“Workshop are an organization of entertainment or educational activities that uses concrete intelligence, assisted by manual motor skills, for the production of objects. A workshop tends to provide the necessary bases for the knowledge of a profession or for the gestural and intellectual training essential to later occupy a job. By extension, the term workshop also designates the place in which such activity takes place or the group that engages in it ” (Vigy, 1986, cited in López 1997, p.36)
Some of the characteristics or facets that constitute the workshops can be specified from the ideas presented by Borghi (2005).
Workshops can be used in many ways since, in some cases, you may choose to carry out a single workshop, thus giving the school a specific identity and, in other cases, you can opt for the versatility of workshops.
In addition, in terms of materials, they can be specific and specialized, therefore, aimed at the development of certain tasks or, on the contrary, non-specialized materials (ones, such as stones, ropes, etc.), so that it is very useful for many enriching activities. However, the absence of specific materials would not allow the specificity of the workshop to be established, but it would be necessary not to lose focus on the objectives of the dynamics.
On the other hand, the presence of several teachers can occur simultaneously in the same class, favoring the division of tasks and the use of specialized skills. This can be beneficial if it is used in an enriching way but is at risk of opting for excessive specialization, leaving aside other fields. In the workshops, without giving up the role of teacher guide, stimuli arise from the context and from other infants, so special importance is given to the learning context, leaving the teacher more on the sidelines.
The vision that is put on the workshops can be very contradictory, since they can be welcomed as separate and exceptional activities within the school routine or, on the contrary, integrated as part of the school’s day today and an opportunity for more experiences .
Regarding workshops we can find two different organizational modalities: outside the school and within it.
Within the school, workshops can be understood as a specific, alternative and complementary space to the class spaces (work corners), in which ad hoc activities are developed with a single objective. On the contrary and preferably, workshops can be conceived from the versatility, where the school cares about each one of the infants, valuing their individualities and diversity, offering them different multipurpose spaces for their development.
Regarding the fulfilment of workshops outside the school, we can find three privileged spaces for their attainment. The first of them, in the open air (in farms, orchards, the garden, etc.) where the natural activities of observation and experimentation will prevail. On the other hand, we find the environment close to the school surroundings, in which a visit to the garden, the park or the forest can offer us abundant activities. And finally, the city’s resources can offer us the opportunity to make cultural visits to museums, associations, libraries, etc.
References
Borghi, B. Q. (2005). Los talleres en educación infantil: espacios de crecimiento (Vol. 12). Graó.
López, S. T. (1997). Talleres y rincones en educación infantil: su vigencia psicopedagógica hoy. Comunicación presentada en el Congreso de Córdoba.
Para realizar esta actividad de documentación en la escuela infantil me he centrado en el juego y más específicamente en el juego simbólico, pues el juego tiene un papel fundamental en el desarrollo integral de los niños. El juego motiva y facilita el aprendizaje.
A lo largo de mis estudios y de las prácticas realizadas en centros educativos he podido observar la importancia del juego en el proceso de enseñanza – aprendizaje.
El juego simbólico permite desarrollar la función simbólica en los niños, la cual es muy importante en el proceso de socialización y para el conocimiento de la realidad. Los niños, son los protagonistas de su propio aprendizaje, interaccionan con otros niños y establecen roles en los que tienden a imitar la realidad o el contexto en el que se desarrollan.
La función simbólica, permite hacer visible un objeto o un acontecimiento que no está presente, a través de algún sistema de representación: gestos, imagen mental, lenguaje, dibujo, acciones significantes, juegos de ficción…
El juego simbólico permite la asociación de un objeto cotidiano con la acción que el niño realiza con él.
Mediante el juego, el niño interpreta sus experiencias y establece reglas, y todo ello le permite asimilar y aprender. El “juego simbólico” es un mecanismo de descontextualización y de desarrollo de la función simbólica.
La función simbólica es importante, pues permite asimilar de forma lúdica aprendizajes y conocimientos sobre el contexto físico y social a través de juegos, palabras, objetos… que les permiten explorar dicho contexto.
