Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Alexandra
Baranowski
Melissa
Schaefer
Anthropology
1010
August
6,
2015
A
Whimsical
Look
on
Life:
Ethnography
of
the
Culture
of
Children
I choose to study several groups of Kindergarten to 6th grade children. I have spent
over
75
hours
with
these
groups
and
I
still
feel
like
that
wasnt
enough
time
to
truly
begin
to
understand
but
I
have
learned
many
things.
Such
as
the
fact
that
children
have
their
own
cultural
society
with
rules,
gender
roles,
communication,
economics,
art
forms,
organization
and
everything
that
adults
in
society
have.
Minus
the
whole,
adult
part
or
course.
These
children
that
I
have
watched
and
studied
were
all
apart
of
the
Natural
History
Museum
of
Utahs
science
summer
camp.
Each
week
I
would
help
in
a
classroom
with
8
to
16
children
and
for
the
whole
of
summer
I
got
a
new
class
each
week.
Over the course of two months, I have worked with children as they learn about
different
sciences
and
explore
the
museum.
I
saw
them
fight
among
themselves
and
with
teachers,
Ive
seen
friendships
form,
Ive
seen
growth
and
happiness.
I
have
experienced
their
curiosity
to
the
world
and
their
wonder.
Children,
by
nature,
are
curious
little
sponges
that
absorb
all
that
is
given
to
them
and
what
sprouts
from
them
comes
from
their
bases,
their
foundation.
Family
is
a
big
part
of
a
childs
life.
It
is
were
they
learn
morals
and
values.
It
is
where
they
witness
how
relationships
work
both
romantic
and
friendly.
It
is
where
religion
is
started
and
practiced.
Family
is
the
foundation
to
who
a
child
becomes
and
Baranowski 2
grows
from.
Children
rely
on
family
for
food
and
shelter.
They
rely
on
adults
for
protection
and
guidance
in
an
article
called
The
Making
of
Childrens
Culture
the
author
states
that
Childhood
is
a
condition
defined
by
powerlessness
and
dependence
upon
the
adult
communitys
directives
and
guidance.
(Kline
95)
For
childrens
culture
would
not
exist
without
the
adult
culture
to
support
it.
As
I
spent
more
and
more
time
with
these
kids
I
began
to
notice
ways
in
which
they
acted
and
ignored
each
other.
Who
seemed
to
become
the
leader
in
absence
of
adult
control.
How
they
used
games
to
bond
and
form
alliances.
The
use
of
songs
and
rhymes
were
used
to
teach
them
lessons
just
like
how
hymns
are
sung
in
church
to
tell
stories
and
lessons.
What
they
associate
as
feminine
and
masculine.
The
use
of
material
items
shows
their
rank
in
their
society.
How
different
items
are
used
as
currency
and
are
weighted
differently
in
value.
Sibling
bonds
are
both
positive
and
negative
with
different
levels
of
intensity.
How
even
when
adults
buy
their
clothing,
they
add
their
own
twist
to
it.
Even
though
they
are
100%
reliant
on
their
parents
or
guardians,
their
behavior
will
determine
what
items
they
receive
and
this
is
how
they
make
their
living.
I
have
come
to
realize
that
childrens
culture
is
just
as
complicated
and
maybe
even
more
so
then
the
culture
that
I
am
in.
For
their
culture
is
less
of
what
can
be
seen
and
more
of
the
imaginary
and
whimsical
side
of
life.
Family
Based:
The family unit is a key part in childrens culture. From the children at camp, almost
all
have
told
me
stories
of
their
family
and
love
to
go
into
great
detail
about
their
relationships
with
each
member
and
tell
funny
stories.
One
day
during
a
dinosaur
related
activity,
we
were
going
over
types
of
dinosaurs
and
comparing
them
to
each
other.
