Guest Posted June 18, 2006 Share Posted June 18, 2006 Hi I was wondering if anyone could offer some help. I teach reception and had an early years advisor in observing last week. I had put colanders, funnels, spades in the sand. She said that this wasn't challenging enough for this time of year and they weren't learning anything. She also questioned the fact that there were 6 children at one point around the sand, but i have been told by a different advisor that you shouldn't restrict numbers. If the children had asked for these items if there had been something else in the sand aren't we supposed to let them. Am i wrong in thinking this? Has anyone any ideas for enhancing sand play? Also could anyone tell me how much free chice they offer there children. thanks louise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 18, 2006 Share Posted June 18, 2006 What did she advise? She sounds more like an inspector than an Early Years Advisor! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 18, 2006 Share Posted June 18, 2006 hi she didn't advise anything for the sand but said i should have clipboards in the construction area, which i did have anyway. he said i shuld go on one of the la training courses. what do you think about what she said? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 18, 2006 Share Posted June 18, 2006 I think s/he was mad and didn't know enough about early years! I've had exactly the same thing in my sand this week and there has been a constant interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marion Posted June 18, 2006 Share Posted June 18, 2006 I think as an advisor she should do just that............ advise! and at least back up her comments with suggestions for stretching the children. Personally I cant see anything wrong with spades funnels and collanders and if 6 children chose to be there it was obviously something they wanted to do. We do a mixture of teacher directed and child initiated activities in our sand and if the children wanted spades etc we would provide these. How often do we have 'brilliant' ideas for activities only to find the children show very little interest and set their own agenda. Isnt this what we are trying to encourage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 18, 2006 Share Posted June 18, 2006 thanks you have made me feel better louise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 18, 2006 Share Posted June 18, 2006 I agree with Marion. I am at preschool and took a group of 'school leavers' over to Reception for a visit last week. The class was outside and most of them were on a climbing frame or sitting boxes built from those big 'waffle' bricks. There were lots of other activities out but the children weren't interested at all. Are we supposed to say NO for goodness' sake some of you are nearly 6 - go and learn something. Ooooh it makes me mad! In my experience, if something isn't challenging enough, the children don't go to it or go to it and play inappropriately - throwing sand etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelle Posted June 18, 2006 Share Posted June 18, 2006 Inspiration for the sand and water tray is one of the things I have sometimes been stuck with. What about taking a look at 'The Little Book of Sand and Water: Little Books with Big Ideas (Little Books S.) by Sally Featherstone for some ideas? I noticed that these 'little books' are reduced to a fiver on amazon at the moment and or you can pick up a used one for about £3. Dont take what she said to heart - I remember playing for hours as a child with an old pan,, seive and a wooden spoon when I was in infant school - I loved it. I often wonder why that in itself isnt justification enough for some of the things we do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 I agree I had this "dispute " with an adviser in our role play area. we are in a huge hall and our role play area is larger than a box room about 9ft x 9ft. we had something in the role play that all the children wanted to have a go at (can't remember what at this moment) we don't restrict the number of children and as they came in they all seemed to congregate in the role play. she criticised and said there were to many children then watched for a while and then said but they are all playing nicely so I suppose its not a problem. when I said that we do have a member of staff in there and if if gets to many or starts getting disruptive then we thin out the numbers. I told her that we only had to restrict numbers if the activity was getting to boisterous or not working because of the numbers. she then had the cheek to say well if it works I suppose you could carry on!!!!. Sometimes I think that they have so read the books that they forget that you can adapt things to each setting. we are all different. If we are meant to have equal opportunities with staff and children then why not in the way we run our settings. I would never consider doing something that was ok in a school setting as the children are different age etc. so why do we all have to do the same for other things. I agree with Michaelle don't take it to heart - do what goes for you in your setting whether it is school or pre-school. They keep telling us to evaluate our settings then maybe have a look if its not working but only improve it because it needs improving not just for the sake of some one elses opinion. I'm like Michaelle as well I played with a sand box at home for months that had my worms in it! I used to take them out wash them and put them back in my sand box. kept me occupied for hours. !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marion Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 Something that comes from Steph's post and my own experience...........Dont be afraid to argue if you disagree! If you can justify why you are doing something no one should ignore you as the person who knows the children in your care best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hali Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 too true Marion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 (edited) thanks everyone. i knew i would get some support on here. Edited June 19, 2006 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubblejack Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 I agree too. Outsiders shouldn't criticise because they personally don't know your children.Today I saw 2 very shy children actually speak and join in the play for the first time. I would have been devastated if an outsider had criticised their achievement. We also have a large home-corner so don't have to restrict numbers.The learning going on in the home-corner this afternoon was great . The children were negotiating plans, using dressing-up independently, writing, helping younger ones, using fine motor skills to dress dolls and ICT skills to control the electronic toys, sharing, concentrating and HAVING FUN. There was probably other learning going on in there but this was what I saw out of the corner of my eye!!!!!! I thought we were supposed to be following the interests of the children anyway. We only restrict numbers if more would make it unsafe or their is no more room. We are lucky to have a large hall and garden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 Take no notice of the silly 'advisor' !!!!!!!!!! How helpful these people are!! You don't, by any chance, teach in Kent do you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubblejack Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 You said it in a nutshell Bungalow. It took me 150 words of waffling. I have every respect for one of my EYAT's because she respects and listens to what I say as well. The other one just puts me down and therefore winds me up and I end up in conflict with her. I am of the opinion that you can its not what you say but the way you say it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Sounds to me as though she needs to go on a communication course - listening is 80 percent of constructive communication - maybe if she had asked you to explain this and what was happening - she might have understood the reasoning rather than criticising something she doesn't seem to grasp herself. Gosh, people do make me mad. How can we manage everything all the time - as everyone has said - if there were six children there all working together then surely this must mean something. Gosh if she were in my setting sometimes by all accounts I would be struck off - in pre schools we have ratios of 1:8 - we cannot be with them all the time and I admit that sometimes there are activities which the children quite rightly jsut get on and play with - a colander, a spade etc seems fine to me - and what does she mean this time of year - was she able to make a full assessment of where these children were developmentally in the short time she was there. Ooh I would be hopping mad too - so unhelpful - yes of course we can all make everything all singing, all dancing - but hey put a few large cardboard boxes out and watch what happens, you can't tell me she would say this wasn't challenging enough. You were obviously very annoyed and quite rightly - Nikki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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