·~I IndiraGandhi Nation·aI Open, University DECE-4

~ School of Continuing Education

, . . [Link] \V()RK

Project Manual
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"Education is a liberating force, and in

our age it is also a democratising force,
cutting across the barriers of caste and
class, smoothing out inequalities imposed
by birth and other circumstance. "
-Indira Gandhi
 I
b Indira Gandhi
'National Open University
DECE-4
~ School, of Continuing Education Project-Work

PROJECT WORK: WORKING WITH YOUNG CHILDREN

IN A CHILD CARE SETTING

SECTION 1 Introduction to the Project Work' 3

SECTION 2 Planning for tile Project Work 6

SECTION 3 Overview of t) le' Project Work 11

3.1 Three Phases of the Project Work 11

3.2 Preparation Periods during Project Work i2
3.3 Tasks during each Phase ' 13
3.4 Project File IS
,
SECTION 4 Role of the Guide and the Counsellor ·18

SECTION 5 Evaluation
<,
19
5. J Distribution of Marks for Project Work 19
5.2 Minimum Qualifying Marks/Grade 19
SECTION 6 The First Phase: Making Observations 20
6.1 How to Take Notes while Cbscrving the Guide 20
6,~ Format for Writing the Rcpo \ of the Observations 20
SECTION 7 The Second Phase: Organizing Activity
Sessions with Children 34

7.1 Schedule of Activity Sessions 34

7.2 Scheduling of Activity Sessions=-Rationalc
and Flexibility 35
7.3 Duration of a: Activity Session 37
7.4 Writing the Activity Plan and Report 37
7.5 Managing a L lrg.e Group of-Children 50
7.6 When Planning and Carrying out an Activity
Remember 51
7.7 The Activity Session" 52-
SECTION 8 The Third Phase: Taking Complete Charge of
Children from Arrival Time tili Departure 80

8.1 Devising the Week's Curriculum 80

8.2 Writing the Activity Plans 81
8.3 Working with the Children g1
8.4 Report of the Activit: Sessions of the Five Days '~ 8 I

ANNEXURES 33
 ---......--_._--_._ .._--_ .•._-----_._-------------
PilOJECT OESIGN
.. -..---~--.-.---.-
Or. S. A..rullid;il<ik~i!illY Prof. Prabha Cl\nla (Convenor)
Consultant, Child Director
Development and Education School of CoMitMtjll1
12. Third Seaward RO:id Education
Valmiki Nagar, [Link] IGNOU
Macras 600 04 1

Ms. Rekha S. Sen Ms. Neerja CMAa

School of Contimun- School (,f Coati ••••••
'-
Education Education
IGNOU IGNOU

-.-.------- ._, .. _-------_

-•..,... _- ..
..

Ms. Rekha S. Scn Ms. Neerja Chadha

School of ConlillU';~6 Edu~tion School of Contimainc ~
IGNOU IGNOU
.Pregramme Editor
Dr. S. Anandal&Ys\m:y
Consultant, Child
Development and Education
12. Third Seaward Road
Valmiki Nagar, nlj"u·!~[Link],.;18yU!

Madras 600 041

---------_._----_.
PROGRAIVIl\IE COORDINATORS
Ms.'Rekha S. Sen ------------------------
ChaAa
Ms. Neerja
School of Continuing Education & School of Contintl-inC EducatieR
IGNOU . ,. lG ~OU \

Print Productioa
Mt'. Rajiv Girdhar Mr. liemant Kumar
Assistant Registrar (Publication) Section Officer (Publication)
MPDD, IGNOU, New Delhi MPDD, IGNOU, New Delhi

November, 2015 (RePf'tnt)

© lndira Gandhi National Open University, 1995
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any form, by rnimeograph or any
other means, without permission in writing from the Indira Gandhi National Open University.
Further information on the Indira Gandhi National Open University courses may be obtained from
The University's Office at Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-11 0 061'1.
Printed and Published on behalf of the Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi by the
Registrar, MPDD, IGNOU.
Printed at: Educational Stores:- S-5, Bulandshahar Rosd Industrial Area, Site-I, Ghaziabad (UP.)
F'h: 0120-41 0ge07

,,'
 T

Section 1
INTRODUCTION TO THE [Link] "VORK .

Welcome to the Project Work ! Having gone through Courses I, 2 and 3, you have a
fairly good idea about the development of young children, how one 'can foster children's
development, the qualities and skills desirable in a child care worker and the principles
that underlie organizing creches and preschools. You have also read about the strategies
and methods of communication, health and nutritional needs of young children and some
basic aspects in handling children with special needs. As a part of these Courses, you
have also carried out some practical activities that involved observing and. interacting
with children. These practical activities were home based and informal in nature. It is
time now [Link] to test how far you will be able to apply the concepts you have learnt
in the first three Courses of this programme of study, in the field situation. In other
words, you need to judge how effective ·/OU would be asan educator, by y(tl~l1y
working in a preschool or a nursery schr ol. You need practical experienvo er working
with young children-planning and carry ing out activities with them, in order 10 be a
professional in me field of Early Childlx od Care and Education. The Project Work has
been planned with these broad objective: in view.

It is one thing to read about children an! quite another to work with them in the formal
set-up of a creche or a preschool. As you go through the Project Work, you may change
some of your preconceived notions and ideas about children, discover your talent for
child care, alter some of your attitudes and develop new skills. One thing is certain-the
Project will be a thon:)ug~.;;; ('":,)yable and exhilarating experience for you! Children are
spontaneous and exuberant. and take well to a person whom they feel to be sincere and
lively. You will find that they respond readily to your efforts.

Some of you may already be working in a creche or a nursery school/preschool. For

such learners, the Project Work will prove to be an additional experience ond may also
• be an opportunity for introspection.

Objectives of the Project Work

The Project Work aims to

I

• clarirr your understanding of the theoretical principles of Child Development

• improve your conceptual understanding of the subject matter in the context of field
realities

• develop and strengthen the attitudes. an I skills tha: are prerequisites to working and
Interacting with young children'

• ~p you learn ways of fostering children's development through play activities

• enable you to plan and carry out play activities that are appropriate to children's
level of development and are of interest to them

• sensitize you to the fact that each child is unique

• help you appreciate the aspects that need to be looked into when setting up and
managing child care centres like creches and preschools

At this point, it would help you to recall the qualities desirable in J. child care worker
about which you have read In Unit 1I of DECE-l. You know that a child care worker
needs to be sensitive, flexible, child-ccntcred and confident. In that Uni: you have also
read about the knowledge, attitudes and skills that a child care worker needs (0 have:
It will help you to keep these 3:;PCCts in 'nind as you .:.lilY out rhc Project Work. To
help you recall, the table as prcscrted in LT nit 1; uf DEer: -: t-IU~ been reproduced.
here.
Project Work : Werkl<\~
with Young Chilclrea in
l:,WlC 1: l asks to \)C pertormeu In a LhllJ Care CcntreiUJd Skills
required of a Caregiver
a Child Care Setting
~
Essential Tasks Knowledge Skills
.----.-- ..,.-- ....--.-.~---

I) Keeping the I) How to keep the 1) Identifying unsafe objects and

surroundings enviroruucnr safe materials in the environment
safe and healthy and clean such as sharp things, furniture
etc.
2) First-aid 2) Selecting safe material and
places for children's activities
3) Preservation and storage 3) Ensuring sanitary conditions in
of food and water use of food and water.
4) Basic rules of
health and hygiene

2) Physical care I) Health and nutritional I) Bathing and dressing

of children needs of chi ldrcn in babies,
different age groups

2) Feeding and weanin:

practices
- -
2) Bottle feeding infants as per
their individual needs,

3) Bathing and toilet 3) Preparing weaning foods and

practices feeding infants

4) Sleep patterns and ~) Measuring children's growth

habits of children using growth charts
5) Appr .priate clothing 5) Attending to toilet needs,
for ;; ,iIdren responding to cues for
elimination

6) Medical referral 6) Identifying! sick or under-

services nourished children

7) Care required during 7) Selecting appropriate food for

diarrhoea and fevers children

8) Immunization schedule'

3) Meeting the 1) Principles of growth I) Planning a day's programme

stimulation and and development to meet needs of children
emotional needs
of children 2) M ilestones/norms 2) Organizing activities for physical,
of development motor, social, emotional,
language and cognitive
development of children

3) Appropnareplay and 3) Utilizing local resources-material

~action activities for and human-to enrich the
.>:promoting development programme
of chi Idren in all areas

4) Parent guidance 4) Identifying children with special

needs using simple criteria based
on development normsl
milestones

5) Organizing parent meetings, for

exchange of ideas

4) Maintaining I) Significance of 1) Keeping attendance records

Records . attendance records

2) Significance of 2) Entering health and

health/growth records immunization information ill
records

3) Maintaining growth
charts
'4
As you know. the Diploma Programme aims to enable you to work with children up to ~1IdiOD to the
six years of age and equip you to set up and manage creches and preschools. The Project W&~
Project Work will give you experience of working in a nursery school/preschool. It
would be desirable for you ,to have experience of working in a creche as well. However,
we are not able to provide for work experience in a creche. Nonetheless, to help you get
familiarized with the routine and aspects of care in a creche, some practical activities
have been devised as a part of the practical work of DECE-3. These are described in the
Practical Manual pertaining to this Course. You will need to carry out these practical
exercises as per the instructions given in the Manual.

Regarding Completion of Progra mme of Study

The Project Work forms an integral part of this Programme of Study. The Diploma
will not be awarded until you ha-:e completed the Project Work, submitted the
Project File and obtained the mini nurn qualifying grade, that is, Grade 'D', even
though you may have successfully .Ieared the exami~ations for Courses 1, 2 and 3.

5,
 Project Wor'k:Wof~'
with Young Children in
a Child Care Setting
Section 2
'. ' /

PLANNING FOR THE PROJECT WORK 1- _

What is the Project Work?

• As you have already read in the Programme Guide, the Project Work involves
your working in a preschool/nursery school for a minimum of30 and a maximum
of90 working days (depending upon your pace and schedule of work) and
carrying out play activities with the children there. For this purpose, you will be
placed in a nursery school/preschool approved by the University and attached to a
nursery school teacher there, who will be your Guide for the duration of your '
Project Work. To judge how long it will take you to complete the Project Work,
refer to Section 3.
This was a brief introductory picture. The subsequent sections ofthis Project
Manual provide you the details about what is involved in the Project Work,role of
the Guide, preparation of the Project File, evaluation of the Project Work and
submission of the Project File.
Beginning the Project Work

• Be sure not to begin the Project Work-'beti'lre you have mastered Course I
(DECE-l). The Project Work, though it draws from Courses 2 and 3 as well, is
primarily b~sed on Course 1. Do the Practicals and Assignments related to
Course 1 as well before starting with the Project Work. This is the basic minimum
-theoretical and practical orientation that you need as regards working with young
children and will give you a headstart for the Project Work.
• Once you have mastered DECE-l and want to go ahead with your Project Work,
please write to/get in touch with your Regional Director/Assistant Regional
Director/ Coordinator of the study centre, who will inform you about the nursery
schools/preschools they have identified for your placement or they may tell you to
identify the preschool/nursery school yourself. In case of the latter, you will need
to follow the procedure detailed under point (ii) in the following
...• section, i.e
"Placement in/Identification ofN ursery School/Preschool Section." Remember
that it will take about a month for YOIl to be placed In a nursery school/preschool.,
from the time you get in touch with Regional Director/Assistant Regional
Director/ Coordinator. So keep this in mind when you decide to begin with the
Project Work.
• If possible, meet your Guide before you actually begin the Project Work. This will
help you to develop a rapport with her and provide an opportunity to chalk out the
finer details of your work schedule. She may also give you some useful guidance
which will help you in doing the Project Work.

Placement in/Identification of Nursery School/Preschool Section

As you would have understood, to do the Project Work, you have to be placed in
nursery school/preschool/kindergarten section where you would be under the
supervision of a nursery teacher working there, who will be your Guide for the duration
of the Project Work. (The nursery school teacher may be a male or a female. For our
.purposes, we are referringto the guide as a female).
There are 3 ways through which you may be placed:

(i) fGNOU identifies a nursery school/preschool and places you there to enable you to
do the Project Work.
When IGNOU places you in a nursery school, it identifies this nursery school on the
\
6' basis of certain guidelines so that you have exposure to one of the best possible Early
 Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) centres ;JIHj work under 'supervision of experts. Ptannin~ for the
For this purpose, we have devised four check Iists on the basis of which the nursery Project Work
school is to be identified. The checklists ar- Annexure 5, Section A.
(ii) It may happen that in SOI1ll: situations the Regional Directer has not been able to
identify a nursery school in your city. In such a situation, you may yourself identify
a nursery school on the basis of the checklists that we have provided at Annexure 5,
Section A. The checklists are self explanatory and reading them thoroughly will tell
you how to identify a nursery school by using them. Once you have judged the
nursery school, on the basis of the checklists, as being appropriate, you may
informally ascertain the willingness of the nursery school 10 have you placed there.
The honorarium that IGNOU prys to the nursery school and the Guide for this
purpose is stated at Annexure 5, Section B. The Principal of the nursery school may
ask you for such information. Remember that while you can give this iformation to
the Principal, the actual contrac. (MoU) has to be signed between the Regional
Centre of[GNOU and the nurse)' school. You may do the Project Work in that
nursery school only after this rv oU has be-n signed. Once you have identified a
nursery school, write to your R, gional Director about it. giving its address and the
name of the Principal. and enclc se the duly filled-in checklists. The Regional Director
(RD) will then send somebody I ARO/Coordinator) to visit the school, discuss the
, administrative and financial asp .cts with the Principal of the nursery school and sign
the MoU. Then the Regional Director/Assistant Regional Director/Coordinator/Any
other person authorised by the Regional Director will write to you, giving you the
green signal to begin the Project Work. Do remember that this process would take a
few weeks to get done. Even if you have identified the nursery school and written to
the RD about it, please do not begin work till you get this go-ahead signal. This is
because the nursery school in which you do your Project Work must have the
approval of the Regional Director/ Assistant Regional Director 'Coordinator Any
other Person authorised by the Regional Director, or else your Project Work will not
be considered valid. So if you yourselfhave identified a nursery school, you need to
enclose Annexure 6 with your Project File 11'11 ich certifies that RD! ARD'Co(lrdinator/
Any other Person authorised by the Regiollill Director has visucd the school
identified by you and approved it.
(iii) It may also be that you are already working ill a I rrsery school and want to carry on
your Project Work there. In this case also, please evaluate the nursery school in which
you are working on the basis of the checklists provided at Annexure 5, Section A and
see whether IGNOU would approve of this nursery school for Project Work. If your
checklist ratings indicate' Yes', then write to the RD about it, following the same
procedure as detailed in the earlier paragraph. Once the Regional Director/ Assistant
Regional Director/Coordinator/An:' other Person authorised by the Regional Director
approves of the nursery school whc re you arc working, you can begin the Project
Work with your own group of children. Howev~r, some other teacher ill the nursery
school would need to be your Guid ~ and supervise your activities for the duration of
Project Work. .

(iv) You may be required to participate in all interaction scxsion with the counsellor/
faculty at the Stud)' Centre/Region; I Centre before you are given permission to start
the Project Work. The purpose ofthis iutcracrion session is to judge whether
you are prepared for doing the Project Work ()J" not. During the interaction
session, each student will be asked about X-I 0 questions which will take about
15-20 minutes. These questions will be based on Project manual and DECE-I,
especially blocks 1,4, 5,6 and 7. You are requested to hring bring your
IGNOU I-card to the interaction session. It you have planned to identify the
school on your own, then you must bring the permission letter from the school
during the interaction session. . .'

The questions during the interction session will focus on the following _

I. Meaning of cognitive language, social. emotional, physical and motor

development. )
7
Project Work: Working 2 Areas ill which development is fostered through various activities described in
with Young Children in a Blocks 5 and 6 DEC[-!. For example, areas in which story telling/clay work/
Child Care Setting
trip to the market fosters development.
3' Specific activities for fostering specific development. For example, activities
wh ich can help in fostering cogn ilive,i~vel()plllCnl
4 Principles of planning the weekly curriculum.
Get in touch with your Reuional Centre to know about the dates of the
interaction session.
Breaks During Project Work

Another important factor that you must keep in mind is thar you should preferably be able
to complete the Project Work without a break. However, if you have to take a break due to
unforeseen circumstances, such as family commitments, job responsibilities and illness, then
you may make adjustments ill your work ~;chedule, in consultation with your Guide ..
Remember that each time you take a break and come back to work at the nursery school, it
may be that till: activities you had plunncd are not in keeping with the current theme
planned by your Guide for the group of children It i~;also possible that you may have to re-
establish rapport with the children. Such breaks may also adversely affect your tempo and
pace of work. The nursery guide may not be happy [Link] many breaks and it may
. influence your marks.

-In certain circumstances. you may not he able (0 complete the Project Work within 30 ,
working days. In such a case, you will need to discuss with your Guide and get her sanction
for an alternat ive schedule of work" in order to cc rnplete the remaining part of your Project
Work. Communicate the same to the Coordinator of your Study Centre through a letter or
personal visit. The Coordinator will grant perrnis-ion for rescheduling of work, based on
the merit of your case. The Coordinator will [Link] the rescheduling of your work to
the Regiona] Director for information. Keep a record of such reschequling'ofwork as
details of these would need to be meruioncd at Secion B of Annexure 1.

In case of queries regarding:

•. Placement in the nursery school. get in touch with the

Coordinator of your Study Centre

Regional Director ofy' ur Regional Centre:
Director, School of Continuing Education, IGNOU, Maidan Garhi,
New Delhi-II 0068
in this order

• Work to be done during placement period, get in touch with the

Guide
Counsellor

Director, School of Continuing Educai ion, IGNOU, Maidan Garhi,

New Delhi-I I0068

in this order.
• 'Project File after submission, get in touch with the

Director, Student Registration and Evaluai ion Division, JGNOU,

Maidan Garhi, New Delhi- I 10068

Director, School of Continuing Education, lGNOl), Maidan Garhi,

New Delhi-I I 0068
In this order.

8
 Section 3
OVERVIEW OF TIfE PI{OJECT WORK
Let us now have an overview of what it is that you are required to do during the Project
Work.

As you know, you will be placed in a nursery school/preschool for a period of 30 working
days, During this period uf placement. you wi 11 be carrying out activities with a group of
children under the guidance uf a nurs 'ry school teacher. His person will be your Guide for
the duration of the Project Work.

The period of 30 working days has b. en dividcl! into three phases

3.1 THREErPHASES OFTHE PI{OJECT WORK

First Phase

The first phase comprises the first live \\'orklllg days of your Project Work, This period is
primarily one of observation. You wi 11 need to be at tile nursery school with your Guide
and the group of children fOJ the tull Juration of the work ing day. Observe how your Guide
works with the children and the activities she does With them during the day, This is the time
for you to develop a rapport with the children alld fallliil uizc yourself with the working of
the preschool. During this period. the Guide may ask >\ I tu help her out with some activi-
ties. Make use of these opportunities as they wi!1 help , ".I later during tilL' Project Work.

Second Phase

The second phase stretches over the next 20 wor], il1~ J;l~ s. depending upon your work
schedule. In this phase you will he actually \\'Of~ill~' with children, carrying out play
activities with them. During t:1i:, period, ~'OlJ arc rL'quil et! tu organize 30 activity sessions
with the group of children.

The schedule of organizing the activity ~.t .sion- is :.1'; tu~ 1011'S:

• The first 10 activity sessions have to be scheduled over the first 10 working days of the
second phase: This means organizing one activity session per day,

• With respect to the remaining 20 acivity sessions you have to organize two activiy
sessions per day, thus taking 10 days to organize these activity sessions.

During this phase, on an average, you will be spending 1-2 hours actually working with
children every day. However, you have to stay at the nursery school fur the full day and not
just the duration for which you are carrying out the activity sessions. This will give you an
opportunity to learn from your Guide and enable .;UlI to carry 0111 the subsequent activity
sessions better.

The Guide will assist you in planning and carrying out the activity sessions and give you a
feedback on your daily interaction with children, She will point out your strengths and
.weaknesses and help you to improve in terms of planlling and carrying out play activities,
making aids. interacting with children and dealing with difficult situations that come up in
the course of working with young [Link]'v,:r. the ass istance from the Guide will
gradually lessen over this period. so that towards ill,' end of the second phase you are, by
and large, able to plan and carry out activity sessjoll~ independently and handle children on
your own,

1J
Project Work: Working •
The play activities you organize in tbe activity Rssions must be planned witbin tbe broad
with Young Children in a
Child Care Setting parameters as indicated in Section 7, sub-section 7.7 of this Manual. You may sometimes
need to change an activitv session as suggested in this Manual, so that it is in keeping with
the ongoing theme of activities being carried out by the Guide with the [Link] children.
For example, suppose the Manual suggests that you plan an activity session on the theme
'Seasons', but at that point of time your Guide is carrying out activities on the theme
'Festivals' with the group of children. then you will need to accommodate this in your plan
~ork. This aspect has been [Link] un~er Section 7.