One
girl
Baranowski 3
named
Violet,
age
7,
(she
told
me
everyday
how
old
she
was
to
make
sure
that
I
remembered
it)
turned
to
me
while
holding
a
Parasaurolophus
and
a
Stegosaurus
plastic
replicas,
This
is
like
me
and
my
older
sister.
I
ask
how
so,
Well,
my
sister
is
adopted
and
doesnt
look
like
me
but
we
are
still
sisters.
I
was
still
confused
on
how
this
was
related
to
the
dinosaurs
and
sat
there
watching
her.
It
seemed
that
even
though
the
dinosaurs
didnt
look
alike,
when
Violet
played
with
them,
she
made
a
story
about
how
they
were
siblings
and
would
make
them
hold
hands.
It
was
like
she
created
a
bond
between
them
that
made
them
siblings
even
though
they
werent
biological
siblings,
just
like
how
she
saw
her
sister.
Violet
made
a
bond
with
her
sister
and
even
though
they
werent
biological,
Violet
saw
them
as
siblings
anyways.
In
an
article
named
Siblings
Relation
and
the
Impact
on
Childrens
Development
it
states
that
80%
of
children
in
the
West
have
at
least
one
sibling.
It
further
states
that
the
relationship
between
siblings
tend
to
last
longer
then
any
other
relation
in
a
persons
life.
(Howe
1)
Gender
Identity
Families
have
a
huge
influence
on
how
children
identify
what
is
feminine
and
what
is
masculine.
To
children,
feminine
and
masculine
is
defined
by
their
parents
or
guardians.
They
see
what
their
mother
wears
and
associate
that
to
females
and
the
same
with
their
fathers
to
males.
In
the
article
Femininity/Masculinity,
the
authors
discuss
how
these
two-gender
identities
are
developed
and
learned.
In
the
first
part,
the
child
comes
to
know
that
she
or
he
is
female
or
male.
In
the
second
part,
the
child
comes
to
know
what
being
female
or
male
means
in
terms
of
femininity
or
masculinity
(Stets
and
Burke
4)
Baranowski 4
Ive
noticed
that
children
start
to
really
notice
and
point
out
these
differences
are
around
ages
6-7.
And
the
age
at
which
they
begin
to
identify
gender
identities
is
around
the
age
of
6.
Finley
(age
7
and
a
half)
was
talking
to
one
of
the
other
boys
in
camp,
Jackson
(age
6)
and
was
talking
about
her
ring
and
necklace
that
she
got
from
a
princess
game.
Jackson
became
very
excited
and
pulled
out
his
necklace
from
under
his
shirt.
He
was
so
excited
to
be
showing
her
this
necklace
and
was
telling
how
he
got
it
from
his
dad
when
they
went
to
the
zoo
a
week
before.
Finley
looked
confused
and
said
straight
out,
Necklaces
are
for
girls
because
they
are
girly!
Jackson
looked
confused
and
defended
himself
Its
not
girly,
my
dad
gave
it
to
me!
In
the
article
stated
above
it
also
says
one
thing
that
really
stood
out
to
me
that
day
at
camp.
Through
identification
with
their
father,
boys
learn
masculinity.
(Stets
and
Burke
5)
This
is
same
for
girls
and
their
mothers.
Jackson
learned
that
through
the
gift
of
a
necklace
from
his
dad
that
it
was
okay
to
wear
said
necklace
and
not
have
it
be
feminine
but
masculine,
just
like
his
dad.
Communicating
Children, as I have come to realize, are all about talking. Once you get some of the
kids
started,
you
cant
get
them
to
stop!
A
childs
communication
is
a
complicated
topic.
If
you
were
to
search
children
communication
it
would
bring
up
thousands
of
guides
to
help
parents
to
communicate
and
to
help
teach
children
how
to
communicate.
Children
communicate
through
verbal
and
nonverbal
actions.
For
instance,
if
a
child
needed
my
help
with
something,
they
would
come
and
ask.
If
a
child
was
not
wanting
to
participate
in
an
activity,
they
would
cross
their
arms
and
physically
turn
away
from
the
activity.
