Focus Activities

[Guest]

Hi. I was just wondering how others carry out focus activities? At present, our setting tries to do 3 focus activities per day, which we're finding a bit of a struggle as we are only open for 3 hours a day! I was wondering how many focus activities do others carry out per day/per week?

 

I was thinking along the lines of one a day, making a total of 5 per week, but I'm not sure if it is enough.

 

Thanks, Clare

[Sue R]

hi Clare,

 

I'm sure that will be fine!! If you're only open for 3 hours you can't realistically do more than 1, the children need some time for the child initiated stuff!

 

I wouldn't worry too much about linking all the other activities on your planning, just be sure staff are aware of how you would like it to go, but as these are CI, really it's down to their idea of how to access it.

 

Sue

[Guest]

Wow Clare, that's a lot of activities! I am assuming that you are doing 3 different ones each day so making 15 in a week?

As our children don't all attend pre-school every day we have two focus activities each week-therefore ensuring that all the children have the opportunity to have a go if they want. We have a different keyworker group activity each day-so 5 in a week and we have a different physical activity each day. We try and have our creative workshop available everyday-but it depends on the focus activity in that particular room for that week. We are open three hours as you are and we find it difficult to fit everything in at times.

Hope that helps you

Linda

[Guest]

We usually do one focus activity a day (repeated for afternoon session). We sometimes have a focus inside and outside, thus making 2, but usually only one (unless we've got guaranteed extra help, as there are only 2 adults in the nursery usually.)

[Guest]

We don't currently have access to an outdoors area, but fortunately, our room is large enough to have a physical area, in which we provide the children with bikes, climbing apparatus etc. The only downfall of this, however is that the children are not experiencing opportunities for interaction with natural resources, for example, we are unable to do digging and growing.

 

I was thinking along the lines of doing 1 activity per day with an aim to cover all areas of the room. This would mean that we would have to do 2 activities on one day. Nothing has been set in stone yet, as I'm still experimenting and playing around with it.

 

Thanks for all your comments though!

[Guest]

We only have one main theme focus activity a day. covering all six areas over the week. Other wise I foind you have too many staff tied down at a time. We have 26 children per session, 4 staff members ans a parent helper if you lucky. 1 staff member each day carry out observation of their keyworker children, 1 on main focus activity, 1 staff member and parent helper on outside play and the other member of staff as a floater. as we have a large main room and a small computer room it is some times diffecuilt to cover all areas so we try to use the computer for part of the session, then outside for the other part.

 

Rosemarie

[Inge]

we too only do one a day, CI for the rest of the room, so only 1 adult is tied down at any time.

we cover all areas in 1 week but find that the 'extra one' is covered most days in some form by using daily activites circle time, stories, role play area, physical play, music and movement etc etc and planning is completed for this.

our children are also part time but a lot attend 5 days so have a daily focus and ensure that each area of learning is on a different day each week so they all cover most areas by the end of term.

As we change daily we do revisit activites which were challenging or popular often at the childrens request, extending them, changing them slightly depending on evaluation, or consolidating the learning.

 

Inge

[Guest]

Thanks Inge. I find the idea of carrying out the extra focus activity during one of the daily activities, such as circle time, really gelpful! I was doing my focus planning yesterday and chose circle time as one of them, but didn't think about it being an everyday thing!

 

Clare

[Guest]

we only have one focus activity per WEEK.

 

the activity is progressed further each day for the individual needs of the children. it can be adult led to start with, then child initiated into the week, using the childrens ideas and interest to progress the activity further.

 

we believe the children gain much more knowledge when they carry something on, rather than changing each day.

 

we have the continuos provision for general activities.

[Guest]

Hi Clare,

We have 3 focus activities a week but we are also open 10 sessions a week. Each focus activity is allocated to a member of staff with specific ELG and Stepping stones. That staff member then has the week to record the observations of the children achieving the ELG and SS through their allocated focus activity.

But if you are only open 3 hrs a day, i assume for 5 days, I would only have 1 focus activity a week. Then you can make sure all the children have the opportunity to access it.

 

Net x

[Guest]

Thanks Net.

 

Thanks to Inge and Sue R I have two good ideas to choose from when carrying focus activities out:

 

1. Include aspects of the routine/activities that are done on a daily basis such as circle time

 

2. Have a rolling plan available of when areas are going to be covered eg:

 

week 1

 

Mon PSE

Tues CLL

Wed MD

Thurs KUW

Fri PD

 

week 2

 

Mon CD

Tues PSE

Wed CLL

 

and so on. Both these ideas, I feel will suit our team really well whilst keeping on top of focus activities in all areas.

 

I think we do too many as it is, but I think 1 per day would be sufficient (now I have been reassured!!)

 

Clare

 

Clare