When you’re a baby getting excited by the sound of your own voice In her sixteen years with Today's Family as an Early Childhood Educator and now Certified, Michelle Kell has cared for children in many different programs. Her favourite is the one she has focused on for the past several years — the infant room at our Saltfleet Early Learning and Child Care Centre. Michelle and two other Early Childhood Educators care for a group of 10 infants — a staff/infant ratio that allows for close attention to each child. Stimulating activities are developed for circle time and creative/sensory time. Circle time often includes singing and fun with puppets and other props that engage infants and encourage expressiveness. Creative/sensory time gives babies even more opportunity for expression and development - with many experiences documented following Reggio Emilia principles. "Words and photos" records are prepared to describe and show how specific activities contribute to infants' development. Michelle gave an example of a creative activity: "A member of our team brought in a karaoke machine. The infants used the microphone to listen to their voices over the speaker. They became quite fascinated with the different sounds they could make and with the activity itself. One child moved on to a banana and talked into it. Another child talked into a colander and enjoyed the echoey sound of his voice bouncing back. It sounds simple and it was, but there was a lot of brain stimulation going on there!" "I love guiding the infants as they develop through to the toddler stage," says Michelle. "The changes from 3 to 18 months are so dramatic and significant. It's a privilege to help infants develop physically and mentally as well as provide the cuddling they need along the way." Thanks Michelle, for focusing your heart and mind on children as a career choice. All of us at Today's Family share your enthusiasm for the rewarding field of early learning and child care. |
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