Lake 1

Mary Lake
Professor Westfall
ECE 251
6 October 2018
ENVIRONMENT OBSERVATION

1. School: CSN Lab School / Juniper. Telephone: 702-651-4004.

2. Teacher: Stephanie. Age/grade level: 3 or 4 year-olds.
3. Number of children enrolled in the class: 13 Children.
4. List all of the centers and the number of children each center can
accommodate.

1. Home and Kitchen Center = 4 to 5 children.

2. Sensory Table = 4 to 5 children.

3. Art Center = 4 to 5 children.

4. Block Center = 4 to 5 children.

5. Math and Manipulative Center = 4 to 5 children.

6. Science Center = 4 to 5 children.

7. Reading and Writing Center = 4 to 5 children.

9. Doll House = 2 to 3 Children.

10. Climbing Toy = 3 children.

11. Safe Space = 1 Child.

5. On a separate page, draw a floor plan of the classroom with each center
Identified.
See pages 2: Properly positioned pictures; and 3: Properly positioned Center names.
 Lake 2

Door
 Lake 3

Door

Cubbies Climbing Toy Doll House

Lunches

Block Center Gathering Area Teachers chair and info board

Math and Manipulative Center

Sensory Table Kitchen and Home Center

Reading and Writing Center

Science Center Safe Space

Tables for eating or Art or whatever

Art Center
teacher needs

Kitchen for
Shelf for
Sink for food and play Drinking teachers
Bathroom teacher’s
hand washing only fountain and
supply's
storage
 Lake 4

6. Before engaging in your observation, develop a comprehensive checklist you will use
to evaluate the classroom’s physical environment. (Do not include the outdoor
environment).

7. Using the organized check list, you developed, observe the physical environment of
the classroom. If an item on your checklist is present, evaluate the quality of its
presence in the classroom. If an item on your checklist is absent, mark it as “not
present”

Physical Issues Observational Checklist

Arrangement of Physical Space.

• Your goal is to be able to see what is happening in each center from any place in the
room.
There are 4 adults, teachers and aids, in the room, and between them the room is very
well supervised with no place well hidden from view with moving only a couple of steps.

• The placement of equipment and centers should allow for easy supervision without
excessive walking.
There are a few possible spots that could be hidden if there was only one adult in the
room, e.g., in the center areas there are some low shelves with backs on them and the
children could be laying behind them. Also, there is a thin sheer curtain that shields the
safe space for giving privacy to a child who is sitting on the soft seating behind the
curtain.

• At least 5 interest centers are used, including a cozy area protected from active play.
Yes, I listed nine centers plus the safe space. I am not sure if the climbing toy and the doll
house are considered centers but children played with both of these during free play so I
felt they should be included. There are six clearly defined centers. At first, I had music
and movement on the list of centers but on reflection I saw that the teacher had a curtain
hiding it which made me think it might be a whole group activity and not a center, so I
removed it from the list.

• Stored teacher materials should be easily available.

Yes, there are drawers in the reading and writing center as well as the art center.

• Are there pictures of the children, their families, and their community in the room?
Yes, there are pictures of the children and their families on the wall in the math and
manipulative center in frames, labeled “family.”
 Lake 5

• Does the classroom convey the message to the children that they belong here and
that they are valued?
Yes, the room is very inviting and obviously child friendly. There are many opportunities
for the children to learn through play. The reading/writing center offers books to read in a
comfortable atmosphere and in the same center a table is set up with supplies to draw or
write and a dry erase board. The art center has painting, play dough, and glue for art
projects. The sensory table is fun and age appropriate. The block center has a good
selection of different types of building materials. These are only a few of the offerings
that make this space welcoming to the children. I feel very safe in saying that there is
probably a lot more to do at the school than even at their own home.

• Is their work displayed throughout the room?

Yes. There are three windowless walls and one, the fourth, is mainly glass windows. The
teachers have children’s artwork on display throughout the room on the three walls.

• Are pictures displayed at their eye level?

Yes, on the wall behind the doll house, on the cabinet door below the hand washing sink,
the door leading into the teacher’s kitchen/storage room, and in the safe place.

• Language: Story center, writing center, computer center.

There is a reading and writing center. A computer center is not present.

• Social: Block center, dramatic play center.

There is a block center and, in the home and kitchen center there are shoes, dresses, and
other types of costumes for dramatic play.

• Aesthetic: Art center, music center.

There is a large well-stocked art center as well as the tables adjacent to the art center that
double as art tables and lunch tables. There is a music and movement center over by the
block center.

• Physical activities: Large motor center; manipulative/math center; block center;

woodworking center; sand/water table; writing center.
There is a math and manipulative center, block center, sensory table, and reading and
writing center. A woodworking center is not present.