En un principio la actividad se centra en el propio cuerpo y va evolucionando progresivamente e incorporando objetos que le rodean.
Mas o menos al año y medio el niño es capaz de imitar acciones sin tener presente el objeto que las provoca y puede crear situaciones que reproducen hechos reales que ha vivido. Son estas situaciones las que llamamos juego simbólico.
El niño comienza por imitar hechos muy próximos a la situación real vivida, comienza a hacer imitaciones de situaciones que él realiza habitualmente, por ejemplo, hace como que come, duerme…para evolucionar y trasladarlas a otros, por ejemplo dar de comer. Es en este momento, cuando juega por ejemplo con muñecas y les da de comer, o lava o peina, cuando el niño imita lo que los adultos más próximos hacen con él, para finalmente no sólo imitar, sino que se identifica con lo que está representando.
A través de la observación he podido comprobar que la imaginación todavía no está muy presente en la etapa 0 -3, es más adelante cuando los niños son capaces de enriquecer y construir situaciones más complejas y compartirlas con otros niños.( jugar a mamás y papás). En el aula de dos años si he podido observar alguna situación en la que la imaginación está más presente que la imitación.
El juego simbólico es primordial para el desarrollo cognitivo del niño, pues para entender diferentes ideas y situaciones es necesario ponerlas en práctica de forma simbólica.
He podido constatar que ha través de diferentes situaciones de juego, el niño es capaz de separar los objetos reales de su significado apoyándose en un objeto sustituto que posee propiedades semejantes al objeto real, por ejemplo, un bloque de las construcciones hace de coche o un palo de madera hace de cuchara.
El juego simbólico favorece el desarrollo y adquisición del lenguaje, así como la relación y la interacción de los niños con los demás y con el mundo que les rodea.
Free-play allows the students to conduct their own actions while being the protagonists of that moment (Fernández, 2014). This process is creative and ruleless, it benefits spontaneity, creativity, imagination as well as it frees the children from the pressure they may feel and it allows them to get on in an independent way (Caurcel, 2010). Therefore, free and spontaneous play is very essential for it promotes creativity and generates pleasure in the people who participate in it (Arnaiz, de Basterrechea y Carreño, 2011).
Spanish schools, at the beginning of the 20th century started to position themselves on a more transformative and whole view of childhood; this process wanted to leave behind the rote and intellectualist approach and focus the process of teaching and learning on the children, which also helped the value of the ludic activities to be recognised (Rico, 2007).
Although nowadays the importance of free-play is well known for its benefits, it still lacks opportunities for it to be appreciated. The concept of free-play that we explain in this document is not related to the reality that this process goes through in schools. In spite of the awareness of the teachers about the importance of free-playing they are still resistant to leave time for it in class. This usually happens because these teachers still have a more traditionalist view of playing. They may see it as a spare time activity with no correlation to education. Alternatively, the goal is to not see it as a waste of time but as something rich and productive within the educational process (Rico, 2007).
Certain reason as to why free-playing lacks rich and educational purposes are as followed: lack of pedagogical training the teachers have, the lack of support from the administrative team, the opinions of the families, the pressure of the curricular content and the ratio of students per classroom.
As we mentioned earlier, teachers do not count with a strong support from the administrative team of the school to add the free-playing to their programme, as well as they are not given enough and a specific time for this activity (Mañós, Balagué, Virgili y Montalá, 2019). Moreover, Malaguzzi (2011) tells us about the need of a timeless time, without any rushes, where every kid does as they please, experimenting, building relationships and knowledge. Children have different ways of interacting with people, different ways of expressing themselves and experimenting, so, this process needs to have its own time respecting every child’s right to have their rhythm.
Having finished seeing the reality of free-playing in schools, we can conclude there is no correlation between the traits of free-playing in reality and the concepts we went through in this paper. One of these concepts is that each individual has different way of participating, understanding, contemplating, playing and interpreting and these should be done in a free context. If we allow this process to happen, we will allow the kids to create their own map through the unconscious and the mental representations of the reality (consciousness) (Abad, 2008). In a similar way, children conceive playing as their own basic way to act. Even though they do it for pleasure, the main reason behind this activity is because the feel the need to do it (Arnaiz, de Basterrechea, Carreño, 2011).
