Prepared Environment

Outline – The Prepared Environment A) Definition: Prepared environment is one of the major foundation of our work. For any living organism is the environment that supports the development of the organism optimal potencial. Every living organsm has certain environmnet requirements. A human being is a living organism. A prepared evnironment for the child is an evnironment both physical and human that allows the child to reach his full human potencial. The prepared environment has to take into consideration the child’s personality, culture which the child lives in and stages of development.

B) There are two types of environment A. The physical B. The Human
a)The characteristics of physical environment:
Space: If the space is too big we try to make it smaller. So we adjust to fit the children’s needs. We make it larger by removing materials and smaller by dividing with shelves.
Light: Natural light is the best; full spectrum. The next best thing is full spectum bulbs. If using artificial light, it must be energy efficient. In any environmnet, the younger child should have the room that has the most natural lightening.
Temperature:There should not be a great difference between the indoor and outdoor environment. First 2 weeks of life babies room should be warmer than usual. Thereafter the same temperature as for adults. It is best to have radiant heated floors for the babies in this environment. If this is possible in a toddler community,, use a small carpeted area if the children are going to gather on the floor.
Furnishing: Furnishing need to be functional, manageable by the children and have some aesthetic value. As the children get older and they begin to walk the furnishing need to be light but sturdy.
Sounds: Some spaces are acoustically challenged that you can hear echoes. To help absorb sounds we can hang curtains, pictures, plants ans acoustic tile ( do not paint because it affects the absorbency.)
Materials: there should be purposeful materials that support the child’s development in all aspects. We should not put something in the shelf just because it is cute. It should be something that the child likes, is interested in, attracts the child and something that is stastically arranged to the shelf from the simplest to complex. We are always observing the use of the materials and if they are not used or are abused we remove them from the environment. Materiasl are disigned to serve as a broad age of children.
Safety: Everthing in the environment needs to be safe. All materiasl and ascpects of the room- inlcuding temperature, shatterproof glass for windows and doors, no tiny pieces on materials that children can choke on. Use non toxic paint and plants. The child is free to use the environment for their development and we should not worry about the safety issues.

b)Human Environment:
Behaviour: This is extremely critical when working with children under 3 because of the power of the absorbent mind. Children absorb the positive and negative behaviour they witness in their environment. Children become hyper-vigilant in emotionally unhealthy environments. Children absorb the dynamics of relationships around them, healthy and unhealthy.
Dynamic: Between physical and human- no matter how beautiful the physical enrionment is, if th e human environment is not healthy, it negatively affects the children. Children under three have no defenses. They absorb whatever is going on as normal way things should go. Dynamic impacts rountines, schedules, and relationships with individual children. Optimal potential of humans must be role modeled by the adults.

C) Kinds of Prepared Environments
1)Womb :The first environment for the child is the womb. The womb is warm and dark and light awareness. Sounds in there are muted and the baby is covered with amniotic fluid. So the materiasl in there are the placenta, thhe umblilical cord and the amniotic fluid. Mother should not take drugs. She needs to minimaze the stress and practice relaxing like R.A.T. She should eat good nutrition and rest. Baby should feel accepteted. She starts the hear sounds in the womb, the mother’s voice and heartbeat .
2)Family: For the first two weeks in the environment should be minimun of sounds, muted lightening and warmer temperature. There should be changing and bathing and storage clothes. The mother should hold the baby, make eye-contact and be loving. Mum should talk to the baby and let him know what she is going to do before she does it. She needs to do talk with soothing calm voice. Child should wear one layer more than the adult the first 2 weeks then same as the adult. Also to wear cloth diapers. Adult should provide a designed space a chestina for the first 2-3 months and then the floor bed. We need a movement mat in this environment and babys hands should be kept free and not coverd. No swaddling. We can provide a munari for the child. For the feeding it should be a designed space in the room. It should be a nursing chair and a side table and a footstool for the mum. There should be nice things to look at the window or wall.
3) Nido, IC and Casa environment: In each of these environments the physical elements are the same which works together to support the children.
The furnishing are all child size, solidy build and easy to maneuver and clean. Some of the furnitures in Nido are the weaning chair and table. The working tables, the bar and mirror, the stair, the shelves for the materials. In Ic we have working table, dining table, slighted chairs, work stools, amaridio for clothing.
Materials are specifically designed for children in that age range. We create a home like feel by including materiasl that will soften the environment,. The materiasl need to be pursposeful, beautiful and based in reality. Materiasl should be group logically from the simple to dcomplex.
Freedoms are given along with corresponding limits.

The Environmnet supports: * The development of independence. * The development of the will by allowing the children to make choices. * Individual development. * Supports work that aids th echild’s self- construction. * Supports the growth of self- discipline. The envriornmnet and all the materiasl feed the intellect.It gives order and routine to give security. There has to be a certain level of flexibility to avoid rigidity. Adults must be flexible. To be based in reality. It should be an environment which is beautiful and pleasing so for every child we have to find something beautiful and functional. D) Implications to the child: * Special environment designed to mee the child’s needs. * The environment meets the needs of human tendencies, sensitive periods, absorbent mind and adaptation. * It aids functional independence, self construction and love of learning. * Allow the child to develop to his fullest potencial without unnecessary aid from the adults. * A place of freedom within limits where children can explore who they are. * The environmnet changes as the needs of the child change. * A supportive environment will create a normalized child where as a restrictive enironment will cause deviatins. * The child will addapt to this environmnet.

E) Role of the adult: 1. To prepare and maintain the physical enironment. 2. Prepare the human environmnet with as much care as the physical. 3. Consider culture, personality charactiristics and development of the children when creating the evnironment. 4. Link the child to the environmnet and help them inteface with it through our observations, knowledge of child development and plannning. 5. Undderstand that the richer the envrionment th emore children will have at their disposal when creating themselves. 6. Help children be happy, joyful, independeny, fully actualised human beings. 7. The adult needs to: Want ot be there in terms of bein gpreset. 8. Celebrate life everyday. 9. Be comfortable with their bodies so they can move, dance and sing with the children, 10. Enjoy learning so that this love will be transmitted to the children. 11. Have harmonious ways of speaking, movin gand interactin. 12. Undertand the nature of humor and laugh with children but not laugh at children. 13. Be a good role model. 14. Aknowledge their strenght and their challenges. 15. Prepare herself through studying, knowing the stages of the development. 16. Enjoy and express love. Understand the montessori theories. 17. Have great language model, rich vocabulary and love to play woith language and words. 18. Love the children but not to acpect to be loved from children. 19. See the child as a new child each day. 20. We need to give presentations each day. 21. We need to remove obstacles from the environment.

F) Types of Education
1)Traditional: Adult to child- One direction between two elements. Teacher decides what, when, and how much child learns.
2) Montessori: Cycle of adult to child to environment- Dynamic interactions.