Taylor Lesko

ECE 251-1001

February 26, 2017

Environment Observation

1. School: CSN Early Child Education Lab

Telephone: 702-651-4004
2. Teacher: Ms. Susan
Age/Grade Level: 3 - 4 years old, Aspen classroom
3. Number of children: 14 children enrolled in the class
4. Centers:
Home center: 3-4 children
Art center: 3-4 children
Rug/ Block center: 4-5 children
Upstairs loft/ quite center: 5-6 children
Under loft/ Science and Math center: 5-6 children
Tables/ food centers: 10-14 children
Physical activity/sensory table center: 5-6 children
Outside area: 10-14 children
5. Floor plan
6. A. Arrangement of physical space:
1. Reading area: In the classroom there were multiple book shelves spaced

around the room that made it easy for children to pick a book. There was a

quiet reading area upstairs in the loft and a sofa chair by the front entrance.
2. Nap time area: During my observation I did not see any nap time mats in the

classroom.
3. Eating area: There were three designated tables that were located in the back

of the room that are used for feeding. The children enjoyed snacks and lunch

time at the tables.

4. Teachers desk: There was no desk or station that was designated for the

teachers in the classroom.

5. Home/Kitchen center: There was a section in the classroom that was

acknowledge as the home center. This section of the room had a kitchen with a

fridge and stove. Located in this area was also a desk that was used as an at

home office space.

6. Toy/Play area: In the classroom, in between all the shelves and other centers

there is a wide open space that allowed children to play as a big group. In this

area they were able to use bigger toys such as blocks and wheeled toys.
7. Outside area: There was an outside area that was connected to the classroom.

The children were allowed to venture outside at a certain time. There were

materials placed outside and also a large grass area that they could run around.
8. Dress up area: By the home center there was a closet/wardrobe that held

dress-up clothes, shoes and hats.

9. Group area: There were two main areas where the whole class of 14 could sit

together and participate in activities.

10. Writing area: Upstairs, in the loft, there was a table designated for children to

write. There were enough paper and pencils so that children could practice

drawing pictures or writing their names.

B. Learning Materials, Equipment and Furniture
 1. Classroom pet: In the classroom, there were two different class pets that the

children could see. There was a crate of snails and a tank of fish.
2. Musical instruments: Located in the classroom there were musical instruments

that were easily accessible to the children. There were tambourines, maracas, triangles,

and a tone block.

3. Sensory table: There was a sensory table located in the room that allowed the

children to experience foam, slime and water with different objects.

4. Computers/electronics: In the classroom I did not see any computers or

electronic learning devices for the children to use.

5. Soft furniture: In this classroom there was a large padded chair in the front of

the classroom that had blankets around it.

6. Rugs: There are two rugs in the classroom that make the floor more

comfortable for the children. The first rug in the front of the classroom is designated for

blocks and the second rug is in the back tends to be a group meeting spot.
7. Doll house: This classroom has incorporated a doll house that children can use

in the upstairs loft.

8. Puzzles: There was a shelf that had a wide variety of age appropriate puzzles

for the children.

9. Plants: There were real plants placed in the classroom and they were used to

teach children about nurturing the plant so that they could keep it alive.

C. Storage of Materials and Equipment:

1. Cubbies for children: In the classroom there was an area that was clearly

defined by shelving that allows children to store their belongings in an organized fashion.

Each shelving station had a picture of the children to display who it belonged to.
2. Toy box: There was not a single big box located in the room that was used to

hold toys but instead they used the shelving located around the room.
 3. Shelving: In the classroom there were multiple shelves located around the room

so that the majority of materials were not crowed on the shelves. Children are able to see

every item located on the shelf.

4. Labels on materials: In the classroom there were labels and pictures of each

item so that it the children could easily identify where everything is to be placed.
D. Other Elements of Physical Environment
1. Safe place: In this classroom the instructor made it a point to place three safe

places up in the loft. The safe places were made out of baskets, hand pillows, blankets,

and stuff animals. By the safe places there were books placed for easy access.
2. Windows: There were five big windows that illuminated the classroom with

natural lighting.
3. Bathroom/Sanitizing: This particular classroom had a sink that was located

outside of the restroom and also had two sinks located directly in the bathroom. When

you go into the restroom you will see the sinks and also two smaller toilets made for this

age group.
4. Art work displayed: There were many pieces of previous artwork that the

children have done and they were displayed around the room.
5. Seasonal decorations: On this particular day I did not see any seasonal

decorations in the classroom.

6. First aid station: In the classroom I did not find an exact location of where the

first aid materials were located.

7. Birthday calendar: A calendar of the childrens birthdays was located in the

classroom so that the children could know when to acknowledge their fellow classmates.

8. Diversity: The teacher represented the issue of diversity in the classroom by showcasing

things that make each student unique. In the cubby section, there were pictures of each student

and their families. Each student had a couple of photos of their families that were different from

their classmates. There were also a view books and items around the room that were a part of
different cultures. Also there were different costumes and dress up items in the home center that

allowed children to explore different cultures and lifestyles.

9. Classroom in action:

A. During my observation I noticed that the children were not restricted in their space

and were able to move throughout the room freely. The area of the room was big enough so that

each child could work alone if they preferred to do so. I noticed that the children played in pairs

of two or more and I feel that is because there were multiples of all the materials and toys. The

arrangement of the room allows for the children to explore their surroundings because the centers

are not crammed together.

B. It seemed that the children preferred playing on the ground more than being at the

tables. When playing on the ground, the children were able to get out more materials such as

blocks. The area was large and this allowed multiple children to interact with one another at one

time. The art area was a key area in the room because the children all loved to socialize in that

spot. All the supplies in the classroom were easily accessible for the children to use.

10. A. Rating: I would rate this learning environment to be a 4 because it was an area where

children could be independent or participate in group activities. It is a 4 and not a 5 because I feel

that a big part of a childrens learning should be influenced by the use of electronics because they

are so prevalent in todays society.

B. Strengths & Weaknesses: This learning environment really had the childrens best

interests in mind when creating the layout. There were plenty of materials in the room so that

when all 14 children are in the classroom they are able to be constantly occupied. The storage of

the materials was done so that they were easy for the children to find. All of the toys were

labeled and had pictures located on the shelving so that the children could know where to put
them away. Another strength of this classroom is that the centers were spaced out in a way that

made the room flow. It did not feel that the room was thrown together hastily and the children

could easy hop from one section to the next in a seamless transition.

A weakness of the environment was that there was not a designated area nor supplies

available for nap time. Another weakness that was apparent when it came to the environment was

the absence of seasonal items or projects displayed around the room. The decorations would be

essential to a child feeling welcome the the environment and the projects would help give the

children a sense of accomplishment. Another thing that I wish the environment had would be

more things that help children understand diversity.

C. Improvements: I would like to see improvements made in child participation in

discussion about diversity in the classroom. I feel that it would be important for children to have

items they associate themselves with and have them near so that they can feel comforted.

Another perk to having items would be so that they can inform others on what their item

represents.

Improvements can also be made to the childrens reading area in the classroom. This

aspect needs improvement as there is only one comfy chair and it can only hold one or two kids

at a time. It is important that there are enough items in the classroom.