Third Phase

The third phase comprises the last five working days or the Project Work. During this
period, you will take complete chargt! ofyour group of children from arrival time till
departure, each day for live days. This .nvolves that you plan the ac-'ity schedule for
the entire day tor five days and curry out tile same. Of course, the Guide will be there to
support you at every step, but during this period you will be expected to function more or
less independently.

3.2 PREPARATION PERIODS DURING

PROJECT WORK
After the period of observation, that is, the first phase, you have a preparation period of two
working days to plan the activity sessions for the first two or three days of the second
. phase and discuss the same with the Guide. This will require writing the Activity Plans,
preparing/obtaining the aid(s)/play materials for tl e activities and getting these approved
by the Guide. These aspects will become clear to you as you read further in this Section and
through Section 7. It is lip to yOU to avail of this preparation period. It is possible that you
are able to plan the activity scssionfs) !or the first day or two of the second phase towards
the end of the first phase irse I( and, therefore, are able to embark upon the second phase of
the Project Work without a break.

Similarly, after the second phase, )'( ! have a preparation period of three working days to
plan the activity sessions for the thi: 1phase ofrhe Project Work. You can use this time to
prepare the activity schedule for five days, prepare Activity Plans and make/obtain aids/play
materials and get these approved by the Guide. As in the earlier case, it is upto you to use
this preparation period. It is possible that you are able to do the planning for the third phase
of the Project Work during the second phase itself. In that case. you will be able to embark
on the third phase of the Project Work without a break. Table 2 summarizes the span of the
Project Work.

Table 2: Span of Project Work

Phase Number of Work days

FIRST PHASE:
Observation Period 5

Preparation Period 2 (Optignal)

SECOND PHASE:
Organizing activity sessions 20
Preparation period 3 (Optional)

THIRD PHASE: 5
Taking charge of children
for the duration of their
stay in the preschool and
organizing activity sessions

12
 Overview (inn
3.3 TASKS DURING EACH PHASE Project Work

LelJJs. now come to some details of what you have to do during each phase.

PHASES TASKS

First Phase
--5 [Link], Observing the Guide and developing (J
as per the timings rapport with the children. as explained in Section 6 of
of the nursery school this manual.
e
• Observe and record each activity that the Guide carries
out with the children. While recording note down the
content of each activity and the materials used, jf any.
Note down the time spent on each. Also record the
timings and duration ofroutines like eating and washing.
Thus you would have the schedule of the day's
activities with you.

• Observe how the Guide carries out each activity. Try to

understand the goal/goals of the various activities.

• IJ
Observe how the Guide handles the children, how she
speaks to them and interacts with them. Note down
intances when she shows flexibility and accommodates
clildren's needs.

• In eract with children and try to develop a rapport with

them,

• Help the Guide in carrying out tasks. when she asks you
to.

• At the end of each day. clarify with the Guide any

doubts you may have and discuss the day's 'activities
with her. This will include aspects like: the factors she
kept in mind while scheduling the activity sessions over
the day, the goals of the various play activities, the
manner of conducti-ig the activities and the materials/
aids used. ifany. Tlrs will help you to write the Report
of th~ day's activiras.
( . . .

• You may also talk to her about what she will do the next
day. You could also seek her suggestions regarding
interacting and working with children.

• Writ: a Report on each day's activities

described in Section 6 of this Manual.
as per the format

• By the fifth day, you would have the entire week's

curriculum before you. Discuss with your Guide her
rationale behind the week's curriculum; !tie selection
and : chcduling of activity sessions over the five
days. This will help you in the third phase of your
Project Work.
13
Project Work: Working
with Young Cbild~n in
a Chill! Care Setting

PHASES
TASKS

Second Phase

20 to 7Sworking Organiting (J total of 30 activity

days (1-2,hours sessions according to (he broad param-
each day) etas laid out in Section 7: sub-section 7.7 oJ this
MaIlIlO!.

You have to plan each play activity in terms of

its goal. age appropriateness and appeal to the
children.
Write out the play activities for each activity
session in t'le form of an Activity Plan. as per the
format given in Section 7. sub-section 7.4 of this
Manual.

• Discuss the Activity Plan with your Guide; and

get it signedby her.

• Discuss the play materials/aids

for the activity/activities
to be used. if any.
with your Guide. In case
you have to make or obtain the play materials/aid
yourself. do that and show the same to your
Guide.

• To begin with. prepare one Activity Plan each

clay. discuss it with the Guide and organize the
activity session subsequently. Once you begin to
get the reel or working with children-and gain in
confidence. you can prepare more than one
Activity Plan at a umc and discuss them with the
Guide together to. save time. However. this
discretion also rests with the Guide. If she does
not feel that you call handle more than one
Activity Plan a a time. she will 'not allow this.

• The Activity Pvan and the aid/play materials (if

needed) have It. he prepared. shown and
discussed -wirh he Guide at least a day before
organizing the! .roposed activity session. This
means that no . ctivity will be carried out without
prior approval (If the Guide. This manner of
functioning will give you time to make the'
arrangements fer the activity session. It will also
help you to lea! n from your Guide. which is the
primary- reason for placing you under her
guidance. Your Guide will discuss your proposed
Activity Plan- ,tell you the reasons why she thinks
a particular activity is appropriate or inappro-
priate. suggest modifications in the Plan, if
needed. and suggest play materials or help you in
making them.
Organize the activity session with the children.
keeping in mind the aspects discussed in
sub-section 7.6 as well as those stated under each
activity session in sub-section 7.7.

• Obtain feedback from the Guide after the session .

• Write the Report of the activity session you
conducted as per the format given in Section 7.
sub-section 7.4 of this Manual and submit the
Report to your Guide for evaluation.
14
 TASKS Oftniew of the
PHASES
Project Work

Third Phase

5 full working Devising lJ curriculum for a week and

days, as per the mal/aging the children everyday for 5
timings of the working days, as explained in Section 8 of this
nursery school manual.
No breaks permitted

• Devise a week's curriculum which indicates

you will do with children at different times
what

during the day each day for 5 working days.

During this time you will have complete charge
(If children, which includes supervising their
arrival time, eating and departure. The curriculum
you plan must be in keeping with the principles
of planning you have read in Block 7 of
DECE-I.

• Write the curriculum as per the format given in

sub-section 8.1 of Section 8 of this Manual.

• r iiscuss
the curriculum you have planned for the
W!ck with your Guide and get it approved by
[Link].

• (ncc the curriculum is approved, write out the

Acti vity Plan for each activity session you plan to
conduct during the fi ve days.

.. As ill the case of [he second phase, you will need

to get the Activity Plan for each activity session
approved by the Guide before organizing it. You
may prepare the Activity Plans for the entire
week's activity session together and show them to
the Guide or you may prepare Activity Plans on a
daily basis. The play materials/aids too need to be
shown to the Guide, along with the Activity Plan.

Write a General 1< port of each day's activities as

• explained in SUb-Sl .iion 8.4 of Section 8 of this
Manual. Write the Report of each activity session,
as explained in sub-section 7.4 of Section 70f
this Manual.

3.4 PROJECT FILE

You are required to file the Reports of your 5-day observation period. the Activity Plans
and Reports of all the activity sessions conducted in the .sccond and third phase Of the
Project Work and the curriculum prepared for the five days of the third phase, in the
form of a Project File. Anncxurcs I (Section A & B) and 3 (Section A & B). duly
completed, must also be enclosed at the enc of the Project File.

You must prepare two copies of the Project File .. The original copy has to be
submitted to the Director .(Evaluation Division), IGNOU, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-
110068. Your Project Wo~k will not be considered complete till you submit the
Project File.

Keep the second copy of the Project Fi le wi th youi scl f for reference.
Project Work: Wc,rking
with Young Children in All the Activity Plans and the Reports of the thee phases have to be written on white
a Child Care Setting sheets. It is advisable to buy ruled file sheets, punched on one side, for this purpose.
This will help you to put them together in a file later on. Use both sides of the sheets
for writing. Write in a neat and legible handwriting, so that the panel of experts
rev: ewing your File are able to read it. This will influence your grade. If you wish, you
may type.

The first page of your Project File should look like this .

. _----------
NAME: Your name in Capitals

ENROLMENT NUMBER: Your enrolmen number.

DATE OF SUBMISSION Or PROJECT FILE: Mention the date of despatch

of File.

Project File submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the Diploma in
Early Childhood Care and Education.

School of Continuing Education

Indira Gandhi National
Open University

After this page comes the list of contents. The table 01 contents should look like this.

Date of [Link] Page No.

Activity Plan

12.8.96 Report 'of Obsen ations of the

First Day

21.8.96 Activity Plan fOI Activity 25

Session 3

.22.8.96 Report of Activity Session 3 27

I
i !
Annexure 1
Annexure 3
Sequence the pages of the File in the order of work done, Thus, first would be the
Reports of your observations during the first five days of placement, then the ACtivity
Plans and Reports of the activity sessions in the order in which you organized them in
the second phase, then the curriculum you devised for the third phase, and then the
Activity Plans and Reports of activity sessions organized in the third phase. The
Activity Plan and Report of each activity session should be put together. As you
would notice from the list of contents, you will need to number the pages of the
Project File.

If you proceed systematically and finish each day's tasks that very day, completing the
Project Work should not be difficult. For example, write the Report of each day's
activities the same day itself and give it io your Guide for evaluation the next day.
Do not postpone writing/submitting it.

Before submitting the Project File, make sure that you have enclosed:

• Reports "i' 5 days o,r observation

• All Activity Plans and Reports of activity sessions conducted during ~hc second
phase

• Curriculum planned for the third phase

• All Activity Plans and Reports or acuvityscssion-, conducted during I lie' t!:II'd phase

• Annexure 1 (Section f\ L\: B) and Annexurc J (Section A 8: 8), duly conplctcd

• Annexure 6, if the preschool \Vas idcntifcd b~ \UII

:;,
 Section 4
[Link] OF THE GUII)EAND THE
COUNSELLOR
-----_._-_ .._-_._._--_ _-------------
..

The Guide is the person from whom you are going tu imbibe the skills of working with
young children. This is the person who will help you to translate; into practice the
principles and knowledge that you would have acquired through the first three Courses
of this Diploma.

How much you learn from your Guide depends on you. of course. Observe her closely
and carefully as she works wili! children. Ask her questions about her method of work
and clarify your doubts without reeling hesitant. •

Listen to her -:uggestions and critical appraisal of your work with an open mind, It is for
your benefit. There wiil he much to learn about working with children even after you
complete the Diploma, and there will be otl: .rs you will come in contact with later
during the course of your work, from whom you will continue 'to learn. But this may be
your first exposure to field work and so, mace the most of it.

The Guide will

• help you to develop the understanding, • uitudes and skills that are necessary for
working with young children

i!' help you [Link] and conduct the activity sessions that are part of your Project Work

f!; evaluate your Activity Plan at:,] conduct of each activity sessio9 and give marks and
comments

• give yo-t it feedback on 110'.-'1 you-carried out the activity/activities and handled the
children during the activity session

• help you in writing the Report of the activity session

• evaluate the Report and give marks and comments

• verify on the form given at Annexure I (Section A & B) of this Manual that
bonafidc work has been done by you for the required duration in the nursery school.
The Principal/Incharge of the nursery school too would need to countersign this
form.

• consolidate the marks for your Activity Plan: , conduct of'activity session and
!
Reports on the sheet given at Annexure 3, S ction A of this Manual and sign it.

The norms which the Guide will follow while [Link] your work are specified at
Section A. Annexure 2, The principal too would )e evaluating some of your work as
explained in Section 5. '

Besides the Guide, there is the Project Counseliol to assist you, with whom you can"
interact with regard to the Project Work. This person will be available on the dates as
would be communicated to you in the counselling schedule by your Study Centre}
Regional Centre. However. interacting with the Counsellor is optional. You may I, wish
to go to her/him for further guidance -or if there arc-some problems which neither you
nor your Guide ~e able to solve,

18
 Section 5
EVALUATION

It is important for you to get acquainted with the scheme of evaluation for the Project
Work. There are three levels of evaluation of your Project Work. These are as follows:

• On-the-spot assessment of each ..ctivity session that you plan and conduct, by your
Guide. This assessment will include
i) assessment of your Acti vity ;:>lan and the aids/play materials you made/obtained
(if any). /
ii) assessment of the way you cirried out the activity/ activities and organized the
session.
iii) assessment of your Report 0" the acti vity session
Besides giving marks, the Guide will also write her detailed comments on your
Activity Plan and Report. Some of the indicators on which rl., (j\:icle will base
her evaluation of any activity will be - relevance of the activity for children,
its age-appropriateness, the extent to which it was interesting and the extent to
which you were able to involve all the children in the activity.
The norms which the Guide will follow while evaluating your work are
specified at Section A, Annexure 2.
The Guide will consolidate her marks all the sheet at Section A,
Annexure 3.
• On-the-spot assessment (,f:..ny three activity scssi. ns by the Principal/Supervisor/
In-charge of the nursery school/preschool where ~ .u arc placed. The Principal/
In-charge will evaluate the activity sessions along the same lines as your Guide.
These three activity sessions would not be evaluated by your Guidc.
The Principal too will indicate her assessment of the three sessions un the sheet
at Section A, Annexure 3.

'. Evaluation by a panel of experts. identified by the faculty at IGNOU. New Delhi. of
the Project File. As you know. you .iavc to submit your Project Fi le, complete in all
respects as per the guidelines given III Section 2 and 3 of this Manual. to Director,
Evaluation Division, IGNOU. Maida» Garhi, N. Delhi, 11 006X.
The norms for evaluation which the panel of experts will use to evaluate your
Project File are specified at Section B. AIIJII.'xurc 2. The shed 1111 which these
marks will be consolidated Is at Section H. Annexure J.

Rememberto enclose Sections A & R of Annexure ]. in the Project File.

----------
5.1 DISTRIBUTION OF MARK$ FOR PROJECT WORK

• On-the-spot assessment by your Guide and the Principal of the nursery school will
together carry 70 per cent of the total marks assigned for Project Work.
• The evaluation of the Project File by the designated panel carries 30 per <tent of the
total marks assigned for Project Work.

5.2 MINIMUM [Link] MARKS/GRADE

It is essential for you to get at least :'D' grudc C\:'i~l- 44% marks) In each of these
two components of evuluation of your Project Work (i.c, the combined assessment by
your Guide and the Principal, and the .isscssmcnt of: Project File by the panel of
experts). If you get an 'E' grade (less than 35Glr. marks) in any or both of these"
components, then you will he required to repeat the Project Work. You will not be
awarded the Diploma wi!!It"" """",'",:(,,1 "'"1lnl"tion nf thr- Proincr Work.
19
 , I
----+- ....
f('~.,-.----, ,~~,_¥_.__ .
-----"---, _._---;:-._-------------_._-----
.•.

---~,-.,..------.-----+--. --_..
_._-----_.
-----_
..
_---_
.._---_._
..
_--_._--_._--

t\S you knot', dllringihc first five days you ha -e to observe Ih~ Guide. What you have
to observe and report om has been described to you in Section 3, sub-section 3.3.

In Ihis Section we will rdl V()u how to take notes while observing th~ Guide and how
to write [Link] R(~p()!:t based on your notes.

---t-.-----.---- ..------.---------.---
6.1 HOV/ TO TAKE NOTES WHILE OBSERVING
THE C;'Urf)E . ,

You will need to lake notes a." you observe the Guide so that you are able to write a
Report later. on. Taking notes is a mauer of skill. Carry a note pad and a pen with you
to take notes. The notes you take down should be brief. It is not necessary to start
writing in detail everything that is going on. For one thing, you are not required to and
for another, if you keep writing something, you will appear very odd to children. You
will neither be able to form a rapport witj:J them nor be able to observe your Guide
carefully. So note down the salient points and commit the rest to memory. To help you
understand how to take notes whi le observing the guide, the notes taken by one learner
on a particular day have been reproduced on the next page.

With such notings the learner was easily able to re .all the details of the activities and
write the Report, which has been reproduced a litt!: "later in this Section. You will need
to devise your own 'short hand' for taking down n xes. which you will be able to
elaborate upon later.

The transition from one activity to another, toiletin; or eating time are times when y-ou
can pen down some important point. But it is also possible that the Guide calls you to
help her during these periods. You may use 10-15 minutes after the children have left to'
supplement your notes before you begin conversing with the Guide, What we are saying'
is that you have to find time in between things to wake a few notes, and remain alert,
so that you are able to recall things later.

It is absolutely important that you write a detailed Report of the day's activities that
very day itself, If you leave it for a subsequent day. you are likely to forget salient
aspects and confuse the events of different days.

You would remember that there are two exercises based on observing children in the
Practical Manual of DECE-I. Doing these will give you practice in recor-ding
observations and help you in the Project Work.

6.2 FORMA T FOR WRITING THE REPORT iOF THE

OBSERVATIONS

Write the Report of your observations in a narrative form (as you did in the case of the
above mentioned practical exercises) describing what the Guide did during the day with
.the children, keeping in mind the aspects stated in Section 3, sub-section 3.3, of this
Manual.

For your reference, the Report written by the learner; whose no es you have just read,
has been reproduced from page 20 onwards. Notice how she has elaborated upon her
notes, which you have just read. This learner has described the day's activities along
with their time periods, She has described the content of each activity, the aids used by
the Guide and the children's response to the activity. Within each activity session, she
has described how the Guide interactedwith the cl ildren and handled them.
 The First Phase:
Making Observations
Notes takm durif19 06servation o-f an Educator Working
with a Group of Prescfioofers

10''60 Q~m -
1'0,··~O CA' m -
I1, 00 o rYL -
Project Work: Working
with Young Children ill
a Child Care Setting

Report of 06sq-l'ation (:f a. Dby's

ACrtivHir_" Of an Edncator
Workin9 witli (.~Grout) of [Link]>,

MNAL"ISIS -

22
 The First Phase :
Making Obsen'ations

06SERVftTION S
he» i:fu~a-In ~6 UJLit.

:n
Project Work: Workine
with Young Children in
a Child Care Setting
 The First Phase :
l\laking Obsen:1tions

"

.25
Project Work: Working
with Young Children in
a Child Care Setting

26
 The First Phase :
Ma'dng Observations

MNftlY [; IS
UJ'J:k~~
11 /:kw. ck~
iYrv:) un ti\iJ

I o· 30 Q. rr: -- I 0 . L! 0 a· rrv
Ht- tt-G~ ~+L;Yn.J> <~~}:~J

:£/dULOJoo (l,,·t'[Link])uy\u_,d 'CA~- 'uls-wcu

 Crojt:ct Work: Wori::ing
y,itl '{()ung Children in
a Child Care Settlng

J~t- .l:
JJJYYV~

W
! njeo-d-eA'~
fu-urd·j~
.~%

28
 The Flnl f'hase :
[Link] Obsel'Y1ltioDl
Project Work: Working
with Young Children in .
a Child Care Setting

o BSERVATI 0 ~,Jr.

30
 The First Phase :
Ma 'KingObservations
Project Work: Working
with Young Children ill
a Child Care Setting
~j\.(AL'~ S IS
tP: ,A)uJ
fttl Lcl~J
O/y'vO' IU0 eA
 PREPARATION PERIOD OF TWO
DAYS - OPTIONAL

In the second phase of the Project Work, you have to

organize activity sessions witli children. For many of you,
this would be the first time that you would be formally I

planning and carrying .out play activities with

preschooler s. As you kn. W, you have to prepare an
Activity Plan for each seSS,Of1 and gel it approved by the
Guide before you conduct the session. To help you start
off, you have been given 'the option of taking a break of
two working days to prepare the Activity Plans and aids/
.play materials for the first three or four activity sessions
and discuss them with the Guide. However, as mentioned
earlier, this break is optional. If you wish, you. .may
prepare and get the Activity Plan for the first activity
session approved towards the end of the first phase, and
thus begin with the second phase in continuation with the
first. You may work (Jut with your Guide a pattern for ./
discussing the subsequent Activity Plans.
~ . '.. A
 ---.---.-.-- .-- ... ------.-.---- .. ----------~----
Section 7
THE SEC(}ND PHASE: f)RGANIZING
ACTIVITY SESSf()NS WITH'CHILDREN
........ _. __ ._-------.,-------------
As you have read earl !l'r.:' (Ill ,11 C rcqu ired to c mdUCI :;0 activity sessions with the group of
children in the second pha-.« orProjcc: Work. spanning 20 working days. The manner in which
you have to pace your worl, has been expl::illed in Section 3
The foliowing is the schedule that YClilhave (0 broadly follow while ori,janizing the activity
S ssions. C;o over the '·(hedl:'.: ,,1 .1'·:1, ity St'<;~i()n:; and then we shall discuss it.

