Guest heleng Posted January 27, 2010 Posted January 27, 2010 We will be getting a grant of £500 to spend purely on early years resources. Hopefully next week but got to be spent in a fortnight!! As an early years team (nursery and reception) we have talked about replacing and upgrading tired and uninspiring general equipment but the main aim of this money is to raise standards (we have low profile results) and our head has said as a result of this money she will want to see a definite improvement in standards. So, any bright shining ideas? Our lowest profile areas are reading, writing, calculating and social and emotional development.
apple Posted January 27, 2010 Posted January 27, 2010 Hmmm a tall order- raising standards by spending £500- no pressure then! a couple of suggestions- I was recently at a children's centre whose philosophy was based on Reggio. We talked about the lack of resources/toys such as the usual ones found in a classroom- popoids, stickle bricks, etc. They had no such things as they believed that there was not much mileage in imaginative play with such things. What they did focus on was giving the children found and natural materials to explore and there were plenty of community play things wooden blocks to encourage imagainative play (stroytelling and writing was much in evidence). They still had dinosaurs, cars etc but just a few to enhance the imaginative play rather than they be the only toys on offer. Working with blocks children's PSED skills could be developed as well as their story telling and creativity. Another thing I noticed at the centre was that the children each had a small spiral bound notebook with their photo on and when they wanted to they would find an adult and together would write a story (sometimes made up, quite often based on an experience/event that had happened to the child. I wonder if your money could be used to buy in a creative practitioner such as a stroyteller or writer, specialising in the early years to support chidlren's use of imaginationa and stroy telling, so enahncing yours and the children's skills? I think I would be less likely to spend the money on the usual catalogue resources and more on a specific project/training to help address a key area of learning that needs your attention/ Hope this helps
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