Storing And Collating Learning Journals Pictures, Obs Etc.

[Fredbear]

Hi my fantastic FSF colleagues

Okay my query is how do others store their art, obs, wow moments on a daily/weekly basis, ready to transfer to journals.

My staff presently put them all into a large storage box, but with 66 children and 10 staff in the setting, you can imagine this is now a mammoth task when collating into individual children and their own keyperson boxes.

Have thought of a large medical type trolley with hanging manilla files for paintings, pictures, photos etc.

Just want to make it as easy peasy as possible.

So any wonderful ideas to help with this will be gratefully received.

Many thanks in advance

Bridger

[Cait]

Our children have their own trays, so things get popped in there, underneath their special files. Anything that can go home is put on top - that way something that's waiting to be annotated doesn't disappear before NCT.

 

This way it means that it's all readily to hand if Key Person wants to do it with the child

[Devondaisy]

We had somebody put rows of screws, hooks were too expensive, not all the way in, on the wall in the 'office'. We then clip each child's obs, photos etc onto a mini bulldog clip (from Tescos) and it hangs on a screw until collected by keyperson. Simple, but it works for us.

[Inge]

and we had a box file for each key worker with' thier' children's names on the front so all were put into a key workers box for them to sort and put away .

[finleysmaid]

we put large things straight into the filing cabinet in childs file. Post it note obs are stored in cd pockets in a bank along with photos...this is a great way to check who needs more obs or more photos taken and is cleared down every fortnight.

[Guest]

We have a small storage basket for each keyperson on a shelf in the main room with a list of keyperson children on the wall underneath. Obs, photos and other evidence is sorted into baskets for the keypersons to then transfer into Learning Journeys.

[Guest]

Hi I'm in reception but we have 2 box files with handles with a section for each child. As obs are done/photos printed, they get put straight away into the right child's section ready for sticking in and annotating.

Deb

[Fredbear]

Thank you everyone keep them coming.

[Guest]

Being a pack away we have no spare storage space in the tardis like cupboard. ours go straight into their LJ. which happen to be A3 scrap books, these are stored in a large wooden box

[Guest]

Children's work is kept on our clipboards or in the front of the profiles boxes - but they have to then be filed by the end of that week - otherwise it becomes too mammoth a task to catch up on them all. I encourage my staff to file post-its daily and photos I print twice weekly. My nursery nurse and I are both responsible for about 25 children each - so if wedon't keep on top of it, it soon gets on top of us!

[lynned55]

We have a large filing cabinet in our hall that has one drawer dedictaed to the childrens files. each child has a filed section where everything to do wit their LJ's are kept. Makes life much easier as if you do an obs or print a photo of that child it can just be dropped in their file.

[anju]

Key people have one or two (depending on how many key children they have) with dividers so there's a section for each child. Each section has punched pockets with: artwork, little observations, key time planning sheets, draft reports. Photos are on the laptop uploaded and tagged every few days with the children's names - towards the end of term I go through which photos need printing (they can be sorted by child) then get the whole lot done at ASDA - much cheaper than printing on computer at work (and quicker!). Everything is transferred to LJs in last two weeks of term for Open Afternoons.

[HoneyPancakes]

I'm not Playgroup but I do have trouble storing and filing evidence. Have you considered taking photos of the work and making computer files. I just send everything home now after I've taken a picture and renamed it with a comment, unless I want to display it. Probably not completely up to scratch but stops me going under.

 

Honey

[hmchurch]

Our children have their own trays, so things get popped in there, underneath their special files. Anything that can go home is put on top - that way something that's waiting to be annotated doesn't disappear before NCT.

 

This way it means that it's all readily to hand if Key Person wants to do it with the child

 

We also have a draw for each child to keep their things in, in the room this also makes it possible for parents to look at the childrens special files and leave information to be included (looks good as partnerships with parents for Ofsted.

[hopeytg]

We have an 'observation' wall - we made 'pockets' by stapling a length of plastic across a display board. In each 'pocket' each child 'designed'a card which has their name on - artwork fits behind the card and post it obs stick to the front plastic. Each week the keyperson transfers their child's obs & artwork and then transfer into their Learning Journey - an A3 notebook. Very useful to see which children are being observed and checking which members of staff are doing obs!! Plus and easy way to store - if you have the room.

[Fredbear]

Thank you for your ideas.

I think thats the problem because we are a packaway setting, with differing children and staff in on a mix of days makes it very difficult to keep up with it all.

