J Boy first year at pre-school 2012

1. Jakob Corse-Scott
Goodstart Early Learning Tuggerah
Learning Journal 2012

2. 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.

3. Enjoying Books
Enjoying 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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

18. 12 Month Analysis
December 2012
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.

19. 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.

20. 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.