Home Observation Sheets

[Guest colechin]

I would like to encourage our parent/carers to make home observations of their children.

Currently they take it in turns to take home the video camera, but some have said that they would prefer to write down information.

 

Before I design a home observation sheet does anyone already have one which they could share with me, and also a letter explaining it to the parent/carers?.

 

If you haven't then i will have a go at designing one and will post here when done.

 

Thank you

[Deb]

Have you seen Cait's Wow vouchers? I wonder if that might be a solution?

Edited November 23, 2011 by Deb

[currycraver]

We use WOW sheets for news from home or nursery. To update the journals with parents views we use News from Home sheets which have loose headings for parents to comment on.

[Guest colechin]

Thank you for your comments.

 

I already have WOW's from home, and we hold a formal parent/carers meeting every term. I just heard from a Nursery who recently had Ofsted, that they should also be encouraging parent/carers to make observations at home of their children playing.

 

I also send out story sacks to each family every fortnight and some parents will write on our comments sheet and also in the section headed up 'Child's Voice'. But like everything, its usually a select few. I think we have to value what ever we receive from parents.

[Inge]

I am beginning to wonder what is happening if we are expected to get parents writing observations on their own children,,, sorry but too over the top and would argue this with any inspector who asked me to do it.

 

They are parents and not there to 'do written observations' of their children.. WOW moments and special things they want to tell us I can agree with but otherwise what is their purpose... we never did them ourselves in the setting unless there was a specific reason... waste of time energy and paper!

 

*OFF soap box and ducks..*

[finleysmaid]

just to play devils advocate here...what do you do if your parents are iliterate or unable to write due to a disability(like carpel tunnel or RSI) or have english as an additional language and are only able to write in their home language?(BTW all of these apply to my group!!)

[Guest]

Hi

Totally agree Inge and Finleysmaid. Too much in my opinion.

 

We have been told the same thing though from our support teacher that we should involve parents more....so looking at doing the WOW sticky notes. However I would argue that we actually "talk" to each other....parents tell us things about their children and vice versa...thought we were trying to get away from everything had to be written down, proof etc etc. If OFSTED came and talked to our parents I am sure that they would tell the inspector everything they need to know.

[Guest colechin]

Once again, thank you for your replies.

 

I think the WOW's, Home obs through the video camera, formal and informal meetings/discussions with parent/carers are enough. So i will leave it at that.

 

Have a good weekend everyone.

[enuffsenuf]

I hate to be a bit dense here but could someone pop a copy of their WOW sheet on here so I can see what on earth it is? I have tried searching for Caits "wow" vouchers but cannot seem to pull anything up that actually shows what they look like etc. One of my problems with some of these home links is that when we do our feedback forms etc we find its the usual suspects who always return them and the others obviously fall into a black hole somewhere....we also find that what we are being told by parents doesnt always match with we are observing....for example "Oh at home theyre really interested in quadratic equations" when we cant get them anywhere near the PSRN area! (well Ok this is a bit of an exageration but you catch my drift!)

[millhill]

I know you're no longer interested but just in case anyone else is.....I send these home with the 3 focus children. They are quite useful when I plan for the children's next steps and most parents return them.

 

Letter_home_booklet.doc

 

All_about_me_at_home.doc

[Cait]

I hate to be a bit dense here but could someone pop a copy of their WOW sheet on here so I can see what on earth it is? I have tried searching for Caits "wow" vouchers but cannot seem to pull anything up that actually shows what they look like etc.

 

 

Here you are

 

 

I DO have a Parent's Observation sheet in amongst my blank proformas but I don't expect them to do observations. Every now and then we get a wonderfully descriptive account in a home journey and I transcribe this onto an observation sheet and reference it to the EYFS. Next time parents are in for 'chat' I give it to them to read and show them just how much their child has achieved and how wonderfully they described it. It highlights that there are things that we never see at Preschool, which parents see at home, so that when I don't have something highlighted on the CC Progress sheet, they can better understand what I mean.

wow_forum.doc

[enuffsenuf]

Thank you so much you are both stars!