CHCFC504A - Reflection On Mealtimes & Scenario: Shana

[Limin]

Your Assignment Module Number and Heading: CHCFC504A Support emotional and psychological development in early childhood
Your Assignment Type: Case Scenario
Currently Working in Childcare? No
Your knowledge: Basic Knowledge

Your Question?
Task 1 Providing opportunities for children to make choices
Write a personal reflection
Topic:”Structured mealtimes versus Progressive mealtimes”
What are the benefits and pitfalls of each view?
Consider the effect that each model will have for the carers and the children in creating a constructive program.
Task 2 Fostering children’s self esteem and developing self concept
Case Study
You have been introduced to a new child 4 year old Shana who has recently moved to Australia from India. Her language skills are very good but she has little understanding of the Australian culture. At this stage she is finding it very difficult to adjust and make friends. The other children are not sure how to take Shana and do not offer to play with her. You are aware that Shana will be going to school next year and if you do not improve her sense of self esteem she will find the transition to school even more difficult. After a period of observation you notice that Shana is very gifted in the areas of song and dance. Even though she has been quiet you notice that she is willing to participate in activities, which makes you think that she is not overly shy.
Activity: You are required to design a range of experiences that explores Shana’s interests and abilities which also provides for the sharing of culture. You may also wish to design activities around forming friendship groups and allowing Shana to take on some form of leadership role in sharing her culture with the group.

What is your answer so far or What have you done so far as an attempt to solve this question?
Task 1 Answer:
Mealtimes

Structured
Benifits
 Children have regular eating schedules. Hence, they don’t have to worry about food.
 According to a timetable, children can have food regularly rather than waiting for them to say there are hungry.
 Children learn to eat nutritious meals and snacks which may build children’s healthy eating habits and affects their future life routine.
 Children can sit down with their closed friends or other classmates for a meal/snack together and share the information or stories with each other. It will help them to develop their social skills through talking with diverse culture back ground children.
 It is easy to observe children eating and recode what they are having.
 Children can have their meal/snack immediately after the foods have been served or later.

Pitfalls: Children have to follow the timetable eating even they are not hungry or ready. For example, if a child didn’t feel hungry and only had a small amount food at lunch time, but he/she feel hungry later before the arvo snack time. However, the child can’t have anything before the snack time due to the meal/snack schedule.
 Activities have been interrupted by the meal/snack schedule.
 Children do not have much choose to make a decision based on their needs.

Progressive
Benefits: A Meals/Snacks table is made available for an extended period of time. For example, the meal time extends from 11:30am to 12:30pm.
 Encourage children to make decisions based on their needs. They can choose to eat when they are hungry.
 Children can access food and water with educator’s support through the day.
 Do not need to follow the meal/snack schedules.
 Children can gather in small groups to enjoy meals together and have an interaction with each other at the meal time.
 Children can choose to finish an activity they are playing before sit down to eat. They may return to it once they have finished their meal.

Pitfalls: According to the extended meal time, the food may become cold/soaked or not enough for the last groups. For example, I found some children lost appetite to eat cold paste and the kitchen was busy to prepare arvo tea. The staff reheated the pastes for those children individually, but some of the children only had a little amount and few of them waited for a long time to have some sandwiches.
 Children may not have enough nutrition, if they chose to continue their activities without eating food; or they may over eat food and become overweight.
 Hard to record their eating habits and behaviours.
 Does not help to build a good eating routine preschooler who will find hard to suit the school lunch schedules.


In conclusion, they progressive mealtime provide more opportunities for children to make choices, and respect the children’s needs even it has some pitfalls, but it is a constructive program for children to build a sense of decision making.
It promote the outcome 1 Children have a strong sense of identity.

Task 2 Answer:
Experiences/Activities
Role-plays: (indoor/outdoor)
diverse costumes-Indian, Chinese, Africa, Western classic dresses, and other role play dresses, etc + hand bags + hats
 Shana and other children are able to dress up themselves into different costumes
Themed weeks: (indoor)
Featuring a different culture each week
Materials -- Indian style sofa, cushion, Indian Sari, scarf, big yarns, etc
Crafts -- elephants, floral hoop, kitchenware, etc 
Set up a India corner in the room and display some traditional Indian hand crafts, pictures
 Shana can learn the Australian culture from her classmates’ story during group time or a small group discussing.
 Encourage Shana to tell her story and share her family pictures to the class. The children can learn about diversity and difference culture from it.

Parents’ visiting: (indoor)
Inviting letter, making appointment  Invite Shana’s parents to the class who may dress in their costumes or normal suits. They will join our themed week topic or celebrate their traditional festivals.

Music activities: (indoor/outdoor)
dancing – CD Player


movement – the wheels on the bus
outdoor relay race


Singing – host a Karaoke activity
CD player or a computer with a Karaoke software 
Ask Shana to bring some Indian music from home to play in the class and let her to teach/lead a Indian dancing or movements

 Invite Shana to join the music movements
 2 or 3 children in a group to play a relay race whish will help Shana to build a friendship with other children.
 Split class into several small groups and let children to choose a song and sing in front of the class

Description and Message:
Hi, everyone, please help me to check my answer which suits the essay style or resource style format or not? I have answer in forms, but it failed to paste on Web.
Thanks for your help first!

Kind regards,
Limin

[Limin]

please help me to check my answer! I am not quite sure i did a right answer.

Many thanks!

[Lorina]

I'm sorry, I missed this question...

For task 1, I think you wrote most of it like a report rather than a personal reflection. The information you have provided is great but it's not a personal reflection... You will need to add of your views, your experiences and your thoughts on the topic. Read the following to get a better idea on:

How to Write a Personal Reflection

For task 2, the ideas you have suggested for the experiences and activities are good. I especially like the karaoke one. Introducing Indian culture within the room is a great idea as well. Another experience you could do is maybe get some Bollywood music for the children to dance to. You could play musical chairs or musical statues with Bollywood music.

For Australian culture you could teach some good old Australian songs such as "Home Among the Gum trees", "Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree", "Tie me kangaroo down spot", or "Waltzing Matilda" I use to sing these songs at school and they are very Australian.

Your response to the tasks are fine... Just do more of a personal reflection for task 1 (including the information you added to your response) and the suggestions I made for task 2 can be added to your ideas if you want as well...

Hope this helps,

,
L.A

[Limin]

Many thanks for your help and time, L.A!
I have learnt lots from your comments! I have saved that article alrady and will read it through immediately! A great thanks for your help again!
However, I have submited the assessment already. *_* Oh, if my assessment could not pass by my teacher, i will follow your suggestion to redo it!
Wish me good lack!

Kind Regards,
Limin

[Limin]

Sorry to bother you again, L.A,
I have read through the Reflective Writing roughly. I just noticed one thing about the task 1 which I did not have an experience about Progressive mealtimes. I have not worked in a childcare centre before and I just have started my family day care since June this year. Hence, all my knowledge about the childcare was from my placements and my experience with my own kids. I have researched about the both Structured mealtimes and Progressive mealtime, but I could not find some details about them. I am worrying about my answers for my assessment, which had 5 tasks and I only upload 2 answers for helping, I am still not sure the answers of 3 tasks.
May I ask for your help again? Do you have any resource or details about them from you?

Great thanks from
Limin