Guest Posted March 20, 2009 Posted March 20, 2009 Hi all, don't want to spend my Easter hols doing this as well as everything else, so just wondered what you are all going to be doing. I will be working full time in a small reception class. Thanks for all your help Ger
Cait Posted March 20, 2009 Posted March 20, 2009 Not doing anything. Children say they want to look at animals, but they may change their minds by next month so I'm planning a 'settling back in' week for the first week back, just looking at continuous provision and doing some observations etc and see where the children take us! What's the point in flogging through all that stuff if the children want to do something else? There's the SEF to finish anyway......
Guest Posted March 20, 2009 Posted March 20, 2009 Hi cait , I very much try to plan with the children's interest and rarely complete much of what I have on my plans,however ,we have someone who is very keen to see our plans in the folder on monday. I change the plans pretty much daily. sometimes I feel the children need something to get them started.
Guest Posted March 20, 2009 Posted March 20, 2009 My thoughts precisely, Cait! Still trying to hone the observations cycle and make sure I have evidence for every single thing we do! Lesley
Guest Posted March 20, 2009 Posted March 20, 2009 Don't you think its sad that we have to have an observation for everything we do...........
HappyMaz Posted March 20, 2009 Posted March 20, 2009 Don't you think its sad that we have to have an observation for everything we do........... that's because children obviously are only learning when we're there to take a photo of them doing so, or to write it down for their observation record, Ger!
Cait Posted March 20, 2009 Posted March 20, 2009 Hi cait , I very much try to plan with the children's interest and rarely complete much of what I have on my plans,however ,we have someone who is very keen to see our plans in the folder on monday. I change the plans pretty much daily. sometimes I feel the children need something to get them started. Ah - we're talking this Monday?
Guest Posted March 20, 2009 Posted March 20, 2009 Ger we have a double ended title for next half term-Down on the farm/Whats in the pond? We have a farm trip planned and we will brainstorm with the children before the holiday about the farm and this will help inform our informal planning which will basically be for basic provision extention for the first 2 weeks (2 reception classes so we flip basic provision). 6 weeks is to long to keep a topic theme so we 'intend' 2nd half to visit a pond theme as we have an internal school pond in key 2 that the children don't know about yet!! Although we will fine tune the planning to the childrens interests school requires a yearly break down of themes and we find that our childrens backgrounds are limited for life experiences.If we didn't have the lose topic title we would be playing 'lets go down to the mucky pub' all year like we were this afternoon
Cait Posted March 20, 2009 Posted March 20, 2009 Could you ask the children what they want to do? Our old three year 'rolling programme' pre-EYFS puts us as doing 'holidays and Transport' over the summer term. But I am preferring the EYFS way, so wasn't automatically assuming we'd do this. After our current theme (Minibeasts - thanks to a winter influx of spiders, woodlice etc) - now coming to a natural conclusion just in time for us to do something Mother's Day - ish today and possibly manage to get something Easter-ish done next week - thanks to an obvious interest in Easter eggs at the moment, the children have expressed an interest in looking at bigger animals next. That makes it easier for me - but I'm not going to plan for anything just in case they change their minds!
Lorna Posted March 20, 2009 Posted March 20, 2009 We are doing Dinosaurs- got a big group of children really into dinosaurs and planning a trip to Oxford museum to look at them second week back. First week back reestablishing rules and routines.
Guest Posted March 20, 2009 Posted March 20, 2009 We've asked the children what they would like to do and had quite a range but a common theme was superheroes particularly from the boys - especially Ben10 and power rangers! One boy said we should do something about a magical egg. One of our girls wants us to have a party. We'll ask them again next week and see what they come up with - will they have changed their ideas?!
Guest Posted March 21, 2009 Posted March 21, 2009 HI We are just having the title All Around ( as we are planning to go down to our Marina where we have a little Salt pool with a man made beach, use our local village to look at the buildings etc we also have a nature reserve in walking distance) We use this us an opportunity for people who help us well as the village is quite self sufficient with an estate agents, pharmacy, butchers, travelling green grocer, village shop, church, bakers, garage. The first week back will brain storm with children any ideas they have. Some children may have been away in the Easter holidays so hopefully may lead us into talking about far away places/how we got there (even if thats far away in the UK!! going a mile down the road is seen as far away) Just roll on the warm sunny weather
Guest Posted March 21, 2009 Posted March 21, 2009 Thanks everyone, it is great to have food for thought. I did do Mother's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Red Nose and I am now getting some bits ready for Easter. It is just trying to explain this to our Lit co-or. who needs to have everything on a plan. We are supposed to put our plans in a central folder every Monday but as mine are constantly changing it is difficult to do this. She has been asking what am I doing next term and she looks shocked when I say I don't know what I am doing next week ha
Guest Posted March 25, 2009 Posted March 25, 2009 In my Foundation Unit we have to follow the same topic as the Year 1/2 class (not my idea!) but let the children choose how we can do it. It's great having more freedom like that in the Foundation Stage! For the first half term we are looking at 'Locations', after a discussion with the children they decided they wanted to 'look at lots of different places where the people don't live in houses'! We have decided to do six different countries, one a week, and that range from hot to cold - again, the children had input on this and we came up with Africa, Australia, England, France, Antartica and Japan. For the final six weeks we have the topic 'Our School' but I haven't even thought about that one yet! Last year we did 'The Seaside' which was brilliant for a summer topic. If anybody has any ideas for my Locations topic feel free to share! We are going to taste different traditional foods from each country as well as cooking some of our own, the children want to make Yorkshire Puddings for England! Also will be looking at the weather/animals/transport/traditional dress/famous buildings and landmarks/flags/houses. I think Barnaby Bear will be in there somewhere aswell. Phew! MellyMoo x
sunnyday Posted March 25, 2009 Posted March 25, 2009 Mellymoo - that all sounds great! I am tending to 'go with flow' - following children's interests - but as a 'starting point' we will be looking at 'Growth and Change' - we are lucky enough to have a local farmer who will visit with a lamb - have already checked with him to see when they will start lambing! - he also uses an incubator for ducks and geese and has promised some day old chicks for next term - lovely man!!! Sunnyday
blondie Posted March 25, 2009 Posted March 25, 2009 lucky you to have that farmer - we had to make do with tadpoles which the chilkdren werent very interested in.
Guest Posted March 26, 2009 Posted March 26, 2009 We are doing Dinosaurs- got a big group of children really into dinosaurs and planning a trip to Oxford museum to look at them second week back. First week back reestablishing rules and routines. We always start our term with what do I know already and what would I like to find out - we took our list with us to the Museum and Chris answered our questions send him our best wishes he's a real hit with our children - we are just coming to the end of our Dinosaur theme all 12 weeks - well it just took off and everyone was enjoying themselves so much that we just ran with it - we did have a few digger days and a JCB came to visit us - and have had aeroplanes ( couldn't get one to come to us ) but could have visited the airport - but only allowed one visit per term - and the Oxford Museum is a must its fantastic - if you have never been take a day in the hols to visit entrance is free and Oxford is worth the visit not many japanesse tourists find the Museum so its possible to walk around at leisure - enjoy Dinos - we have and I have learn't so much g
Guest Posted March 26, 2009 Posted March 26, 2009 lucky you to have that farmer - we had to make do with tadpoles which the chilkdren werent very interested in. Have you tried hatching hen eggs - we did last year and it was such a hit that I plan to do the same again this year - The awe and wonder when the chicks hatched during a phonics session!! was just wow!! our local secondary school provides us with the necessary and we just followed their directions - Silk moths are also fantastic - try World Wide Butterflies g
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