Child Development

By Cora Coleman

Child Development is designed to educate students about the development, growth, and care of children from birth to high school and beyond. It covers a variety of topics ranging from pregnancy to prenatal care, to birth defects to mental and physical development within kids.

There is a big “Baby-Think-it-Over” project, or BTIO, where students are given robot babies, who cry, whine, burp, coo, “poop”, etc. The babies connect with a small device, that records the actions taken by the student to stop the baby from crying. The babies are linked up to the teacher’s computer, where they all are on a random schedule that induces the babies to cry. Students do various activities with the babies, name them, dress them, and care for them like real babies because they respond like real babies.

An optional activity is wearing the pregnancy belly. Students can wear a pregnancy vest that emulates the feelings and sensations of pregnancy. 

Ms. Hirsch, an instructor for the class, states that the main idea of the class is “to educate students on the responsibilities that go with parenting and the care that is needed for yourself and your baby.” Additionally, even if one does not want to become a parent, Child Development can help you become a better uncle, aunt, older sibling, cousin, or someone who works in childcare or education.