7.1 SCHEDUl.E O~:ACTIVITY SESSI()NS

.-.------.--- _.. .._--_. -.-----~--

l.)A Y I : ACTIHl\ SES~IO:'~ I

./

DAY 2 : ACTIVITY SFS,)ION 2

/

.I\ct ivity/ac t ivit I<:S tu rll~iel IIlle motor development.

DAY 3 :ACTIVITY S[SSIO<", 3
Some rhymes :H1d S()[lg~ .iccompan ied with movements and actions.
DAY 4 : ACTIVITY SESSION.t
A dra~ing activity

DAYS5 : ACTIVITYSESSIO/\;:,
Story telling followed r,y" related act vity.

DAY6 : [Link]\6
A, pa jilting acti v itv

DAY 7 : ACTIVITY SE':I.;!Oi\ 7

Taking tile [Link] (Hit fm a [Link] in the neighbourhood or within the preschool,
coming back and discussmg what they saw. This is to be followed by children
drawing what ihev saw. '(lill'le is time,
DAY X •• \CTIVITY SE~~,I\);\ ~
!\'-'tll'li\".'\\,lIV:Ll" \(, t' .rcr the concept of colour.

DAY9 • ACTIVITY SESSiOi\ q

Activity-Activities to t("tCI· the concept of number.
DAY 10 : ACTIVITY SESSION 10
Activities to strell~lh('n the abilities of matching and classification,

DAY 11 • (a) ACTIVITY S[~SIO;\/ 11

Activity/Activiuvs h'l~cJ on the theme 'My Family'.

(b) ACflVITYSESSlON 12
Story telling followed hy a related activity.
DAY 12 : (a) ACTIVITY SESSION Ut'
Acriviry/Activiues based on the ihcmc t A iirnals.

(b) ACTIVITY SESSION 14

A printing activity using leaves, flowers II vegetables as 'blocks',

DAY 13 : (a)ACTfVITYSESSrON IS
Activity/Activities based on the theme 'S- .asons'.

(b) ACTIVITY SESSION 16

Activity/activities to foster physical and g ·OS5 motor development.

DAY 14 : (a) ACTIVITY SESSION 17

Activity/ Activities to strengthen children's understanding of the concept of shape,

(b) ACTIVITY SESSION I R

Activity/activities to foster line motor development.

34
DA Y 15: (a) ACTIVITY SESSION 12_ 1 he Second Phase :
Activity/activities based on the-concepts of floating and sinking. Lrganizing Activity
Sessions with. Children
(b) ACTIVITY SESSION 20
MUSic and movement activity/activities.
DA Y 16: (,a) ACTIVITY SESSIO N 21 "
Activity/Activities to stre ngthen the children's understanding of different
textures and surfaces.
(b) ACTIVITY SESSIC ~ 22
A picture reading activit .
DAY 17: (a) ACTIVITY SESSIO"\j 23
Activity/activities based, ,n the theme "Trees' or 'Plants'.
(b) ACTIVITY SESSION 24
Clay' work. If this is not possible, to org<llIiZL:drawing. painting and
printing activities
DA Y IS: (a) ACTIVITY SESSION 25
Activity/activities based Oil the theme 'IV!uJCS or Transport'.
(b) ACTIVITY SESSION 26
Story telling followed hy a related activity.

DA Y 19: (a) ACTIVITY SESSION 27

PJppet Show.
(h) ACTIVITY SESSION 2X
Music and movement acti vity/act iviticx.
J)AY' 2(): (a) ACTIVITY SESSION 29
Activity/activities based on ,;0 III c theme: fnllll the :;llL'ial environment.
(b) ACTIVITY ~;ESSION JO
Water' p't~lY and/or sand pIJ)'. II' neither is pt)~~;ib:c, to organize any activity/
activities of YOUi choice.

-----------------------.-_ .. ---------_ ..

7.2 SCHEDULING OF ACfIVITY SESSIONS

RATIONALE AND FL!.i.:XIBILITY

If you go over the 30 activity sessions, you will find !hdt they arc distributed over
11 areas:

• Three activity sessions to foster fine motor development. These are activity sessions
number 2, 18 and 30.
• Two activity sessions to foster gross moior development. These are activity sessions
number 1 and 16.
• Four story telling sessions. These arc act ivity <cssions number 5, 12, 26 and 27.
•. Three sess~ons for songs and rhymes and othc: music and movement related ,
activities. These are activity sessions number J, 20 and 2/).
• Four sessions [or drawing, painting and printing activities and clay work. These are
activity sessions number 4, 6, 14 and 24.
• Three activity sessions based on themes from t'~le social environment. These are
activity sessions number 11. 25 and 29. \
• Five activity sessions based on themes from the physical environment. These are
activity scss ions number g, -15,17.1<) and 21. (
• . Three activity sessions based 011 themes from the hiolog'ieal environment. These are
activity sessions number 7, 13 and n. v- '<_

• One activity session to strengthen th.: abilities otmaiching and classification. This is .~- "~
activity session number 10. -,
• One activity session to strengthen the concept of number. This is activity session
number 9.
• One activity session 011 'licture rending. This is activitv session number 22.
,
Project Work: Working The above schedule of <lctivity 'l'ssilllls is to he followed as far as possibie since
with Young Children in there is a rationale behind it. However, you have some flexibility as well in
a Child Care Setting
scheduling the activity session. L:I ux explain the rationale to you and then we shall
talk about areas of flc x [Link].

As youknow from reading of S,~Cli(ln 5, during the- first HI days you have to
organize only one activity session per day. These are Activity Sessions numocr 1 to
10. These ten activity sessions arc cornparati vcly simple to organize. Such activities are
carried out in most prcschools They will fit in with whatever curriculum the Guide has
[Link] for the children Ior the day. They arc Iaii ly open-ended activities, giving you
almost total freedom to plan them in ,1nl' w,iy that you like. Thcy will give you a fcel
of what it is like to work with c:hi!dr'::l.

While you have to org:ln:i,c each "i 'i''-:'c iO activity sessions over the first 10 days,
you have flexibility a.'; regards [Link]. . .' ii"ic:S,' 10 activity sC'"ions over III days. Thus
while we have stated that the' drawin-; .[Link] vity session lx: the: lourth ill the sequence of
activity sessions. you [Link] find th.u yllll need to illtCJ"cil,1I1!:Cit With the seventh activity
session ill the schedule- because ihc !alll'l' activity session lih in better with the other
activities being organi7.(:d hy (he Guide with the children on (hat day. In other words,
you have flexihilitv in scheduling tfH' tirst 10 activity sessions over the first HI
working days of the second rh,lSL: {(<lking into consideration the curriculum for the day
as set .up by your Guide), but what is mandatory is that you do organize each of the
10 activity sessions. 1, will not do tha: Y;lU org mizc the story telling session twice and
do not organize song." and rhyJT1o::'; id all.

With regard to scheduling the Activity Scssio 1S I t to 30, the schedule suggests that
you organize 2 activity sessions per day, thus carryingout these 20 activity sessions
in 10 working days. While this is our suggtSI on, you have flexibility. If you wish.
you may continue with one activitv ':cs~ion per day, thereby taking 20 clays to complete
these sessions. Thus, to complete the second phase of your Project Work, you could
take hetween 20 to 10 days. The [Link] behind rcconuncnding that you organize two
activity sessions per day trom Day 1.1 onwards (er at least towards the end of the
second phase) is that y()U have to t~radually learn to handle the children by yourself for
the entire duration they arc at the nursery school. Orgunizing two activity sessions per
day will help you in handling the .hildrcn hy yourself" ill the third phascojthe Project
%~. .

If you look atthe activity sessions (a) ami (h) listen from Day 11 onwards in the
schedule, you will fiml that there is a rationale behind this grouping. For each day, a
combination of a relatively difficult and a relatively simple activity session has been
listed in most cases. The: activity sessions listed as (a) require more planning and
thought. The activity sessions listed as (b) arc along the same lines as those listed for
.' the first 10 days of the second phase. .

You have flexibility in interchanging the Activity Sessions 11 to 30. Thus, while it is
suggested that you have an activity session on the theme 'Animals' on Day 12. you may"
find that the activity session based on 'Textures' listed for Day 16. fits better on Day
12. You are free to interchange the sessions. But re member, while'interchanging,
replace an (a) activity session only with another (a) activity session and a (b)
activity session with anot~lcr (b) activity session.

You also have' flexibility in changing the particu' ar theme we have listed. Thus,
while we have stated that you carry out activities 01 the theme 'Animals' (i.e. a theme
from the biological environment), you may find, that it is not possible to organize
activities on this theme because of some reason. In that case, you may substitute. it by
some other theme from the biological environment. For example, it is possible that your
Guide is planning to take up the theme 'Birds' with the children. Then you may plan
activities on this theme. Wlttil-e using this flexibility, what you have to keep in mind
is that the Dumber of activity sessions related to II particular area does not change.
~us, ~or inst~nce it should not be that you organizq five activity sessions related to the
biological environment and only one related to the :>hclal environment.

Your Guide loo is aware of your plan of work and has been requested to plan her
curriculum to accommodate the list of activity sessions as given here. Therefore,
discussing b~[~:_c:h_,:~~_~le activities ~u plan to carry out arid showing her your Activity
 The Second Phase :-
Plan will help in smoothening and sorting out any problems that may arise. Thus, Organizing Activity
rescheduling of activity sessions mast always be done in c6nsYltation with the
Sessionswith Child8'
G~de. i

~---~-----------'---'.-----------.--'.-------------.

To SUII~ Up
It is mandatory that you organize .he stated number of activity sessions in the eleven
areas as described earlier in this section, but 'you have flexibility in scheduling the
activity sessions over the days an j selecting the theme of the activity session.

------------------------
7.3 DURATION OF AN ACTIVITY SESSION

The duration of each activity session should be around 30 minutes, wherein you
will carry out ene or more activities. You would remember, having read in Unit 30 of
DECE-J, that a time period of 25-30 minutes is usually recommended for an activity
session because about this much time is usually needed for setting up/introducing the
activity/activities, getting the children involved and winding lip. In some cases, an
activity session may continue for a longer time it" children are engrossed or in ease it
involves activities like going for a walk or a trip.l3u usually it is difficult to maintain
the interest of children beyond half-an-hour for most ictivities.

The activity/activities you organize in a session '?:J ve to be br ondly within the

parameters given for each session, as stated subsequently in sub-section 7.7.

In many cases, in a particular activity session you may need to string together a
series of activities in order to do some justiccuo the theme and to keep the children
occupied for the duration of the activir session\')f about half-an-hour. For example. in
an activity session on coloi..s, you coul.l devise the-following activities:

• asking children to touch objects 0/ .1 particular colour in the room

• asking children to form groups on th~[Link] of a particular colour you call out
• asking children to find partners wh» .have rhe same colour card as they do

• identifying/labelling colours d:>ks. flowers and other things.

of fruits, vegcr-•..

Each of these individual activities would take between 5 and 15 minutes, depending
upon the number of children in your group and the number of colour s you use.
Therefore, to organize an activity session Oil the theme 'colours for half-an-hour, you
would need to conduct two to four such activities. This cluster of two to four activities
, would constitute one activity session for our P' rpose,

Let us take up another example. When organizing outdoor play activities to foster
physical and gross motor development, you lllaX have two or three structured games in
the activity session of half-an-hour, or leave children for free pla1 for half-an-hour, or
have one structured game followed by free play dlD-'0)g the remaining time.

- ----""T"-- / .-,~.----

7.4 WRITING THE ACTIVITY PLAN AND REPORT

----- -- -------_. __ _- _._---.\.----_._----_ _-----
... ..

As )OU know, for each activity SeS~i()ll, you have 11)wrucou: an Activity Plan before
you actually organize the session with trh: chil'.i··..:; Altcr [Link] (:a-.:il activity
session, you have to write a Report. :.d us tcll you how to write the Activity Plan and.
the Report.
Project Work.:)'V orkinz Activity Plan for the Session
with YotlnK Children III
11 Child Care Setting
Do you remember reading about what is an Activity Plan in Unit 22 of OECE-l?

The Activity Plan should give a complete description of the activity/activities that you
plan to carry out during the activity session. It should clearly explain each activity to the
extent that another person is able to carry it out by reading your Plan. The Activity Plan
should

i) state how the activity aims to foster children's development (i.c .. its goal)

ii) give a description of the activity (i.e., its content). When writing the description of
the activity in the Activity Plan for a session, state whether you would be carrying
it O;Jt with all the children together. or with a few children at a time. This aspect
will become clearer to you on reading sub-section 7.5 and as you go through each
activity session in sub-section 7.7. "

Also state in the description, the expected duration of each activity.

iii) list the materials required for it. State in the Plan whether the materials are
available in the preschool, whether you would be making them. or obtaining them
from elsewhere.

The above details must be given with regard to each activity that you pian to carry out
during the activity session. The following should be the format of your Activity Plan:

Goal/goals of the Activity/Activities:

Description of the Activity/Activities:

Materials required, if any:

This format is to be followed while writjng all the Activity Plans. This format has been"
discussed in Unit 22 of DECE-l. Refer tQ that Unit as well. when writing the Activity',
Plan.

Whi le the general instructions for writing an Activity Plan have been given here, there
may be some additional aspects specific to a particular activity session. In such 11 case,
that specific information/instruction has been discussed under the respective activity
session in sub-section 7.7.

After writing the Activity Plan, show it to 'your Guide. She will evaluate your Plan and
give marks and her comments and suggestions, in writing, with regard tothe activity/
activities included in the Plan. Incorporate her suggestions while carrying out the
activity/activities. In some cases, you may need to change some activity in your' Activity
Plan after discussion with your Guide. If this happens, write the new Activity Plan and
attach the earlier Activity Plan as well as the changed one in the Project File.

To help you understand how-to write an Activity Plan, two such Plans prepared by two
learners have been reproduced here.

The format of both the Plans is correct. Read the two Plans and comment upon whether
the activities contained therein are appropriate for preschoolcrs between 4 to 5 years
of age.

The Reports related to these Plans have been given a little later-in this sub-section.
These will help you to visualize how the Activity Sessions must haveprcgressed and
whether the activities were appropriate for the children.

Sample Activity Plan 1

Since the festival or Diwali was approaching,' this learner took up~Diwa1i' as the theme
for the next three days "and planned ail Activity Session on this theme each day. One of
her Activity Sessions was as reproduced on the subsequent page; -
 The Second Phase :
Organizing Activity
Sessions with Children