Of
course
there
are
all
different
types
of
intensity
of
these
communications.
A
girl
named
Madison
Baranowski 5
(age
6)
didnt
say
a
complete
sentence
for
the
whole
week
she
was
at
camp.
I
think
she
said
a
total
of
maybe
6
words
and
that
was
when
we
were
doing
introductions
and
she
had
to
say
something
and
even
then
it
was
whispered.
When
I
would
ask
her
a
question
she
would
shake
her
head
up
and
down
for
yes,
left
to
right
for
no,
a
shrug
of
her
should
for
I
dont
know
or
maybe
and
a
pointing
finger
to
what
she
wanted.
Even
with
her
parents
she
would
smile
and
nod
for,
Yes
I
had
a
great
time
at
camp.
At
first
I
got
easily
frustrated
with
her
system
of
communication
but
I
soon
came
used
to
it
and
even
enjoyed
its
simplicity
especially
when
the
other
children
were
running
around
screaming
and
she
sat
at
a
table
quietly.
I
talked
to
Madisons
parents
one
day
saying
how
nice
and
awesome
she
was.
They
went
on
to
tell
me
that
Madison
was
the
youngest
of
four
siblings
and
that
she
was
the
only
girl.
They
were
surprised
that
Madison
had
talked
to
me
as
much
as
she
did
because
of
how
shy
she
was.
(Madison
was
at
this
point
hiding
behind
her
mother)
It
seemed
that
in
a
loud
house
with
older
brothers,
Madison
liked
to
stay
quiet.
Now the opposite kind of communication from Madisons is constant talking and
moving
and
touching.
While
Madison
was
very
much
to
herself,
one
child
by
the
name
of
Nathan
was
all
over
the
place.
Nathan
would
always
be
trying
to
tell
you
all
the
facts
he
knew
of
space
and
the
constellations.
He
would
be
talking
so
much
that
the
other
children
would
walk
away
from
him
and
do
the
activity
somewhere
else
because
he
would
be
trying
to
teach
them
the
names
of
all
five
dwarf
planets
in
out
solar
system.
He
would
grab
your
arm
to
get
your
attention
and
would
look
you
straight
in
the
eye
without
blinking.
He
was
very
serious
about
his
dwarf
planets.
He
often
scared
other
children
away
with
his
intense
eye
contact
and
arm
grabbing.
Interestingly,
when
talking
to
his
dad,
Nathan
was
an
only
child
and
his
parents
were
divorced.
It
seemed
that
between
Madison
who
had
a
lot
of
Baranowski 6
siblings
and
was
used
to
not
having
full
attention
all
the
time
became
used
to
solidarity
while
Nathan
who
had
his
parents
full
attention
every
day
was
only
used
to
that
attention
and
tried
to
have
it
with
other
people.
Economics
Child have their own type of economics. Doesnt involve real money but it does
involve
items
and
trade
in
their
most
simplest
forms.
I
have
come
to
notice
that
they
understand
that
when
something
is
in
low
supply,
it
is
worth
more
than
an
item
has
a
big
supply
of.
This
was
relevant
to
me
all
through
out
camp,
it
was
the
biggest
problem
we
had.
When
doing
an
activity
the
children
not
only
wanted
items
that
they
found
interesting
but
ones
that
were
unique
and
no
one
else
had.
In
the
instance
of
pet
rocks,
there
was
this
one
rock
that
was
different
colored
then
the
others
and
as
soon
as
one
boy
named
Ryan
(age
6)
was
given
said
rock,
the
bargains
began.
This
rock
was
seen
as
special,
one
of
a
kind
and
every
child
wanted
that
rock
for
themselves.
One
child
by
the
name
of
Oskar
(age
7)
offered
Ryan
his
rock
plus
his
two
googly
eyes.
(Passed
out
two
eyes
to
every
kid
all
the
same
size,
color
and
shape.