• Cognitive: Science center, Math center; computer center.

There is a math and manipulative center and a science center. A computer center is not
present.

• Affective: Dramatic play; block center.

In the home and kitchen center there are shoes, dresses, and other types of costumes for
dramatic play, and there is a block center.
 Lake 6

• Ample indoor space that allows children and staff to circulate freely, enough space
for mealtimes, group times, and suitable space for activities in free play.
There is ample indoor space, the children and staff have enough room to move and play
comfortably. During the free play time there are two tables that are multipurpose and
utilized as needed, e.g., for art or games, but then during lunchtime they are cleaned and
used for the children to eat their lunch. During free play time the gathering area becomes
the block center.

• An indoor space for privacy is accessible and physically set up in the classroom to
discourage interruptions.
In the art center the art easel is two sided but the children would not be able to see each
other during their painting. The table in the writing center has room for only two children
at a time. There is also a specific place designated as a “safe space” where a child may go
to be alone. It is a place that is behind a sheer drape/curtain and has a soft place to sit or
lie down to relax or think without being disturbed.

• Most indoor surfaces are durable and easy to clean and maintain, space is
reasonably clean and well-maintained, space is generally in good repair.
The surfaces are durable and easily kept clean, and the room is clean, well maintained,
and in good repair.

• Centers requiring more space have sufficient space to accommodate the type of play
required and the number of children who want to participate.
The block center is the biggest and it received the largest number of children playing in it
throughout the free play time. It also has the most equipment in it.

• Space arranged and used so that different activities do not interfere with one
another.
There is no need to walk through one center to get to another. The doll house and
climbing toy are against the wall so children would go through the block center to get to
them but in the almost one and a half hours I observed the center no one had a problem
with that. The block center is the largest center and that might be the reason why.

• At least 2 play areas have sufficient space for the type of play encouraged by the
materials.
Yes, the centers have enough room and nothing is crowded or blocking access to any of
the toys.

• All play areas requiring special provisions are conveniently equipped.

Yes, the art center and the sensory table are the centers closest to the hand-washing sink
and, therefore, they are both easily cleaned. The block center has carpet.
 Lake 7

• Space is arranged so that classroom pathways generally do not interrupt play.

Yes, with two caveats, the space is set up in a way that there is enough room to move
around with little to no disruption. The art center is located in front of the bathroom door
but that seems unavoidable. It does not stop the careful flow of individuals in and out of
the bathroom, however. The second issue is that the sensory table is in the middle of the
room, but there is enough room to walk by it to the other centers without disturbing
anyone.

• Quiet and noisy play areas are all separated from one another, not just by furniture
but by physical space."
The centers are separated by space. The room, however, was loud at times but that did
not seem to deter any children and their play.

• Children are allowed to play alone or with a friend, without interfering with other
children’s access to play areas or interest centers designed for more children.
Yes, there was a girl playing in the writing center, alone.

• About one-third of the display materials are children’s individualized artwork.

Yes, the children’s artwork is very prevalent in the room.

• Three-dimensional child-created work is displayed, in addition to flat work.

Yes, some of the best work, in my opinion, is the children’s 3D artwork on display. It is
3D art that is attached to the walls. It is not project work that sits on tables, however.

• Space has at least 2 convenient features.

Yes, the room has a bathroom in the classroom and the children took advantage of it
without any help, e.g., needing to be taken to another location to use a bathroom. The
room also has a drinking fountain and accessible storage in the room.

Learning Materials, Equipment and Furniture.

• Storage of Materials in the Centers.

Yes, there are drawers in two of the centers, the art center and the reading/writing center.

• Most importantly, are the materials/equipment safe?

Yes, the items in the room/centers are safe. There are no materials that might be harmful
to the children unless a child became violent and used the materials is such a manner, but
that seems extremely unlikely with the calm and happy environment and the vigilant
attention given by the adult staff.

• Are there spaces in the room specific to each child and labeled as such?
Yes, there are enough cubbies for each child enrolled in the school and they are each
labeled.
 Lake 8

• Do the materials/equipment promote a good balance of different types of

functioning by the children in the center and/or among the centers?
Yes, there is a good mix of centers offering and promoting a balance of different types of
functioning. A science center and math and manipulative center are for cognitive growth.
There are two centers covering social: a block center and, the home and kitchen center
with dresses, shoes, and other types of costumes for dramatic play. The reading and
writing center is for language, and for physical activities there are the block center and
the sensory table.

• Diversity related to culture and disabilities can be reflected in classroom pictures,

books, puzzles and props children can engage with.
The classroom has diversity reflected in their books, pictures displayed at the children’s
level, and dolls. These each have male and female, white, black, Asian, and native
peoples and in cultural clothing.