For this process to be done correctly, adults, specifically teachers, must present materials in an organised way so that it can provoke a sense of transformation in the children. In this way, the kids will be able to make the places of play their own, physically and mentally. In free-play there should be place for disorganising, destruction, reuse of materials, etc. Teachers must see this process not as an error, but as a way of getting to know the children in a more global way while using the observation as a way of documenting (Abad, 2008).
Using a real-life example, there is a proposal of a teacher of a three years olds classroom that includes a crib, a bench and some fabric. This teacher got mad at the fact that the students did not go through the materials as she had planned but instead, they went in a completely different direction.
We have to take into account that playing is not a one-room activity, but it is recommendable to take place in other spaces outside of the classroom. A more natural surrounding is beneficial thus the free-play enables the students to enjoy, experimenting and learning in a more global way. An example can be school trips in the outside (Rico, 2007).
Once we have seen the evolution of the concepts of free-playing throughout the years and the ones that we have now in the school context, we can say that students are not getting everything they can from it. Schools tend to rely on publishing houses that offer them pseud-games that are far from giving the children the liberty of action that they deserve. The fact that they kids are told the “limits” that certain materials have also limits their learning. Moreover, as we mentioned earlier, the time for creating and experimenting is overlapped by the obligatory assignments that they have to do. as a result, playing has way less time than these previous activities (Hoyuelos, 2015). Playing is not wasting time, but limiting the possibilities of reaching a full growth.
References
Abad, J. (2008). El Placer y el Displacer en el Juego Espontáneo Infantil. Arteterapia- Papeles de arteterapia y educación artística para la inclusión social, 167-188.
Caurcel, M. J. (2010). Contextos de desarrollo y juego en la edad infantil. En A. Muñoz García, Psicología del desarrollo en la etapa de Educación Infantil (págs. 176-193). Madrid: Pirámide.
Fernández, L. (2014). El juego libre y espontáneo en educación infantil. Una experiencia práctica. Santander.
Hoyuelos, A. (2015). Cultura de la infancia y ámbitos de juego. En A. Hoyuelos, & M. A. Riera, Complejidad y relaciones en educación infantil (págs. 113-130). Barcelona: Rosa Sensat
Mañós, R. V., Balagué, À. G., Virgili, N. A., &Montalá, M. D. (2019). Percepción de los maestros sobre el derecho al juego libre en educación infantil y educación primaria. Estudio desarrollado en Barcelona (España). Bordón. Revista de Pedagogía, 71(4), 151-165.
Rico, A. P. (2007). Consideraciones pedagógicas sobre los valores y posibilidades educativas del juego en la España contemporánea (1876-1936). Historia de la Educación, 26.
Authorship
Laura Cabeza Badía y Cristina Rojo Santamaría, 2020.
This document will relate about the lunch time in early childhood education, giving to this moment its full pedagogical value and highlighting its relevance to stay healthy and develop healthy food practices.
By remembering our practicum experiences in different schools, we all came to the same conclusion: in the lunch time, the children who we were attending, they all were watching all kinds of videos, like movies, songs, cartoons…, instead of talking and interacting with each other. According to Ritscher (2010), to promote the development of autonomy it is highly recommended to avoid such practices with the aim of “mislead” children, since these practices only feed the child but they do not promote the capacities of taste and sensation.
However, one of these three practicum experiences is quite opposite to the rest. In this specific case, children do interact with each other about what they were interested in, as well as they help each other, and the teacher would not silence the dialogues. This way the children could talk with the classmate sitting next to them but also with the whole group. To concrete these dialogues, we will give some examples. They would ask each other about their birthdays parties, who will assist to which party, they would also ask each other about what food preferences they had, they even help each other by opening the plastic packaging and last one but not least, they would also encourage to finish their food to the classmates that were always the last ones.
Talking about the types of food that were brought to the schools, we have compared some schools with others. In some schools, there was a weekly calendar in which day was programmed with different type of food (yogurt, cereals, fruit…) to promote a varied and balanced diet. In other schools it was free choice.