t:\c11- \}""IT,,{ ~LF\N 'rO~ \ HE' [Link]~

:T6 ~~ o-d;.v~ ~. ij..~~ ~ D.~o.-L ~
~~~~~O~e.o~~
/0~.
GtORLS

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, .\O.~ ~~~OJ-j~1~
~~cJ 1 \j~ ~ ~~v~ ~ o, ~cu~~ ~~.
~0 1NJ'N'-<L. \.Jvv,.~ -H· Q ~~, 're ~ .-:~%
Co~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ cJ'0-\:L~~.
Pl.~:;).. --1',. _ .. n.~~ ... ~. . -fl' n
\ (::) ~~--Q c;:/'--I..~ (f""-~~~ ()Jv--G

I '. ~ O-~ -to 9J~~!'vv\ 0AA. ~~~()-to

8~ ~~~)~~"" ~~.~
~~ ~~~~~oJ;~, (
CONTENT

A~ -~
~n ..o
~
n Q,."
.- [Link]\
h. • ...,...
t-..s,,-,<-
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. - n
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~~ ~: (00 '~<JV- ~ ~~ ") 7 Go '(J~ ~

39
Project Work: Working
with Young Children iR
11 Child Care Setting

In the next Activity Session, the learner taught children a new song related to DiwaIi.
The third Activity Session was spent celebrating Diwali in the preschool. Children
. decorated the room, the learner lighted a few 'Diyas' and crackers were burst- the
safe ones--'-by the learner.
 The Sl,('()lld Phase :
OrgaRil:iJlI: Activity
Sample Activity Plan 2- Sessions with Children

.,
-

..
}>r!lj~ctWork : Worki~
with [Link] in
a Child Care Setting

Report of the Activity Session

Write the Report of the activity session that very day when the events are still fresh in
your mind. If you had conducted more than one activity in the session, then report on
each of the activities in the order in which you had carried them out.

Report on each activity with respect to each UI me following aspects:

• . what was the duration of the activity

.• whether you conducted tile activity' with all the child~en together or with only a few
at a time. In case of the latter, what did the other children do at that time. This
aspect will become clear to you as YOu read sub-sections 7.S and 7.7.
• how did the activity actually take place-it is possible that the play activity did not
proceed in the way you had written in the Activity Plan. This may happen because
of various reasons, such as-the children did not show an interest in the planned
activity and so you decided to bring about a change at the spur of the moment or
while carrying out the activity you had an inspiration and thought of a better way of
doing it. Similarly,· it could well be that (if you had planned more than one play
activity in the activity session) the children got so interested in some aspect of the
first activity that you decided to build on that aspect, instead ofcarrying out the
activities that you had planned (and stated in the Activity Plan) for the remaining
p/U1 of the activity session. Such changes while carrying out the activity session are
not a reason to worry. However, your Report must clearly explain why you felt the
nee9 to bring about a change and what the modification was.
 l'h~Second PhIlH :
• What was YC)u[ role in the activity-c-were you in the background stepping in when Orxanizing Activity
needed or did you play a more active role? Describe incidents/situations that will Sessions with Children
explain your role.

• was the activity appropriate to the age of the children?

• how far did the activity interest the children?

• were all the children involved in the activity?

• could you pay attention to all the children in the course of the activity?

• were the materials for the activity adequate?

• did each child get a turn to play?

• what do you think were the strong and weak points of the activity?
• what modifications would you make if you were to carry out this activity in future?

We would like to stress one point here. While writing the Report of the activity session,
it is important to be completely honest. Report how each activity actually took place,
even if it was completely unsuccessful. Your marks do not solely depend on carrying
out each activity successfully, but rather on your planning and yov . :lbiiil) to identify
the weak points you can improve upon the next time. In fact, the first few times it is
quite likely that your activities will. by and large, not be successful. This is not a point
to worry about. We expect you to only gradually acquire the skills of working with
children.

Show your Report to the Guide the next (Jay. She would have given you a verbal
feedback as to how you carried out the activity/activities during the session, that very
day itself. She will write her comments on the Report a's well as give yOU marks.

Whllt: the general :,,~I'u'c{J()ns for writing a Report have been given here. there may be
some addirional aspects specific to a particular activity session. In such a case, that
spe ific information/ instruction has been discussed under the respect: vc activity session
in sub-section 7.7.

To help you understand how to write a Report. two sample Reports wriucn by two
learners have been reproduced here. These are based on the two Activ Ily Plans
rcpr oduced earlier.

:'iample Report 1

JN~~~~~~~~.
1\<94 ~ ~~-~ .~ tJ-e. ~~~
T~~ ~~ ~~~~~_
~~,J.M~~~W~A~ M~'
~ oJ- ~ ~9'C.'t4 t~oJ c:vvJ ~ ~
~ ~~.S~N-~~~~~
GY'J'.Jt ~ ~~~ "
Project W&rk : Working
with Y9_~ Children if!
a Chilfl Care S~ujng
 . The Second Phase :
Or&aaizinl Adh<lty
SessieRswith ewwr..

~~ L~ O-A-J~J~AU~ Gv'~:d~V\ ~ CO~W\ "'-1~.

:~ ~~ ~ CSV\ ~ ~ 1t.4: ~<~/~ ~--.Q ~,[Link].D

,Q;~ .i: ~~.M~~~"'~~

~~'--~)~~~~1~~lw~~ ~
p~~ ~~~.~q~Q~~
.~~ W~ ~ ~ ~~ c0J .[Link]~)
Cj~~~~~~~.. .
.. Tk~~~~l'S'~~Cj
W ~_.~.~_~~O-:ls~~.Tk
~~·~:o~~.
Project Work: Working
with Young Children in
a Child Care Setting

Sample Report 2

46
 The St'~'''l\dh
Oq~[Link].; Adh
Sessions with Childr.:t.
Prtlj«t Work: Worldn!!
with Young Children in
a Child Care Setting
 TIleSee_ PhI¥ :
Orpab;'1 AdMty
Sasions wltIa Chihlft*i
s::

Let us now recapitulate what you have 10 do during the second phase
of the Project Work.

Second Phase

Plan an activity session as per the parameters described in sub-section 7.7 .

.,
Write the Activity PI,Ul as per the format described in sub-section 7.4.

Discuss the Activity Plan with your Guide. incorporate

If there are many her suggestions and get her approval.
modifications in the Plan.
then write a new Activity
Plan arid attach the former
as well as the new Plan to
the Project File. Organize the activity session with the children.

Subsequently. di~cuu with your Guide and LlbtAin her feedback reiardln.
how you carried out the activity/activities In the session.

Write the Report of the activity session as per the format described In
. .
sub-section 7.4 and submit it to your Guide for evaluatloh,'
.,
.-

49
Project Work : W orldn.
with Young Children In 7.5 MANAGING A LARGE GROlJP OF Cl-HLD!~EN
a Child Care Setting
----------------------_._-_._-_. _. --.--.---- ---_ ...__ ... -

The ideal educator: children ratio in a preschool i' I: 15 tu 1:20. i.c .. one educator works
with a group of 15-20 children.

But in many preschools it is not po sible la maintain this ratio. Often there arc abou; 30
to 35 children with one educator. This would mean that you too would have lu work
with as many children.

For some play Activities you may be able to work with the large group as a whole.
Activities such as singing rhymes and songs. story telling, puppet show, outdoor and
indoor free play. drawing and painting activities are some such activities. Of course.
you will have to be careful to ensure that there are adequate play materials for all. For
instance, there should be enough paints/crayons and paper for everyone. If there is
shortage of play materials/equipment. then you may need to divide children intosub-
groups as explained in Unit 30 of DECE-l.

For some play activities it would be difficult for you to handle 30-35 children. Activities
where you need to give-greater attention to each child would [Link] to organize in
a large group. Examples of such activities are picture reading, matching, classification
~".l <Mi,,,iron '>r'liviti,~~ For such activities. it would be best to divide the children into
two groups. Carry out your proposed activity with one group of children, comprising an
appropriate number of children for that activity (this may range from 5 to 15 for
different activities). Send the other group for indoor or outdoor play under supervision
of a helper or ask these children to join another group working with another educator. III
the latter case. you would need to discuss with this educator beforehand. Thus. you
would carry out your activities with one lot of children and. if time permits. call in
another lot of children and send the earlier lot to join others.

If both the above two options do not work. then your Guide ~ill step in to help yuu
manage the entire group during the Activity. Your Guide too is aware of the fact that
initially you will find it difficult to work with a large group of children. She will
co-operate with you and help you in this regard. This means that you would have to
think beforehand which are the activities where you would need to work with a smaller
group and plan for ways of doing so. There are some suggestions for managing a large
group of children in Unit 30 of DECE-I. Read the relevant section before you begin
working with -children,

As has already been mentioned in sub-section 7.4, you must state in the Activity Plan
whether you plan to organize the activity session with all the children in the group or
whether you will be dividing' them into sub-groups and working with one lot at a time.
Specify the approximate number of children you plan to work with in a session. Also
state what the group, other than whom you are working with. would be doing at that
time. Similarly, your report must reflect your experience of having worked with children
in groups like this.

During an activity session, when you divide the group children into sub-groups and
carry-out an activity with only one sub-group, you may find that you do not have
enough time to organize the activity for all the remaining children. At best, you may be
able to call-in only one more lot of children. However, when you actually begin
working as an educator; in such a situation, YO!J would need to organize a similar
activity session on the subsequent day(s), to do that activity. with the remaining children,
calling in small groups of children on a rotational basis and engaging tne others in
alternative activities. During the Project Work, however, this will not be possible since
pn the subsequent days you have to organize other activity sessions. The purpose right
now is to give you some exp~sure to organizing different kinds of activities. .
 The Second Phase ':
7.6 WHEN PLANNING AND CARRYING OUT AN Orgamzing Activity
ACTIVITY REMEMBER Sessions with Childrett

• that the activity you plan should he appropriate for and or interest to your group of
children.

• to ensure that it is possible to carry out your proposed activity in the nursery
school, i.e., there is adequate space and play materials etc. For some play activities,
play materials and equipment may be available in the nursery school itself. When
they are not, you would need to think of alternatives. You know that the
environment is a rich source of play materials. Things normally considered 'waste'
in one's house can be converted into play materials with imagination. There are
many examples of these in the Blocks of DECE- 1.

• to be innovative and think of a variety of activities to be carried out in the various

activity sessions. With regard to most of the themes listed in this section, it is, by
and large, possible to organize a drawing/painting session, narrate a stor" or sing a
rhyme. However. do not confine yourself to just these activities. Think of other
activities related to the theme. This aspect will influence your evaluation by the
Guide.
• to ensure that all children participate in the activity. Thus, when carrying on a
discussion, encourage all children to respond. Sometimes it happens that only a few
children dominate the discussion and the rest feel left out. Do not let this happen.
Make a deliberate effort to involve. the shy ones by asking them questions,
prompting their and responding enthusiastically to what they say. When children
participate in a [Link]». if stimulates them to think. On the other hand, if you are
the one who [Link] talks in an activity session, then children simply acquire facts-
their reasoning and thinking abilities are not fostered.
Sometimes it happens that play materials are nut enough and children have to share
the playmaterials. In this case. ensure that each child gets a turn to play/use the
play materials.
• that although you must encourage all children to participate in an activity, some
child may not wish to participate despite your persuasion. This may be because the
child does not feel comfortable with that activity. For example. some 'children may
not sing rhymes, play with water or sand, do finger or hand painting, or participate
\
in role. play the first few times. Do not force such children .. As they watch others
participate, they will gradually overcome their inhibitions. If the child wishes to
carry out another activity in this period, accommodate her/his preference to the
extent you can.

• that you may need to modify aplanned activity/devise a new one at the spur of the
moment. Be open to such possibilities. Not getting perturbed when things don't
happen as planned, will. help you in thinking of alternatives. Many times children
come up with suggestions. Building upon these will often lead to exciting activities.

• that if you have divided children into sub-groups or if children arc playing
individually, then move among the different groups/children. This will help you to
resolve any conflicts that may come up, give-you an' opportunity ·to help clrildren
understand their discoveries, ensure that all children participate, give you an
opportunity to talk to each child and know her/him better. and enable children to
ask you questions,

• that while carrying out an activity. you must talk to the children about it and the
concepts that emerge from' it. This will help children to understand and acquire
concepts and also tell you how far children have understood what they are doing.
. . ,I' ~

Besides these general aspects, some specific factors that you must hear in mind while
carrying out activities in a particular session, have been stated in the description of the
corresponding activity sessions in sub-section 7.7 .

Yeur Guide. will be considering all these aspects while evaluating your method of
organiZIng tile Activity Sessions. '\.. .
51
Project Work: Working
with Young Children I~ 7.7 THE ACTIVITY SESSIONS
a Child Care Setting

Now we shall. describe each of the activity sessions that you are required to organize.
Our suggestions and parameters for a particular activity session an; fairly broad,
enabling you to decide upon the' content and method of organising them.

I ACTIVITY SESSION 1 ]
/
To carry out a activity/activities with the group of children to foster physical and gross
motor development

Hints

I) You have read about some play activities to foster physical and gross motor
development in Unit 21 of DECE- L Using these as examples. you can modify some
or plan entirely new ones.
2) The play acrivity/activitic-, may involve tree play or structured play. In a tree play
activity, you make available a variety (ll' play materials and equipment that enable
gross motor development and Iel children choose and play in whatever way they
like. An example of a structured play activity would he a group game organized by
you. Here, you have decided upon an activity and children play in the manner
described tJ) you.

3) The play activities you plan ma~' be group play or individual play.

Activity Plan
Write the Activity Plan ClS per the format described e,III1l:1 in :;U'h-section 7.4.

Your Activity-Plan should ill,r,,:rl!.:, besides these aspects whether the activity/activities
will be free play or structured, il tree play, what arc the different types er play
materials that you will make :;';:Iilahle: and what will he your role during the
session .

. Carrying out the Activity/A et ivities

Carry (Jut the play a":li'vity/aClivilics thtu you have planned with the group of children,
keeping in mind the aspect, IlwlilioneLi earlier in sub-section 7.().

Report of the Activity Sc!)!)i',n

Write the report of the activity session as described in sub-section -/.4. \I' you organized
free play activities, then [Link] what different children/groups 01 children were playing
with. Narrate some interesting conversation between children-it will make your Report
interesting.

[ ACTIVITY SESSION 2-J

To carry out u ncuvuy/activitles with the group of children to foster fine motor
. development.

Hints
I) . You have read about activltles to foster fine motor development in Unit 21 of
DECE·I, Such us play with blocks und Jigsaw puzzles, strin~in1.: uctlvltles and sllnJ
play, Usin~ these us examples, you can modify SOI1'lC activity or plun entirely new
ones,

De lII&t pia" [Link]!, drllwlnl &r prl " tI*1 IKtI V IHt:I alii these hIVe been
Ichedl1led fe·r later.
2) The activity/actlvitles may be free play on structured; il'OUP plnyor indlvldualpl.y.
Activity Plan The Second Phase :
Organizing Activity
Write the Activity Plan as per the format described earlier in sub-section 7.4. Your Sessions with Children
plan should indicate, among other things,. whether the activities will be free play or
structured; if free play, what arc the different types of play materials you will make
available: and what will he your role during the session.

Carrying out the Activity/Activities

Carry out your planned activity/activities with the group of children, keeping in mind
the aspects described earlier in sub-section 7.6.

Report of the Activity Session

Write the report of the session as described earlier in sub-secton 7.4. Ifyou organized
free play, then describe what different children/groups of children were playing with.
If you describe things that children made (for example, with blocks), it will make your
report interesting.

I ACTIVITY SESSION 3 I
To sing some rhymes anr' rh; l~rro",' r- (''''''~~ > with
~C'C'C'!!!i'~~~!~d movements and actions
with chiidren.

o
Hints

1) Identify some common children's rhymes at songs. If you do not know of any and
cannot locate them from any other source, ask your Guide to teach you some.

2) You can, if you wish. create some songs of your own. Keep in mind the
characteristics of good songs as described in Unit 27 of DECE-I while you do so.

3) Some actions and movements must accompany the song, .as that will hold children's.
interest.

4) Learn the technique of introducing a new song from your Guide.

5) You may plan an activity related to mus!c and movement, following the rhymes. It
is also possible that while YOL. had not specifically planned for any such activity,
the children's interest and response, may lead to some music related activities, such
as those described in Unit 27 of DECE-I. For instance, a song based on the
elephant may generate an interest in the walk/sounds of different animals, so that
this interestdevelops into an activity involving moving like different animals or
making different animal sounds.

Activity Plan

Write the Activity Plan as per the format described earlier in sub-section 7.4.

Besides including the aspects stated earlier, write the song/songs that you will sing with
children in the Activity Plan. State the musical instruments you intend to use, if any.
Specify if the instrument is already available or whether you are. going to make it
yourself. In case of the latter, describe how you will make it. Also draw the instrument
you have made, mentioning on the drawing the material used, and attach the drawing to
the Activity Plan. Also describe the accompanying actions that you will perform with
the rhymes. If you plan to carry out some related music and movement activity/activities
alier the songs and rhymes, described those as w..:;.i.

Carrying out the Activity/Activities

Carry out the activity/activities that you ha~e-planned, keeping in' mind the aspects
mentioned earlier in sub-section 7.6.

The success of this activity session depends upon your involvement while siIl~ng'th,-·
songs/rhymes. If you are spontaneous in singing, feel free in performing accompanying
Project Wllrk : Working ucuons ,1nL! are L:njllying ~ingil1g the Sllllg, then the children too will participate with
with ·Young Children in vigour. I3l1t if you are sell-conscious while sin~~ilg. the children will sense your
d Child Care Scuing inhihiuon ,IDJ their response would no: he spontaneous.

Report of the Activity Session

When writing the Report of the session. among other aspects described earlier in sub-
section 7.4. include the following:

.• did the children perfdrm the actions while singing the rhymes
• was singing rhymes followed by other music and movement related activities If
yes. what were those"

~flVITY ,SESSION ~ I

To carr~ out a drawing activity with the group of children.

Hillls

1) Ensure thatyou have the materials that YOU have decided to make use or. c.g.,
paper and colour pencils/crayons/felt pens in adequate supply fill all children.
2) While setting t:;: the activity. you may give colours to each child separately or you
may seat the children in,jsmall groups with a box of colours to share 'among
themselves, In the latter case, you will need to supervise carefully to ensure that the
colours are being used hy all the children in the grol1n
3) If children ask for more paper to draw, give it to them.

Activity Plan

Write' the Activity Plan as per the format described earlier in sub .scction 7.4. While
writing the content of the activity. remember .o describe how you pl,1I1 to xct up the
activity.

Carrying out the Activity

Carry out the activity that you have planned with the group Ill' children. kecpinc: in mind
the aspects mentioned earlier in sub-section 7.6. Besides these, the rollowing Iactors will
also influence your conduct of the activity sl~s:,ion.

Let. children he free to draw as they please, Do not ask them to l'''PY some drawing. Do
you remember reading about this aspect in Units 26 and 2H of OECE-I'.'

Once the children begin to draw. move among them. Look at their drawings carefully,
When u child has drawn something, talk to the child about what has been drawn. It
would be interesting to write down on the sheet what the child says. This will also give
you insights about children.

Do not be judgmental about children's drawings. Appreciate what they drnw. The
drawing is not likely to be u realistic depiction, Do not criticize the child's clforts on
any grounds, Do you remember reading about this aspect in Unit 2() or DECE-I,

Write each child's name Oil her/his drawing and display the sheets on the walls at
children's eye level. Tying a string across the room and [Link] drawings to it is
another alternati ve.

Report of the Activity Session

Write the Report of the activity keeping in mind the aspects described earlier in sub-
section 7.4.

Besides these, your Report should include a description or your role during the activity
and how- far you were able to spend time with each child individually Allalj} some
children's drawings to your Report. This will make your Report interesting.
 The Seeeed PhiM :
Orgaaizing Activity
Ses. sions with Childna

To narrate a story to the group of children and, subsequently. organize an activity

related to the story, such as encouraging children to narrate stories. encouraging role
play or dramatization, or asking them to draw or paint some situations or themes related
tl) the story. Yi}U have to carry out any one of these activities after narrating the story.

Hints

Do you rcmcn+cr reading about story telling in Unit 25 of DECE-I?

I. Select a story that would interest the children.

2. You may like to make use of supports like flash cards. puppets or picture books to
make the narration interesting.
3. Remember to modulate your voice and use facial expressions, gestures and actions
during narration. Watch the video cassette titled 'Narrating Stories to Children'
available at your Study Centre (0 understand aspects about narration. This is
avertable in English as well as Hindi.
I
I

Activity Plan

Write the Activity Plan as rer the format described earlier in sub-section 7.4.
/

Besides these aspects. the Activity Plan should iptludetl'ic story it~ brief (one paragraph)
and the supports you plan to use when narratit/g it (if any). 11' possible, attach your
supports along with the A.c:ivity Plan. It' not. then you may draw the supports (e.g. if
you used puppets it may he difficult to enclose then). hut you may make a drawing).

'!'he Plan should also describe the activiry you have planned utter the narration. 11 i~
po~~ih:C that you have not specifically decided upon <In activuy utter the narration.
Rather, you plan to sec how the children react and then organize an activity
accordingly. If this is so, then your Plan must reflect this. Even though you have not
specifically decided upon an activity after the narration. you will need \0 make some
preparations. For example, you will need to keep the items needed for role play such as
masks. spectacle frame. walking stick etc. handy and keep paints or crayons ready, in
case the children decide upon either of the two activities.

Carrying out the Activities

Narrate your story to the children. The children may want to talk about the story after
your narration. Give them time to do so. Subsequently. carry out the activity you have
planned ;:~'.::::::'.~ narration.

If children are involved in role play after the narration. then mingle with them and
move around [Link] what they are doing. Observe the different roles they take on and
the scene's they enact during role play.

If you nave set up a drawing activity following the narration, move from one child to
another as they are making the drawings and ask them questions like: "What are you