• Include things that are similar to those found in the homes of the children.
Examples: water play, bubbles, play dough.
Yes, the day I observed the classroom in action, they were playing with play dough in the
art center and the teacher had the sensory table set up with water and with toys in the
water. A good number of the children used both the sensory table and the play dough.

• Are the materials in each center appropriate for the range of developmental levels
your children exhibit?
Yes, I believe each center was developmentally age-appropriate for the children.

• Active involvement vs quiet activities.

There was a good mixture of quiet activities and active involvement in the centers. Two
children were drawing quietly and one boy was playing with the playhouse quietly. The
other children who were involved with more noisy play together were not actually very
loud, but simply being socially interactive.

• Chairs and tables are child-sized for 75% of the children.

Yes, the only piece of furniture not child-sized was the teacher’s chair.

• Three or more pieces of furniture designed for a specific activity are used.
Yes, there is an art easel, a sensory table, and a kitchen set up, and I observed each of
these pieces of furniture being used by the classroom children.

• Furnishing providing a substantial amount of softness accessible. There is a nice soft

area in the reading and writing center and in the safe space, too.
 Lake 9

• There is enough equipment. (stationary and portable) to interest all of the children
and keep them active and involved.
Yes, there are seven well stocked learning centers, a climbing toy, and a doll house, there
are thirteen children enrolled. The day I observed them they had one and a half hours of
free play time and they all played and were busy the whole time.

• Equipment is accessible to the children for at least 30 minutes during the

observation.
Yes, they had one and a half hours of free play. The children used that time to go to the
centers of their choice and take items from the shelves to play with as they wished.

• All observed equipment is appropriate for the children's age and ability.
Yes, I did not observe any equipment that was not appropriate.

• Use of ample and varied equipment is observed.

There was ample equipment and plenty of variety.

Storage of Materials and Equipment.

• Ample furniture for routine care, play, and learning (e.g., children’s possessions
stored without items touching those of another child; children eat or work at tables
without crowding; the vast majority of materials are not crowded on shelves).
Yes, there are plenty of cubbies for each child to have their own, and there are also
enough tables and chairs that the children are not crowded while eating and playing. The
shelves are not crowded. The children have plenty of toys but the toys and materials
available to the children are not mixed up, messy, or over-crowded.

• Routine care furniture is convenient to use.

Yes, the cubbies are near the door when entering the room.

Other Elements of Physical Environment.

• Adequate lighting, natural light can be controlled.

Yes, one of the four walls was all windows with curtains that open and close.

• Ventilation control, comfortable temperature, ventilation can be controlled.

I don’t think the windows open but the door to the outside play yard was opened and I
thought it was cold but I was the only one sitting still, as everyone else was constantly
moving, including the teachers, so it would probably be too hot for them if it was
warmer.
 Lake 10

• Reasonable noise level.

It did get a little loud at times but that is to be expected with that many young children in
one room, but that loud noise level was not the whole time, just during certain types of
appropriate interactive play. There was soft music playing in the background and I could
hear it most of the time.

8. Describe and evaluate how the teacher represented the issue of diversity in the
physical environment.
There are pictures of different people in work uniforms, men, women, black, white,
brown, etc. and also dolls of different colors and books with diverse themes.

9. a. Write a detailed observation of the classroom in action. Focus on

how the room arrangement influences the children’s social interactions, and the
children’s use of the room and its materials.
I observed a well-oiled machine. The teachers worked well with the children, assisting
when needed and then standing back and letting the children engage in their play. There
was a teacher that sat and played with the children working with play dough. She had her
own dough and played along with them, not telling them how to play but asking open
ended questions about their creation only when the children would tell her what they had
made. There was a teacher that told the children she had opened the patio if anyone
wanted to come outside and play on the patio. Another teacher was there to help the
children if they asked for help, e.g., a child asked for help putting on a dress. The main
teacher moved around the room watching the children and talking to them when they said
something to her or if there was a problem and she would help them work it out. There
was soft music in the background and that is why I know it was not too loud the whole
time because I could easily hear the soft music. The children were given one and a half
hours of free play and this was after they had played outside for at least one hour. That
was ensuring they had all of their extra energy out and were ready to concentrate on their
free play and be able to focus on the task at hand, which was of their choosing. When
given the green light some children went and got a chair from the tables, that later
became lunch tables, and took them to the sensory table and began to interact with the
toys in the water and each other. I observed a child using one of the toys in the water,
filling the toy with water that she had begun to play with. Then I noticed that the other
two children at the sensory table started doing the same thing. They each had the same
toy. After those children moved to another activity, more children came over to the
sensory table and used the toys in the same way, filling the toy with water and then
pushing on the plunger to squirt the water out. I saw this from different children, alone or
in a group, playing in the sensory table throughout the free play time. This made me think
this was not the first time they had these toys in the sensory table to play with. It seemed
to be an unorthodox way to fill the toy with water. I found that interesting. There were
other children playing at the art table with play dough and tools like cookie cutters,
rolling pins, and things to press into the play dough. The dough was orange and with the
upcoming holiday, Halloween, on the horizon most of the play was centered on pumpkins
 Lake 11