Asher
(age
6)
tried
to
take
the
rock
out
of
Ryans
hand,
which
was
meet
with
punishment
of
apologizing
and
sitting
at
a
different
table.
Interestingly,
no
one
tried
to
trade
him
any
feathers.
We
had
a
big
bag
of
feathers
of
all
different
colors
and
sizes.
There
were
so
many
feathers
that
it
didnt
come
close
to
the
value
of
this
one
rock.
They
seem
to
understand
that
you
can
exchange
one
item
for
another
item
and
in
an
article
Childrens
Understanding
of
Economics
it
states
that
as
children
progress
in
mental
sophistication,
they
understand
the
use
of
money
and
that
they
recognize
that
some
coins
are
more
valuable
than
others.
(Webley
44)
Out
of
all
the
kids
I
worked
with,
it
seemed
that
the
Baranowski 7
transition
into
trading
and
understanding
the
value
of
items
came
after
Kindergarten.
The
group
of
Kindergarteners
that
I
worked
with
would
not
trade
with
other
kids.
They
would
take
or
ask
an
adult
for
a
different
one.
But
in
1st/2nd
they
were
trying
to
trade
and
make
bargains.
Making
a
Living
Since children are so reliant on their parents and other adults, they have to come up
with
ways
to
get
things
from
adults
and
this
is
how
they
make
a
living.
Adults
tend
to
reward
children
for
good
behavior
and
listening
skills.
This
came
apparent
when
working
in
a
class
setting.
If
one
of
the
kids
did
what
the
teacher
asked,
said
teacher
would
give
them
something
in
return.
The
time
when
Ryan
really
wanted
this
certain
kind
of
crystal
color,
for
an
activity
that
showed
how
crystals
grew,
Sadie
(the
teacher)
asked
everyone
to
be
quiet.
Instantly
Ryan
was
sitting
in
his
seat
and
had
his
lips
pressed
shut.
When
Sadie
saw
this
she
went
over
to
him
and
let
him
pick
out
whatever
color
he
wanted.
When
the
other
kids
saw
this,
it
was
instant
silence
in
the
whole
classroom.
This
was
not
the
only
example,
though
out
my
two
months,
I
saw
this
nearly
everyday
in
different
situations.
The
definition
of
making
a
living
is
earn
enough
to
support
oneself.
Children
make
their
living
on
listening
to
adults
and
following
directions.
When
they
do,
they
earn
a
reward.
Just
like
when
an
employ
follows
the
bosss
orders
and
is
rewarded
with
money.
Almost
Tribe
Like
Children have a tribe like political organization. Few are in power and no there is no
central government. The only thing that is not tribe like is that these children know they
Baranowski 8
are
from
different
families
and
are
not
decedents
from
one
ancestor.
In
the
classroom
setting,
the
teacher
is
the
one
that
has
the
power
and
authority
and
the
children
listen
to
them.
But
when
we
get
out
of
the
classroom,
there
comes
a
different
rank
system.
During
lunch/recess
the
children
mingle
with
other
children
are
allowed
to
play
and
interact
with
one
another.
Usually
the
ones
in
power
are
ones
that
have
followers
and
have
items
to
entice
others
to
follow
said
person.
Food
is
a
great
motive
for
children
to
follow
other
children
around.
When
one
kid
brings
a
big
enough
lunch
to
share
with
others,
they
instantly
have
friends
and
people
who
want
to
be
friends
to
get
some
of
their
food.
This
kid
with
the
food
then
gains
some
power
over
the
others
because
they
can
ask
people
to
trade
and
can
just
give
others
food.
When
this
happens,
that
child
then
uses
his
new
friends
to
play
together
with
and
to
exclude
other
children.
How
much
food
and
the
type
of
food
determines
where
you
rank
to
other
children.
Interestingly,
grade
separates
children
in
almost
a
caste
system.
Children
in
3rd
grade
cant
move
up
to
5th
grade
and
same
with
going
down.
