I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Creative Activities and the Learning Environment

2. Course Prefix & Number:
CDEV 2106

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 3

Lecture Hours: 2

Lab Hours: 2

4. Course Description:

This course provides an overview of developmentally appropriate learning experiences in home, center-based, and school settings. Students integrate knowledge of developmental needs, environments, and teaching strategies to enhance all areas of a child’s emerging development throughout the curriculum.

5. Placement Tests Required:

Accuplacer (specify test):

No placement tests required

Score:

6. Prerequisite Courses:

7. Other Prerequisites
Pass a Minnesota Background Check

9. Co-requisite Courses:

There are no corequisites for this course.

II. Transfer and Articulation

2. Transfer - regional institutions with which this course has a written articulation agreement:

Early Childhood Education Transfer Pathway A.S.

III. Course Purpose

1. Program-Applicable Courses – This course is required for the following program(s):

Early Childhood Education Transfer Pathway AS
Early Childhood Education AAS
Early Childhood Education Diploma

IV. Learning Outcomes

1. College-Wide Outcomes

College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies	Students will be able to:
Demonstrate written communication skills	Write developmentally appropriate lesson plans based on lesson plan format guidelines.
Discuss/compare characteristics of diverse cultures and environments	Discuss and evaluate developmentally appropriate practice and compare environments as they relate to individual children, their families, communities, diversity and the curriculum.

2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of the course:

• Examine and define developmentally appropriate practice and environments as they relate to individual children, their families, communities, and the curriculum (TECE 3.B3.5.b);
• Define and examine strategies to assess children’s current and emerging levels of cognitive, social, emotional, and creative development then describe how to create an environment, including activities, where children are able to explore and expand their creative abilities supporting all areas of development (TECE 3.B.9.c);
• Examine and explain how scheduling and daily routines meet infant and toddlers needs for balance between predicable active/quiet, social/solitary experiences, reliable transitions, and rest (TECE 3.B3.5.b);
• Examine and explain how educational materials within planned creative experiences balance infant/toddler needs for growing independence and active exploration with the need for safety and health (3.B3.5.c);
• Examine strategies to assess infant and toddler emerging level of social/emotional and creative development then plan how to structure and create an environment to promote exploration, creativity, and positive, constructive interactions among infants and toddlers (TECE 3.B.7.b) (TECE 3.B.9.c);
• Examine how developmentally appropriate learning experiences can enable preprimary aged children to use play as an organizer between the acquisition and use of information supporting individual children’s cognitive development (TECE 3.C.5.b);
• Plan developmentally appropriate learning experiences for preprimary aged children that support all areas of development in which children can use materials in self-selected, self-directed ways.  (TECE 3.C.8.d);
• Plan developmentally appropriate learning experiences for preprimary aged children that are open-ended and reinforce positive self-esteem, individuality, and individual children’s emerging creative development (3.C.8.e);
• Evaluate and describe a primary aged learning environment based on play, materials, child choice and decision making, child exploration and interactions that supports all areas of child development (TECE 3.D.3); and
• Describe the benefits of supporting, promoting, and advocating for process over product creative experiences for children.

V. Topical Outline

Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.

