Focus Activity

[sharonash]

Help please....

Firstly-Focus activity - how is this different from an adult led one?

Where do these activitys come from ie are they skill based and planned in advance or are they running in conjunction with prechosen goals to be covered?

 

At what time do you do these during your session, as we are finding with free flow we cant seem to fit it in!?

 

Our children are 2-5 together-

"Free flow" do you do this all morning or do you break into age groups at some point or any suggestions to how we could do this.

It has been suggested by our early years team that the children free flow from the minute they come in at 8am until lunch time, we are trying this but its so hectic we just seem to spend our time going between 2 indoor rooms and the garden playing - dont get me wrong this is the idea I know but we dont seem to be focusing on anything in particular, Im sure other groups are going through or have been through this any advice please?

[Guest]

Hi - we need help as well

 

We are also operating a free flow system like you - this is what we are doing at the moment.

 

* one focus activity inside

* one focus activity outside

 

* each focus activity contains 3 objectives in 3 areas of learning.

 

We have a target group of children - though naturally we are involving all children - however, as we have one member of staff always at the creative table, one member of staff supervising the snack, if more children choose to go out then the focus activity inside has to be moved outside - and if our target group are engrossed in other activities, should we be breaking their play by calling them over ? Our children are also from 2-5 in a old village hall.

 

I think the new EYFS and free flow is really wonderful when you have a lovely setting which does not have to be packed away each day and the same children in each day. With 42 children coming in over a week some doing a couple of sessions and some doing even just 1, and a few doing every day it is really hard to plan from their interests. We have done some really wonderful observations, but we are finding it really hard to plan their interests in when there are gaps in their attendance.

 

Anyway, moans over, I have come to the conclusion, that we have to adapt our planning to suit out children and from the other posts on this forum this does seem to be the general opinion.

 

I also want to know are you taking your focus activity from particular aspects of learning that you have pre- chosen or are you taking them from where you have observed the children and want to move them to ?

 

Any pointers for putting me in the right direction please Dot

[Helen]

I think adult-directed and focused activities are the same, but I'm willing to be proved wrong! We have children attending different days and found it hard to plan a focus activity each day (or even a couple each week if I'm honest!) because there didn't seem time for each child to be included. We also had the problem that if they were engaged in free play, we felt it was inappropriate to break into their play and ask them to come and do something else. So, we plan one or two per week, and during our first two hours (free play) we invite children to join us if they would like. We don't ask those who are clearly engrossed. If they don't do the focus activity, we don't worry about it any more

In terms of planning, we choose one or two statements based on the development matters sections, from each area of learning, to include in our child-initiated and adult-directed activities. These are used for a fortnight (again to relieve the pressure of "having to get them done!"). We type these up and put them on the walls around the nursery so that each member of staff can be constantly reminded about the Learning Intentions we are focussing on for that fortnight, and to adapt their interactions with the children accordingly. We also use these LIs for the focus activities we plan. The observations we make on the children during the week are often based on these LIs, in addition to "catch as you can" observations.

[sharonash]

I think adult-directed and focused activities are the same, but I'm willing to be proved wrong! We have children attending different days and found it hard to plan a focus activity each day (or even a couple each week if I'm honest!) because there didn't seem time for each child to be included. We also had the problem that if they were engaged in free play, we felt it was inappropriate to break into their play and ask them to come and do something else. So, we plan one or two per week, and during our first two hours (free play) we invite children to join us if they would like. We don't ask those who are clearly engrossed. If they don't do the focus activity, we don't worry about it any more

In terms of planning, we choose one or two statements based on the development matters sections, from each area of learning, to include in our child-initiated and adult-directed activities. These are used for a fortnight (again to relieve the pressure of "having to get them done!"). We type these up and put them on the walls around the nursery so that each member of staff can be constantly reminded about the Learning Intentions we are focussing on for that fortnight, and to adapt their interactions with the children accordingly. We also use these LIs for the focus activities we plan. The observations we make on the children during the week are often based on these LIs, in addition to "catch as you can" observations.

 

Thanks Helen

that makes it a bit clearer glad you said you thought they were the same - so did I!

 

You said the first 2 hours free play are you saying you dont free play for all the session or have i misread!?

 

So each fornight you choose your LI's just randomly? So do you say over a certain period of time you would cover these? ie our long term plan used to say we would cover all of them over a period of 2 years and had one from each area of learning a month, but we stopped this.