A common aspect that we have found in this weekly organization of the breakfast is that some families did not respect this weekly calendar and they did not offer to their children variety of healthy foods.
As Thió (2011) defends, children have to confront situations that develop their autonomy, with challenges that gradually develop it. However, this has not been like that in our practicum experiences in the schools, because teachers did the small achievements of the students themselves, like opening the wrappers or serving water in the glasses. It did not really promote the autonomy of the children. The teachers did it that way because they wanted to finish lunch time as soon as possible to do other activities.
In conclusion, we can affirm that it is not given enough pedagogical value to lunch time in the schools, because the objective is saving time and take advantage of it to do useful activities where lunch time is excluded.
References
Ritscher, P. (2010). Comer con todo detalle. In-fan-cia, 119, 25-27.
Thió, C. (2011). La comida más allá de la nutrición: Autonomía, autoestima, responsabilidad. Aula de Infantil, 59, 44-45.
The installations are, according to Ecured’s definition (n.d.), those works that use as part of the composition the medium they are in (walls, floor, lights…), as well as different objects and materials. Likewise, the spectator is part of the work and it is not finished until the subject itself moves or interacts with the proposal (Lemarroy, 2004).
However, Abad and Ruiz de Velasco (2014) go further, and show that the installations are a space where an idea or a message is intentionally represented. Furthermore, they believe that not all of them are made in order to be transformed by the spectator, but that they have to allow the spectator to “enter into the game” by interpreting and questioning the work in different ways.
On the other hand, we can say that installations in the educational context enhance the development of creativity in children, their capacity for play, imagination and collaborative work (Lapolla et al., 2017). In addition, they are spaces that arise from the union of an aesthetic proposal and a pedagogical foundation (Abad y Ruiz de Velasco, 2014). The children arrive at the proposals, play, interact with the elements offered in the installation, explore, transform the space and the objects, leaving a new space when they leave (Abad and Ruiz de Velasco, 2014). These proposals have to provoke the children, invite them to interact and offer them the opportunity to experiment, transform, relate, build… while allowing them to move around, play, etc., which makes the installations a great source of learning (Toca, 2019).
Source
Art installations have their origin in contemporary art when certain artists began to problematize the limits of the work of art (Leiva, 2020).
Furthermore, as Abad and Ruiz de Velasco (2020a) state, “they are playful environments that propose to go beyond the purely manipulative, perceptive or sensory to the symbolic, narrative or relational. In these works, art and play come together to promote
culture and relationship, allowing the perception and analysis of reality from different perspectives (Abad y Ruiz de Velasco, 2020a)
Characteristics of the installations
Based on authors such as Lemarroy (2004), some of the main characteristics of the facilities are
The installations are inspired by the ready-made technique, which consists of taking an everyday object out of its usual context and placing it in another context to give it a more aesthetic use and usage.
They are based on free play, since they are developed in an environment where no instructions or rules are given to follow, but the experimentation is what regulates and makes the proposal is developed in relation to the needs, interests and rhythms of students.
They must be exposed for a short period of time. The installations have a determined duration in order to maintain its novel and striking character, then these are dismantled and can only be remembered through documentation, however, the objects or style of the installation can be reused.
The installation allows the children to be the protagonists of their own learning, since they are created to participate and be part of it. For this reason, the installations should not be repeated nor be the same as others, since the subjects are the ones who interpret and complete them depending on what they transmit to them.
The creativity and imagination of the children should be encouraged, so it is essential to offer multipurpose elements, spaces that are ambiguous and surprising, etc. That is to say, that they allow different types of interpretations.
In the art of installation, any medium or everyday object can be used for children, offering diverse possibilities of action in addition to those allowed by
its predetermined use. In addition, these must be sufficient in order to avoid possible conflict situations among children.
Characteristics of the materials
Authors such as Leiva (2020) mention the importance of thinking and reflecting on the types of materials and objects we can offer in an installation:
Unstructured objects, that is, objects that do not have a single possibility of action, but offer a great variety, such as bottles, cardboard, plastic, paper, etc.
