2.L.01
Children are provided varied learning opportunities that foster positive identity and an emerging
sense of
a. self
b. and others.
The Tree House staff understands the theories and concepts of Child Development and scaffolds activities accordingly to further the development of the children with and without special needs. Furthermore, we develop curriculum activities that allow children to practice individual developmental skills as well as challenges them appropriately to expand what they already know. Through our knowledge of child development and curriculum instruction, the children are given many opportunities to practice their already developing skills and facilitate their success with new activities. As a result, the children's sense of self efficacy is nurtured and enhanced.
a. examples in the classroom of diversity to promote a positive self image
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| multicultural dolls |
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| multicultural music |
b. Some examples of classroom materials that promote a positive image of others:
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| job chart |
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| community dress-up and props (bakery, bakers) |
2.L.02
Children are offered opportunities to become a part of the classroom community so that each child feels accepted and gains a sense of belonging.
Each chil
d is given a cubby and a mailbox to establish some personal space within the classroom environment. Furthermore, they are given jobs to help the classroom run smoothly and establish a shared responsibility for the space.2.L.03
Children are provided varied opportunities and materials to build their understanding of diversity in
a. culture (in non-stereotypical ways),
b. family structure (in non-stereotypical ways),
c. ability (in non-stereotypical ways),
d. language (in non-stereotypical ways),
e. age (in non-stereotypical ways), and
f. gender (in non-stereotypical ways).
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| (a) culturally diverse dolls |
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| (a) culturally diverse music |
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| (a) Families are encouraged to come in and talk to the children about the various customs or holidays that they celebrate in their home in relation to their culture. In this last picture, a parent of Native American heritage talks to the children about the legend of strawberries and how this fruit is related to forgiveness. |
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| (b) family posters displayed in the classroom |
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| (b) family members visit to talk about their traditions |
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| (b) family members are invited to participate in events such as class trips or parties where the children can meet and recognize different family structures |
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| (c) our toys reflect different abilities |
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| (c) our picture schedules help children with varying abilities follow classroom routines independently |
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| (d) diverse language Hello and Goodbye Chart in the classroom |
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| (d) sign language matching game |
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| (e) Students of various ages visit and interact with the children |
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| (e) teachers/family members bring in younger members to further understanding of diverse age by observation and questioning |
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| (f) we have "gender specific" clothes and materials that all children in the classroom can wear and explore |
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| (f) we have various community worker toys of different genders |
2.L.04
Children are provided opportunities and materials to explore social roles in the family and workplace through play.
Materials located withing the pretend corner include but are not limited to kitchen toys, dolls, doll house toys, office materials, hats and clothes that reflect both genders. Children are given various opportunities to explore roles within the family and work environments.
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| pretending community workers during our community investigation |
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| pretending to be restaurant workers during our restaurant investigation |
2.L.05
Children are provided varied opportunities and materials to learn about the community in which they live.
The children a
re given various opportunities to meet various members of their community, not only in their 
home communities but their University community. Some examples include meeting the firefighters for fire prevention week, a local dentist to talk about dental health, a geologist to speak to them about rocks and a dance instructor to teach them body movements and dance. Materials (such as firefighter outfits or rocks and magnifying glasses in the science center) are provided within the classroom environment to allow for the re-creation these experiences.2.L.06
Children have varied opportunities to engage in discussions about
a. fairness,
b. friendship,
c. responsibility,
d. authority, and
e. differences.
The Tree House children continuously participate in discussions about such philosophical concepts as friendship, fairness, responsibility, authority and differences. They discourse and will establish criteria for these concepts, however, the discussions are on-going and the criteria can be changed as the dynamics of the class changes throughout the year. These discussions occur spontaneously or can be planned opportunities during group activities.
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| (a)we play whole group games where turn taking is part of the structure of the game to help with the understanding of fairness |
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| (a) The children learn in the Tree House that fair does not always mean equal. We have children of different ages and abilities and while teachers might be helping/supporting one child during an activity, other children may be encouraged to complete the activity/skill independently, such as in this writing activity. We understand that this may be difficult for a preschooler to grasp, therefore, the discussions about what is means to be fair are on-going, throughout the year. |
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| (b) Children are encouraged to interact one on one with other children to build relationships, especially when a child is having difficulty. We discuss how we can help and support each other and it reflects in the atmosphere of the classroom. |
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| (b) We also work cooperatively to foster friendship and community between class members |
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| (c) every week we discuss our responsibility for our classroom jobs and how we are going to take care of our pets, toys, materials and furniture |
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| (c) The children are also responsible for their belongings and make sure their personal space is clean and neat. |
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| (d) Children get an understanding of authority when they understand that certain routines are not choices. For example, children must sign on to our attendance tree in the morning and sign off when they leave. This is one method we use to keep track of who is in the classroom. We have had several discussions that this is not an elective job and must be completed every day. |
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| (d) Children also get a sense of authority when we discuss class or trip rules. |
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| (e) Children understand differences with each other when we discuss our picture charts for routines. They also recognize that some children may need help/support with the routines when they don't and as a result, reflect on how they can help their peers. |
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| (e) Children also begin to understand differences when we have discussions about our friends' art or constructions. They recognize that their pictures/paintings/drawings/structures may be different then their friends and begin to show an appreciation for the differences. |
2.L.07
Children are provided varied opportunities and materials to learn about physical characteristics of their local environment as a foundation for learning geography.
The children participate in various opportunities to map out their space (indoor and outdoor) to establish the f
oundations for geography. Some materials they use include paper, pencils and rulers. A more specific example is when the children designed their garden and created a map of the plot of land they used to grow vegetables. 
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| Another example is when we used chalk to map out the building and sections of the playgound. |
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| We also used maps and a train guide to travel to The Glenfield Planetarium in Montclair, NJ. |
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| Using shovels to bury our pet frog, Seek, who died. |
2.L.08
Children are provided varied opportunities and materials to learn how people affect their environment in
a. positive (e.g., recycling) and
b. negative (e.g., polluting) ways.
The Tree House members
recycle as much paper as we can (scrap box) and they contribute to our recycling center located within our classroom. We use our recycled materials for art projects and encourage the children not to waste materials. Furthermore, we regularly clean our playground of garbage and waste that has blown over the fence and collects on our trees and bushes. We discuss how garbage makes our enviornment dirty and that too much garbage would not make it safe for us to play.
Also, the children in the Tree House are given jobs that change weekly. These jobs include watering the plants, cleaning the tables and play areas, holding the door for classmates and line leaders.
2.L.10
Children are provided opportunities and materials that build a foundation for understanding economic concepts (e.g., playing restaurant, managing a store, and identifying and exchanging money.)
Opportunities during
Choice, Worktime and Outdoor allow for children to dramatize economic experiences from their daily lives. Materials are provided throughout 
the year for children to act out situations that involve the exchange of currency for goods. A cash register and play money is available in the pretend play corner to enable the scenarios of store and restaurant.