 

Any chance you could share you sessions routine with me, do you do particular planned adult learning in a group time for instance?

 

thanks Helen

 

Sharon

[Guest]

Hi Sharon

 

I agree with Helen in that our Focus activities are those which have to be 'adult lead' such as baking, walks around the village, supporting when visitors come in, circle time etc. Where we fit them in depends on the actual activity.

 

Rachel

[Helen]

Hi,

Sure, here is my framework for the morning's provision, although we do change it depending on the weather and the liveliness of the children!

Basically we have two hours of free play, then a bit of structured stuff, then free play in the garden at the end. We do try and take the structured activities outside too, eg circle time, Big Book, and music and movement sessions, whenever we can. The adult-directed activities can be in circle time, movement time, or as part of the free play, where children can join the adult-directed activity if they wish (this could be an experiment-type thing, or designing and making, gardening, or cooking, etc)

 

The LIs we choose are based on our observations of the children, and each fortnight, our staff meeting is solely devoted to discussing the children and their present and future needs. We add to their "Special Books" (ie records of achievement) and make notes for the planning meeting the following week, where we decide on the activities and LIs for the next fortnight.

framework_for_parents.doc

[hali]

we have 7 memebrs of staff and all did one focus activity each week - its far too much so as from now are doing one/two per week

[Guest]

Hi, I'm new to the forum,

i am a nursery nurse with one other nursery nurse and a class teacher with 39 children in a school nursery. When we plan one member of staff on a rota basis does a focus activity which lasts all week. I work on a basis of doing between 8 or 9 children per session starting at 9.15am until 10.15am. I work with 3 or 4 children at a time. I have a photocopied sheet which has childs name on what the activity is then the early learning goals it covers. I then highlight as i am doing the activity what each child can do. I also take a photo and attach this to the sheet. Lovely to pass onto parents. This works well for us. Hope this helps Christine x

[Guest]

Hi Everyone,

 

Our pre school day runs like this. The children come in at 9.30 and self register by taking their name badge and sticking it to there colour group in our quite/listening room. We then sing our 'Hello everyone have a nice day song', we then ask the children what 'day is it today' and sing and sign our days of the week song, we then do the weather and sing weather song. We then discuss what we will be doing today etc, this sounds a lot but takes literally 10minutes and is a nice introduction to the session.

 

The children then have freeplay all morning inside, as our outside area is accessed through the kitchen so they need to be taken outside at specific times (we are waiting on a survey about a move to the local school in 2009 fingers crossed this happens then of course the children will free flow inside and out.

 

Each day we have a focus activity, we decide the focus children at planning by looking at a selection of childrens required next steps and plan a focus activity which will support the focus child to reach their next step, all children can access the focus activity of course. The practitioner who is on the focus activity will try to encourage the focus children to take part, however there is no pressure for them to do this, the child is asked to join in and then in the evaluation we write their response, if they didnt take part, we will then plan a different activity for the following week etc. Our focus activities are the same as adult directed. We have found one focus activity is enough, the children enjoy these and enjoy directing their own play, the staff not on a focus activity are deployed around the setting in an observing capacity and will join in if they feel the children need more support or are asked to do so by the children.

 

At 10.30 we have small group time in the quite listening room. We have three colour groups and only one group per day does small group time which is led by their key worker. At the moment we are using our small group time to deliver letters and sounds as we found it to noisy in the main hall to be of any benefit to the children. Small group time isnt just confined to the quite room. With advance notice from the key worker they can take their group out of the setting, for instance they have been on listening and nature walks etc. The children have never refused to take part in small group, in fact we have found the opposite the children will ask in the morning 'who is small group today' and we have found after an hour of free play they enjoy the change. Small group also helps the children form a special bond with their keyworker and the other children within their group, which gives them a real sense of belonging. Ten minutes before the end of small group time they pre pare the fruit snack for all of the children at the setting. We have tried a rolling snack bar and it didnt suit our setting. This way the children get to see lots of different and usual fruits in their whole form, we have red handled safety knives (from pampered chef...brilliant knives, they cut anything but wont cut a child) and the children choose what fruit to peel, chop and slice which is then put into three large china serving bowls with a serving spoon, at snack time at 11.30 all children sit together and pass the bowl round and put some fruit into there little plastic bowls the main fruit bowl keeps going around the table until its empty, we also have cheese, cucumber and carrots. In the winter we have toast and fruit.

