Getting Staff To Make Resources?

[Guest]

Hi Everyone

 

I'm setting my staff a challenge of creating story sacks and various other items.

 

I selected the books for the big room and for the baby room I asked for a visual stimulation bag for the under 1's and a song bag for the over 1's. I will get my staff to each choose an item and then i've given them a five pound budget!! lol

not a lot i know but the aim of the issue is to get them thinking more resourcefully and using their initiative.

 

They will have one month to create their item and there will be a reward for the member of staff who puts in the most effort.

 

What do you think? Good idea? bad idea? has anyone else did anything like this?

 

I will allow them to work on it at work with the children or when we are quiet but do expect a little bit of home effort.

 

Can I just say i am also creating one on the same budget to give them an idea.

 

Let me know your thoughts, opinions and ideas - thanks

 

Nicola x

[Guest]

That sounds great Nicola! Be interesting to see how they all get on! I think home-made resources are sometimes nicer than the ones that can be bought. I have made many puzzles, games etc out of left over bits that were headed in the bin and they often look quite effective! Made a dinosaur silhouette puzzle once out of one of those flip chart type posters (if you know what I mean!) the pages were pretty crumpled, so I took them off, cut out the dinosaurs then traced around them on black paper. Cut all this out, stuck the black paper to some brightly coloured card, laminated it and we had a really good matching game! The boys loved it...

[Guest]

That sounds great Nicola! Be interesting to see how they all get on! I think home-made resources are sometimes nicer than the ones that can be bought. I have made many puzzles, games etc out of left over bits that were headed in the bin and they often look quite effective! Made a dinosaur silhouette puzzle once out of one of those flip chart type posters (if you know what I mean!) the pages were pretty crumpled, so I took them off, cut out the dinosaurs then traced around them on black paper. Cut all this out, stuck the black paper to some brightly coloured card, laminated it and we had a really good matching game! The boys loved it...

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Yeah i think home made resources can be better, i ordered the puppet set to go along with rumble in the jungle and the quality of those puppets was really pathetic, I could have made them up myself so fo 40 quid I think i will next time, lol.

 

I like your idea that you did with the dinosuar, very good!

 

Will let you know how they get on, lol

 

Nic

[Guest alisonjayne]

What a brilliant Idea, it will help them realise how much thought and effort you put into planning and resourcing. I really like the idea and will try this in our setting, it will be a real confidence booster for one of the girls who would be great at doing these.

[Guest]

I love the idea too and wish I had more people working in my setting to ask them to do the same. I have thought about asking parenst to do a similar sort of thing but feel I would need to give them a list of the sort of things they can put in the story bags. Has anyone got any examples of typical story bags? have you asked for parental help? How did it go / how did you approach parents?

I'd ove to know what you get in yours too Nicola. Keep us posted!

[Sue R]

We started this about a year ago with our staff - must say, they were already good at making things anyway- and it's a really good way of increasing pride in the environment and resources as well as individual confidence. I know of a nursery school locally that organised volunteer parents into making storysack resources - initially they worked as a small group under the guidance of one or two teachers/NNs then as they grew in confidence, worked independently 'training' new volunteers as they came along - the resultant storysack library is amazing!

 

Sue

[Susan]

Karen, have you looked at the storysacs website.

I'm sure the published esources would give you a starting point.

[hali]

let us know how it goes.......

[Guest]

Great idea, Myself and staff have over the past collected resources for putting into storysacks, song bags but they are all stored in my home office waiting for me to put them all together.

 

I have also collected quite a few shoe boxes planning to make song/story boxes with them or to store specific resources to go with specific adult led activities. They are just stockpiling at home.

 

I have a new member of staff and another who could be more involved with resourcing etc, and so now I am inspired to take all the resources in next week and let the staff have a rummage and come up with ideas to "design" their own. It will certainly give them a sense of achievement and help the new member of staff to think about what children gain from different resources / activities.

 

Thanks.

 

 

Peggy

[Rea]

I think it's a great idea. 'Growing up' in a playgroup with limited resourses and funds, I'm used to this and so I find the level of waste and total disregard for equipment in some CDN's and DN's I go to horrifying. If it's handed to you on a plate it's not appriciated.

[Sue R]

There's very little waste in my pre-school unit, Rea!! If they lose a puzzle piece they jolly well find it!! Even the children are well trained in 'finding' and 'putting away' and 'being careful'!

 

And woe betide anyone who uses a huge sheet of paper or card for one last letter for a display title, then throws the remnant away!!

 

Sue (who said 'skinflint'!!)

[Guest]

I really don't think that there are many (if any) settings, maintained or otherwise who are sufficiently well funded to waste much of anything. My children used to be horrified at my charity shop & pound shop visits, now my eldest daughter is a teacher and we go there together !

[Alison]

great idea about the story sacks and some parents might be keen to join in the challenge I might consider it.....

 

though I can imagine my staff saying something like "are we going to get paid for the time we spend on it" (they wont do anything for nothing! ) which can be a big problem getting craft activities prepared (but I think staff motivation should be another topic!)

 

as for charity shops, pound shops we wouldnt have half the stuff in our preschool if it wasnt for them not to mention the toys and equipment that get donated by parents over the years.

[bubblejack]

I have also learnt to be very resouceful over the years, often borrowing my own childrens toys when they were little. I still never under-estimate the value of recycled materials and old favourites.Over the years I have invested in many wooden toys that are firm favourites.Our children love cardboard boxes to decorate, build and use for role-play. I have found since companies are aware they we may have spare cash now I am inandated with catalogues at very expensive prices. A lot of the toys look nice in the catalogue bit they aren't always child friendly. If I buy an item that isn't suitable I phone the company and ask for a pre-paid label and send it back. I have also done this at Early Learning and have found them to be very understanding and will refund or offer another item to try.

[Guest]

Nicola,

 

Have the story sacks been produced yet?

How did the staff respond to the challenge?

What was your reward?

 

I'd be particularly interested in the under 1's sack,

 

Shelley