and talk of what they would be for Halloween. The pumpkins they were making were all
sizes, thick and thin, and they all had faces and the ability to talk. A couple of pumpkins
were talking to each other, with the help of their makers. Over in the block center
everyone took a turn at some point in the free play time. They made thinks that would fly
around the room while some structures were stationary. While that was happening, some
children were on the climbing toy, and a boy played quietly by himself at the dollhouse
for most of the hour and a half. There was a girl who was the one that some of the other
children seemed to follow from place to place, first the sensory table, then to the dress up
where she and a boy dawned a dress, hers with heels, and he opted to stay in his own
shoes, and another boy who put on a doctor’s uniform. I am assuming this because the
teachers asked him if he was a doctor and he said yes. These three played with each other
for most of the time, first at the sensory table, then the dress up, and over to the math and
manipulative center. They were not playing with the math and manipulative center’s toys,
but instead opted to bring over chairs that they lined up in a row facing out, with their
backs to the center. I am not sure of the game they were playing but the girl seemed to be
the leader. At some point they broke off and went their own ways. She stayed in her dress
with ruby slippers and began acting out a favorite character from the cartoons or a movie.
I know this because the teacher with the play dough asked her about her scepter, and with
that she picked up something off a shelf she had been standing next to, it was an invisible
scepter, and began using it. The teacher explained to me what she was doing and with
that she was off to save the world, in oversized heels and an oversized dress and her
invisible scepter.

b. Write an evaluation of the room arrangement based on what you

observed (e.g, the children’s use of the classroom/materials and their social
interactions.) Include specific examples from your observation to support your
conclusions.
I observed a well situated classroom. Entering the room, the children’s cubbies are right
there so the families do not have to carry the children’s belongings around, and upon
leaving for the day busy parents with a lot on their minds will not forget their children’s
belongings since they must pass right by the cubbies to exit the room. There is also a
basket next to the door for the children’s lunch boxes, again an easy spot for the parents
to deposit their lunches and at lunchtime the teacher has one place to get all the lunches,
and a place to put them after lunch so the parents can grab them out at the end of the day.
A few steps further into the room begin the centers. The centers are around the room
closest to the walls or windows, this is a good way of setting up the room so that there is
little chance of having to walk through a center to get to another center. The shelves are
large enough to hold a good number of toys but not too large that a supervising adult
cannot see around the room. The centers are separated by back to back shelves with few
exceptions. This makes the most sense as not to waste any valuable space and defines
each center. The walls are adorned with diverse pictures of people, places, and the
children’s artwork. Most items on display are at the children’s eye level. The gathering
area is in the front of the room and only has one way in so it sort of corrals the children
in, not a danger, just not open on all sides possibly making it a challenge to keep the
 Lake 12

children focused while in group time. In that same space during free play time, that space
becomes the block center. It has carpet making it more comfortable and keeping the noise
to a manageable level. The math and manipulative center is back to back with the reading
and writing center, two of the quieter centers. The art center is near the hand washing
sink for easy clean up after messy play. The sensory table is in the middle of the room
and easily accessible, the children bring chairs over from the table so they do not have far
to bring them and there is nothing in their way while carrying a chair that might be
awkward with the legs possibly hitting things if they had a long way to carry them and
into a tight space. The home and kitchen center is next to the block center and has a little
table to play at. This does not mean the children cannot bring things out of the center but
the table is there if they want to use it. The science center is next to the safe space and the
doll house and the climbing toy are against the wall by the block center. The music and
movement center is next to the teacher’s chair which is in the gathering area. I cannot
think of any better way to set up the classroom. It all makes functional sense and the
children have an easy time knowing where things are and determining how they are going
to use their creative time.

2. Write an overall evaluation of the Learning Environment.

a. Rating: Using a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the best, if you were the director or
principal of this school how would you rate this learning environment?
I would rate this classroom, 5.

b. Strengths & Weaknesses: Specifically explain your rating by identifying the

strengths and weaknesses you observed.
I observed no weaknesses. I gave a ranking of 5 due to the quality of the program, the
setup of the room, and the teacher-child interaction principles that were evident.

c. Improvements: Identify specific improvements, you, as the administrator,

would expect to see.
Given the physical space available, and the underlying principles of interactional teaching
of the young children that comes from NAEYC based upon the teachings of Magda
Gerber and the Pikler pedagogy, I do not feel there need to be any changes, I would not
change anything.