Objects that children can find in their daily lives, such as glasses, boxes, balls, fabrics, etc.
Different materials from a natural context, such as leaves, sand, sticks, etc.
On the other hand, Leiva (2020) refers to the fact that the choice and combination of materials is fundamental to give an aesthetic sense to the proposal, so it has to be taken into account:
The space where we present the installation must be empty of other stimuli that can distract the students from the moment of play, with the aim that they discover, exchange and experience the selected objects.
We must take care of the natural or artificial lighting and the sound of the environment, since from these we will manage to create an atmosphere that encourages more exploration and curiosity.
The objects must allow a link between them to complement each other, so that they can be introduced on each other and for their performance, so they must show a diversity in their shape, color, texture, structure, size, etc.
We must pay attention to the disposition (creating geometric forms, series, etc.) and the location (on the floor, hanging, on the ceiling, etc.) of the objects in the space.
The amount of materials offered must be in accordance with the number of children who experience the proposal, since there must be enough material for them to manipulate them individually or in groups.
Time or phases of the proposal
The authors Abad and Ruiz de Velasco (2020) mention different pedagogical moments in the development of the facilities:
Design
In this phase the teacher creates, designs and carries out a previous organization of the installation, for which he or she has to analyze the recipients and their context, the theme, the times, spaces and materials to be proposed.
To design an installation, it is necessary to take into account the diverse characteristics and experiences of both students and teachers, since these will influence the development of the installation. On the other hand, the theme on which the proposal is designed is essential, since from this one or other materials that invite experimentation and exploration will be selected.
As for the spaces in the artistic installation, it is fundamental to decide the location of the proposal, since depending on this, movement, individual and group play, duration, etc. will be favored or not. In addition, the space must be delimited, so it is necessary to attend to the organization of the materials. The time of experimentation is another element that influences the different possibilities of play that can be offered, since it is the children who best define the end of their utility. Finally, the materials of the proposal must present different characteristics, such as choosing them depending on the characteristics, offering different possibilities of action, that the quantity is sufficient, the organization of these, etc.
Presentation to the students
Before the start up it is necessary that the teacher presents the students with the artistic installation that is offered to them, leaving them time to observe and analyze it, for
which the teacher can initiate a dialogue from questions in order to generate curiosity in the children. In addition, although the installations are a proposal of free play, they have some basic rules of respect towards the peers during the development of the installations that will have to be exposed to the children.
A time for experimentation
In this phase the children are invited to interact with the materials. At first, the infants make a general observation of all the objects they have and make an approach to them. As time passes, they begin to manipulate, experiment and play with the elements and their peers in space.
During this time, the role of the teacher should be that of an observer, being able to intervene if necessary or if conflicts arise.
Documentation of the proposal
Before concluding the installation, the children are proposed to collect and reorganize the material that has been used, with the help of the teacher, thus promoting their responsibility and autonomy. Finally, the last phase of an artistic proposal is the documentation of it, with the aim of, as Hoyuelos (2007) mentions, leaving an aesthetic record. This can be done graphically, for example with a drawing, or orally, through conservation. This should be done just when it is finished, with the aim of reproducing what they have experienced and felt during their development.
Alsina, Á., & León, N. (2016). Acciones matemáticas de 0 a 3 años a partir de instalaciones artísticas. Educatio Siglo XXI, 34(2 Julio), 33-62. ECURED (s.f.) Instalación artística. Recuperado de http://www.ecured.cu/index.php/Instalaci%C3%B3n_art%C3%ADstica
Hoyuelos, A. (2007) Documentación como narración y argumentación. Aula de Infantil, 39, pp. 5-9.
Lapolla, P., Mucci, M. y Arce M.A. (2017) Experiencias artísticas con instalaciones. Trabajos interdisciplinariosde simbolización y juego en la escuela infantil. Ediciones Novedades Educativas, Buenos Aires.
Lemarroy González, M.S. (2004) Lü: El cuerpo efímero. Tesis de maestría, Universidad de las Américas Puebla,México.
Toca, S. (2019) Jugar, experimentar y relacionarnos: las instalaciones artísticas en un aula de 4 años (trabajo finde grado). Universidad de Cantabria, España.
