FIRE FIRE!

The story begins with E,T and B wanting to dress up as fireman. This prompted us to bring out our fireman’s, prop box along with our cardboard box fire engines that the children had helped make in an earlier fireman interest of play. Bits of old hose and bottle tops were used to constuct the fire engines. B was very creative and showed a disposition of resourcefulness when putting on her fire-engine while sitting on the bike. This prompted more interest from her play friends. So we followed up on their interest by painting a fire on the wall in the play ground and giving the children squirt bottles to put it out, the black writing at the top which did say fire station was soon turned into a mass of black smoke. Two of the children used the play phones to ring the fire department as they raced around on their bikes with their home made fire engines on top. This was a child initiated learning experience Helm and Katz (2001) state “Sometimes the topic emerges out of an event that provokes the children’s curiosity” (p.13) Smarti (1999) suggest that "Technology is also a creative and purposeful activity aimed at meeting the needs and opportunities through the development of products, systems or environments" (p.5).
We also put out a mixture of red, yellow and orange paint so the children could paint fiery pictures, which many of the children became evolved in. To extend on the children’s interest we will be incorporating a fire drill and will ask the children about what the fireman need to fight fires and talk about what we do when there is a fire, and then see where our conversations with the children leads. Helm and Katz (2001) suggest that “They build background knowledge, establish some basic vocabulary, and introduce some concepts of the topic. This provides a critical knowledge base for the very young investigator to draw on and is most important for the very young child” (p.20)
Te Whāriki learning outcome:
Children develop "knowledge about the role of the wider world of work, such as the hospital,the supermarket, or the fire service"(p.56).

The Technology In Nature Experience

B, S, H, B and P became quite excited when they came across a worm underneath one of the stepping stones in the garden area today. P suggested it was a mummy worm because it was quite big and we had noticed some baby worms. S suggested the worm had died because it wasn’t moving, but H said it was just sleeping. The finding of the worm sparked quite a conversation. Shonkoff & Phillips, (2000) suggested that “children need to connect new information to existing knowledge in order for it to have meaning and be stored for later retrieval” (p.41).
S wanted to hold the worm, he was very gentle. B said she would like to hold the worm as well, she was not sure about holding the worm but she gave it ago for a moment and then decided it really wasn’t for her, maybe she will try again next time. While we were examining the worms we took some photos with the camera and later down loaded them on to the lap top, B could see herself holding the worm. The children were also showing respect for living creatures and also respect for the technology equipment we used in the learning experience such as camera and laptop, as advocated by Te Whāriki learning outcome for children to develop: ”Respect and a developing sense of responsibility for the well-being of both the living and non-living environment” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.90).
We put the photos from the computer onto a memory stick. Later on in the day we went for a visit to the office to use the photo copier to print off the photos from the memory stick. This was a combination of learning experience about nature and technology combined. McHenry and Buerk, 2008 have suggested
“Learning through nature can provide children with hands on experiences, leading to greater understanding of our dependence on the earth’s physical environment. They will be able to carry these skills with them throughout their lifetime. Nature provides opportunities for children to grow in all areas of their development” (p.4). The child that assisted with the printing of the worm learning experience story showed that it was meaningful to her, wanting to save the story to show to her parents and did so with great enthusiasm when they arrived. Te Whāriki learning outcome: “The ability to represent their discoveries, using creative and expressive media and the technology associated with them” (Ministry of Education, 1996 p.88).
As the Technology and Young Children Interest forum Members conclude in their column in the young Children Journal (2008) suggest “Technological tools can support a learner-centred and play-orientated early childhood curriculum and promote relationship building among children, families and the wider community (p.50).