Jakob Corse-Scott

Goodstart Early Learning Tuggerah Learning Journal 2012

Welcome Jakob is settling in well and has quickly built a trusting relationship with Adam. He seeks comfort in this new relationship as he explores and engages in the learning environment. Through play Jakob’s confidence is growing as he engages in experiences.

Enjoying BooksEnjoying a moment of solitude, Jakob sits down and opens a book . He has selected a scratch and touch book about trucks. Each picture has a textured area for sensory exploration. Jakob began to scratch the page after Adam had scratch and pointed out the area on the page. Jakob then began turning the pages of the book and looking for other textured areas to scratch. After finding each one he would close the book and look at Adam. Once Adam had acknowledged what he had found, Jakob re-opened the book and began searching for textured areas again and again.

Cause and Effect

Jakob discovered a wooden green frog maraca in the musical instrument basket today. He approached Adam holding the frog out toward him. Adam took the frog and began to shake it. Jakob then took back the frog and investigated it for some time. When encouraged by Adam to shake it, he began to shake it in the air. Jakob was excited by the noise he could make and smiled happily as he continued to shake the frog.

Cognitive Development

Jakob sat quietly investigating the yellow and blue rings. He took the blue ring in one hand and placed it down over the pole. He repeated this action with the yellow ring then sought acknowledgement from Adam for his achievement. Jakob then removed both rings from the pole and repeated his early actions. He displayed satisfaction when his efforts were acknowledged by Adam.

Strong Sense of Identity

Recently during group time Jakob and his peers enjoyed a cake cooking experience. Today Jakob role played his cooking experience with Adam. Using an empty butter tub as a bowl and finger puppets for his ingredients Jakob set out to make his own cake.Jakob placed the finger puppets into his bowl then using a wooden spoon began to mix the puppets around in the bowl. Jakob is displaying his new skills holding the wooden spoon to stir and his ability to transfer the skills and knowledge he learnt in our group cooking experience.

Wellbeing In exploring his environment Jakob is showing increasingly developing motor skills. Today while confidently moving around and through his environment, Jakob discovered a curtain which had a play centre and other toys behind it. Jakob pulled the curtain back to investigate what was behind it. He then began to manoeuvre himself behind the curtain and bang on the buttons of the play centre .Jakob then moved back from behind curtain and looked at Adam, pointing behind the curtain at what he had discovered.

Fine Motor Skills

Adam placed 5 small blocks sitting randomly on the mat next to a cushion. Jakob placed his blanket down on the map and sat down on the pillow and picked up one of the blocks. After examining the block, he then placed it down on top of another block. Adam began to sing “Build it up” to which Jakob’s face lit up with a giant smile.Jakob then reached for a second block and held onto it. Adam continued singing and encouraged Jakob to build a big tower.Jakob then placed the block on top of his tower, making it 3 blocks high. Jakob looked towards Adam, clapping his hands and laughing.

Exploring (with a Carrot)

The educators put of some soft climbing blocks and created an obstacle course for the children to navigate across. Jakob was enthusiastic and decided to carry a carrot on his adventure. Holding the carrot in one hand Jakob climbed up onto first block. He then crawled across onto the u shape block and pulled himself to his feet. The entire time Jakob maintained a strong grip on the carrot. He is demonstrating his ability to combine gross and fine motor skills to achieve more complex movement.

Dramatic Play

Jakob approached the dramatic play area and lifted a doll out of the high chair. He then carried the doll over and laid it down on the table. Jakob was then observed taking a fry pan and specular from the shelf. Jakob then turned around to the doll and began to feed the doll using the specular. After several specular of food for the doll, Jakob then began to feed himself from the fry pan.

Outdoor Play Jakob joined his friend Jacob in the sandpit and began to investigate one of the green buckets. He lifted the bucket up, tipping sand all over his legs. Jakob clapped and went to lift the bucket again. Adam handed Jakob a shovel so he could fill the bucket up with sand again. Jakob is more active in seeking out new experiences and is showing more confidence with outdoor activities.

Learning Jakob sat up at the painting table to join in car wheel painting experience. He took hold of the cars that had their wheels dipped in paint and began to drive the cars over the paper. Back and forth he pushed the car. He then swapped the car for another and enjoyed adding car tracks on another colour. Jakob clear enjoyed this activity showing happiness and laughing

Self Help Skills Through out the day we encourage the children to engage in self help skills. At meal times Jakob is confidently using his spoon with increasing competency to feed himself. Jakob now wants to feed himself with out any assistance from his educators. This show independence and his displays determination when faced with difficulty. He is also starting to use his new skills to select fruit from the fruit bowl during meal times.

Community Jakob is developing strong social skills and enjoys engaging in cooperative play and group experiences. His confidence continues to grow as he explores the wonder of his environment and interacts with his peers in play situations. He displays sharing behaviours when investigating with his peers.

Identity

During dramatic play Jakob responds to new situations and shows the ability to mimic the actions of other. During play he found a hair comb and with encouragement began to comb his own hair. Jakob uses play to investigate to further develop his knowledge of the world around him.

Communication

Jakob is beginning to use more verbal forms of communication. During an art experience Jakob was enthusiastic and was not reserved in expressing his enjoyment during the activity. Jakob pointed and used baby language to show his educator what he had achieved while painting.

Exploring through play Jakob approached the bead puzzle and began to examine the beads on the wire. He then took hold of a few beads and began to push them along the wire.

Excited by his success in moving the beads he placed down the toy he was holding and began to push bead on a different wire. Jakob is showing improved competence with his fine motor skills

12 Month Analysis Children have a strong sense of Identity:

Jakob engages in and contributes to shares play experiences. He shows interest in other children and being a party of a group. He has established and maintains respectful and trusting relationships with his peers and educators. Jakob displays a strong sense of belonging and demonstrates increasing confidence and self-identity as he approaches play situations and new experiences. As in Erickson’s theory of ‘trust verses mistrust’.

Children are connected and contribute to their world:

Jakob displays confidence and uses play to investigate and explore new experiences. He builds on his own social experiences and feels safe with new experiences and social interactions. Jakob enthusiastically explores relationships with other living and non-living things and is beginning to develop and broaden his understanding of the world he lives on.

December 2012

Children have a strong sense of wellbeing:

Jakob is a happy and positive young boy who actively seeks out new challenges and displays satisfaction and excitement when making new discoveries. He demonstrates awareness of his contribution to shared projects and learning experiences. Jakob displays increasingly complex patterns of movement through a combination of fine and gross motor skills competency. Increasingly he demonstrates improved and defined skills to manipulate equipment and manage tools. Jakob has demonstrated increasing independence and competence in personal hygiene, care and self help skills. As in Dewey’s theory of hands on approach.

Children are confident and involved learners:

Jakob enjoys investigating, exploring and engages in all types of experiences. He is confident and curious participant in his learning and demonstrates the ability to transfer learning from one experience to others. Jakob uses play to investigate, imagine and explore ideas. He demonstrates competence in manipulation objects and experimenting with cause and effect. He is confident and extends on his own interests with energy and enthusiasm. As in Piaget’s theory of sensorimotor stage of development.

Children are effective communicators:

Jakob engages in enjoyable interactions using both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication. Increasingly he is beginning to use more verbal communication to respond to experiences and situations. Jakob responds with enthusiasm to stories and is continuing to grow and build on his expressive and receptive language skills.