Planning Format For Outdoor Area?

[Guest]

Hi everyone,

 

Thanks to all who've answered our posts so far, you're all very helpful!

 

Ok, we currently give our head a weekly independent activities plan which includes a section on outdoor provision plus a weekly numeracy plan and a weekly literacy plan (which also include outdoor provision).

Today she's asked us to provide a separate outdoor plan as the other plans don't have enough detail. We feel like we're suffocating under a sea of plans!!

 

So my question is: do you do a separate outdoor plan and if so what does it look like PLUS how many plans do you do altogether?

 

Thanks in anticipation!

Jess

[Guest tinkerbell]

Hi

Ive just posted about a pretend Ofsted we had today.We do a daily literacy and maths plan and the foundation/other areas are done on a two week overvue plan eg Harvest.

Outdoor is tricky for me as we have a small area and we are on top of a windy exposed hill it can be tricky to get out as we also have to go out through someone elses classroom..I have a clipboard with an empty weekly plan and if conditions are good I write /jot down who and what the children will be doing out their.

Is this any good ?Tinkerbell

[Guest]

I'm in preschool but do plan my outside provision.

I plan for a week which is over 2 A4 landscape sheets and covers all the tables in the room, at least one activity on a table outside, water/sand etc outside, large and small equipment (perhaps a climbing frame and bats and balls).

Each activity also has a very brief adult role (a requirement from last Ofsted.) This may be as simple as 'positional language' or may be a complete target activity from stepping stones.

I also do a chart showing the TAs for the week (covering 4 areas and identifying ILPs etc)

 

Can attach if it would help tho not sure if it will as different age group really....

[Guest]

Hi Jess - cor! What a LOT of planning you do.

 

Don't know if this will help but this is what we do:

 

Medium term plan for the 'new' term (approx 7 weeks) - which is quite brief but does show the ELGs to be addressed.

 

Then just a Daily Plan with our differentiated learning intentions and a weekly plan for the outside area with only two focussed activities (due to staffing ratios) The outside plan is done by our wonderful teaching assistants.

 

The reason we stopped doing our weekly plan was because it was just a duplication of our Medium term Plan - I now have much more energy, enthusiasm etc to throw into the Daily Plan and the Daily Plan has now become much more of a relevant, working document.

 

Ask yourself - who are you planning for? Is your planning having a fantastic inpact on your teaching and learning? Does your level of planning allow you to spend time preparing wonderful first hand learning experiences for the children and do you have time to spend in your classroom & outside area really making them the best learning environments you can.

 

Theses are the reasons I use when justifying my planning. Hope it helps.

 

PS don't forget all your learning from your continuous provision (ie the ElGs covered through your Environment and your Routines which only need to be planned once - I suggest laminated and displayed - and only need to be checked termly to ensure the ELGs are being covered this way)

 

that's enough from me!!!!

[Susan]

I'm not surprised that you feel that you are drowning in paperwork, I know I would be too. Not sure what the answers are though except perhaps that you need to sit down with your head and talk about this but Bungalow has some relevant points, dont let the planning destroy your enthusiasm and energy for the teaching.

[Guest]

blackeyed pam-I'll try and attach my planning sheets. I like the sound of 2 weekly cycles-has anyone got any examples of these? Bungalow-any chance you could post your plans? Thay sound ideal! Thanks Zim

ps-my palns come from medium term which I haven't got on pc-sorry

pps-those of you who don't plan topics (id like to move away from this but dont know how) and are very 'child initiated' in their planning please tell me how its done!!

p104_Organisation_of_the_LE4.doc

Short_term_plan_of_focused_activities4.doc

LTP_Outdoor_Play.doc

[Guest]

Oh and I have a weekly plan for carpet/whole class sessions (so thats 3 sheets a week- quite a lot now I come to think of it!)