before deciding she wanted to play with the puzzles.

c) The play materials I observed did have some impact on the type of play and how social they
were. Most of the play I observed was parallel, I saw very little solitary play for any extended
amount of time. It may have started as independent, solitary play, and then a child would want to
come participate and play in the same area as another toddler. The longest I saw a toddler
engaged in solitary play was in the mud play area outside, he was engaged alone for 15 minutes
until it was time to come inside. The toddlers indoors spent maybe a minute apart and then was
quickly greeted by a friend that wanted to play with them. I believe the materials promoted role
play, and it was easy for the toddlers to insert themselves and play along. Same with the puzzles,
even though I would have thought that puzzles would be an independent activity, it wasn't that
way for long.

d) The adult interaction was well balanced; a caregiver was on the floor while monitoring the
ball, car, and ramp activities. Watching to make sure turns were being taken, and objects weren't
being tossed. The caregiver rarely interjected and allowed trial and error to occur. Same with the
other two caregivers, they were paying attention but not involved continuously. The one critique
I had was between the three was that there were some differences in handling certain situations.
Items being mouthed, such as the toy fish, egg, and pancake items were treated differently. One
caregiver would ask them to pull it out of their mouth, and she would grab a toy and show them
how to pretend to eat it. Another would tell the child to give her the toy when they were done
having it in their mouth. Both caregivers put the mouthed toy in sanitizer, however, I can see
how it might be confusing to the toddlers. Since one caregiver allows the toys in the mouth and
does not ask them to pretend and doesn’t instantly remove the toy, and the other insists they
pretend and instantly removed the mouthed toy for sanitation. Also considering this age group I
believe that pretend is not capable yet, and they need to allow the imitation as long as it isn’t
hazardous.

4. Conclusion (10 points)

a) I learned that the toddler's attention span might seem short, but just because they move to a
different toy, doesn't mean they forget about their last activity. I saw a ton of spontaneous,
cognitive exploration and do understand the importance of it. The three toddlers I observed
seemed to be very familiar with each other and enjoyed being around one another. Inside the
classroom, the toddlers seemed very interested in what their classmate was playing with and
eager to play along. Outside where there was more room to explore, they didn't stay together as
much. I saw that play is not perfect. There is no right or wrong way to play house, roll balls
around or do the puzzles. Just because they cannot do it properly doesn't mean they are doing it
wrong. It just means they haven't mastered that skill yet, and that's okay. I learned in a setting
where there are many options for toddlers to play and area to roam around; they will take
advantage of every inch. They are explorers, and the strangest thing will catch their attention for
the longest time. An egg with Velcro and a plastic knife had Chris's attention for 4 minutes; he
would cut it apart eat it and Velcro it back and do it again.

b) My first recommendation is a color area. Everything was so well organized by toy, but I
didn't see anything that could work on the toddler's knowledge of colors. Maybe a few color-
coded baskets to be able to assert colors and items together at the same time during clean up or
play. The caregivers could even have color mats that the toddlers would have to match the colors
to. My second recommendation is a sensory wall. I have always been a fan of the one with
different doorknobs and locks on it. It is a great way to work the toddler's mind and problem-
solving skills.