Each
grade
interacts
with
others
in
their
grade
and
only
their
grade.
This
is
more
apparent
in
elementary
grades
then
higher
levels
though.
And
in
each
grade
there
is
a
group
of
children
that
are
followed
around
by
others.
Religion
understand.
When
I
would
ask
children
about
what
religion
they
were,
they
always
replied
with
what
ever
religion
followed
by
something
along
the
lines
of
same
as
my
parents.
Children
are
influenced
by
their
parents
beliefs
and
until
they
get
to
an
age
where
they
can
start
to
question
and
think
for
themselves,
they
follow
what
their
parents
do.
Younger
Baranowski 9
children
have
yet
to
develop
ideas
of
filters
for
their
thoughts
and
when
I
was
talking
to
this
one
girl
named
Sophie
(age
5
and
has
slight
autism)
I
asked
her
what
religion
she
believed
in
and
she
replied
My
parents
believe
in
God
but
I
dont
know
(I
asked
her
why)
I
cant
see
him.
He
has
my
little
brother
with
him
though.
He
doesnt
hurt
anymore.
I
was
absolutely
stunned
and
didnt
know
what
to
say.
After
saying
that
she
skipped
away
and
started
to
play
with
some
toys.
When
I
was
asking
all
the
other
children,
they
always
said
they
believed
in
their
religion.
Creative,
Whimsical,
Imaginative
[T]he traditional formalized play activities of children, includes such speech play as
riddles,
games,
jokes,
taunts,
retorts,
counting-out
rhymes,
catches,
jump-rope
rhymes
and
many
other
such
forms
of
verbal
art.
(Bauman)
Children
live
in
this
world
but
what
they
see
is
all
in
their
minds
and
infused
with
their
own
imaginations.
At
camp,
every
activity
that
we
did
played
on
child
imagination.
From
pet
rocks
to
building
a
Dr.
Seuss
structure,
all
activities
were
very
creative
and
this
is
what
kept
their
attentions.
Their creativity also shows when they dress themselves. You can always pick out the
kid
that
dressed
themselves
that
day.
Girls
would
have
every
type
of
color
somewhere
on
their
clothing
and
boys
would
have
their
clothes
inside
out
or
even
backwards.
Songs and rhymes were used to creatively teach children and pull their attention to
someone
or
thing.
For
instance
this
one
thing
we
would
always
say
is
1,
2,
3,
eyes
on
me.
Then
the
kids
would
respond,
1,
2,
eyes
on
you.
Or
my
favorite
Shark
bait!
And
they
respond
Ooh
ha
ha!
That
Nemo
one
always
makes
them
laugh
afterwards.
One
of
the
teachers
for
Dr.
Seuss
week
made
up
a
little
song
to
get
in
line.
It
went
Clean
up,
stand
up
Baranowski 10
up,
time
to
go,
to
go
go,
it
is
time
for
snack!
To
keep
children
interested
and
focused,
you
need
to
play
to
their
creative
side.
They
are
heavily
influenced
by
their
parents
and
adults
in
their
life.
I
am
still
learning
so
much
from
these
little
ones
and
yet
I
feel
like
I
have
so
much
more
to
learn.
Children
are
the
human
form
of
sponges
and
can
absorb
anything
around
them.
They
are
constantly
changing
and
growing
and
even
though
they
change
one
thing
stays
the
same.
They
are
inquisitive
about
the
world
around
them,
from
the
ages
of
4
all
the
way
up
to
12
year
olds.
The
children
I
spent
75
plus
hours
were
full
of
energy
and
happiness
and
all
of
that
rubbed
off
onto
me.
Working
with
these
kids
made
this
summer
one
of
the
best
and
I
look
forward
to
working
with
other
kids
soon.
I
came
into
this
project
with
a
closed
mind
and
thoughts
that
I
knew
more
than
them.
They
definitely
proved
me
wrong!
Baranowski 11
Works Cited