Day 9

Last Monday I was at PSP for a couple hours again and I got to experience bringing the kids outside to the playground! I came in and was immediately put with the infants because there were 6 of them and they were all awake. There were in between 10 and 12 toddlers, except they did not need help yet because most of them were still sleeping from nap time. There was a brand new baby on the infant side that day and she was only six weeks old. She had a full head of straight, dark hair and big brown, curious eyes. I held her for a short while, then she started to fuss so one of the other instructors gave me her bottle. I sat there and fed her for about 15 minutes. She would suck from the bottle, but then her eyes would start to drift off. Slowly but surely, the little angel finally fell asleep.
I passed her off to another instructor for a while because one of the other little boys was lying on the blanket by himself not really doing anything. I held onto him for a while and listened as the toddlers were heading out the door to go to the playground in front of the building. Looking out the window, we could see the toddlers and the two instructors play on the jungle gym. The instructors looked a little overwhelmed, so I set up the baby I was holding in a place where he could reach his toys without too much effort and made my way outside to help them.
The kids were in full force that day. They were running, climbing, and jumping all over the place outside. Kids were taking turns sliding down the slides and crawling through the tubes. There were only a few instances where the kids would hit one another or bite so that they could move their friends out of the way. Some of the kids wanted to be picked up so that they could be held for a short while, but most of them were playing.
I noticed a couple things this time that I felt are worth mentioning. First of all, in regards to holding the children, it is crazy how much trust they have in us. They know we are adults, but they really know nothing else about us. What is amazing is how if the kids want to be held, they will walk up to just about any of us and hold up their arms (obviously indicating to pick them up). They really do not care who it is, but some of them just want to be picked up and held. I think in this daycare setting they feel safe, though.
The parents usually pick up the kids around 4/4:30pm. We were all assuming that the parents get done with work or whatever they are doing and then come and pick up the kids. However, one thing myself and one of the other instructors talked about was how some parents are just hanging around outside while their child is still in daycare waiting to get picked up. The parents that do this are just hanging around, doing nothing. I mean, wouldn't you want to be spending time with your kid as soon as you are able after a long time away from them while you were at work? I do not know what it is like to be a mom, but I think that I would want to pick them up from daycare as soon as I could. I can't really judge the parents because maybe they just need a break, but I feel like standing outside is not a very productive use of your time. These are just some thoughts I have had about parents and the PSP community in relation to the infants/toddlers.

Day 8

So I have to catch up on my last two days at People Serving People. This one will be fairly quick because there was not too much other than the usual happenings last week. I think one of the things that stood out for me last week was the fact that I had not noticed the physical aggression that ensues amongst the toddlers. Either because it always happened when I was not looking or because it just did not start until recently. Probably the first situation, though, because even though it was the first time I had seen any of these toddlers use physical aggression against each other, I witnessed it happening on numerous occasions throughout my two hours there that day.
The reason the kids become agitated with each other usually has something to do with toys and sharing. The way I saw them hurting each other was through biting and hitting, mostly. One of the little girls would bite herself when one of the kids was making her mad, too. The biting is scary to watch because the kids do not really care what happens to their friend as long as they get their toy back. I am sure that they do not want to hurt their friends, but they also do not really understand the value of other human lives and how it is appropriate to interact with others yet.
One of the other things I noticed was the verbal aggression that the kids used with each other. This is also important behavior that the teacher should correct because this is what can get out of hand as the child gets older. One of the little boys was pushing a shopping cart around the play area and got stuck because one of the other kids was in the way. He stopped and yelled, "Get out of my way!" The teacher stopped him and said, "That is not how we talk to our friends! You have to play nice." The little boy quickly understood and said in the sweetest voice ever, "Excuse me." If quickly corrected, they can learn that what they had originally said was not nice and that they need to address their friends nicely.

Day 7

Hey all, I am back! I was on spring break for a while and was not able to get to the shelter the last few Mondays. However, I was able to go this week and I have interesting things to write about… I hope! Mostly concerning a few things I noticed while I was there on Monday.
There were only two infants in the daycare center, so I got sent over to the toddler section again because they had 11 that came in that day. I do not really mind working over there because it is nice to experience both ages. However, it is not always easy. The obvious difference I will note between them is toddlers are just like babies, except for they walk, talk, understand, walk, climb, and walk. Did I mention walk?  So maybe there are more than a few differences, but what is especially nice about babies is that they are easier to keep track of. For example, if you set one in a rocking swing and walk away for a few minutes, chances are the kid is going to still be there when you come back. On the other hand, if you put a toddler on a chair and walk away for a few minutes, chances are that by the time you come back, they have already hopped the border and are sipping a juice box on a sandy beach in Mexico! Moral of the story is to keep a close eye on them at all times.
It was about halfway through my time there and one of the teachers starts to look around rapidly. I quickly noted that the playroom's door was ajar. She asks for a head count and the other instructors and myself start counting. She yells out before I finish that there are only 8. In the moment, it was all very fast. All we know is that two of them already got picked up, so that means one is missing… but who? There are only a few kids who know how to open the "child-safe" door. It has never been a problem before because they are usually pretty good about the rules of not leaving the play area. We all start looking at each of the toddlers faces, trying to figure out who is not present among them. One of the instructors figures it out and races out of the room. She comes back a few agonizing minutes later with one of the little girls being led closely beside her. She got put in time-out and appeared very shaken as she sat there looking at all of us. It was actually really sad to see her like that, but since the door is not the most reliable, the kids need to know that it is not okay to leave the play area without an adult.
Throughout my time there, I have also noticed a few things that break my heart. Some of the toys that these kids are playing with were probably the same toys I was playing with 20 years ago. Not all of them are in bad shape, but there are many that are very beat-up and are very past their "expiration date". The kitchen set is a mix-match of fake bread, an ice cream scoop without the cone, and random dinner plates and cups. The blankets they use during nap-time are ripped and falling apart. I want to change this while I am here. Somehow I want to at least get them new blankets or be able to replace the old toys that they use. Another thing I need to start collecting is baby/toddler clothes. There are a lot of clothes that these kids are using that do not fit them or need to replaced due to being very old. Maybe I can start this through my work at OSLCE? Or maybe I can start something on my own. These are just my thoughts from my past  experience volunteering there, Monday. Time will tell!