 

At 10.55 in the main hall a practitioner tells all the children that the sandtimer is being turned over and they have five minutes to finish what they are doing (this again is brilliant the children very often tell us the time is up and also gives them a sense of how time passes) we all then stand together and do our tidy up song and dance.

 

After tidy up time all the children go to the quite listening room for either a story, singing, news time or show and tell, (twice a week we plan for the following week with the children) this involves taking our display boards down and into the quite room, recalling what the children have been interested in, what they have learnt, what they have enjoyed or disliked.

their input is then fed directly into our planning. which takes about fifteen minutes we then all have snack. After snack we go outside in all weathers until about 12pm.

 

At 12pm we go back into the hall and do a whole group activity (either ring games, running games, dancing, and is planned from childrens interests, for instance last week, they were pretending to be horses, so we planned a horse derby, with cut out horse ears etc and had horse races during whole group time. whole group is always very physical. Two days a week we finish at 12.15 the other two days we are open until three. So on these days the children have lunch, we have an arrangement with the local school who supply our children with a cooked lunch, so this is delivered and enjoyed by all. After lunch we walk to the local school and make use of their playground, if the weather is really bad we stay at the setting and the children have free choice, because all of our resources are stored in a cupboard we have a photo board showing a photo of every resource we have at the setting, the children select a picture and we get the resouces out for them.

 

I have written so much I have forgotten what the question was lol sorry.

[Buttercup]

hi cupcake

 

i am interested in your songs you do for days of the week, weather an tidy up time

 

we do a hello and goodbye song but i am interested in introducing more.

 

angela

[emmajess]

hi cupcake

 

i am interested in your songs you do for days of the week, weather an tidy up time

 

we do a hello and goodbye song but i am interested in introducing more.

 

angela

 

I love the hello and goodbye songs on CBeebies' Something Special - they're great because it's easy to watch them and learn the makaton.

[Guest]

We ask the children what is the weather like today, they all look out the window and tell us, so if its sunny and warm they then find the symbol and put it on the weather board, then we all sing

 

What is the weather today

what is the weather today

Its sunny and warm,

sunny and warm,

that is the weather today, hooray!

 

(very simple, but the kids love it)

 

They are then asked 'what day is it today'

find the symbol and put it on the board, then we sing and sign

 

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday to

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven days each day different and everyday new. (the children clap when saying the numbers)

 

Our Tidy up song is a very simple 'Wiggle Wiggle' it encourages the children to have nothing in their hands, we all gather in the centre of the room with our hands in the air, we then ask the children what wiggle they would like (they make knew ones up all the time) high wiggle, low wiggle, bum wiggle etc then we sing and do what ever wiggle they wanted

 

Wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle, fingers on your lips, (this encourages the children to do good listening) we then ask the children what areas they would like to be responsible for and off they go.

 

All the above is really quick, simple but effective.

[Guest Stalbans]

Just wanted to say thanks for your daily routine information and the songs, they are great although I only have 2 and a half hours to fit everything in which is appearing to be a bit of a struggle, can't decide if I'm planning too much !! I have just introduced the rolling snack bar to get away from continually interrupting the children's play and we have set our role play up outside this term as we have a covered decked area do you think that counts as outdoor play? We also have a play area which we share with reception class and the children love to use as its where the bikes, climbing frame, slide and large bikes are so we try to fit in playtime too. I am reluctant to open this up as continual play because I feel its a large space that requires two members to supervise, I also think some children would spend the entire time out there, is this wrong? One minute feel I am beginning to understand it all and then the next feel completely confused

[Guest]

Hi,

we sing the days of the week

 

Sunday,Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday,Saturday, too

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 days, each day different and every day new.

 

the next 2 songs are sung to Frere Jacques

 

Please and Thank You, Please and Thank You

Sounds so nice, Sounds so nice

Manners are important, Manners are important

Be Polite, Be Polite

 

 

Tidy Up,Tidy Up

Pick up the Toys, Pick up the Toys

Let us all be helpers, Let us all be helpers

Girls and Boys, Girls and Boys

[Guest]

hope these are useful

[Guest]

Hi I love your days of the week song - but what tune is it sung to?