making'?" and "What IS this (name the character) doing?". Build upon your questions
and you will get to know what the children are thinking. Write down their responses on
their drawing sheets. Attach some of these to your Report. This will make your Report
.interesting. .,

If, following your narration, the children get involved in telling a story themselves,
encourage them by asking questions related to the ~:~'":Iand prompting them.

Besides these aspects, keep inmind the points stated earlier in sub-section 7.6, when
carrying out activities in this session .

. Report of the Activity Session

"
Write the Report of the session keeping in mind the aspects described earlier in sub-
section 7.4. Your Report should also include aspects like:
5S
Project Work: Working • to what extent the children cnjoyc« the story?
with Young Children in
• whether their interest was held during narration?
a Child Care Setting
• how cncctivc the supports were?
• did the children's show an interest in the supports and did they want to handle
them? .
• if the story was not successful what do you think were the reasons for it; what
would you do to make your story telling successful the next lime.
• whether there was a discussion after your narration. Report some salient as[)C!cIS
about the discussion.
• the activity which you curried out after the narration. It is possible that this activity
was other than what you had planned because the chi ldrcn did nol show an imerest
in the one you had planned.
• some specific comments that children made dunng or after the story. This would
make your Report interesting.
• if you encouraged children to participate in role play after the narration. a brief
description of the roles children took on and what they enacted. I1 may n('\f h"
. possible for you to take' note of each child's or each group's act i vities during role
play - a report on some children's activities will he adequate.
• if you encouraged children to make drawings after the narration. a mention of the
fhPl"'''' "r I.h~'"hi!dren's drawings. It would be worthwhile to attach the drawings
made by some children along with the Report.

I ACTIVITY SESSION 6 I
To carry out a painting activity with the group of children.

Hints

1) You have already carried out a drawing activity. The difference here is that colour
pencils and crayons are sub. tituted by paints. The IeSSOI\S learnt from carrying out
the drawing activity will heln you to plan the painting activity better.
2) When setting up the activity, you may give paints to each child individually or a
group of children may share a box of paints. In the latter case, you would need to
supervise to see whether all the children arc getting to use the paints.
3) In addition to the usual method of painting, you have read about the variations in
painting in Unit 26 of DECE-), such as spray painting, sand painting, thread
painting and marbling. You may wish to organize any of these with children.
4) There must be an adequate supply of water to take care of spillage of paints, and to
wash-up after the session.
5) The suggestions stated fut •..••rrying out the drawing activity hold good for the
painting activity as welh,
6) Keep an adequate supply of paints, brushes and paper, and other materials required
for painting (if any).

Activity Plan
Write the Activity Plan in the format described earlier in sub-section 7.4. While writing
the description of the activity, explain how you plan to set up the activity. Also state
=what would be the method of painting.

Carrying out the Activity

Carry out your activity with the group of children, If you plan to introduce a variation
in the method of painting which children are not familiar with. you would need to
[Link] it first, as well as [Link] trying it out.

Give children the freedom to paint what they wish. You [Link] [Link]'fcr
painting, but do not ask the.n to co~y a. particular painting or drawing.. As you have
read in Uni: 2601 DLl'E-!. copyine a drJ".ll1;; or ,I painting does nothing to nurture The Second Phase :
childrcnx creativity and imagination. Organizing Activity
Sessions with Children
Once children have settled down to paint. move among them. This will help you to sort
,I
out any problems that may arise. If group or children arc sharing the paints, ensure
that all children get I() use the paints. Moving among children will also give you a
chance to talk to them about what they arc painting. A:, you speak to each child about
his or her paintiug, jot down the reply nn the sheet itself. Drawing and painting
activities often reflect childr cns Icclings. desires and apprehensions. Talking to children
about their paintings will provide l!I~ight into their thoughts and emotions.

Write each child's name on her/his painting and display the sheets on the walls at
children's eye level. Besides the above aspects, also bear in mind the points stated in
Section 7.6 when organizing this session.

Report of the Activity Session

Write the report of the session keeping in mind the aspects described earlier in
sub-section 7.4.

Besides these, your Report should indicate your role during the activity and include
aspects like: whether the activity proceeded smoothly or was there some confusion; if
you had introduced a variation in the method of painting, what was the children's
response to it; were they able to do it: how far you were able to spend time with each
child individually?

Attach some paintings made by children to your Report. This wil! make your Report
interesting.

I ACTIVITY SESSION 7 I
To take the group of children out for a walk in the neighbourhood or within the
preschool and to discuss their experience once they are back in the preschool.
Subsequently. organize a drawing or a painting session for the children asking them to
draw their experiences of the walk, if the time permits and children shows an
inclination.

Hints
I) You have read about organizing trips for children in Unit 22 (DECE-I). While the
activity suggested here is n t exactly a trip, the preparations for thi activity would
be somewhat similar.
·2) Plan a walk of about 15-20 minutes duration. A long walk will make the children
tired. The weather too should be appropriate for the walk. During summer, it would
he better to plan the walk in the cool of the morning.
3) Where you take the children out for a walk depends upon the location of your
preschool. If there is open space nearby, you could take them there. Or if there is
some place of interest nearby, that would be good for the children. It is possible
that the preschool is in a crowded locality and it is difficult for you to take them
out for a walk. In that case, take the children around the preschool and show them
the different things there.
4) You may need to carry drinking water.
S) Once back in the preschool, children will want to drink water and use the toilet.
6) 'Suggestions for organizing the drawing/painting activity are the same as those'
mentioned for Activity Sessions 4 and 6.

Activity Plan

Write the Activity Plan in the [Link] earlier in sub-section 7.4.

Besides these aspects, while .writing the description of the activity in the Plan, include
., 'he preparations you will make before talcin~ the children for a walk; the place where
Project Work: Working you will take them and the Juration of the walk. State the aspect» you plan tu bring 'up
with Young Children in during the discussion. Also describe how you plan to set up the painting/drawing
a Child Care Setting session.

Carrying Out the Activities.

Carry out your activities with the group of' children.

During the walk, children will be attracted to different things. Give them time to
examine something that catches their attention. They would come up with Jllany .
questions and remarks. Respond to these.

Point out interesting thing» that they may not have noticed. For example, point out the
variety of' trees, flowers and animals, buildings such as hospitals, post office and railway
station.

Once back in the preschool. when children have settled, ask them questions regarding
what they saw during the walk. Children will be enthusiastic to talk. Sec that each child
gets a turn to speak. When children do not respond, try to refresh their memory by
statements like: "Do you remember seeing '!" or "Who saw ,"

Drawing is a powerful medium through which children communicate their experiences

and emotions. After the di .cussion, encourage children to draw their experiences of the
walk. Talk to the children about what they have drawn.

Besides these aspects, also keep in mind the points discussed earlier in sub-section 7.6
when organizing this ~eSSI()n.

Report of the Activity Session

Write the report of the activity session keeping in mind the aspects described earlier in
sub-section 7.4.

In the Report, write about each of the thrt'l~ activities -- tile walk. the discussion and
the painting/drawing activity with respect to the various aspccb mcmioncd in Section
7.4. When writing about the discussion. state in brief the content ol the discussion and
the extent of children's participation.

r:~
~VITY
------~
SESSION 8

To carry out a nrtivity/activiticx for strengthening children's concept of colour.

Hints

1) You have read about some activities to strengthen children's understanding of colour
. in Unit 23 of OECE-I. Using these activities as examples, plan some that are
appropriate to your situation.
2) You may need IUorganize I to 4 play activities in this activity session of half-an-
hour, depending upon the time taken by each activity.

Activity Plan

Write the Activity Plan as pCI' the format given earlier in sub-section
recall that your Activity Plan should include a description
7.4. You would
of all the activities you plan
..
to carry out in this session, the materials required (if any) for each activity, the sequence
in which you plan to carry out the activities and how you plan to set up each activity
i.e., whether you would carry it out with all the children together or whether you would
divide the children into sub-groups. You would remember reading about this aspect in
sub-section 7.5.

Carrying out the Activity/Activities

Carry out the activity/activities with the group of children. Whl!c carrying out the
activity/activities, talk to the children about it and the concepts that emerge from: it.

58
This helps you to clarify the concept ~ iu eh ildrr nand ai ,~) re I i~,.'1\ H, hll'.'" !':Ir ,;i1 'Id,( 1\ Tl-,,, Second Phase :
have understood the concept. Organizing Activity
Sessions with Children
Besides these aspects, also keep in mind the points discussed earlier under
sub-section 7.6.

Report of the Activity Session

Write (he Repot ( of the session keeping in mind the aspects about Report writing
described earlier in Section 7.4.

Your Report should describe the different activities and the sequence in which you were
able to carry them out with children as well as the discussions you had with them.
Remember that you would need to report about each play activity with regard to the
various aspects stated in Section 7.4. Also write about how far in your opinion children
grasped the concept of colour. State with respect to each activity whether you carried it
out with the group as a whole or whether you divided children into sub-groups. State the
number of children you worked with.

r ACTIV1TY
~---------------------
SESSION 9 I
To carry out activities to foster the concept of number,

Hints
J) You have read about how children develop a concept of number i~ Unit 18
\DECE-,l) and related play activities in Unit 23 (DECE-I). You know that
developing the number concept involves understanding the usage of words 'more'
and 'less' the concepts of seriation one-to-one correspondence and counting. For this
Activity Session you may plan activities that focus on one or more aspects of the
number concept: To beuin the session it would be helpful for. you 10 begin with
activities enhancing the understanding of 'more' and 'less'. Depending upon how the
children respond, you may be able to move ahead activitic: to develop the concept
or seriation and the understanding of one-to-one correspondence or you may need to
give more time to help the children understand the usuge of the terms 'more' or
'lcss. What we arc trying to say is that the kind of activities you carry out and the
COI1CCrlS you reinforce in this session, would depend on the levelof children's
understanding in your group.
2) While some activities can he carried out with the children as a group, for some you
may need to sub-divide them into smaller groups. How you set up th~is session
would depend upon the nature of the activity.

By and large, activities related to understanding "more" and "less" can he carried
out with all the children together as a group. For example, you can show children
two piles [Link] with 10 and 3 pencils respectively or you can show them a
drawing with one plate having a visibly greater number or sweets as compared to
the other and ask questions related to [Link]. '

A:,tivities .[Link] underst~[Link].g ofTeriali?n and o~e-to-~ne correspondence will

require you to give greater individual attention to children. Therefore, to, carry out
these activities you may need to divide children into two groups=-one with five or
six children and the remaining in the other group: While you carry out activities
related to number concept with the smaller g"oup of ehildren,the other group can be
engaged in indoor or outdoor free play under the supervision of the Guide. Once
you have finished the activities with this group, call in another five children if there
is still time. You would remember reading about this in sub-section 7.5. '

Activity Plan -, .

Write the Activity Plan as per. the format described in sub-section 7.4.
The Activity Plan .will include a description of the different activitiesly?u plan to.c~rry
out. With each activity you must also state whether you plan to carry out that acuvtty
with the entire group of children or whether y~ will divide! the"<:hildren'into .
sub-groups. . 59
Project Wor!- : \\'orkinc Sin", )"11 111;'.1tlllt he \':ltil('ly 1:lll'1ili;l1 « uh till' cltildrl'I1'~ level of understanding or the
with Young Children ill vanous :t~pcct~ of the number concept. y uur A 'tivity P1:1nwould need to indicate
a Child Can' Sdting Ilcx ihility. You would need to plan more activities than you would eventually carry out
during the session, The need for this would he evident by the Ioltowing example,
Suppose you begin with activities that locus on imparting the " inccpt or "marc" and
"less". It is possible that children arc already familiar with this. con cc pt. and after a
couple or examples. you arc able to move on to seriation or one-to-one correspondence
uctivitics.

Carrying out the Activities

As the above discussion hrings out, you would need to be flexible while carrying out
activities in this session. You may have to take decisions on the spur of the moment,
depending upon how children respond.

Also keep in mind the aspects stated earlier in sub-section 7,6 while organizing this
session.

Report of the Activity Session

Write the Report of the session keeping jn mind the aspects stated under sub-section 7.4.

Your Report must describe the activities you actually carried out; how the session
progressed: how the experience (If carrying out activities with children by dividing them
into sub-groups (if j vU did so) worked: what was the number or children you worked
with for each activity: whether or not you could carry out the activities according to the
children's level of development: and whether you think the children were able to grasp
the concepts,

[ ACTIVITY SESSIO-:-N J()l

To carry out activities to strengthen the ahilitics of matching and classification with the
group of children. You must carry out at least one activity based on the ability to match
and one based on the ability to [Link].

Hints

I) You have read about abilities of matching und classification and play activities
based on them in Unit 15 and Unit 2~ of DECE-l.
2) Depending upon the type of activities you plan, you may be able to carry out
activities with the group or children ,i~Cl whole or you may need to divide the
'children into sub-groups, or in case or: ..,,~ activities, work with children
individually. For example. when you ask all the children to look for round objects,
you are dealing with them together as a group. When you set up the activity in the
following manner, you will need to work with 5 01"6 children at a time while the
rest are involved in outdoor or indoor free play under supervision: Give each ~h;l-=
pictures of animals and birds or beads of two colours and ask them to "Put together
objects that are similar". You will need to demonstrate and explain what you mean.
Having divided children into sub-groups, see that you give attention to all the sub-
groups.
In some activities you may need to ask. questions to each child individually,

3) The basis of your matching and classification activities can be colour, shape, size.
texture or any other property,

Activity Plan

Write the Activity Plan as per the format described earlier in sub-section 7.4,

You would recall that you have to write a description of all the activities you pl~nito
organize in this session and the materials required, if any. for each activity. Your' ,
description should clearly state how you would set-up each acuvityand the critenpn
for matching or classification in each case.

60
Carrying out the Activities The Second Phase :
Organizing Activity
Curry out tile activities with the t:l"<lIlP of children.
Sessions with Children

Remember to carry out a discussion with the children as regards the activities. Asking
them questions about what they diu will help to clarify the concepts to them. During the
discussions, take care to sec that a only a few children do not dominate. Your skill lies
in involving each child in the discussion and eliciting a response from each. Indeed,
your Guide will he evaluating yUlI on this aspect as well.

Atso keep in mind the aspects stated under s~b-section 7.6 earlier while carrying out
activities.

Report of the Activity Session

Writc the Report of the session keeping in mind the aspects described earlier in
sub-section 7.4.

Besides these aspects, your Report should state whether most or the chi Idren could
participate in discussions. how far you think the children were able to grasp the
concepts of matching and classiflcation.

To curry (Jut an activity/activities based on the theme 'My lnmily'.

Hints

I) This is your first activity session based on a theme from the social environment.
You have read about some activities based on themes from the social en,,,~,,,,"ent
in Unit 22 of DECE-l. Refer ((l this Unit for cx amplcs and ideas.

2) The following are some activiticx that you COJ!d plan on this theme. These are only
suggestions. You cou IJ, of course. plan others

• It would be a good idea to begin this activity session with discussion on this
theme. Invite/encourage children to talk about different members of their
family, drawing comrnoualities about the members thar constitute Cl family.
Also talk about/discuss the different roles/tasks that the different members or
the family perform. Encourage children to respond rather than giving answers
yourself. Children's participation holds the key to the success of any
activity.
• Following the discussion, you could encourage children to participate in role
play on t~1is theme-this, in fact, can be Cl very interesting activity. Children
will be enthusiastic about taking on the role of different family members. The
atmosphere would become livelier if you arrange for some items to support role
play, such as spectacle frames, walking stick. a piece of an old sarec, belt,
plastic glasses or cups, books etc. Y, ..•~lJ not have to buy these items. Look
around in your own house for used household articles, Your family or 'others in
the neighbourhood could lend old items. You may request the parents to
contribute a few items, if they can. Children will enjoy role-playing if they are .
weuring something that designates them as, lets say, the grandfather, the mother
or the elder brother, .
For role play, you would need to divide the children into sub •.:roups, with four
or five children each, Therefore, you will need to have multiple Items of the
same kind, so that children in each group have somethl'n, to wcariusc during
role play,

It I) possible that some children do not wlnt to psrtlclpate In. role play. You
could ask them to draw or pale the theme 'My Family',
• Among other activities on, ~is theme are sin,in, rhymes/son,s and story
tellln"
Projed Work: Worklng Activity Plan
with Yotlng Children in
a Child Care Setting Write the Activity Plan in the formal described earlier in sub-section 7.4, Remember
include in the Plan description of all the activities you plan to organize on this theme,
If planning for role play, indicate the materials/articles you plan to make available to
the children and how you plan to obtain them. If planning to teach a song or narrate a
story on this theme. write the song and the story in brief in the Activity Plan,

Carrying out the Activity/Activities

Carry out the activity/activities that you have planned for this activity session keeping
in mind the aspects mentioned in sub-section 7.6. In the discussion try to elicit
contribution from all children. .even those who are shy and reserved. Ask questions.
prompt and build upon what children say.

If role play is being organized. you would need to step in tOIensure that the role play
begins smoothly. particularly in the formation of sub-groups. You may need to help ,
children in 'dressing-up' for the roles they are playing. Children are not expected to
'dress-up' in any elaborate way. Wearing a particular item of clothing such as a cap or
carrying an item, like the grandparents' stick. would suffice. Intervene if there is some
conflict or if there is a lull in role play; but by and Iarge, let the children enact the
roles as they like.

Rp.~~rrl;ne th~ other activities. the guidelines that you need to observe are the same.
that you kept in mind when carrying out these activities earlier in the course of the
Project Work ..

Report of the Activity Session

Write a Report on how the activity session progressed. as per the format described
earlier in sub-section 7.4. You have organized discussion. songs. story. drawing and
painting sessions earlier. While writing the Report refer to the relevant Activity
Sessions to know about aspects to describe in the Report. '

In case "you 'organized role play, do mention in the Report the items you made use of.
Also give a ,brief description of the roles childrea enacted and some conversation.
during role play that you heard-this will make your Report interesting. State how
involved children were in role play and whether all of them participated.

If you organized a drawing or painting session, attach some drawings made by children
to the Report.

I ACTfVII{Y SESSION 121

To narrate a story to the group of children, After the narration, to encourage children to
narrate stories participate in role play, or make drawings/paintings related, to the story.
,
- " \

,
You have narrated a story earlier (Activity Session S). After your narration, organize an
activity other than the one you have organized in the earlier session. Thus, if you had
organized a drawinl or painting activity subsequent to the narration earlier, now'Ymt
, may encourage children to narrate stories or participate in role play.

Hlnt~
1) Your first stOry tellin • activity would have revealed to you your strengths and weak
. points. Work on both of them ~o that 'your nmation is better this time:
2) , The rest of the suuestions. are the same as given for the story teliing activity ,
earlier.' , '

A'c:t1vity PI.. •
'wri~',~'ACtivity pt~ 'keepin. in mind:the aspec~ descri~d earlier in sub-section 7.4!.
u weU ••. those meDlioned \lftdcr Activity Scasion 5.
o \' '.
 The Second Phase :
Carrying out the Activities
Organizing Activity
Sessions with Children
Tell a story to the group of children, keeping in mind the aspects mentioned in
sub-section 7,6 and under Activity Session 5, Be responsive to any questions that
children may ask during the narration. Children may want to discuss the story following
the narration. Encourage it. Lead children to the other activity that you have planned for
the session,

Report of the Activity Sessioa

Write the Report of-ri1e activities keeping in mind the aspects described earlier in sub-
section 7.4 and those mentioned under Play Activity Session 5.

!ACTIVITY SESSION i3J

To carry out activity/[Link] based on the theme 'Animals'.

Hints

!) You have read extensively about [Link] based on the environment in Unit 22 of
DECE- L In that Unit you have also read about how an educator planned activities
on the theme 'Birds',

2) Choose one or more aspects of the theme 'Animals' and plan related acuviry/
activities. You can plan activities around aspects like the following: names of
animals, their colours, the sounds they make, the habitat where they are commonly
seen, the food eaten by them, etc. The following are some examples of activities that
you can plan as sueh or with modifications:

• You can plan a discussion around the different animals children commonly sec
-their colours, names, sounds, where they arc usually seen, etc.

• You may also organize a quiz. For this, you may divide children into two
groups and ask questions such as: "What is it that barks and can be kept as 11
pet in the house?", formulating questions in this way for different animals. Sec
that the same children do not answer every time.

• A group drawing and painting activity can be organized on this theme in the
following way-Take a hig chart paper (you may combine tw~together). Place
