Planning, Daily, Weekly, Aaarrrrgghh!

[Guest]

Hi, are they asking you to do a formal 'we all do this' approach, or to set up an activity that the children might access with adult support if they wish?

 

We are a preschool and what we do is set out a whole variety of activities - some that encourage the children to engage in open ended imaginative play, others that are a bit more specific because of the resources on offer (e.g. by putting stencils with the whiteboards you encourage the children to focus on doing that).

 

Could your focus activity be something really short, for instance just have a letter of the week and at snack time asking the older children to think of something in the room that starts with that letter?

 

Hope that makes sense.

 

I agree that the DCSF play document is really useful.

hi Suzie, we have been asked to do a 'sit down at a table' activity covering maths/CLL/KUW/CREATIVE ETC 2 per day, we feel we cover these areas in continous provision and can take the learning to the children in their chosen area of play?! we do one focused activity at the moment and usually concentrate on maths, we do letters and sounds once or twice a week at circle time, we act out stories that we are reading, we have great roleplay resources, we observe our children and record/photograph them and put them in their learning journeys, we feel we are providing good practice and know all our children and it would be ineffective to alot of our children to 'sit' at a table to work?!! will deffo have a look at that document, thanks

[green hippo]

It was the 'Learning, playing and interacting' document that I got my idea from for having a focused activity time. There is a section in there somewhere which suggests that it is worth considering working in this way to avoid the adult-led/child-led conflict that can occur. However, the activities do not have to be formal table-top activities e.g. today we had 3 different activities - only 1 of which was on a table (and it was making models with salt-dough so certainly not 'formal, sit-down!). I always try to make my activities playful and fun.

I'm sure there is somewhere in the EYFS documents that states that table-tops and chairs are not always the best way for children to learn - sometimes they will prefer to stand-up or sit/lie on the floor.

Good luck, I hope you can find something that works for you.

Green Hippo

[Guest]

It was the 'Learning, playing and interacting' document that I got my idea from for having a focused activity time. There is a section in there somewhere which suggests that it is worth considering working in this way to avoid the adult-led/child-led conflict that can occur. However, the activities do not have to be formal table-top activities e.g. today we had 3 different activities - only 1 of which was on a table (and it was making models with salt-dough so certainly not 'formal, sit-down!). I always try to make my activities playful and fun.

I'm sure there is somewhere in the EYFS documents that states that table-tops and chairs are not always the best way for children to learn - sometimes they will prefer to stand-up or sit/lie on the floor.

Good luck, I hope you can find something that works for you.

Green Hippo

Thanks Green Hippo, i agree with you and if you look around any setting there are lots of activities going on as well as lots of learning, like you say i just dont wish to sit the children down or take them away from an activity they are already enjoying! i would prefer to take the learning to them whenever possible

[Guest]

Trish, I would mention Ofsted and explain that they would not be happy with such an adult initiated approach at this age.

 

Good luck with them! (the adults, not the kids!)

[Guest]

Any of the six areas in the EYFS can be used in any of our and Im sure your areas in your setting

 

for example playdoh well that is all 6 psed,cd,prsn,kuw,cll and cd

we have no focused activity all provision is planned around the interests of the child and enhanced according to obsrevations made, planning is done individually for each child on a weekly basis

we have a welcome time where the children sit for 10mins and we have three story groups at the end otherwise it is child initated, free flowing to outdoors practise

we do letters and sounds daily

[carrieanne1976]

Yes I have to agree, most of the activities we do with the children can be used in all areas.

 

I have recently moved into a pre-school room and i'm trying to introduce the letters and sounds on a daily basis, does anyone have any advice which could help me in anyway. All ideas welcome.

[Guest]

thanks for all replies..this week i tried something different, the children usually arrive at 9 and at half 9 we use to stop play and go into two carpet groups for direct teaching, this allowed me to do some focused teaching, however I have totally scrapped this, it interfered with their play and this week we only had a group time, 'everyone together' at the end of the day, so much more time for observations, ch access outdoors now immediately upon arrival and this has got rid of the mad panic for the door!! much more relaxed. Have planned focused / adult led activities but staff move to where the ch are etc. I have planned one focused activity per session ( AM and PM) and this is based on ch's interests observed, e.g.kids loved using large balls and nets last week, so this week we are going to plan some target games, throwing and counting out six objects from a larger group..hope Im making sense.

I am even pulling children to do letters and sounds activiites throughout the session, made sure this week that letters and sounds is within continous prov indoors and outdoors which will allow practitioners to be more fluid .. it has been so much better.