Authorship
María Argumosa Roíz y Paola Escolano Cossio, 2020.
Personal hygiene is the care that every human being requires to keep the body in a positive and healthy state. Moreover, personal hygiene is understood as actions by which people attend to out cleanliness and our appearance. Taking care of hygiene is a big responsibility, and each person has to take care of his own. Because of this, the family is the first nucleus where the child learns to know about hygiene and cleanliness habits.
Hygiene has an essential place in our lives, and thanks to it we create good health habits and prevent diseases. For this reason, it is important and necessary that children are taught personal hygiene tasks from a very early age, with the aim of making this personal cleanliness a fixed moment in their daily live. Furthermore, by acquiring some habits of hygiene, it Will help them to know their own body and to give them security and a sense of independence.
The World Health Organization (1999) gives a very relevant and appropriate definition of Health Education in our society: “Health education comprises consciously created learning opportunities that involve a form of communication aimed at improving health literacy, including improving people´s knowledge of health and developing personal skills leading to individual and community health.
Related to our field, Early Childhood Education, at this stage health education is a major axis for the formation of students.
Likewise, Gómez (2002) emphasizes that in the moment of elaborating educational programs that are dedicated to health, it is essential that teachers take advantage of daily moments to learn and reflect on health.
To this end, schools should put this topic first, since many illnesses require adequate hygiene habits for the health of the person and, furthermore, for their contagion.
Authorship
Elena Pérez Bengochea y Naiara Ruisoto Lavín, 2020.
The proposal of the workshops is very relevant in the infantile stage, because they are “a pedagogic strategy that tries to improve the conditions that make possible the participation of the child in the construction of his knowledge” (Torio, 1997, p. 7).
In addition, they provide infants with the opportunity to do things, both individually and in small groups; “they incite reflection on what they are doing: they play, investigate, explore, they can be curious, try and try again, look for solutions, concentrate, act calmly without the obsession of obtaining immediate results at all costs” (Laguía and Vidal, 2008, p. 17). Likewise, the workshops are going to favor children, because the activities carried out in them promote experimentation and social relations (Laguía and Vidal, 2008).
Below, we will describe some of the general ideas that Torio (1997) puts forward about the workshops:
The objective of the workshops is to create something new, that is, to make innovative creations. Therefore, in this proposal we learn procedures, because the activities that are carried out are systematized, they have a certain order and time.
As for the role of teachers in this process, before carrying out the workshops, they meet with the rest of theteachers to decide the topic on which the proposal will be based, planning the spaces where they will be held, either inside or outside the classroom, to organize and plan the activities; as well as to decide what materials will be needed,since thanks to the workshops they will have the opportunity to bring other tools and objects that are not usually in the classroom. So, once the workshops start, the teacher will have a total intervention, observing the process, designing and organizing the spaces and materials.
Regarding the role of the students in this process, before starting the workshops they will be informed of what is going to happen. Thus, later on they carry out the different activities of the workshops, where they play, manipulate, experiment, relate to other students, besides learning strategies on how to do certain things, which, is beneficial for them, since they are going to obtain a greater autonomy.
In conclusion, we believe that the workshops are an innovative way of working with children, since they provide them with a great variety of knowledge, skills and learning, while serving to promote the development of their autonomy.
References
Laguía, M.J. & Vidal, C. (2008). Rincones de actividad en la escuela infantil. Barcelona: Graó.
Torio, S. (1997). “Talleres y rincones en Educación Infantil: su vigencia psicopedagógica hoy”. Comunicación presentada en el Congreso de Córdoba. Córdoba, España.
Carrascosa-Molina, S. (2009). Los talleres en el aula de Educación Infantil. Revista Digital Innovación y Experiencias Educativas (14), 1-9. https://bit.ly/2UN9Bgm
Authorship
Alexandra Lobera Gil y Carlota Rincón Fanego, 2020.
