Preschool Observation

Preschool Observation Setting: I observed Anna, age four years and five months, on March 24, 2006, at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church Preschool. I observed for two and one-half hours from 9:15 am to 11:45 am. The preschool has three teachers and a full enrollment of 24 children, ages four and five, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. They also have 24 children, age three, on Tuesday and Thursday. On the Friday that I visited, there were 21 children in attendance. There is a large enclosed play area outside. There is a large covered sandbox area with several toys including large plastic scoops, a large metal spoon, plastic bowls, shovels and buckets, a large play structure with a slide and climbing apparatus, a log cabin play house with several tools; such as plastic hammers, wrenches, and saws. There is a big sidewalk that goes around the perimeter of the yard where the children ride the tricycles. There are six tricycles but they were not out for use on the day that I observed. Inside there are many areas for playing and learning. There is a small room that has a cradle, dolls, blankets, dress-up clothes and shoes for girls, child size furniture; table, sink, dishes, and other kitchen items. Also kept in this room is a large roll of paper that can be cut to any length for drawing and painting. In this room is where one of the teachers meets for story time with her group of eight children. The large room is divided into two parts for the other two teachers and their groups when it is story time. The accordion divider is opened when the individual group time is over. In the large room are many different activity stations; easel with two sides for drawing with markers and paints, a fish tank with several fish, papers and crayons, table with small wooden puzzles with numbers on the pieces, small hard rubber birds, owls, and pelicans, a table with a hard plastic surface that lights up, a table with rocks and a magnifying glass, a table with Legos, an area for wooden