'timetable' Example Request !

[fimbo]

we run a 3 hour session, and have stuck to the same 'timetable' for years -we are thinking of re organising it and would love to see how other settings work around their 3 hours, we would need to include a time for snack.

do other settings have a specific time allocated for free play, small group activites,physical play etc ?

[trekker]

We do two three hour sessions a day - afternoons follow same format as morning:

 

We open at 9am.

Bags down, coats off, Self registration and straight into free play.

About 10.15 we open the snack bar ( a few children have helped prepare)...children access any time between then and 11.15.

Optional adult led activity might be offerred during the session but not every day...mainly staff are expected to interact and support ongoing...'Activites' generally arise spontaneously ... from adults responding to children or from children themselves...we value these and record them at the end of each session / day rather than pre-planning too much.

We tidy up at about 11.35

Once thats finished (about 11.45) we do the main adult led activity - whole, or smaller key group 'circle time' (rhymes / stories / movement)

Then home (or lunch club) at 12 noon.

[lynned55]

We do much the same as Trekker, in fact really you d=could be describing our group!

We sometimes do a whole group activity around 11/11:15pm songs/games depends on what else is going on and on the group. Otherwise it really is as above

[Guest]

Will probably tweak mine slightly to adapt to the 3 hours, but for 2.5 we open doors and children go straight into free-flow inside and out, if there's a focus activity its running as the children come in, snack is available completely openly until tidy up time. Half hour before the end of the session we tidy up, do stories and songs and go home. Quite liking the idea of having focus activities being done as a group time towards the end of the session will have to think some more over the holiday, would free up the adults to really play with the children and extend their play during the sessions.

[Guest]

Quite liking the idea of having focus activities being done as a group time towards the end of the session will have to think some more over the holiday, would free up the adults to really play with the children and extend their play during the sessions.

 

In Kent, advisors really push seperate focus group sessions for this reason. They are really against having focus activities running alongside child initiated because it ties the adults up from supporting/extending play etc. When we changed to speerate sessions, it worked much better and we found there was a really improvement in play skills etc. It also means that children can have long periods of play without interuptions- there is nothing worse than a child really getting to point in their play/game/learning being called to come and do their activity- we also found that the children get more from the focus activity becasue they are not rushing to get back etc.

[thumperrabbit]

How many children would you have in your 'group time?'

Also are they of mixed ages?

I am playgroup 2 - 4yr olds, we seem to struggle to do whole group time unless it's a story, but even then it's difficult to keep some younger ones focused.