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| Microwave |
Recently, the educators at my home centre put a
microwave into the family corner for the children to play with. The microwave
in the kitchen broke and the staff bought a new one to replace it. Many of the
children have spent quite a bit of time in the family corner since we added the
microwave, gathering lots of different pretend food items to cook.
The
other day, I spent the morning sitting in the family area observing the
children using the microwave. I found it very interesting that most of them
knew exactly how to operate the microwave without asking any adults for help. This
reflects the fact that the children are learning skills to help them
participate in society when they get older (Ministry of Education, 2007). The
children would put the food into the bowls and then pretend to microwave it.
Once it was cooked they would take it out and share the food with the other
children around them. Most of them were able to take turns using the microwave
and share the food items with each other.
A
microwave is technology as it was invented to help us to solve a problem; in
this case cooking food faster (Smorti, 1999). Normally, microwaves are digital
technology as they would be plugged in to a power outlet and require electricity
to work, but for safe use for the children within the centre we left it
unplugged. I moved out of home four years ago and I only bought a microwave
last year for the first time. I managed without one for a long time, but now
that I have one I find that I use it very often. When I was living at home with
my family we had a microwave as long as I can remember and it was something
that was used almost daily. I believe that the children at my centre that have
been playing with the microwave also have one at home and must watch their
parents use them. This shows that the technology we use in the centre helps the
children to make connections to their home, which links back to the belonging
strand of the New Zealand curriculum (Ministry of Education, 1996).
I
also noticed that some of the children were saying the numbers out loud as they
were pushing the buttons on the microwave. It is very important in early childhood that children
learn to recognise the number symbols as well as the sounds. In order to “progress
in mathematics, children need to be able to use the standard written numerals
of their society” (Copley, 2010, p. 64). This also shows that it is important to
ensure the children can one day become competent and confident adults (Ministry
of Education, 1996). I had not thought about using something like a microwave
within their environment to enhance their mathematical knowledge and when the
other educators placed the microwave in the family corner I realised that it was a great way to
encourage not only mathematical skills but many other skills, including
role-playing and sharing skills. I believe that as a centre we are
moving in the right direction when it comes to technology and that giving the
microwave to the children was a step forward for us.
Reference List
Copley, J. V.
(2010). The young child and mathematics. Washington,
DC: NAEYC Books.
Ministry of
Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki
mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington,
New Zealand: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education. (2007). The
New Zealand curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.
Smorti, S. (1999). Technology in early
childhood. Early education, 58 (1),
1-9.
I loved how your centre utilised the old microwave and put it in the family corner for the children to use. You said how the children knew exactly how to operate the microwave this links to technology and how children have an understanding of material properties uses and how and why they work the way they do (The New Zealand Curriculum, 2007)It also could show that they have observed other people using the microwave or have even had a go themselves with supervision. I have never really looked at microwaves in enhancing mathematics either but you have now given me something to think about and look at technology in all different ways. How could you extend on the children learning with the microwave or get other children involved so they to could experience what the other children have.
ReplyDeleteHi Emily I really enjoyed reading about the microwave in the family corner, I also felt the same way with the play microwave that we have in the family corner the children are aware of the basics of how to use this since technology is about helping people solve problems (Smorti, 1999).I cant believe that you only got a microwave last year I have had one at home for as long as I remember and I use both the work and home microwave nearly everyday. I liked how you talked about the children saying numbers out loud while using the microwave have you had any ideas of how to extend this further? Since writing this blog is the microwave still popular with the children? Have you thought moving the microwave to a different environment in the centre to see if it will still be popular?
ReplyDeleteAwesome blog about how an old microwave can be valuable for children’s learning and development and I enjoyed reading about how children were developing their mathematical skills as I never really thought about that myself. I was going to ask the same as Simone. Have you tried placing the microwave in a different environment? We have recently put an old microwave out in the sandpit for the children to use. After reading your blog it seems they get the same type of use out of it, especially role playing and it reflects real life play. Through exploration “Children develop the knowledge that playing with ideas and materials, with no objective in mind, can be an enjoyable, creative, and valid approach to learning” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 84). You could also use a microwave that is working with the children and could try something like puff painting just for a different experience.
ReplyDeleteI liked your blog about the family play area and how the children pretended to cook things in the microwave. Isn’t it interesting how most children knew how to use it which shows how common microwaves are and how familiar they are with them? I to remember getting a microwave and what a huge deal it was in my home but I remember ours being this huge big microwave. Nowadays, they are a lot smaller and sleeker, a sure sign that technology is continuously being updated and modernized. Maybe you could extend on this role playing by doing some actual cooking or baking using the working microwave in the centre. I also liked how this experience had the children using their mathematical skills to count the numbers. Ministry of Education (1996) states that through activities like this, children develop “familiarity with numbers and their uses by exploring and observing the use of numbers in activities that have meaning and purpose for children” (p.78).
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