Planning Formats For Outdoor Provision

[Guest Wolfie]

Has anyone got a weekly/daily planning format that they use for their outdoor provision - I support a setting that want to develop the detail of their planning for outdoors to the same level as their indoors and I thought rather than reinvent the wheel....

[Guest]

I tried to develop a planning format for my outdoor provision but found it never really worked and it was an add on. What I do now is add on what is going on outside to my weekly planning of what I have out in all the areas in my classroom. So I have all the areas written down the side- playdough area/ICT/writing area/sand/water etc and the days of the week across the top. most areas have something inside and outside. I found that having the text a different colour helped me see what was inside/outside. Hope that makes sense.

[Lou]

Hi

We add our outdoor resources onto the weekly planning sheet. This is our new planning for september. I have attached a copy for you to see (well keep your fingers crossed.)Trial_Planning.doc

[sharonash]

Lou

 

Planning looks good

 

Can I ask where you have got the key learning (s/stones) from - do you choose which ones you are going to cover in advance?

 

My planning format is very much the same only I have put where the learning will take place ie in which workshop area- so the S/Stones you have chosen for thel 6 areas of learning will be across your whole environment then?

 

does this make sense.

 

sharon

[Lou]

Sorry Sharon I missed your post. I have a medium term plan that runs over the year and the stepping stones are taken from that.

The stepping stones are all planned in advance over the year. The ideas and resources of how to cover them is a collaboration been us and the children. This part of it is filled in during the week. We also have an ideas book.

 

Hope that helps.

[Guest Wolfie]

What sort of setting do you work in Lou?

[Guest]

Hi Wolfie

 

We use our planning for inside/outiside environment, all of the constant provision (apart from the computer) can be taken outside and the focus activity. We are truly enabling our environment! To be quite honest we actually achieve much more and have a much more enjoyable session when we spend as much time as possible outside.

[Guest Wolfie]

Any resistance from the staff?

[Guest]

None at all we love being outside, guaranteed we don't spend as much time outside when it is pouring down. But on a day like today what could be nicer than sitting under the gazebo having a picnic fruit time, singing and reading and with sand and rocks in the tuffspot. Couldn't be nicer really!

 

I did have a little bit of resistance to begin with from one staff member but she could soon see how much calmer the kids were and how much more they could focus.

[sharonash]

Sorry Sharon I missed your post. I have a medium term plan that runs over the year and the stepping stones are taken from that.

The stepping stones are all planned in advance over the year. The ideas and resources of how to cover them is a collaboration been us and the children. This part of it is filled in during the week. We also have an ideas book.

 

Hope that helps.

 

 

Thanks Lou- its confusing isnt it as we have been "told" not to plan in advance to cover stepping stones and to be honest thats what I think we are getting confused about.

 

Have you done your medium term plan in advance but according to the childrens interests? or have you rechosen a theme and the looked at which ones fit in alongsode this?

 

We have been again told! not to have a medium term plan!

can you explain your process from medium term plan throught to daily weekly planning for me so I can get a better understanding, ie do you blast activities in medium term plan then split them into weeks?

Do these activities them become focus activities etc?

[Lou]

Hi

 

Wolfie I am in a pre-school, soon to be full day care.

 

Sharon I have all the planning sheets with the stepping stones all completed and ready to be pulled out when needed. We have not used topics or themes for a few years now. The difference is the children and staff decide where the learning should be taken. We do have continueous planning sheets that are not finished but that just gives you an outline of what the children can get out of certain activities or stepping stones.

 

If a child comes in with an idea it could be used for a week depends on what the children want to do.

 

We had a student placed with us last year and after about a week she said, I don't know what to do now. When I asked her what she heard the children talking about she said "they were talking about the cars going into a garage to be fixed." We ended up getting boxes out to make our own garages, we even attempted to make our own cars (very poorly.) We made traffic lights. This went on for two days. She still had a problem with what and how to record the information but she was a lot clearer in what we do.

It was not that she was being trained wrong it was just a different way of extending the children. She was used to being given an activity and shown what to do.

 

We do have planned creative activities for christmas and various other festivals but the ideas of what to do originate from the group.

 

Hope this has helped.