Little People's Library

13/04/11

This morning K was sitting at the computer in the Junior Room, I said to her “K you know the computer isn’t working” and she turned around and said “I know that I playing libraries”, she then asked “what book do you want” and I said “do you have a dinosaur book”, she then typed on the keyboard and turned and said “yes”. K got up from her chair and said “come”, she walked over to the little bookshelf and found a book about a dinosaur and handed it to me, K said “come to the desk”, so I followed her back over to the computer and she asked for my book. To issue the book K typed the name of the book on the keyboard then bar coded it. I asked K “how long do I have the book and she said “6 days”. K said go over there and read the book pointing to the mat. Unfortunately the centre camera was flat so I wasn’t able to take any pictures. However in the afternoon when she woke up she wanted to play again, only this time she played with two other girls.

This afternoon K and Ka were in the family corner playing libraries. K asked Ka what type of book she wanted and Ka said “monsters”, so K typed on the keyboard to look up the book and she said “yes”, she told Ka to follow her over to the book shelf and she picked up a book called “The Gruffalo”. Ka then followed K back over to the computer were K issued the book. To issue the book K typed the name of the book on the keyboard then bar coded it. Ka then took the book and went over to the table, sat down and started to read it. Ka then picked up, walked over to the computer and asked “how long for book” and K said “7 days”. Ka then walked out of the library (family corner) and said “bye”. Ka walked over to the door of the junior turned around and came back to the library and said “here’s the book”, K took the book and said “thank you”, then she typed the books name on the keyboard and took it back to the book shelf. Ka wanted a turn at being the librarian so she went up to K and said “K your break”. K said “okay”, she grabbed a cup and a chair a took it into the block corner to make a staff room. K asked if she could have some water in her cup so she could drink it, so I filled the cup up and she told me that it was her coffee. I walked back over to the family corner (library) and asked Ka “what are you doing” and she said “typing new books”. Ka then yelled out “K the manger wants you” I asked her “why does the manger want to K” and she replied “cause she not meant to be on break”. K yelled from the staff room (block corner) “what, I on a break cause I don’t feel well”. Ka said “I want to go on break”, so she grab a cup and ran over to the block corner. I said to Ka “if you are on break and K is on break whose at the desk look R is going to walk out of the library with out getting the book out”, Ka ran over to the computer and said “I here, I here” and R handed her the book to issue. Ka typed the name of the book using the keyboard, then scanned the book using the mouse, then handed R the book back and she went over to the table and started reading. When R had finished reading she ask Ka if she could have turn at being on the computer, so Ka she said “yes, my break”, she hoped off the chair, grabbed a cup and went over to the staff room (block corner) and asked if she could have some water in her cup for her cup of coffee. While Ka was having her break R had three books by her. I noticed that she was typing the books name on the keyboard then scanned one book using the mouse, I asked her “why did you scan that book and not the others” she said “this one is for Ka and the others have been brought back”. Ka came over and handed R some money for her book, then R gave the book to Ka and Ka went and sat down at the table to read her story.

K Looking Up Book

K Finding Book on Shelf

K Issusing Book

Ka Reading Issued Book

KTaking A Break

      

Typing Up New Books

Ka Taking A Break



R Returning Books

 

R Issusing Book

Te Whāriki suggests that “children should experience an environment where they learn strategies for active exploration, thinking, and reasoning.  The ability to represent their discoveries, using creative and expressive media and the technology associated with them” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.88).  Te Whariki also suggests that “children and their families experience an environment where connecting links with the family and the wider world are affirmed and extending” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.56). These three girls have started to develop a sense of knowledge about the different occupations in the wider world.

According to Talay-Ongan and Ap (2005) they say that “play provides a new context for children to practice newly acquired skills and also to function on the edge of their developing capacities to take on new social roles, attempt novel or challenging tasks, and solve complex problems that they would not (or could not) otherwise do”(p.132). I will be extending on this play experience by organising a trip to libaray for the centre so these three girls can see what really goes on in a library and to allow them to get a book out so they can go through the process.

According to Helm and Katz (2001) they say “play experiences are very valuable for young investigators. Through their play, they often consolidate and make deeper and more accurate sense of their experiences and related concepts” (Helm & Katz, 2001, p. 56). the children in my centre love to act out the different occupations in the wider community for example, being doctors, being librarians, being teachers etc. The children in our centre also copy what the teachers say when they are playing (like these three girls saying about the break).

Reference List

Helm, J., & Katz, L. (2001).   Young investigators the project approach in early years. New York: Teachers College Press.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He Whāriki mātaurangi mō ngā   mōkopuna o Aotearoa.  Wellington: Learning Media.

Talay-Ongan, A., & Ap, E.A. (Eds.). (2005). Child development and teaching young children. Southbank , Victoria:Thompson Social Science Press.