BABY PROJECT
Mrs. Trapp & Mr. Hope
|
Explanation of the Baby Think It Over Program The heart of the Baby Think It
Over Program is Real Care Baby, an amazingly realistic infant simulator that
offers learning by doing. Baby
requires feeding, burping, rocking, and diaper changing on a 24-hour
schedule. It offers experiential
learning by providing students with experiences that help them make informed
decisions about parenting. The
parenting experience allows students to draw their own conclusions and
discover for themselves what the role of parent feels like. It is an authentic task that is very close
to the real thing. *The student is able to view
parenting in a more realistic way. A
teen may have unrealistic and idyllic ideas about babies. A teen may think raising a child is
somewhat comparable to the seemingly endless responsibility of daily
schoolwork. The goal of caring for
Baby is for students to consider the needs of a baby and the personal life
changes that occur when a child is born. *The student considers his or
her current suitability to be a parent. *The student may gain greater
appreciation for his or her own parent(s). *Having Baby in the home creates
an opportunity for parents to communicate family values, the responsibilities
of supporting and caring for a child, the situations that can occur when one
becomes a parent before educational goals are completed, and their vision of
a good parent. *Using Baby can be a
relationship builder between parents and their teens. As a temporary “grandparent,” the parent of
the student can share stories of what the student was like as an infant, and
the joys and challenges they had as a parent.
Current research tells us that one of the best things a parent can do
to ensure their children’s success is to have a good relationship with
them. Family ties can be strengthened
by the experience with Baby. The program also includes an
extensive curriculum that, when used alongside the parenting experience with
Baby, helps students really explore the emotional, financial, and social
consequences of parenting. The
curriculum builds on the parenting experience to include the following
additional key ideas. 1.
Understanding parenting roles
and responsibilities can help a person assess readiness for parenthood, and
help nurture health families. 2.
Knowledge of human growth and
development and parenting skills provides guidelines for behavior and
promotes healthy physical, emotional, intellectual, and social child growth
and development. 3.
A healthy family cultivates and
maintains positive relationships among its members and uses support systems
and services. Although teens are susceptible
to peer pressure, they do not necessarily listen to
the warnings of others- especially the adults in their lives. They must experience the responsibilities
of parenting for themselves. At the same time, studies of
some students have found that they already know that parenting is a skill
that has to be learned. Many also know
the parenting involves a great deal of commitment and time. The Baby Think It Over Program also
benefits this group by reinforcing this knowledge. The realistic parenting experience supports
the development of strong beliefs that shape behavior. |
|
|
Last Updated Thursday, January 06, 2005