it in the centre with 5-6 children around it and ask children to dra-v animals on
it. Before children begin to draw or paint carry out a discussion on this theme.
You may need to divide the children into four or five sub-groups and ~ve chart
papers to each sub-group.

• An interesting group activity on this theme is as follows. You may prepare four
sets of picture cards-one set depicting adult animals, the second depicting their
young ones, the third set of the food eaten by these animals and the fourth set .
of habitats where they are commonly seen. Keep the set of adult animals in a
box with you, and stick the pictures of the other sets on a bulletin board in
three separate rows or string them in three separate rows. Ask one child. to
come up to you at a time, pick-up a picture card of an adult animal from the
box and identify the other three picture cards that go with it, Le,-its young
one, the food it usua\1y eats and where it is usually seen, in this activity, while
one child comes up 'at a time, the other children are not likely to get bored as
they too are simultaneously doing the pairing exercise, sitting where they are, as
the pictures arc visible to all. After the child has selected the three' cards, ask
the rest of the children if the right cards have been selected.

• You may plan an activity around one animal only.

• You could plan a trip to the zoo, if there is one nearby. Of course, you will
hive to first discuss this with the school authorities. if you do plan a trip, 63
Project Work: Working remember that it is not enough to take the children out for a trip. It is
with Young Children in important to come back. and talk to them about what they saw.
a Child Care Setting
• You may plan a story or a song session on this theme .

3). You may plan one or more activities for this session. depending upon the time you
think will be taken up by an activity.

Activity Plan
(

Write the Activity Plan as per the format described earl ier in sub-section 7.4.

The Activity Plan should include a description of all the activities based on the theme
that you plan to carry out and how you will sequence them.

Carrying out. the Activity/Activities

Carry out the activity/activities with the group of children. keeping in mind the aspects
listed under sub-section 7.6.

Report ()f the Activity Session

Write the Report of the activity/activities, keeping in mind the aspects described earlier
in sub-section 7.4.

l ACTIVITY SESS!ON 141

To plan ,I printing activity with the group of children.

Hints

J) You have read about various ways of making 'blocks' for printing in Unit 26 of
DECE-l. Flowers, leaves and 'blocks' made of vegetables by cutting vegetables like
potato, ladies finger or lotus stem can be used for printing. Children can also make
finger. thumb, hand and foot prints.

2) Take care to see that there is adequate provision of paints, 'blocks' and paper.

3) To set up the activity, you could give paints and 'blocks' individually to each child.
if you have them in adequate numbers or you could organize children into sub-
groups of five or six children each and give some paints and 'blocks' to each sub-
group to share.

4) There should be adequate provision of water for the colours and for washing after
the activity.

S) Children could print on individual sheets or you could spread a lar.c sheet for I .
group of children on which they could all print together.

A"tuvity Plan

Writc"out the Activity P1an in the format described earlier In sub-section 7.4, .
While deacribinltM activity, Include amons other aspects a description of the 'blocks'
you will devise (or println, and the way you will set up the activity,

Cam1n. out the Actlylty

out the activity with the ,roup of children, Whether )'OU ,Ive 'blocks' Individually
CIl'JIIj
toeach child or whether children work In small Jl'OUpl, InJUl'C that each chi)d ,etl to
un the dlfferent type. of 'blockl' that have been provided,

Report ., tie Actlfit, SetIlH

Wril.t the Ileport of !.he activity keepin. In mind the upecu described in
.1Ib-Mcdon 7.~.,
 The Second Phase :
Organizing Activity
Sessions with Children

'To carry out activity/activities Or] the theme 'Seasons' with the group of children.

Hints

I) In Unit 22 of DECE-I we have briefly stated some aspects of the theme 'Seasons'.
Elaborating on these you can plan acti vitics fur this session. Some suggestions (or
activities on this theme are as follows:

• You could plan a discussion session around this theme wherein you talk to
children about the weather, the types of clothes we wear, the type of rood eaten
and the flowers or vegetables that grow in different seasons. You may focus
more on the on-going season. In the discussion session, try and elieit responses
from the children, thus stimulating them to think, instead of just giving them
[Link] is, the discussion session should be lively and spontaneous. Ensure
that all children get turns to speak.
• Following the discussion you eould set up a drawing or a painting session on
this theme. Asking children to describe what they have drawn will help you to
see meaning in (heir drawings. Children can draw on individual sheets or you
could spread a large sheet of paper for a sub-group of children and ask each
sub-group to draw aspects related to the on-going season.
• You could also devise a collage acti vity all this theme. It would be better to
divide children into sub-groups, so that it becomes easier to manage them.
/' Children could paste flowers, leaves, pictures from old newspapers or
magazines, or their own drawings/paintings on the collage. The collage activity
requires some prior preparation on your part. For example, you will have to
make available a variety of materials relating to and pictures depicting different
aspects of a season, preferably the on-going one, so that children can 'Choose
from among them and paste them to make a collage.

Activity Plan

Write the Activity Plan as per the format described in sub-section 7.4. Remember that if
you plan to organize more than one activity in this session, you would need to describe
'all 01 these. and their sequence. In case you are planning a collage activity, specify how
you plan to arrange for the materials required.

Carrying out the Activity/Activities

Carry out the play activity/activities that you have planned with the group of children,
keeping in mind the aspects mentioned in sub-section 7.6.

Report of the Activity Session

Write a Report of the activity/activities that you carric.l ;;::! ;') this session as per the
format described in sub-section 7.4, describing in detail each play activity.

1 ACTIVITY SESSION 16 \

To carry out play activity/activities with children to promote physical and gross motor
development.

Hints
1) This is your second activity session related to gross motor development. It would be
desirable to try a variation from the play activity/activities organized in the earlier'
session. However, if the play activity/activities that Y<?.!l had organized in the first

.' modifications.
.
session were not "successful", you may like to tryout the same ag~lifwith
' " , ~ :::;
",',
suitable
; •...
,

.
;.
Project Worx : Wurking Activity Plan
with Young Children in
Write the Activity Plan in the forrnut described in sub-section 7.4 and under Play
a Child Care Setting
Activity SC:SSI(Jn J.

Carrying nut the Play Activityl Activities

Carry out your planned play activity/activities with the group of children, keeping in
mind the aspects mentioned under Activity Session I and sub-section 7.6.

Report of the Activity

Write the Report of the activity session keeping in mind the aspects described in sub-
section 7.4 and Activity Session I.

I ACTIVITY SESSION 17\

To organize activity/activities to help children understand the concept of shape.

Hints

I) You have read about activities to strengthen the concept of shape in Unit 23
of DECE-I. Refer to this Unit before you plan this activity session.

2) When setting-up this cession. do keep in mind that some of the [Link] car, ~,e
organized with the entire group of children together: for others you may need to
divide them into sub-groups. and still others may need to be carried out with
children individually.

3) Playing with jigsaw puzzles and shape boards is an interesting activity that you
may want to include in this activity session. We are giving it in some detail here
since it is not in the Unit.

Shape boards are simple puzzles in which there is a wooden board into which
appropriate shapes have to be fitted. They look like this:

04.

*
Instead of geometric shapes, the shape board may have cut-outs of fruits. vegetables.
vehicles and other such items.

A jigsaw puzzle is more complex than the shape board. Every jigsaw puzzle has
two ormore parts which. when fitted together appropriately, form a complete
picture. The following is an example of a jigsaw puzzle. The four black drawing.
lines indicate the four pieces of the puzzle that can be removed': Children have 10
66 arrange the pieces correctly to form the picture.
 The Second Phase :
Organizing Activity
Sessions with Children

Jigsaw puzzles and shape boards are available in the market and may be found in
the preschool. If not, you can make them yourself. For making a jigsaw puzzle.
choose apicture from a magazine or a calendar and paste it on cardboard. When
the picture dries. cut it into t..» tc four ;.. ~gu::.. pieces. This becomes a jigsaw
puzzle which can be put together. How would you make a shape board')

Activity Plan
... Write the'.Activity Plan as per the format described in sub-section 7.4. Remember to
include in the Plan write a description of all the activities that you plan to organize IH
this/session. Also state whether you will use materials available in the preschool or
whether you will make some.

Ca~rying out the Activity/Activities

. Carry out the activity/activities you have planned for this session. keeping in mind the
I aspects described in sub-section 7.6. If children arc divided into sub-groups, .aove
I among the groups to ensure that all the children arc participating. If children are
working independently, see that you spend some time with each hild.

Carry out a discussion based on the activities with children. This will help to clarify the
concepts to them.

Report of ~he Activity Session .,

Write the Report of the activity session as per the format described in sub-section 7.4.

If you had a discussion with the children. state briefly the content of the discussion.

I ACTIVITY -SESSION l_!J

To carry out activity/activities with children to promote fine motor development.

. Hints

I) . This is your second activity session related to fine motor development. It would be
desirable to try a variation from the activity/activities you organized .n the e~rlier
session (Activity Session 2). However, if these were not "successful", you might
repeat the same with suitable modifications. .

Activity Plan
Wrile the Activity Plan in the format as described earlier in sub-section 7.4 and Activity
Session 2.
67
Project Work: Working Carryiug out the '\l:liyity/Activitirs
with Young Children in
Carry out your planned activity/activities with thl: I,!rour D" chikinn. kl:l:pilll,! in mind
a Child Care Setting
the aspects described for Activity SCSSi(1I12.:llld those mentioned ill sub-section 7.6.

Report of the Activity Session

Write the Report of the activity/activities keeping in mind the aspects mentioned earlier
in sub-section 7.4 and Activity Sessiou 2.

[iCTIVJTY SESSION 1_£].

To carry out activity/activities to help children understand the concepts of floating and
sinking. .

Hints

1) You have read an account of how two educators carried out a similar activity with
children in Unit 22 of DECE-l. Go over these reports again so that you know the
various aspects of each method.
2) Set up the activity session as would be most appropriate for your group of children .
. Take care to see that the method in which you sct up the activity/activities ensures
that each child participates.

For instance, you may have just one big container of water and an assortment of
things you have collected. In this case. you may first demonstrate by putting a few
things in the container of water. While doing so. involve children in what you are
doing by asking them to predict what will happen to each article you put in water.
Subsequently, you can ask children to collect some things from around them and
test whether they will float or sink. Give each child a turn to put his or her
object in water.

Alternatively, you can provide a basin of water to a group of four or five children
and u: k each group to collect objects and see whether they will iloat or sink. Move
among the different groups and ask them questions related to what they are doing
and respond to their queries.

Activity Plan

Write the Activity Plan as per the format given earlier in sub-section 7.4. While
describing each activity in the Plan, write about how you plan to set up and carry it
out.

Carrying out the Activity/Activities

Carry out your planned activity/activities with the group of children, keeping in mind
the aspects mentioned in sub-section 7.6.

When you give children opportunities to experiment, it will lead to discussions. Ask
children questions like: "What things floated in water and which ones sank'!" Based on
children's responses, you may divide the articles into two groups. Lead on to "Why did
the paper float and the metal button sink?" This will help children to understand'
concepts of heavy and light. You may invite the children to weigh the two objects in -,
th~ir hands. Sometimes children may relate the size of the object to whether or not the ..
object will sink. This may lead questions like: "Why did the bigger block of wood float
and the smaller metal nail sink?" Answer these questions, if they arise, keeping in mind
the level of children's understanding. Child ren are at present developing an elementary
idea of floating and sinking. They will gradually understand al.l the principles involved.

Report of the Activity. Session

Write the Report of the activity session keeping in mind the aspects described in earlier
in sub-section 7.4. Do include in your Report [Link]'the discussion proceeded. the kind of
questions children asked and the C(~rits theY'made. Also meritiOh~thc items that were
used during the activity/activities and [Link] youhad made them available or the
children had collected them.
 .-- -- ---- ..--....- ....._- _.'-.. ---- .. " The Second Phase :
r ACTIVITY SESSION 20 I
L- __ .__ ....
_ _J
Organizing Activity
Sessions with Children
To carry out music and movement activity/activities with the group of children.

You have carried out an activity of singing songs and rhymes earlier. Remember that
the activity/activities should be different Irorn the one(s) planned fur Session 3. If this
time too you wixh to have sing!!lg rhymes as an activity. there should be some variation
e.g. you may introduce a new rhyme.

Hints

I) The activity/activities for this session could be children's songs and rhymes with
. actions, playing musical instruments. performing movements to a musical heat Of a
combination of these. Unit 27 of DECE-I will give you many idea-s fOf planning
music and movement activities.
2) Some music and movement activities may introduce children to concepts of space
(such as over, under. below and through). colours. shape or number. In such Cl case,
after the music and ID(,. ~'llent activity, you may plan a discussion around these
themes in order to reinforce them.

Activity Plan

Write the Activity ?:"ii in the format descnbcd earlier in the sub-section 7.4. Also keep
in mind the aspects stated under Activity Session 3.

Carrying out the Activity/Activities

Carry out your planned act ivity/activitics with the group of children, keeping in mind
the aspects mentioned in <ub-sccuon I.A and Activity Sessio» 3.

Report of the Activity Session

Write olhC Report of the activity session. keeping in mind the aspects described in sun-
section 7.4 and Activity Session 3. In case your activity/activities introduced children
to concepts of shape. colours or numbers. and you carried out '1 discussion on these
aspects, then describe the discussion.

[ACTiVITY SESSION 21 I

To curry out activity/activities to help children undcrstunddtlfcrent textures and

surfaces such 'us nAl£h, hard. soft. velvety, slippery, wet, thorny .;...: ,,}.;ky.

Hints
.l: You hllv~ relW 1lb<)Ul SOIl'lC 3Ctlvilie~ 10 help c:hildr~n know nbout textures in Unit
23 of DnCE·). Usln~ these I\I! examples, plun soma tu.:tivillcs for your ~ro\lr ()f
chllcren, nH':~"~ lMt followlnl:
• ,lntrooul.l. la pllrtlcullll' tcxlurc ilnd illlk chlldrln to I'Ind obJecl~ (If lh:nlC_ of lhut
texture from around them .
• \ An Inlcl'.~tll'Il activity rtlliltcd to dlfferenl ~Ul'rl\cCN could be ,d rollowH. Ask
children 10 pr~ll;nd 1\11 If they Lire wulkll'l, over ~ wOI floor, through 11 thorny
JUI'IWle,throuih l muddy mll' or on a wl.:k.y are11,
2) De5lde~ helplrll lhem la undenlu1'ld about vadOUM tulurcl, Ii'll ~llvll1e~ ITHly help
le develop fnAtchll'llll%cl clll.'lflcaHon lIbIlIHe•.
3) You ma)' be it'll' le ~a-rry ~l 50me [Link]~ with all tM1e chlldrel'l tOiCther. Per
5om~ )'OWma)' I'IMd 'U)GivkJc the dllklrcr.t Into Nu<bjro~I'"
. .
\~t1'tt1PIa.
Write the Actl~lty Pltn 11'1the formQ\ delt-Crlb~d earlier In !lub·ltcctlon 7 .•.
Project Work: Working Carrying out the Activity/ Activities
with Young Children in
a Child Care Setting Carry out your planned activity/activities with the group of children keeping in mind the
aspects mentioned in sub-section 7.6. Remember that discussion and talking are
necessary to help children acquire concepts.

Report of the Activity Session

Write the Report of the activity/activities keeping in mind the aspects described ,earlier
in sub-section 7.4.

I ACTIVITY SESS{ON 221

To carry out a picture reading activity with the group of children.

Hints
I) You have read about picture reading in Unit 24 of DECE-l. Y ou may like to
refresh your memory by going over the corresponding section again.
2) The picture you choose for the activity should depict a scene. It should have
familiar characters. The characters should be distinct and clear. The picture should
not be \00 cro« dcd,
)) For 1"1Cf'yif1'.''''Jt this activity. you may take one picture, ask children to describe
what they see In the: picture a Ill.! to imagine what happened or what may happen,
based on what they can sec in the picture. For example, the following c •. ' be some
questions that you can ask children regarding the picture. .•

• Who all do you Sl!C in this picture'! '

• Why do you think they ~ave gathered together?
• What are they talking about?
70
• What is the crow saying? The Second Phase :
Organizing Activity
• What is the tortoise saying?
Sessions with Children
• What arc they going to do now?
• How may legs does the mouse have')
• Where does the tortoise live?
• What is the colour of the crow?
A variation in picture reading could be as follows. Use several pictures. which when
put together make a 'story'. Place the pictures in sequence, and ask children to
weave a story around them.

4) If you have a large group of children, then it is quite possible that despite your best
efforts you are not able to involve all the children in this activity at the same time.
On the other hand, carrying out the picture reading activity with a small group of
children will enable you give greater attention to each child. Suggestions in sub-
section 7.5 will be helpful in this regard. Thus you may divide the children into two
groups, with five to six children in one group and the remaining in the other group,
Carry out the picture reading activity with the smaller group of five or six children,
and send the larger group for outdoor or indoor free play, It will be better to set up
indoor free play activities as that will enable you to keep an eye on all the children.
Of course, your Guide will help you in managing the children.
Once you !""':",." '::--.':':,' .1 •.•• ~~ ~!",:,:, .v!::-t'..!!"~ !'~2d:~gactivity
\'lith the one group of six
children, send them for indoor free play and call another batch of 5 to 6 children. if
time permits.

Activity Plan
Write the Activity Plan in the format described in sub-section 7.4.

Among other aspects the description of the activity should include whether you plan to
Curry out the activity with the entire group together or you will divide children into two
sub-groups, with one group involved in picture reading and the other group involved in
alternate activities. In case children are divided into sub-groups, describe what the other
group would be doing and under whose supervision.

Enclose the picture/pictures you plan to use along with the activity plan. Also state the
questions related to the picture you plan to ask the children.

Carrying out the Activity

Carry out the activity with the group of children keeping in mind the aspects described
in sub-section 7.6.

Report of the Activity Session

Write the Report of the activity keeping in mind the aspects described in sub-section 7.4.

Remember (Q include in the report the picture/pictures you used. and the questions you
asked. Write some of the responses to your questions. This ;will make your Report more
interesting. If children developed a story around thepicturees •.write the story in brief.
Indicate to what extent you had to prompt the Children, in developing the story. Give
examples of how you did so.

I ACTIVITY SESSION 231

To carry out activity/activities based on the theme 'Trees' or 'Plants" with the group of
children.

Hints

I) You have read about activities on the theme 'Plants'!I" Unit 22"ot'OECE.t, You

11
Project Work: Working can carry out any 1)1" thcxcucuvitics with children Of think of some others like the
with Young Children In lollowi Ill,!:
a Child Care Setting
• You could pick up leaves that have fallen from different plants/trees growing in
the preschool. Distribute these leaves among children and ask them to go out
and identify the trees and plants to which they belong.

• You may narrate a ;tory or teach children a song on this theme.

Activity Plan

Write the Activity Plan as per the format described in Section 7.4.

Carrying out the Activity/Activitia

Carry out the activity/activities you have planned with the group of children, keeping in
mind the aspects described in sub-section 7.6.

If you had set up the experiment on germination/growing plants, you would need to get
back to it over the next few days. Talk to the children about the different aspects that
-::::-:;;rge from the experiment, drawing their attention to the growth of the seedling.
Eliicit the responses from children by asking them questions like: "Do you see
something new in the seed?", "How is the seed different from yesterday?" This will
help them to develop the skills of observation and reasoning.

Report of the Activity Session

Write the Report of the activity session keeping in mind the aspects described in
Section 7.4.

In case you have set up the germination experiment, then your Report would have two
aspects-the first about how the activity went on that day and the second about when
you discussed the results of the 'experiment with the chi Iclren. Write about the first
aspect that very day itself. The second aspect or the Report would he written after you
nave carried out a discussion with the children over the next kw days. When reporting
on this aspect, write about how far you think children grasped the concepts you tried to
communicate and whether you think they are appropriate to be introduced at this stage.

I ACTIVITY SESSIO~

To or~il"t"day work with children, 11 day is not available in the preschool, use
plasticine for the .ctivit)'. If neither is uvnilablc, then organize druwing. painting and
printing activities with children.

Hints
1) Refer to Unit 2(, of DECE·I ror m'rct~t~1C'l kt~ In mind when (lr)[Link], clay
work,
2) ~cq &hecla110ft Md "**' fat ~l1dl'tn's •. 1'1'I1~I1llty ~vt III b\l dtlM • di)' ()f

" tw" "fore, '

3) Ir there I. PlO cht)' Of pllllllll;lnt u't'lllllhle In In. pruchonl. Ilwn 11':1up ufllwlnl.
I'I-Intlnl and println. A~lIvlllu Set up the three 1IC11't'II~e~In three dll'f'crem llreu It'
the room and l\wk (:hlldren to ~hootte what (MY woul~ I1kl: to do. The reJt '{}( lhe
fillpects tnlU )'0tI mu.! hc.\.,. In mind 1ft the liame u [Link]~~ for these I\ctl~M1ci
tlW'lIer.
4) See to It tMt dMk1rn WI.'Mh their MlftdII ~y aOCr the lMrtlvlty I. oyer,

ActlYtty""
WrllillM ActMty P1un IlM ",r the (Mml\! Jive" 11'\ [Link]!OI'\ 7.•. d,,"!;crlhII'tJ how yow
weuki ItIl up Lt.. ~tlvft)'1 tc:tlvkl:e •• n.1' enllvrj'A, LN IIIv••llettlty (If ~hc",_rl •••
Medtd. '

?l'I
Carrying out the Activily/Adivities The Second".
Organizing Acb
Carry out the activity/activities with the group of children, keeping in mint! the aspects Sessions with Childn
mentioned in Section 7.6.

Children will, by and large, begin to work spontaneously with clay. Some children may
need to be encouraged since they may have some hesitation about getting dirty. If there
is some such hesitation, then you begin to make something from clay. Children will
follow your lead. However, do not ask children to copy the model you have made. This
is something which many of us adults do, but this stifles children's creativity and
imagination. Some children arc likely to respond by saying: "I don't know how to
make." Encourage such children to try, Show them how they can roll the clay into balls
or 'snakes', Once they see you working with clay and enjoying it, they too will forget
their reluctance and inhibitions. However, do not force any child to do something. If
some child does not want to participate despite your persuasion and encouragement, set
up an alternative activity for him/her.