“The workshops understood as spaces for growth guarantee the children the possibility of doing things and, at the same time, encourage reflection on what they are doing. The workshop is a specialised place where thoughtful activities take place”. (Borghi, 2005)
This methodology presents some objectives according to the Federación de Enseñanza de CC.OO. de Andalucía (2010, p.1 & 2)
Develop the socialization of children.
Encourage habits of respect, sharing and order.
Acquiring different techniques
Improve relations between equals.
Make use of the objects produced in the workshops.
As for the characteristics of the workshops, we can highlight the following:
In order to carry out the workshops, the interests of the students must be kept in mind, since it is preferable thatthe starting point of the workshop begins with what the students want to do.
These workshops help to develop the autonomy of the children, both space and time will be considered for their planning, trying to allow the student to follow his or her own learning pace.
The students can access the materials through different types of expressive languages.
In these projects not only teachers and students participate, families must also join together in order to collaborate.
One of the objectives is to connect the knowledge that the students already have with the activity to be carried out by adopting a constructivist model.
References
Borghi, B. Q. (2005). Los talleres en educación infantil: espacios de crecimiento (Vol. 12). Graó.
Workshops are “systematized and very directed activities, with an ascending progression of difficulties, to achieve that the child acquires diverse resources and knows different skills that will later be used in a personal and creative way in the corners or spaces of the classroom” (Fourcade, 2009, p. 4). One of the main objectives of the workshops is to create an object or a product, in other words, it is a place where things are done and where people think about the process that is carried out to achieve that product. Furthermore, holding workshops brings a large number of benefits that promote the integral development of children in the classroom, above all their autonomy, since, as has been indicated, the workshops provide a series of strategies and techniques that allow children to do things for themselves. On the other hand, the workshops are a space for socialisation, where the children meet others, as well as the different objects offered to them (Torio, 1997).
As Quinto Borghi (2005) points out, from the point of view of organisation and use, there are different types of workshops, more specifically three. Firstly, there are the workshops held within the infant school, known as internal workshops. Inside a school there can be two types of spaces in which workshops are held, on the one hand a specific classroom, a specific space where only workshops are held and, on the other hand, the workshops can be held in multi-purpose spaces, that is to say, they are the same spaces in which other types of activities are carried out (classroom, school canteen, etc.). The second type of workshops that can be found are those that take place outside the classroom, known as external workshops. Within this section there are different spaces or contexts in which these activities can be carried out. On one hand, the workshops can be held in the school space, outside the building, but inside the school premises, for example, in the playground. On the other hand, workshops can be held outside the school, such as in the neighbourhood or the city. And lastly, workshops can be held that are linked to an institution, which are carried out in different spaces such as museums, theatres, etc. Finally, the last type of workshop mentioned by this author is the workshop in a suitcase. This consists of carrying all the necessary materials for a specific workshop in a suitcase, facilitating their transport to different places and spaces, both in the school and outside it.
On the other hand, when carrying out a workshop in the classroom a series of decisions have to be taken, such as, for example, the materials to be offered to the children, which have to be polyvalent, so that the children can carry out different activities with them and develop different skills. Another aspect to take into account is what kind of teachers will be in the workshop, whether they will be specialists in the subject or not. On the other hand, you have to take into account the groupings that you are going to make, this will depend on the activity that you are going to carry out. Finally, you should think about the space in which the workshop is going to be held, the atmosphere that is going to be created, the furniture, etc. (Ceballos, 2018)
On this occasion, in particular, an experimental workshop will be held. As mentioned by Morillas (2014), experimentation and manipulation play a very important role in children’s learning, as it helps them to develop mental activities, contributing to increasing their knowledge. On the other hand, during these moments, not only is learning through manipulation, but also through observation and relationships with other classmates. In other words, manipulation is a tool that helps children to get to know the world around them.Finally, in order to relate the activity to one of the most important moments in the daily life of a school, food, it has been decided that the workshop carried out will consist of experimenting with food and different instruments that will be offered to the children. The aim of this activity will be to make the pupils aware of the different characteristics of food through all their senses. From the sense of taste, tasting the different foods; going through the touch, discovering the different textures; the sight, observing the different colours and shapes; to the smell, discovering the thousands of different smells that these foods can have. In addition, as indicated above, the aim is for the children to establish a relationship, to comment on what they are feeling with each of the foods, to show each other what they are discovering, to play with each other… In conclusion, the aim is for the workshop to be a fun space that allows the children to get to know the world around them and to establish relationships with others.
