June 6th, 2014.
Barstow College
Observation Paper
On Wednesday July 2nd, 2014 I visited Wiley Mildred Family Day care center to observe a group of children that I have never met at a house I have never been to. Throughout my hour that I spent at Wiley Mildred I observed a group of children interacting with each other as well as the caregivers as they were having their outside privileges. As I conducted my observation I studied children’s actions and noticed the practicing of the Sociocultural Theory, the Social Learning Theory, the Cognitive Theory, and the Psychoanalytic Theory. All these theories were able to be observed through actions this is due to their environment around them and the activities they were engaged in. The observation taught me how significant an action can be for a developing child and how important it is for a child in a care center to be mentally and physically stimulated. Wiley Mildred is an average family home in a quiet residential area in Victorville, CA. Upon arriving at the house I noticed the establishment had gates separating the front-yard and backyard that were securely locked and baby-proof. As I rang the door-bell I was greeted into the house with smiles and warm greetings. The director of the facilities name is Gloria, a Latina woman with a very thick accent; she had an assistant whose name was not given. Right away I was taken to the back-yard as it was “recess time.” Gloria’s backyard was very open and large it contained a grassy area, a woodchip area and a concrete area as well, in each area different toys and materials were in use. In the grassy area there were two smaller slides, small chairs, and many toys that children must use their fine motor skills to operate. In the woodchip area there were larger structures; my favorite was the teeter-totter in the shape of a plane that fit a total of six children. There were three different play structures of moderate sizes, some with slides and some with