Ask the children to describe what they have made.

Leave their models to dry in the shade. On another day, children can paint their models.
Display these in the preschool.

In case clay and plasticine arc not available, you would have set-up drawing, painting
and printing activities. You have had the experience of carrying out these activities with
children earlier. Organizing the three together would probablv he a novel experience.

Report of OU~Activity Session

Write the Repc.i of Ihe activity/activities keeping in mind the aspects described in
sub- section 7.4.

In case some children showed reluctance in working with clay. write about uus in your
Report and say how you dealt with this situation.

If Y;)lJ set up drawing, painting and printing activities. write about whether the activities
went off smoothly, or was it that all the children crowded around ()I~C: activity and the
material was not adequate for all. In case of the latter, how did you deal with the
situation and what lesson. did you learn for the future?

[ ACTIVITY SESSION25

To C:lITY out an activity/activities on theme 'Modes of Transport'.

Hints

J) You could plan various activities around the theme.

• You could begin a discussion h~, "'icing children about the modes of transport
they are familiar with. Ask them in what vehicles they have travelled. Then you
can ask them some questions abOul'these such as-How many wheels does a
cycle have? Subsequently, you c~Vld talk about how the different modes of
transport have developed over the 'years-that earlier there were no means of
transport and that people used to walk from one place to another and then
gradually the different modes of transport were developed. You may use
pictures/models during the discussion.
• You could also strengthen the concepts of "fast" and "slow" through an activity
like the following: '
Draw two vehicles on a card/blackboard and tell children that these vehicles are
panicipaungin a race. Ask them which do they think will win the race?
• You may also plan drawing, painting and collage activities. Remember that a
discussion should precede such an activity.
.• Stories and SOIl£S based on this theme could be interesting.

73.
Project Work: Working [Link] J>1:Hl
with Young Children in
a Child Care Setting Write the Activity Plan in the format described in xuh-xccuon 7.4

. Carrying out the Activity/Activities

Carry out your planned activity/acuvitic- with the group of children keeping in mind the
aspects described earlier in sub-section 7.6.

Report of the Activity Session .

Write the Report of the activity session as described in sub-section 7.4.

Li{TIVITY SESSION 261

To narrate a story to the group of children and to encourage children to participate in
role play, make drawings or narrate stories afterwards.

You have carried out two story telling sessions earlier (Activity Session:: :: "nd i2).
After narrating the story in this session, organize an activity different from those in the
earlier sessions.

Hints

I) This is your third story telling activity. Your earlier two experiences would have
helped you develop the skill of story telling. This time use a support which you
have not used for the last two sessions.
2) After the story, carry out the activity which you h-ove not carried out with the
children as yet.
3) The rest of the suggestions are the same as given for the story telling activity earlier
in. Sessions 5 and 12.

Activity Plan

Write the Activity Plan keeping in mind the aspects described in sub-section 7.4 and
those listed in ~elivity Sessions 5 and 12. .

Carrying out the Activities

Narrate the. st9ry to the group of children and carry out the related activity afterwards,
keeping in mind the aspects mentioned in sub-section 7.6 and Activity Sessions 5 and 12.

Report of the Activity Session

Write the Report of the activity session keeping in mind the aspects listed in sub-section
7.4 and Activity Sessions 5 and 12.

I ACTIVITY SESSION
,
27]

To organize a puppet show for the children.

Hints
I) You had read about how to organize a puppet show in Unit 26 of DECE-1. As you ..
know, in the puppet show the narrator is not visible to the children; rather the
narrator is behind a screen. Read the relevant Section in this Unit again before
planning this activity.
2) You have read about how to make puppets in Unit 17 and 22 of DECE.:1. Further,
the video cassettes 'Let's Make Play Material - Parts II and Ill' will be available at
your Study Centre. Viewing these cassettes will help you to learn how to make'
puppets,

74
 The Sec•.>ndPhase :
.~i The \",dco C;l\"t:li~· 'N(ll~'(jl;!)t SI.()rics ttl Children' wiil be available at your Study
Organizina Activity
Centre. This C(Jrll;\IJ1S a puppet show Viewing this cassette before you carry out the
Sessions with Children
activity will help you.
4) Select an appropriate story for children and make puppets of the characters in the
story. 1\ story with 2 to 4 characters is ideal for a puppet show.
5) You may carry (Jut the puppet show alone. or you may seek the help of your Guide.
II is helpful if two people organize the puppet show. as then handling of puppets
becomes easier. .
6) The puppets should he larj;c enough so that the last child can see them and your
voice should ne loud enough to reach the last child.
7) Practising the story with the puppets before you actually enact the puppet show for
children is a good idea.
8) Singing a song as part of the puppet show keeps the children interested.
\

Activity Plan
Write the Acti1tity Plan as per the format described in sub-section 7.4.

In the Activity I-ran include. among other aspects, a brief description of the story.
including any song or rhymes that you plan to sing. When writing about the materials to
be used, slate the type 01 puppets you will use. and also whether you will be makinu
them y<,:urscll or w-hether they arc available in the preschool. ~

Carrying out the Activity

Enact the puppet show. During the puppet show, involve the children in the story by
asking them questions about it or by involving them in a song throug.: the puppets.

After the puppet show. children will want to handle the puppets. Encourage them to de
;0. Children may enact stories using them.

Keep in mind the aspects listed under sub-section 7.h and Activity Session 5, when
I carrying out the puppet show.

~ Report of the Activity Session

I

IVrite the Report 01 the activity session keeping in mind the aspects dc,,-rihed in sub-
! section 7.4.
\
Your Report should include children's responses during as well as after the puppet show
! --how the chi Idren reacted to the puppets. and whether .hcy narrated stories usi ng
I puppets. Writing down some responses 01 children will make your Report interesting. In
! your Report, if you can, enclose the puppets you have made. If [Link] not possible,
i make drawings of the same.

I r--------------------------
11 ACTIVITY SESSION 28\

, To carry out a music and movement activity/activities with children, other than the ones
• that have been organized during sessions 3 and 20,

i Hints
1) You have-carried out a similar activity with children on two occasions earlier. The
suggestions for this activity are same as for Activity Sessions 3 and 20.

! Activity Plan
Write the Activity Plan keeping in mind the format described in sub-section 7.4. Include
, th~ aspects mentioned under Activity Sessions 3 and 20 .

. Carrying out the Activity/Activities

i' ,

t;'Carry out your planned activity/activities with the group of children keeping in mind the
l'aspects described in sub-section 7.6 and under Activity Sessions 3 and 20. .
Project Work; -,Narking Report of the Activity Session
with young Children in
a Clllld Care Setting Write the Report of the activity session keeping in mind the aspects described in sub
section 7.4 and those mentioned under Activity Session 3 and 20.

GCTIVITY SESSION 29 _I

To carry out activity/activities based on a theme from the social environment with the
group of children.

Hints

1) You. have read about activities related to the environment in Unit 22 of DECE-1.
Choose any theme from the social environment for this activity session. This can be
festivals, people in different professions such as doctor, vegetable seller and fanner,
people living in different regions. or services for people like the railway station,
hospital, or post office. Now think of activities you can plan around any of these
themes. For example, suppose you have chosen the theme 'Post Office'. You may
begin with a discussion, asking children if they have seen a .Ictter box and what
they think it contains. The discussion can move on to whether children have
received letters or greeting cards at home or if they have collected stamps. It would
be interesting to ask each child to bring a post card from home or you can request
the school authorities [0 provide you with sor.i; ;..;~ .:..;~,~!::!~~2:: .:.'!:~:!!!-:~)'would
like to draw/write in a kiln to their parents. As each child says what he or she
wants to write. you write il out for him/her on the post card. The Guide will help
you in this. If there arc older children who can write in the school. you can seck
their help in writing the lcuers. This would mean that you have a prior discussion
with the tcacncr in-charge of the older children and request her to relieve 5 or 6 of
her studl'IIL~ :"r some time if it is possible. Once the letters arc written. you can
give each child his or her letter and take them a nearby letter box, if possible. TI1CY
will enjoy posting the lcucrs and receiving them al home after some days. If
possible. you can take then, to visit ,I
post office where they can see letters being
srumpcd: Draw their unenuon tu the large number of letters that come to the post
office.
Foliowing a discussion, you may also involve the children in making a model of a
letter box. In this case. ensure that each child gets a task to do. Alternatively, you
Old)" teach the children a song related to post office or narrate a story around how a
letter travels once the sender posts it, till it reaches the receiver.
These were examples of the type of play activities you can plan. With imagination,
you can plan many more interesting ones on a wide range of themes.
2) The Practical Manual or DECE-I contains an exercise on the theme 'Festival'.
Doing this will help Yl)11 in planning this activity session for the Project Work.

Activity Plan

Write the Activity Plan as per the format described earlier in sub-section 7.4.

While describing the activity/activities in the Activity Plan, state the theme from the
social environment that you have chosen for this activity session. Remember that if you
plan to carry out more than one activity related 10 your theme, then the Plan should
include a description of all or these.

Carrying out the Activity/[Link]

Carry out the activity/activities with the group or children, keeping in mind the aspects
described in sub-section 7.6.

Report of the Activity Session

Write the Report of the }activity session ~eeping in mind the aspects listed in
sub-section 7.4.
 The Second Phase :
GCTIVITY SESSION 301 Organirln~ Activity
Sessionswilh Children

To organize sand and/or water play with the group of children.

If YOll ale unable to organize either due to constraints of obtaining sand or water, then
organize any other activity/activities of your choice.

Hints

I) You have read about organizing sand play and water play in Unit 2i of DECE-l.
Read the relevant Section of this Unit again to refresh your memory.

2) It would be good if you could organize sand play as well as water play. In this way
some children could be involved in sand play and some in water play.

However, if there is no sand pit in the preschool. then you may not be able to
organize sane! play. In this case, all the children will be involved in water play.

3) To set up this activity session, keep 4 or 5 buckets/ tubs of water ready and the
sand in the sand pit a little moist. Provide containers such a..s mugs, tumblers,
funnels, plastic items, 'katories', and coconut shells, (and any other item that can
noru water) of diifercnt shapes andsizes near the tubs of water. Similarly, provide
containers, plastic spoons. shovels and sticks (to dig sand) near the sand pit.
Children will use these for pouring sand or water from one container to the other.
If you provide fer some paints, children will enjoy mixing them in water.

if there arc ne tubs or buckets for water rl~~)' in the preschool. you would need to
be r"."oun;eful. If possible, ask the neighbouring families to lend you some buckets
for an hour. H need be, you may bring them from home. Regarding the other items
needed for sand and water play, you may seek permission to use glasses. tumblers,
katorics, spoons and other utensils that are available in the preschool. Also scout the
environment for other containers (which, as mentioned earlier could be just about
anything that can hold water) that are safe to be handled by children.

4) Ask children whether they would like to play with water or sand (if you are able 10
set up both these activities), and divide them into sub-groups. Even if you are
organizing ~)IIly water play, you will need to divide the children into sub-groups ot
4 to 7 children each, and have a tub of water and appropriate materials for each
sub-group, so that the activity goes on smoothly. For the sand play activity too. you
would need to have multiple items so that they are adequate for the number of
children that you estimate would be engaged in the activity.

Activity Plan

Write the Activity Plan in the j'UlllJat described in sub-section 7.4.

In the Activity Plan, mention whether you will be organizing both sand and water play
or only water play. State how you plan to set up the activity session. Also mention the
articles you will make available for sand and water piay and how you plan to obtain
them. l~ case of non-availaoility of sand and water, you may plan any activity/activities
of your choice (though our advice would be that you use your resourcefulness to
. organize sand and/or water play), Your plan must give the details of whatever activity/
activities you propose to organise in this session .

. Carrying out the Activity/Activities

; Carry out your planned activity/activities keeping in mind the aspects described in sub-
section 7.6. While children are playing with water and sand, move among the different
Sub-groups. In this way you can introduce children to various possibilities of handling
water and sand. -

Ask children questions Iik~ : "How many mugs of !"ater willittake to fill up this
bucket?". and "How many spoons of sand are needed to fill this box?" Such questions
foster children's understanding of measurement and tbey !earn'tO
estimate quantities.
i'nlj•.:1"I Wurk : '/((lrking Some chi ldrcn may hesitate to play with sand and/or water for fear of getting dirty.
wi:iI 'Young Children in Encourage them 10 play by participating in these activities yourself. They will join in.
1I Child Can: Setting once they see others playing. However. if some child shows reluctance, do not force
him/her. Let him/her watch others at play or set up an alternate activity (such as
drawing). if the child so wishes.

When playing with water. children may want to experiment with floating different
articles in the tub of water. Encourage them to do so. Floating paper boats will be an
enjoyable activity. You may link up this activity session with the activity session on
floating and sinking.

Report of the Activity Session

Write the Report of the activity session keeping in mind the aspects discussed in sub-
section 7.4.

In the Report state whether some children hesitated to play with water or sand and how
you handled them. What kind of things did children make from sand') What did they do
during water play) What W,lS your rule during this activity session" Give instances that
will help in making your contribution evident.
 PREPARATION PERIOD OF THREE
DAYS - OPTIONAL

You are now about to begin with the third phase of the
Project Work.
A.~ you would have understood, planning the curriculum
for five days requires considerable and careful planning
on your part. As you near the end of the second phase of
Pruject Work, you should oegin thinking and planning as
to how you will devise-the final week's curriculum. After
the second phase you have the option of a break of 3
days before you begin the third phase of the Project
~Vork. Use this period to devise the weeks curriculum,
get it approved by the Guide, and subsequently, prepare
the Activity Plan for each activity session and get the
same approved by her. It is necessary to get the week's
curriculum approved by the Guide before you begin work
in the third phase. As regards the Activity Plans, you may
get these approved all together for five days or for one
day at a time. Remember that you must get eacli Activity
Plan approved by your Guide at least a day 'before
CaJ ying out the corresponding activity session.
I

~ A

79
- .. _-_ .._------ ~ - -_.-._-------_ _ _. __ .

Section S I
THE THIRD PHASE: TAKING C()[Link]
CHARGE OF CHILDREN FROM ARRIVAL
TIME ro DEPARTIJRE

By now Y0U have had considerable experience of working with children and planning
and conducting activity sessions. In this last phase of the Project Work. you will take
complete charge of the children for the time they arc ul the preschool/nursery school. for
five working days. Of course. the Guide will he there to help you hut. by and large. you
are on your own.

You have read briefly in Section }, sub-section ~.3 what you have to do during these
five days. Let us now tell you in detail here what you are required to do.

8.1 DEVISING ·THE WEEK'S CURRICULUM

•. Devise Cl week's curriculum which indicates what you will do with children from
the lime they arrive till the time they go back eacn day during the week. This
curriculum should indicate arrival. eating time, washing and toileting time and thc
activity sessions. The curriculum for each day should specify the time you will
spend on each activity.

Hints

I) You have read about planning a curriculum in Unit 30 of DECE-1. Go over this
Unit again to refresh your memory. Prepare the curriculum for five days keeping in
mind the principles 01 planning explained in detail in thi» Unit.
2) You may choose totake up some theme such as 'A Festival'. 'Animals'. 'My
Body'. or 'Colours' as the •Project' for the week, This means that you carry out
some activity related 10 the Project each day for the five days.
3) There is an exercise related to devising a curriculum in [he Pra "tica] Manual of
DECE-l. Doing this exercise before you begin with the third phase of the Project
Work will be helpful for you.
4) Generally, children come to the preschool for 3-4 hour each day. In this time you
should be able to plan for 3-4 activity sessions, apart from scheduling time for
routines like eating, washing, arrival and departure.

Writing the Week's Curriculum

• Write out each day's curriculum in the format given below. In this w~v. write out
the curriculum for 5 working days.

MONDAY

Time Periods Activities

8.30 a.m, Children arrive, greet them. converse with them

onwards
8.4S a.m.-

11.45 - Departure; wishing g~ye: to-each Child

12.00
 10llS. you will have I ivc su .:h ,ahl<.::. tor :; days, In ibc table, SIJIC briefly (he: Tbe Third Phase : Taking
activity sessions you pian to carry out in the different time periods. Do not give Complete Charge of Children
their detailed description now. Also state the timings of routine activities like eating, from [Link]:d Time to
Departure
washing and departure.

• Discuss the curriculum for all the five days with your Guide. The Guide will write
her comments and give you marks. Incorporate the suggestions that she makes. if
any. If there are many changes in the curriculum, then write out the table again. for
sake of clarity and readability, Ior the panel of experts that will evaluate your
Project File. Attach both the modified and the original curriculum in {he Project
Fiie.

8.2 WRITING THE ACTIVITY PLANS

• Once your curriculum is approved, write the Activity Plan for each activity session
you have planned during the five days in the same way in which you have been
doing till now. You may have to prepare 15-20 Activity Plans depending upon the
number of ""';'.'ity sessions you have scheduled.
• Give the Activity Plans to your Guide to evaluate them. It is preferable to discuss
all the Activity Plans, along with the play materials/aids prepared/obtained (if any),
with the Guide before you begin working with the children in the third phase.
However, you may even g~! the Activity Plans approved on a day-a-day basis, ill'
long as you do so at least a day before the corresponding activity sessions arc
scheduled. The Guide will give her comments and marks on the Activity Plans.
If there are extensive moodifications in an Activity Plan. then write out a new one
'and attach both the original and the modified Activity Plan in the Project File.

8.3 WORKING WITH THE CHILDREN

Carry out your planned curriculum with the children for five days.

At the end of each day, the Guide will give you a feedback on how you handled the
children and how you carried out the activities. Keep her suggestions in mind when you
work with the children the next day.

8.4 REPORTS OF THE ACTIVITY SESSIONS. OF THE

Jc~IVEDAYS

Write the Report of each day's activity sessionsthat very day itself.

General Report: Begin by giving a general report about the day's activities. This will
include aspects like

how you think you handled the children throughout the day, This includes your
interaction during activity sessions and routine activities of eating, arrival, washing \
and departure. (At this point. you do not have to write in detail about the activity
sessions. Their Reports will be written separately later on).
any problem situation that came up and how you resolved it. It is possible that for
some part 'during. the day things were smooth, but some problems cropped up at
other times. Your Report must indicate this.
whether the activities went as planned or you had to bring out about changes, i.e.,
carry out new activities or change the scheduling of planned activities.

Report of Activity Sessions: Write the Report of each activity session each day as you
'iave done earlier, keeping in mind the aspects described in sub-section 7.4.
•
 ANNEXURE 1
I
1
1 Remember to enclose this Annexure in the Project File. Keep a photocopy with yourself.
1
1
1 Section A: CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION OF
1
PROJECT WORK
1
I
1 (To be certified by the Guide and the Principal/In-charge of Nursery School)
1

1 We certify that the learner Mr/Mrs/Miss has done the Project

I Work for the stipulated duration under our guidance and supervision and that the Report
1 submitted herewith is the result of bonafide work done by the learner in
I
from to _
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(Name of nursery school, place) (time period)
1
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I D3lC : Signature of Guide
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X Signature of Principalfln-charge
Nursery School/Preschool
of

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 Section B : DURATION OF PROJE(;T WORK I
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The following details are to he filled in by the learner and verified hy the Guide and .I
Principal/In-charge of the nursery school/preschool. I
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Project Work commenced on _. _ I
I
Project Work ended on _ I
I
Whether the Project Work was
Yes i
completed within 45 working days
CJ I
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If more than 45 working days were
needed, please indicate how 'the work I
was rescheduled, indicating the I
duration (with dates) of each period of work I
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Date : Signature of Guide I
Place:
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Signature of Principal/In-charge of i
Nursery School/Preschool I
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 __ _
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..

ANNEXURE 2

This annexure contains the norms for evaluation of Project Work for reference by the
Guide and the PrincipalfIn-charge of the nursery school/preschool and the panel of
experts evaluating the Project File after it reaches IGNOU.

Section A : NORMS FOR EVALUATION FOR

REFERENCE BY THE GUIDE AND PRINCIPAL OF
NURSERY SCHOOL

The following are the norms that the Guide and the Principal/In-charge of the nursery
school/preschool are requested to follow when evaluating the work of the learner during
Project Work.

Evaluation During First Phase

Marks Criteria for Evaluation

Total Marks for Work in Please refer to sub-section 3.3

First Phase : 50 of Section 3 to know about the
aspects that the learner has been
Maximum Marks for each asked to observe and report upon.
Report: 10 Besides these, when giving marks, focus on
• the degree of detail in the Report
• the analysis and conclusions drawn
• how far the Report reflects that
the learner has understood the
principles that underlie cond-
ucting activities and planning
activity sessions.

Evaluation During Second Phase

Marks Criteria for Evaluation

Total Marks for Work in

Second Phase : 900

Break~up of Marks

• Preparing Activity • Please refer to sub-section 7.4

Plans for 30 in Section 7 to know about the
Sessions : 300 aspects that the learner has to
write about in the Activity Plan.
Maximum Marks for Also refer to each Activity Sess-
each activity plan: 10.- These ion to know about the specific
are further subdivided as follows aspects the learner must include in
the Plan.

* Planning of activity/activities for '.Besides these, when giving marks see

the Activity Session: 6 whether

