Pondering Fire Safety With 4 Year Olds

Pondering Fire Safety With 4 Year Olds
There are times when the only connect type activity that will work is pondering and doing such a thing with 4 year olds can be quite a challenge. The assessment made determined that the students needed to connect newly learned knowledge with real-life activity, should the need arise.  Epstein (2003) determines that young children ages three to six are capable of making thoughtful decisions about their behavior and keen observations about their environment (para. 1).  Thereby it is quite possible for young children to ponder upon a question. It is also very possible for children ages 4.0 and 5.5 years of age to think very deeply on things that concern them or their loved ones.
Pritchard (2014) makes the statement that 4 year old children can and do have philosphical views and are quite capable of deep thinking (para.3). He gives one example of a child named John Edgar, being the young age of 4 years, telling his father, once the airplane they were in had reached its designated altitude, “Things don’t really get smaller up here” (p.4). Thereby, with that in mind there can be no argument that young children are capable of pondering on a specified or assigned subject.
One student in class voiced her concern that she was afraid that the entire family would not be able to hear the smoke alarm, if it did go off. I then addressed her and informed the class that the question that was about to be  asked of the young lady was a class expansion and that the whole class should take this up as an assignment. The question was then placed to the entire class as to whether one smoke alarm for an entire house is enough protection. Do you think one is needed in each room, the class was asked. Think about this overnight and come back with answers tomorrow, the class was instructed.  Lever-Duffy,  & McDonald (2011) suggest using ponder activities, which is a connect-type activity, when it is necessary for learners to think about things in a very different way.

References

Epstein, A. (September 2003). How Planning and Reflection Develop Young Children’s
Thinking Skills. Beyond the Journal. Retrieved from www.naeyc.org

Lever-Duffy, J. & McDonald, J.B. (2011). Teaching and learning with technology (4th ed.).
Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc./Allyn & Bacon.

Pritchard, M. (2014 March). Philosophy for Children. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosphy.
Retrieved from www.plato.stanford.edu