Linking Planned Craft Activities With Developmental Matters

[Guest]

Hi

 

I am preparing some activity plans for adult led craft activities - things like painting, collage, making various things such as hats and cards and flags, planting and cooking etc.

 

I was going to link a couple of EYFS learning outcomes to each activity, which is something that I have done in the past.

 

However when I had made a list of all the potential learning opportunities for this type of activity (see attached hopefully) it seemed to me that the learning opportunities were probably more related to how the adult engaged with the child than the activity itself. Is this a reason not to include one or two learning opportunities with craft plans - but rather to have this general list and ask adults to provide as many of these learning opportunities as possible for each craft activity? I know with long term planning/continous provision the move seems to be to list all the potential areas of learning - should this be the same approach for craft activities?

 

Or should I just put a couple of learning intentions for each activity, because even though contrived in most cases, it would in theory give colleagues a learning focus for each activity that they were leading?

 

Any views would be welcome please.

 

Thanks

learning_opportunities_from_craft_activities.doc

[Scarlettangel]

Maybe you should put down the specific outcome you are after by providing that activity?

 

Pretty much everything in nursery is cross curricular, and if you look hard enough some even cover all 6 aspects of learning.

 

I think you should just put the learning intention you were after by providing the activity, and see any others as a bonus!!

 

But, thats just my thoughts!!

[Guest]

I agress with scareltangel other wise that is an awful lot of work you have to do for all your adult led activities, have your intended outcome but add in your ob or evaluation what the actual outcome was, for each that took part if you like or general. Again that is my view, I try to encourage my team not to make more work for themselves!

[Guest Wolfie]

How do you decide upon which adult led activities to provide? If they are provided as part of the observation/assessment/planning cycle for individual children, could you state the particular learning outcome that you are wanting to promote for that child/group of children?

Edited April 8, 2009 by Wolfie

[Guest]

Thanks for your replies - it seems like the consensus from you all is that I should pick out one or two key learning objectives for each one after all - I just thought I could save myself a bit of time! The thing is we at present don't start with the learning aim - we tend to start with a celebration or theme eg easter, mothers day, fathers day, spring, and then fit the craft activity to the theme - the learning bit is just an add on which is why it is feeling a bit contrived I suppose - perhaps I will push for starting with the learning intention (and children!) next time round and add in the theme at the end instead.

 

Thanks for your help

 

Starburst

[Cait]

An adult led craft activity can give loads of different outcomes for different children, for example you may want a child to simply show pleasure and delight, another you may want to look at their numeracy, another it might be some sort of understanding of instructions etc etc. So planning for each child's next steps produces a multi-outcome activity

[Guest]

surely the learning outcome would be different for each child depending on the age and stage of development??

eaach child would take or learn what interested them

Edited April 8, 2009 by Suer

[Guest]

Thanks for your replies Cait and Suer - what you are saying - that the learning intention/outcome will be different for each child - leads me to thinking that it is perhaps not right to put one or two learning intentions next to a craft activity without reference to a particular child or perhaps group of children. I was worried about just putting down a random learning intention for each activity just to look good but without it having any real meaning - and so then I was thinking what's the point it's a waste of time.

 

So the answer then is perhaps to put a learning intention with a focus child/'children's name against each craft activity based on a meaningful target for that child - that sounds much better - although as you say Suer each child will take something different from it - but then I suppose that's a matter of observing or reflecting on what really happened - thanks I was really struggling there you have helped me a lot

 

Starburst x

[Guest]

exactly and why a craft what if craft just does not do it for your child?

it doesnt do it for a couple of my staff

 

my ket people work with their children and plan for the following week for each child it may involve the adult led actvity but it may equally be in the sand, the water, the garden, with trains, the role play and so on

[Cait]

This is the kind of thing we had on the wall when we were doing topics. It showed the kind of things we might see for each activity. Naturally it wasn't all-encompassing as you can never totally allow for things you might see at any time. There's no way you can plan for every eventuality!

 

It may help in some way though

wall_info_for_about_me.doc