1. Lecture Sessions

1. Concepts of creativity and aesthetics
2. Promoting creativity
• Creativity in the curriculum
• Creativity through play and exploration
• Modifying the curriculum to promote creativity
• Differentiated instruction and early childhood
• Positive acceptance
• Creative questioning for children
• Motivating skills for teachers
3. The concept of aesthetics
• Aesthetics and the quality of learning
• Benefits of aesthetic learning
• Experiences
4. Promoting aesthetic experiences
• Looking and seeing
• Sensing, feeling, and imagining
• Finding and organizing materials
• Use of materials and guidance for use
5. Children, teachers, and creative activities
• Consider the child
• Differentiated instruction
• Multiple intelligences
• Children with special needs
• Consider the teacher/caregiver
• Strategies for success
6. Creative environments
• Physical space
• Arrangement of space and equipment
• Activity/interest centers
• How to select equipment for creative activities
7. Play, development, and creativity
• What is play?
• Importance of play
• Adapting environments to encourage social development for children with special needs
• Violent play
8. Using technology to promote creativity
• Importance of using technology
• Activities to develop creativity
• Technology and multiple intelligences
• Value of computers in early childhood programs
• Choosing developmentally appropriate software for young children
• The internet
9. Art and social-emotional growth
• Self-concept and self-acceptance
• Child-to-child relationships
• Social competence
• Child-to-teacher relationships
• Child-to-group relationships
10. Art and physical-mental health
• Art and physical/motor development
• Art and mental development
• Art and the total program
11. Developmental levels and art
• Developmental levels/stages of art
• Children’s drawing
• Scribble stage
• Basic forms/pre-schematic stage
• Pictorial/schematic stage
• Gang stage
12. Program basics: goals setting up, materials and strategies
• Basic goals of the early childhood art programs
• Setting up for art activities – specific ages
• Basic equipment, materials and use
• Safety
• Adapting program basics for children with special needs
13. Two-dimensional activities
• Picture making
• Printmaking
• Collage
14. Three-dimensional activities
• Developmental levels and three-dimensional activities
• Value and strategies for working with clay
• Modeling
• Assemblage
• Cardboard construction
• Woodworking
• Adaptations for children with special needs
15. Dramatic play and puppetry
• Importance, the dramatic play center, puppets
• Adaptations for children with special needs
16. Creative movement
• Importance, planning activities
• Adaptations for children with special needs
17. Creative music
• Goals, planning activities
18. Creative language experiences
• Development of language
• Speech
• Rules of speech
• Understanding bilingual/bicultural children’s language development
• Listening
• Emerging literacy
• Prewriting skills
• Poetry
• Children’s books
• Flannel/story boards
19. Creative science
• Science and the young child
• Types of science activities
• Art and science
• Discover/science center
• Environmental education
• Environment activities in school
• Outdoor science
20. Creative mathematics
• Developmental pattern of learning mathematical ideas
• Mathematics in the movement center
• Art center
• Water table
• Home center
• Block center
• Definitions and related activities
• Mathematics grades 3-5
21. Creative food experiences
• Importance, guidelines for food activities
• Integrated food units for elementary level
• Reducing sugar in children’s diets
• Activity and obesity
22. Creative social studies
• Learning about one’s world
• Individual development and identity
• People in the community
• Teaching young children about peace
23. Creative health and safety experiences
• Health and safety in the early years
• Health practices and concerns in early childhood
• Safety education
24. The place of and including celebrations in the curriculum
• Meaning of Holidays
• Celebrations and holidays – the old way
• Celebrations – feelings and beliefs
• Developing a policy for celebrations
• Basic steps to a holiday policy
25. Developmentally appropriate celebrations
• Achieving developmentally appropriate holiday celebrations in the curriculum, a balance
• Resources
• Internet sources for children’s books
• Fine art sites
26. Seasons: aesthetic awareness
• Aesthetics of autumn, experiences for younger and older children
• Aesthetics of winter, experiences for younger and older children
• Aesthetics of spring, experiences for younger and older children
• Aesthetics of summer, experiences for younger and older children

2. Laboratory/Studio Sessions

1. Students meet with instructor following registration and a completed, passed background study
• Assignments and general procedures will be reviewed
• Students complete 30 hours of on the job training supervised by teacher in a licensed or school based program
2. Contact and arrange an instructor-approved lab site
• Interpersonal skills and professionalism
3. Provide and explain all lab paperwork and assignments to supervising site
• Interpersonal skills and professionalism
4. Attend a site within the mileage parameters given by the instructor during the time arranged for a total of 30 hours
• Be on time
• Appropriate dress for working with children and families
5. Observe and participate in learning experiences
• Observe and practice professionalism, developmentally appropriate practice and the Code of Ethics
• Appropriate interactions with children and staff
6. Complete assignments as listed in the syllabus and as arranged with the supervising site
• Implement weekly student planned learning experiences/activities
• Instructor provided developmental observations/assessments
• Instructor provided environmental evaluations
7. Communicate with the Supervising site and Instructor as needed
• Interpersonal skills and professionalism
• Ask questions in a professional manner when more direction is needed or there is a lack of understanding