Unit 7 Perds Childcare

P7 Task 2 Write a short report on how you’re setting promotes positive images of children and reflects a diverse society. Include in your report: P7. 5 Explain how the setting promotes positive images of children and reflects a diverse society An image which presents a mixture of cultural backgrounds coming together such as an Asian and black girls playing together, this will show children that they are able to play with different races and therefore a positive image.
Promoting a positive image is important especially in settings which work closely with children because once a child enters a setting they take interest in the images and objects around them, and by seeing images that celebrates different cultures and background will teach the child and allow them to see how others live and play together. To prompting positive image my setting takes pictures of the children interacting with each other through play and work. Once the child and other children see this on display they repeat the same thing because of the positive effect it has had on them.
This helps to build children’s self-esteem through play because now they will be able to interact with a range of different children and create a wider friendship group. It is important for settings such as nurseries to reflect on the way they promote positive images because the images that a child sees at an early age can influence behaviour. According to public opinion journalist Walter Lippman “the little picture we carry around in our heads”. Children will then start to relate life to that image the now have in their heads.

Nurseries should incorporate images around the world so that children can have a better understanding of those around them, also that the children don’t assume that the one image that they setting has is the right image for them or the characters that they see on Walt Disney such as Cinderella, sleeping beauty and snow white is the appropriate way for a young lady to dress or behave as a damsel in distress. Walt Disney presents young ladies as sexual beings that cannot help themselves but wait for that handsome prince to come and save them.
Girls are passed images like this from a young age with creates that stereotype image in their head which can affect their behaviour the way they think and act as they grow through their adolescents and adult years. Creating a diverse society by welcoming every family, regardless of their sexual orientation, family status, religion, race and ability will allow the every child and family member to feel welcome in that setting. This also allows children from an early age to understand that every child is an individual and has their own ability.
This is why we have a welcome poster which has a number of ways in which parents and staff welcome each other, this encourages and shows that the setting is welcoming. P7. 6 Describe a resource which uses positive images The recent Christmas advert by M, included a child with Down syndrome, this images allows other children with Down syndrome and their families to see that they too can do what is considered “normal”, this image was then displayed as part of a mixture of images at my setting.
An image which presents a mix of races in a family photo sends the message to children that the colour of a person skin doesn’t determine who or can be in their family. The media is a strong resource which in many ways controls the child’s sub-conscious minds. Through media we are now able to see a more positive and realistic image of the world we live in. This summer was the 2012 Paralympics, showed on television live for the first time, this showed people who were deemed disabled to overcome the impossible in their lives.
The Paralympics showed people without limbs, running races, swimming laps and the visually impaired playing football. The media holds many connection to what humans see and keep in their minds, what newspapers print out, what shows advertise and how all add to the positive images we see today. At many of the settings I have worked in have book corners or library’s, containing a number of books from based on different cultural background such as the well-known story ‘handa’s surprise’ this book shows a African girl planning to surprise her friend, this story shows children how to be kind, and nice. P7. Evaluate briefly your learning from finding information for this report For this report I researched the many different ways in which we see images, whether it be a positive or negative image. I learned about the effects on a child from the images they see in their settings, on the streets and in their homes. This report has made me to understand the effects of Barbie dolls and action figures have on a child’s sub-conscious mind. Images of young vulnerable beautiful ladies who find themselves in some sort of danger and the only way to get help are through a strong handsome man, these images presented time and time again by Disney.
But images by presented by Dream works, where the woman are able to defend for themselves, male and female are equals and they fight crime together such as Shrek and princess Fiona. This image shows both girls and boys that they are equal also that not all girls are “weak” and “vulnerable”, boys don’t have to be the “hero”. I had not realised how wide-spread gender stereotyping is. Properly because I am so used to seeing it all the time, I did not really question it or the influences pictures have on us.
Images are seen through many resources such as the media which is a massive impact, what we see on bulletin board, adverts, posters in stores and parents. From this short report I was able to understand that an image might be positive or negative just by what a person says or the Picture portrays. A simple image e. g. a family with mixed races from around the world, a simple comment such as “we are family” could slowly show a child that diversity is a good thing, but if the comment was “that aren’t right, they don’t look the same”, will create in the child’s mind that every member of a family has too look the same.
I think that in future when I see a new form of attraction whether through the media, books or toys that I will look closely at the aims that other I. e. parents and young children may not see. Task 3 P7. 8 Describe TWO (2) examples of activities or experiences which encourage children’s awareness of their own and other’s safety One day at my setting I witnessed a child running with scissors in his hand, I stopped the child and told the practitioner; once I told the practitioner and she immediately call all the children to the carpet to talk to them.
She asked them if they knew why she called them all to the carpet, many thought it were to practice for their school play, and others thought it was a game. The practitioner then explained to children that they are sitting on the carpet because of what she was told that someone was running with scissors. She then asked the children if scissors are dangerous. The children replied in simultaneous voice, “yes”, she then asked should we through or run with scissors in our hands? The children replied “no” and where should the scissors stay when we want to move around the room? On the table”. The practitioner then explained to the children that if these rule where broken that someone could get seriously hurt. At my last lesson I was able to take part in going a school trip to the natural museum with the nursery class. The day before the trip I helped the practitioners in the class to set up a miniature road course, by placing red, yellow and green cones on either side of the playground. The three cones represented the traffic light; I also placed images of the red and green man on the floor on the opposite side of the playground.
My job was to control the red/green men, as the practitioners explained to the children, the instruction and the role of each individual sign and their jobs we began the activity. I watched the practitioner get the children in to peers as they will be the next day, once the children were ready and settled the children where walked around the pretend road side, once they came across me at the traffic lights I Held over my head the red man as the practitioner as the children what the symbol meant. She also explained in detail why it is dangerous to cross when this symbol is show.
Once the practitioner had finished explaining about the red man, could out the traffic light colours in descending order then swopped the red man for the green man. The practitioner then repeated the same explanation by about the green man, after she has explained she lead the children across safely. P7. 9 Reflect on the effectiveness of the activities or experiences in practice My first experience was not a planned activity but was effective in its own way; it was affective in a way whereby the practitioner asked the children questions to identify what they knew about running in the class with sharp objects like scissors.
From asking them questions the practitioner and my self was able to see that the children did know the rules but needed to be reminded. I think that if the class had posters of the rules in the class it would remind the children. In the future we can get the children to create their own posters on road safety. I feel that my second activity was very effective because it created a pretend scenario for the children which they will encounter the next day. This activity explained the different symbols, why they are there to keep us safe.
This activity also taught the children what to look out for and how to follow the road signs. By the practitioner asking the children questions she was able to notice who has started to understand the signs and who needs more explanations. If I was to repeat this activity, I would allow the children to pick which symbol or sign they think it correct for at point in time this is because it evolves the children and allows myself and other practitioners to see what the child may already know or has picked up.