Quinto Borghi, B. (2005). Las características metodológicas del taller. En B. Quinto Borghi, Los talleres en Educación Infantil: espacios de crecimiento (pp. 57-76). Barcelona: Grao.
The RAE states that the definition of “dream” is the act of sleep, and the definition of “sleep” is to be found in a state of rest that consists of the inaction or suspension of the senses and of all voluntary movement.
Definition of ‘sleep’
The concept of sleep as stated by Pin (2010) is considered a physiological process highly organized where both the necessary maturity of the central nervous system and the singular and self-adaptation of each child in their family context intervene.
sleep is a fundamental physiological need for our health (Albares, Alonso, Canet, Cano, Cubel, Estivill, … Villalobos, 2010).
Main ideas: observation, interpretation and visibility of sleep
A teacher should learn to observe and be able to listen to the movements of the children between 0-3 years to understand their actions and act in consequence with the best professional response to achieve the optimal evolution development in students.
As said by Albares, Alonso, Canet, Cano, Cubel, Estivill, … Villalobos (2010), both the progenitors and the education professionals should know a series of guidelines that provide the children with emotional and physical stability when falling asleep.
During the baby’s first months of life, most of their day is spent sleeping. while they sleep, they can make involuntary movements or spasms. These movements are normal, and we should not wake the baby up.
It is very important that while the baby is eating, he/she is awake, so they distinguish sleep from food.
After the hygienic cares, the baby will be left alone in their crib, so they learn to sleep by themselves and that the last thing they remember before falling asleep is the crib.
We have to establish routines before putting the baby to bed, follow the same steps every time so they interiorize the process of sleep
When the baby is 5 or 6 months old, we will put a stuffed toy in their crib to make them feel accompanied.
If the baby wakes up at night, we should not pick them up or turn the light on. We will soothe him with caresses and affectionate words
The room has to be peaceful, dark, and quiet.
We have to make sure that before putting the baby to sleep, he is calm. If he is calm, he will sleep and rest better
In order for the baby to have a deep, relaxed, and unaltered sleep, the professional has to know the type of foods that are adequate for that age once they can ingest solid food, like chocolate, or fizzy drinks
Children between 2 and 5 years old should always take a nap, otherwise, they will fall asleep in the middle of the afternoon because they need it, and this will alter their sleeping pattern
Conclusion
To finish, as we can review, the children take naps after lunch in all schools where we have practiced. Even though there are differences between them, like having beds so children can take a nap in them and in others, they have to take their own sleeping bag and sleep on the floor.
Another difference is the space destined for this activity. One has a separate space, other adapt spaces. Because of this, we want to highlight that sleep is one of the most important procedures in the evolution of the child. It is something we should all observe, know how to interpret it and document it.
References
Albares, J.; Alonso, J.; Canet, T.; Cano, M.; Cubel, M; Estivill, E.; … Villalobos, P. (2010): Informe del Grupo Pediátrico de la Sociedad Española de Sueño (SES) y del Grupo de Sueño de la Sociedad de Pediatría Extrahospitalaria y Atención Primaria (SEPEAP): “Medidas preventivas de los problemas del sueño desde el nacimiento hasta la∫ adolescencia”. Acta Pediátrica Esp. (La Coruña). 2010; 68(4): 00-00. https://www.adolescenciasema.org/usuario/documentos/14_-Higiene%20de%20sueno%20en%20la%20infancia%20adolescencia.pdf
Cádiz, Emilia (2013). Hábitos del sueño infantil en el seguimiento de 0-3 años en Rocafort (Valencia). Pautas educativas. [Tesis doctoral, Universidad de Valencia] https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/71018455.pdf
REAL ACADEMIA ESPAÑOLA: Diccionario de la lengua española, 23.ª ed., [versión 23.3 en línea]. <https://dle.rae.es> [17 noviembre 2020].