• Play Materials/aid i) each activity planned

made/obtained by the is appropriate for the
learner, other than children's age
those already available would be able 10 hold
in the preschool :,4 . children's interest
K·
(In case no play material! is feasible' to carry Cut
85
 Marks Criteria Cor Evaluation

aids needs to be obtained! ii) there is clarity in the

made by the learner for a description of activity/
particular activity activities
session, then the 4 marks
for this get included iii) the goal(s) for the activity/
in planning of activity/ activities is/are appropriate
activities for the session,
which is then marked out
of 10)

• Carrying out activities Please refer to sub-section

in 30 activity sessions: 300 7.4 under the heading 'Writing
the Report' and sub-section 7.6
Maximum marks for carrying· to know about the aspects the
out the activitv/activities learner must keep in mind
in each ucu vuy while carrying out activity/ activities with
session: 10 the children. Also refer to each Activity
Session, where some specific aspects'
have been mentioned for carrying out
that particular activity session.

•• Wrilirlg the Report of 30 Please refer 10 sub-section

Activity Sessions : 300 7.4 of Section 7, to know the
aspects the learner has to
Maximum marks for writing write in the report. Also
the Report of each activity refer to each activity
session : 10 session to know about the
specific aspects the learner
must report upon.

Besides these. when giving marks also

look for
the extent of clarity in the
Report
how far the learner has been
able to reflect upon hislher
own method of currying out
the activity/activities and
think of ways of improving.
In other words. how far the
learner's report shows self-
reflection.

Evaluation During Third Phase

Marks Criteria for Evaluation

Total Marks for work

during Third Phase: Ranging
from 500-650, depending
uponihc number of
activity sessions sche-
duled (it is recommended
that between 15 and 20
sessions be scheduled)

Break-up of Marks

• Preparing the curriculum When evaluating tb.~curricujum for

for the week: 50 the five days, look for . ,. \'
86
 Marks Criteria for Evaluation

Maximum marks for preparing i) balance between indoor and

each day's curriculum: 10 outdoor activities, vigorous
and quiet activities, group
and individual activities,
structured and free play
activities .'

ii) Whether there are some

activities related to each area of
development, i.e. cognitive,
language, social, physical >

motor, emotional, over the entire

week.

iii) Whether the duration of activity

sessions is appropriate.

• Preparing Activity Plans When evaluating the Activity

for Activity Sessions Plan, carrying out activities
(ranging from 15 to 20): and writing the report of
150 to 200 activity sessions, refer to the criteria
listed for Phase 2.
rviax. marks ror eacn
Activity Plan : 10 (6+4
as explained in Second phase)

• Carrying out the activi-

ties in the activity
sessions (ranging from
15 to 20) : 150 to 200

Max. marks for carrying

out activity/activities in
each activity session : 10

• Writing the Reports of

Activity Sessions
(ranging from IS to 20) : 150 to 200

Maximum Marks for Report

of each session : 10·

Note: When giving marks, the Guide is requested to be neither too strict nor too lenient.
If the learner's performance IS VCIY good, then surely the marks must reflect the same.
However, in the rare case of the marks being tangibly undeserved, say in the case of
marks being very high even though the quality of Activity Plans and Reports is very
[Link] the Expert [Link] the Project File after it reaches IGNOU may moderate
the ;';'arks appropriately.
 Secttou s . NO~S FOR EVALUATION OF PROJECT
FILE .FOR REFERENCE BY THE EXPERT
(AFTER THE PROJECT FILE REACHES
IGNOU)

The following arc the norms for evaluation which the expert in the panel is requested to
bear "in mind while evaluating. the Project File.

The Project File is an indirect way of assessing how the learner would have carried out
the various tasks during the Project Work. You would need to judge through the
Activity Plans and the Reports how the learner would have actually conducted the
Activity Sessions.
TIle comments and the marks given by the Guide and the Principal would be a reflection
of the learner's performance. However, while these may Guide your assessment, you
would have to form an independent view of the learner's work through the Project File,
with the constraint of not having observed the learner yourself.
The aspects that you will consider. while evaluating the work done during different
phases have been specified under sub-sections 3.3, 7.4, 7.6 of this Manual and the
various activity sessions described in sub-section 7.7 of this Manual and also under
Section A of Annexure 2. The maximum marks that may be [Link].J are undc.. ~j

Evaluation of First Phase

Total Marks for Work in Firsr Phase 50
Maximum Marks for each Report 10

Evaluation of Second Phase

Total Marks for Work in Second Phase 600

Break-up of Marks

• Preparing Activity Plans for 30 Sessions 300

Maximum Marks for each Activity Plan 10
These are further sub-divided as follows:
Planning of Activity// •ctivities for the Session 6
Play materials/aid made/obtained by the learner, other
than those already available in the preschool 4
(In case no play material/aids needs 10 he obtained/made by the
learner for a particular activity session, then the 4 marks for this
get included in planning of activity/acti vities for the session, which
is then marked out of 10.)
• Writing the Report of 30 Activity sessions 300
Maximum Marks for writing the Report of each Activity session 10

Evaluation of Third Phase

Total Marks for work in Third Phase : Ranging from 350-450, .depending upon the
number of activity sessions scheduled (it i~ recommended that between 15 and 20
sessions be scheduled) ,

Break-up of Marks

• Preparing the Curriculum for the week 50

• Preparing Activity Plans for Activity Sessions (Ranging from 15 to 20) 150 to 200

Maximum Marks for each activity Plan

(6 + 4 as explained in second phase) 10
, -
• Writing the Reports of Activity Sessions (Ranging from 15 to 2(0) / 150 to 200-

88
Maximum Marks for Renort of each Session
• , '"
AV
 ------_.- ... -------
ANNEXURE 3

Remember to enclose Section A & B of this Annexure with the Project File. Keep a
photocopy for your reference. .

I
I Section A : EVALUATION SHEET FOR USE BY THE
I
I GUIDE AND PRINCIPAL OF THE NURSERY
\' SCHOOLIPRESCHOOL
\
\
The following is the sheet on which the Guide is requested to consolidate the marks for
I the various activities of the learner. These marks would be written on each Report and
I Activity Plan as well. Therein, the Guide will also give her detailed comments. Marks
\ and comments for three of the activity sessions, preferably in the latter half of the
I second phase, would be given by the Principal/lncharge of the nursery school/preschool
I instead of the Guide.
I
I Marks Obtained by the Learner in the First Phase
I
I Report Marks

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I 2
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XI 3

4
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I 5
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I Total Marks

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I Marks Obtained by the Learner in the Second Phase
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I Activity Activity Carrying out Report of Total
\ Session Plan the Activity/ the Activity Marks
I Activities Session
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 Activity Activity Carrying out Report of Total
Session Plan the Activity/ the Activity Marks
Activities Session

10

11

12

14

15

16

17

18

20

21

22

23

24 X
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25 I
26

27

28

29

30

Total Marks

Please indicate the Activity Sessions assessed by the Prineipal/In-charge

Marks Obtained by the Learner h)' the Third Phase

a) Curriculum for 5 days:

Day Marks

3
4

5
90 Total Marks
 h) For AClIVll:. Sc~~i()ns

Activity Activity Carrying out Report of Total

Session Plan the Activity/ the Activity Marks
Activities Session

Day

Day 2

Day 3

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 Total Marks in Third Phase = a + b = _

Total Marks Obtained by the Learner

for Project Work = (x)
(Marks Obtained for First Phase + Second Phase + Third Phase)

out of (y)
(Maximum Marks' for First Phase + Second Phase + Third Phase)
• This will vary for each learner depending upon the number of .
activity sessions organised in the 'Third Phase.

As you know, evaluation by the Guide and the Principal together carry a weightage of
70 per cent.

Therefore, weightage
of 70 per cent = ~'J X 70 = --------------
(final marks to be reflected in grade card)

The guide is requested to express, in about 200-400 words, her opinion about the
learner's work during the Project Work. You may use additional sheet if necessary.

X
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••••••••..•••..•.••••.••••••••••••••••••• , •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• J •••• 0_ 'j
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Date:
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Place:
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92 I
 section B : EVALUATION SHEET FOR USE BY THE
EXPERT FOR EVALUATING THE PROJECT
FILE (AFTER IT REACHES IGNOU)

The following is the sheet on which the Expert is requested to consolidate the marks of
the various Reports and Activity Plans of the learner.

Marks Obtained by the Learner in the First Phase

Report Marks

I 2
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I 3
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I 4
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I 5
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I Total Marks
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I Marks Obtained by the Learner in the Second Phase

X Activity Activity Report of the Total

'I Session Plan. Activity Session Marks
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1
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2
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Activity Activity Report of the Total 1
Session Plan Activity Session Marks -I
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16 1
1
17 1

18 I
I
19 _I
1
20 I
I
21 I
1
22 I
1
23
I
I
24
I
I
25
1

26
I
I
27
I
I
28 I

29 X I

30 I,
,I
1
Total Marks
I
1
1
Marks Obtained by the Learner in the Third Phase
I
11) Curriculum for S days :

Day Marks'

-3

s
TotaL
 b, ~')r Activity Sessions

Actj~-it)- Acti vity Report of the Total

SesS}v1l Plan Activity Session Marks

'I Day 1
I
I
I
I 2
I
I 3
I
I 4
I
I Day 2
I
I
I
I 2
I
I 3
I
I

I 4
i
I Day::
I
I
X I
2

I 3
~
I 4
I
I Day 4
I
I
I
I 2
I
I 3
I
I 4
I
I Day 5
I
I
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.1 2
I
I
'I
I 4
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I
I Total Marks
!
 I
Total Marks Obtained by the Learner
\.
ror Project Work = _ _. ._. __ (;\) I
(Marks Obtained for First Phase + Second Phase + Third Phase) I
I
out of . (y I
I
(Maximum Marks' for First Phase + Second Phase + Third Phase:
I
These will vary for each learn r. depending UpOIl the number of
activity sessions organized by the learner in the third phuxc. I
I
I
.-\syou know, the evaluation of the Project File by the expert carries 30 per cent of I
weightage per Project Work.
I
I
Therefore, weightage
()1' 30 per cent =-
x
X 30 =
I
Y (final marks to be reflected in grade card) I
I
I
I
I
I
I
Date : Signature of Expert
I
Place: I
I
I
I
The expert is requested to put together the marks given by the Guide. as stated in
Section A of Annexure 3, and the marks given by the expert, as stated in Section B or
I
.-\nnexure 3, in the following chart .
x
.\larks given by the Marks Given by Total !
Guide out of 70 the Expert out of. 30 (out of 100) I
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Date : Signature of Expert I
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Place:
I
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~.

96
 ANNl£XURE
__ .• u •. "_' • __ •• _-:-."_~
4 •.• • • • •• • ._ •• _

I -------.------ ..----~--.------ '---

I Section A : BACKGROUND INFO&'IATION
I
I
I (To he filled in hy the learner)
I
I The information obtained through this form will have no bearing on the evaluation of
I your Project Work. Rather. this information will help us to form a profile of the learners
I who have taken up the Diploma and will enable us to improve it.
I Please fill up this form accurately, Do not leave any question unanswered,
! Mail Section A & B of Annexure 4 iO Prof. Prabha Chawla Women's Education,
I Block 2, School of Continuing Education, IGNOU, Maidan Garhi-ll 0 068
I J) Name
I
I 2) Enrolment No.
I
I 3) Age
I
I 4) Sex
I
I 5) Address
I 6) Educational Qualifications
I
I 7) Employed/Unemployed
V
db 8) If employed, give details
I
I of nature of work and
I organization for which
I working
(If you were previously
I
in other organizationts),
I give details of
I that as well)
I
I
I
I
9) Number of years of work
I
experience in each organization
I
I 10) Your Regional Centre
I
I 11) Your Study Centre
I
I 12) Name and address of the
I nursery school where you
1 were placed
1
13) Nu~ber of children that
I
your Guide was in-charge
I 'of in the nursery school
I'
-r
\'
14)' Name of vour Guide
J

,I
,I
I 9'J
Section B : FEEDBACK ON PROJECT WORK

(To be filled in the learner)

The information obtained through the following questions will have no bearing
whatsoever on the evaluation of your Project Work. This information will be kept
confidential. The purpose of requesting you to answer these questions is to enable us to
improve the Project Work for the subsequent batches of students. Do answer all the
questions.' .

If you find the space inadequate for answering questions, please attach sheets.

I) Did you find the Project Work

Yes To some extent. No

a) interesting
D D D
b) instructive
D D D
c) informative
D D D
--~
d) difficult
D [ I LJ I
I
If you found it difficult. in what way was it so ? I
I
I
I

X
I
I
-_.,--, --------------------- I
2) Do you think that the Project Work helped you to develop skills of working with" I
young children? I
I
Not at all I -] I
r--i I
To some extent
I I I
I
Considerably
D I
I
3} Was there some information/instruction regarding Project Work in the Project I
Manual that was not dear/ you did not understand? I
I
YCSD ~-

If yes, what was it? What did you find confusing?

-, 4) Wa~, there \()~rl(; .' :m:..llCJn re§:[Link]:r." ~rojcd Work th;,i was not provided in the
t Project Manual"

·1
~
,1 YesU r-fo. i~ - ;
.1:I If yes. what was it~

5) Did you face any problems in doing the Project Work?

YesD
If yes, what were they"

---------------------------

I
X 6) Did you have any problems
-obtaining
with regard to
the time slot for doing the Project Work?
-I
I
I Yes D NoD
I - being placed in the nursery school?
I
I
I
Yes D
I - being alloted a guide?
I
I
I
Yes D
, If yes, specify the nature of problems.
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I-----------~-------------------------------
I 7) Were you ~ble to complete the Project Work within the stipulated period of 45
I working days?
I
l
I:
I
-t:
I' If no. what was the reason.
1 99
 --------~--'--

------"--------"- ---------------------

8) Do you think a period of 30 to 45 working clays is adequate to develop the skills of

intt:reactiJ~g with young children'!

-r.
If no. then what length of period would you recommend for the Project Work, .and why?

-----------

9) Did you attend any counselling session(s) for the Project Work?

Yes D
a) If yes,
i) how many did you attend?
X
I
ii) Did you find attending the counselling sessionis)
I
Useful r ,j I
I
Partially useful D I
I
Not useful L_ -J I
I
I
b) If you did not attend the counselling sessions. what was the reason?
I
I
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I
I
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I
I
10) Did you face any problems with regard to your Guide or the nursery school
I
authorities?
I
I
YesD I
I
If yes, what were they? I
I
I
I
100
I
I'
1
I
I
I
I 11) Did you face any problems in planning the activity! activities for any activity
I session?

I
I
I
-r. NoD
I If yes, with regard to which activity session(s) did you face problems? What was the
I nature of the problems?
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I \

I 12) Do you have any suggestion(s) for improving the Project Work?
I
: YesLJ NoD
I
X' If yes, what would you like to suggest?

I -----------------------------------
I
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I 1·01
!
A.\NNEXURE 5

Section A. CH~CKLISTS FOR RATING NURSERY SCHOOLS/

PRESCHOOLS

The: preschools/nursery schools are rated on the basis of the following {our checklists. Any
DUTSet)" school/preschool that qualifies on three-fourths of the items in each checklist may be
considered appropriate for placement. That is, the answer should be 'yes' in the case of three-
fourths of the items in each checklist. However, there are two conditions that the nursery
schoot/preschool must essentially fulfill. These arc

i) Tbe educator-child ratio in the nursery school/preschool should in no case be more than
1\: 35. That is, one educator should not have more than 35 children in her group. If the
educator-child ratio is more than this, then that nursery school/preschool cannot be
selected for placement. This is so because if the group of children is larger than this, then
the quality of interaction between the educator and children will suffer enormously In
fact as you know, ideally an educator should work with only about 15 to 20 children.
However, keeping in mind the ground reality in our country we have increased the
educator-child ratio to 1 : 35, knowing that it will be difficult to find preschools/nursery

ii) TI,e children must regularly be taken for outdoor play-atJeast 2 to 3 times in a week.
..Even if preschool/nursery schooi does hot have its own playground, the children must
',t)e taken out to a neighbourhood park or an open area ..

Thus. even if the answer on most items en the four checklists is 'yes', if the nursery school
a! it does not fulfill both the above two conditions, it is not to be selected.

The checklists are provided from the next page onwards

•
 A Checklist for Evaluating the Workers

A check (-.I) is placed in the 'Yes' column against each item if that is evident and a
check (~) is placed in the 'No' column if it is not.

List of items Yes No

1) The staff is sufficient in number so that each

child is able to get individual attention from the educator
at some point during the day, i.e. the staff-child ratio is
I : 35 for prcschoolers
(If

dt
2) There is a warm relationship between workers
and children.
:l) The staff shows sensitivity towards the needs
.of children.
4) The actions and activities of the staff arc child-centered.
5) The workers' attitudes are not rigid.
III other words. they are open to suggestions from

the children and the parents, i.e., they show flexibility,

6) The 'workers circulate among children so that
each child receives their attention.
7) The workers encourage children to ask
questions: they encourage independent behaviour.
8) The workers do not use physical punishment.
9) The staff often praises and reinforces children for
po itive behaviour.
10) Workers try to modify the child's negative behaviour.
11) Workers give ch!ldrcn a feedback about their abilities.
and do so in a positive manner.
12) Workers resepct and trust children.
13) Workers arc aware of the progress made by each child.
14) Workers are alert and active and know what is going on
at all times.
15) The childrer. ::~: ":iicouragcd to reason and think,
apart from acquiring factual information.
16) Children are relaxed and comfortable.
17) Workers meet the parents regularly.
18) Communication between workers and parents is gooc.
19) Parents are encouraged to participate in the programme.
20) The workers organize periodic meetings with parents.
21) The educators work together cooperatively and hnrmoruously.

104
 A Checklist to Evaluate the Curriculum

A check (..J) is placed in the "Yes" column against each item when it is evident in the
functioning of the centre and a check (..J) is placed in the "No" column when the
item is not evident.

List of items Yes No

I) There is an organized daily programme.

2) Children seem to enjoy and like what
they ~re doing. They are enthusiastic.
3) The programme fosters development in
all areas, i.e., it develops the whole child.
4) The play activities are appropriate to the
needs and abilities of children.
5) The activitiesare interesting and challenging ..
6) Children are generally engaged in activities;
they are not just sitting around.
7) There is a variety in the play activities.
8) The 1ctivilil'c givf" cpportunity for self-expression.
9) ihe activities are such that they allow
children to experiment, discover and ask questions.
10) Children's curiosity is nurtured.
11) Children are encouraged to talk to each. .:.~::~.
12) Each day there are some indoor and some outdoor activities.
) 3) Each day there is a balance between structured
and free play activities.
14) Each day there is a balance between active and quiet activities.
1.5) Each day there are opportunities for group as well as
individual play.
16) Change-over from one activity to the other is smooth .
. 17) Educators do not discriminate between boys and girls in the
choice of play activities. In other words, boys and girls
~e encouraged to participate in all activities.
18) The curriculum is child centered, i.e., it evolves from the
needs of children and is based upon their interests.

105
 [-~:Chd(,'Is PI:~::~~-Oe-:~-:-:u-·:-~~-:-:-ru;-at-:-p-:·-~-eM-m-M-:-~-·
•••
-i-s-ev-.-IItt-----,

and a check <.J) is placed in the "No" column if it is not,

I) There is adequate indoor space, i.e., after the furniture

aAdoqWplllCA.t )w Meft arran&e4 there is ~ tg JtK)VC
around freely.
2) There is adequate outdoor space which is safe to play in.
3) The Iilhtinl and ventilation in the room/rooms is Htquate.
4) Hygiene is maintained in the centre. particularly in the
cookin& area.
S) There is a variety of play equipment available.
6) Play materials are available in adequate Rlimbers so that
children do not fi,ht over them.
7) Books. puzzles, blocks. dolls and other play materials are place4
within easy reach and are not locked in cupboards,
8) The play materials are appropriate to the a:e of the children,
/

9) Children are involved in makin& indigenous play makrials.

10) The play makrials arc safe aRd llurable.
11) 'There is ,&ace 10 ,m up cNldrc:n's 4ilrawinls. clay ae.;.ctl
an4 o,thcr thin&s matk ~ them,
12) First-aMi facilities arc available.
13) Fireextinguishers are available.
14) Each child has space for a shert Rap.
15) There is adequate provisioa fer makinlthe snack for chil4rcR.

106
------------ -----_._-------------------.,
1 A rheckfixt to Assess Cleanliness
I·i .' ~~i~:;K(\; is placed In the 'Yes' column against each item if that is evident and a
c heck ('!j is placed in the ']\;0' column if it is not

List of items Yes No

a/ The workers keep the work area clean,

b) The utensils used for cooking and eating are clean.
cl Children are tidy.
d:
.. The drinking water is clean and is kept covered,
.e) The workers wash their hands before preparing and serving food,
f) Children wash their hands before and after eating.
Section B. APPROVED PAYMENT STRUCTURE FOR THE
DIPLOMA IN EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND
EDUCATION (DECE)

[Link]. ACflVITIESlPERSONNEL RATES FOR PAYMENT

1. Payment to the learner's Guide at the Rs. 300r-per learner"

nursery school/preschool for guiding and
evaluating the learner's performance

2. Payment to the nursery school! Rs. SO/-per learner"

preschool for providing infrastructure,
consumables and evaluation of 3 activi lies
of each learner by the principal of the nursery
school/preschool. .

·These are likely to be revised upwards shortly.

--------
ANNEXURE 6

(To be certified by the Regional Director/Assistant Regional Director/Coordinator/Any

Other Person Authorised by the Regional Director)

This is to certify that the nursery school/preschool

(Name and Address of the Nursery SchoollPreschool)

has been visited by the Regional Director/Assistant Regional Director/Coordinator/Any
other person authorised by the Regional Director, and found appropriate for the place-
ment of the learner.

Signature of Regional Directorl

Assistant Regional Director/Coordi-
Date: nator/ Any other ~~n authorised by
the Regional Director
Place:
"
 MPDD/IGNOUlP.O. 1T/November, 2015 (Reprint)

At no other level of education does a teacher have so much

freedom and so few constraints concerning content, method
and expected outcomes. Inherent in this freedom is both challenge ~-..:~~
a'nd reponsibility for careful, imaginative, resourceful planning
for the education of young children.
ORALIE McAFEE (1981)

Source ;.McAfee, 0.0. (1985). Circle Time: Getting Past "Two Little Pumpkins." '
• Young Children, 40(6), 24-29

Certain' ·,cildren can be

accelerated in particular
skills if they are worked
long and hard ••enough. But
the price, may be too steep
in regard to what the child
, missed or the emotional
problems that ensue in the
process. Moreover, there
is no clear-cut evidence
that early acceleration
in any particular academic
skill has long-lived
benefits.

Source: .: ; ,D. (1981a).

Children am;tAdolescents.
New York :'Uxford University Press.

Your 1;~!!ntreJshould be a rooTTl richly hung, full of challenge

and excitement, full of experiince, full of warmth and feeling
that c sustain from time to Jime the inevitablefallures ana
frust'J'ns of growing up. lace of now. A place/that
r ':S'the best way to I is to live.