Just trying to suck eggs really. I know the answer the keyperson needs to do it everyday, now thats another matter.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited November 21, 2011 by bridger

[fimbo]

we have one of those carboard expanding files from tesco -each child has a section, we just pop things in there as and when -then each key person can access the files when they need to. we can lock it away each night too in the cupboard, as we are also semi pack away, so can leave nothing out.

[Fredbear]

Thanks everybody.

[Guest]

I like the idea of the pockets on the wall so you can see who's actually doing obs!!!!

[Guest]

We are also a pack away setting. We have a small unit of drawers (kept on the window ledge) with each staff members name. We put any info for each staff member in their drawer, such as newsletters, minutes of meetings and obs. If they want to keep a painting or work the child has done we put a note on it saying please keep and then at the end of the sesion the key person can put it in with the key childs folder, ready to be collated properly next time they do their records.

[Guest]

Hi my fantastic FSF colleagues

Okay my query is how do others store their art, obs, wow moments on a daily/weekly basis, ready to transfer to journals.

My staff presently put them all into a large storage box, but with 66 children and 10 staff in the setting, you can imagine this is now a mammoth task when collating into individual children and their own keyperson boxes.

Have thought of a large medical type trolley with hanging manilla files for paintings, pictures, photos etc.

Just want to make it as easy peasy as possible.

So any wonderful ideas to help with this will be gratefully received.

Many thanks in advance

Bridger

[Guest]

Hi there,

I tend to have pocket files for each child to store all the obs and artwork and anything else and then those are put into a box - the large models etc are all photographed and dated together with obs on the back of. Hope this helps!

[Fredbear]

Thank you .

[fimbo]

i have just re - organised ours, as the expanding file wasnt working very well.

 

1 large sheet of sugar paper folded in half (think its A3 size) this creates the storage 'file' -each key person has 1 each, on the front is each of their name and the names of their key children. Any work, photos obs, are placed inside -post its are stuck to the inside. then its sorted through each week.

these paper folders are placed in a larger carboard folder (homemade from a piece of spare cardboard !)and is brought out each session (as we cannot leave anything out)

 

simple -but seems to be working for us so far - if you have lots of children and key persons, then you could put a list on the wall so the staff know which file the child 'belongs' to - we have even colour co-ordinated ours, so each staff member has a different colour sugar paper folder.

[Guest]

We have an 'observation' wall - we made 'pockets' by stapling a length of plastic across a display board. In each 'pocket' each child 'designed'a card which has their name on - artwork fits behind the card and post it obs stick to the front plastic. Each week the keyperson transfers their child's obs & artwork and then transfer into their Learning Journey - an A3 notebook. Very useful to see which children are being observed and checking which members of staff are doing obs!! Plus and easy way to store - if you have the room.

 

I'm in Reception with 60 children. As above we chopped 'plastic wallets' in half and then stappled onto a display board. Each wallet was then allocated to 2 children...one named on the right and one on the left...we write our obs on stickers, take photo's which are printed out on paper 6x4 size, and we either photograph the children's large artwork (they can then take it home, display it etc but we still have evidence in their LJ) or we reduce it on the photocopier. Each week all staff put their findings in the children's 'wallet'. It is easy to see then which children we have not observed/collected evidence from which becomes a focus for the following week. Staff then file the info in the childrens LJ's which are A3 scrapbooks.

 

This was an idea we saw at a cluster meeting from an outstanding school and I'm happy to say it works really well!!

[Steve]

Just spotted that this was your first post edwards49, so I wanted to say hello and welcome to the FSF, despite you having been around for a little while!

 

As a matter of interest, how many teachers/TAs are responsible for maintaining that system for 60 children?

[Pimms o'clock?]

I have pinned strong A3 plastic document wallets on the wall, one for each key person, for obs, photos, pictures etc. As others have said this allows us to see who is actually doing obs as they are translucent. When they get their non-contact time everything gets transferred to the child's learning journal with the childs' input as they sit together to do this (if the child wants to that is).

 

Some great idea's on here, looks like we are all trying to do something similar which is comforting to know.

[Guest]

just wanted to add that the children stick their photo's with their key person on a weekly basis, this is used to help plan individually by using comment and conversation being had whilst sticking is going on

[Guest]

Being a pack away with very limited safe lockable confidential space - we have individual folders and learning journeys for children - key workers take responsibility for their children and updated on a two weekly ish basis this is monitored by team leaders (sort of) the other option is for me Manager to take files and organise in my own time. which I have done in the past - at the moment I have 12 key children.

[Guest]

I have just started offering the lj to the children and enable them to stick and comment on their achievement - it is amazing of the much recollection they have of the event/s

 

re the above post we have 42 children and have organised all files for so as you can see I would rather limit this to 12 - however I do like checking through them and see the development happening.