 

I feel very much that the children are happier too which is important and allows staff time now to observe and interact.

 

Also went on a fab course by jenny Mosely who stressed the importance of laughter, relaxation, enjoyment of learning and teaching and not losing sight of this when feeling the pressures from above... A real shame then that the early years advisor stepped up to the mike and said, ' right our target is to reach such and such a percentage in cll and psed by....such and such a time...'

 

Appreciate the need for targets but not at the expense of learning, life,pleasure and enjoyment, life is too short... i am sure if staff are relaxed and having fun so too are the kids... hold your philosophies close to your heart...i became too wrapped up in planning and paper and boxes and grids that for just a second i forgot why i work with the most wonderful people ever...the kids...

 

WOW!! happy sunday

[Helen]

Thanks so much for making that post! It's inspiring when we hear that things have WORKED! Great news, and thanks for keeping us up to date with your changes.

[Guest]

letters and sounds form part of our routine daily

our children (26 of them) are diviede into 3 groups usually in ages but it also takes into account stage of development

the younger 2 groups have story then do a small session around one of the ryhmes or games in aspect 1 from the letters and sounds book, so for a little while they have been doing 'magic bag' - if you have the book you will know what magic bag is!

my older group still do some of this but also are at a stage now and are able to and want to learn there phonetic sounds and we do games and ryhmes around those

 

also we do a lot of letting the childen speak and lead a story group

being able to listen and distinguish sounds is key and these things we do before we move them forward

letters and sounds happen on an ad hoc basis throught out the session when children are at child intiated play.

we have 2 musical areas inside and outside permanantly set up (we are pack away)

 

listening bags are dotted around the hall and children can use them as part of there play

 

hope this helps, our sip bought someone from the national strategies for dcsf. They loved what they saw so we must be getting some thing right

[Guest]

I've read the thread too and don't want to read and run.

My planning is a mess so don't feel anyone would gain anything from seeing it. It veers from being over prescribed to non existent. I now have a team of totally demotivated staff so don't want to project that negativity onto the Forum!

Posy

 

PS Maybe we could have a competition for the least easily understood planning - bet i'd win

 

plans plans - we had an early years advisor around today she asked to see the plans - what written wasn't put out what is this she said I said the chidlren wanted this out instead why can't we video everything

[Guest]

same here I think I have gone full circle.

[Guest]

I work in a maintained 'flexible delivery' nursery. We therefore have some children all day everyday - some who do 2 full days - some all morning - some all pms - and some a mixture of everything! I have to do MTP/STP which I know don't follow the childrens interest - but follow the 'development matters' to move them up the SPs. I have to incorporate differentiated Letter & Sounds daily. I'm expected to get a high percentage of my chn working at SP 4/5 for writing by the end of Nursery and the same for PSRN!!

 

I feel that my focus activities are 'writing' based - trying to get to the targets. My TA is fabulous and we have just spent this week doing formal assessments - which have to be included in a 'book' that follows the children all the way through school - on top of trying to get observations put into learning journeys AND nursery has now been included in APP!!!! There are just not enough hours in the day!!! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh!

[Guest]

thanks for all replies..this week i tried something different, the children usually arrive at 9 and at half 9 we use to stop play and go into two carpet groups for direct teaching, this allowed me to do some focused teaching, however I have totally scrapped this, it interfered with their play and this week we only had a group time, 'everyone together' at the end of the day, so much more time for observations, ch access outdoors now immediately upon arrival and this has got rid of the mad panic for the door!! much more relaxed. Have planned focused / adult led activities but staff move to where the ch are etc. I have planned one focused activity per session ( AM and PM) and this is based on ch's interests observed, e.g.kids loved using large balls and nets last week, so this week we are going to plan some target games, throwing and counting out six objects from a larger group..hope Im making sense.

I am even pulling children to do letters and sounds activiites throughout the session, made sure this week that letters and sounds is within continous prov indoors and outdoors which will allow practitioners to be more fluid .. it has been so much better.

Thanks for sharing - I like the sound of this approach. I'm glad you found something that works for you! I aim to achieve this balance too. However, I find that pulling children for activities such as Letters & Sounds can take a long time throughout each session and takes me away from interacting with the children in their play. Do you find the same thing? I'm thinking of introducing a quick group time midway through the session for L&S...

 

 

Appreciate the need for targets but not at the expense of learning, life,pleasure and enjoyment, life is too short... i am sure if staff are relaxed and having fun so too are the kids... hold your philosophies close to your heart...i became too wrapped up in planning and paper and boxes and grids that for just a second i forgot why i work with the most wonderful people ever...the kids...

Love this!