Castro 1

Karla Castro

Professor Sidney

ECE 251 – 2001

31 March 2020

Environment Observation (50 points)

Age of children: Infant Classroom Layout

• List all the interest areas you see in this classroom (i.e. Library, art, science etc.) 5 pts.

o The interest areas in the layout is the sleeping area (cribs), eating (highchairs),

changing area, and playing area (saucers, swings, and toy shelfs).

• Do the center areas have the following: Is there enough materials, are the materials in

good condition, are they age appropriate. 5 pts

o There are plenty of saucers, although there should be a play rug or more space in

the middle of the classroom for infants to be sat with and play with toys. With a

play rug caregiver would be able to sit and play with children, the child can not be

in a saucer the whole time they play. Along with that, more space for the child to

crawl and move around will be able to develop the infant’s large muscles and

motor skills.

o The layout also doesn’t show a bookcase or library section. Book are important

for young infants because reading to them from a young age can increase their

interest in reading and books.

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• Is there DEAD SPACE? (i.e. Areas where children can hide, areas where they are not

visible to teachers) 5 pts

o In the current layout, there does not seem to be any space where a child can hide,

everything is up against the walls besides the toys and saucers for the infants.

• Does the classroom flow? (5 pts)

o The classroom in all flows pretty well. Caregivers would be able to move from

each station and area freely. However, the rocking chair may have to be moved

somewhere else in that layout because it seems to be blocking the pathway to the

cribs a bit.

• Rating: Using a scale from 1-5, how would you rate this environment? Defend your

answer. (5 pts)

o On a scale of 1-5 I would rate this environment a 4. The cribs are placed in a good

spot against the wall and behind the toy shelves and away from any visible toys.

Changing area was placed next to the sink for caregivers to wash their hands right

after. Rocking chair was placed near cribs, so caregiver does not need to walk

across the room to put a child to sleep. However, the rocking chair does block the

pathway to the cribs quite a bit. Along with that there should be a rug for the

children to crawl and sit on to play with toys.

• Strengths: List 3 strengths you saw in this environment (10 pts)

o 1) I saw was that the layout of the room was good; it had defined spaces for each

area.
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o 2) The classroom was secure with no dead spaces where children could not hide

or where teachers could not see them.

o 3) Two toy shelfs which indicates that there is a good number of toys for the

infants to play with.

• Improvement: List 3 improvements you could see benefiting the children’s learning. (10

pts)

o 1) Including a play mat for children to sit of the floor or with caregiver and play

with toys.

o 2) Include library area or bookshelf. Reading to children is important and can

make them more interested in books and reading in the future.

o 3) Move the rocking chair somewhere else and not in the play area. Children

could try to climb on it. Along with that it is blocking the pathway to the cribs.

• List 3 DAP principles that will support your ideas for strengths or improvements. (5 pts)

o 1) Early experiences have profound effects on development and learning.

▪ Having a library and reading to children from an early age can impact the

way they view reading in the future

o 2) Children learn in a variety of ways.

o 3) Play is an important vehicle for developing self-regulation and promoting

language, cognition, and social competence.

▪ These two principles can go toward my weakness of not having a play rug

in the classroom layout and more space for children to play and crawl. A

classroom with only swings and saucers (where a child only sits) is not a
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variety for children, it also does not improve their motor skills and their

muscle strength completely.