One Of Those Wonderful Nursery Moments

[Guest]

I was asked today by a girl in nursery if she could have some music to dance to. I asked would she like pop music or classical music.

'Classical music please. What's classical music?'

I explained, and off she danced to something floaty.

 

After about 10 minutes, more children (all girls!) had joined her and were floating in the breeze of the fan. Then we went outside.

 

The girls were upset that we'd had to stop dancing (I was too by now!) because they wanted to go outside, so I said I'd take the cd player out.

 

What resulted was the best unplanned 40 minutes. Seven girls dancing to 'Time Warp', 'All That Jazz', 'Fame', 'If I Were A Rich Man', you name it, they danced it.

 

The best bit was when they went into nursery of their own accord and brought out chairs for the audience to sit on.

 

The audience were most of the remaining 23 children who ditched their bikes, cars, scooters, games of tennis to watch 'the performance'.

 

If I could have bottled that 40 minutes and sold it I'd be rich.

 

Thought I'd share that nice Fridayism with you.

 

Fluff x

[mundia]

how lovely Fluff, I cant beat that one. We have a bug going round so all we have had to deal with today is cleaning up, (and that includs cleaning up after the staff too!!!!!).

 

Then one parent brouhg their child in at dinner time and said.....she was vomiting all morning but shes betterv now'..... aggghhhhh

 

 

wish id been at your concert Fluff sounds like much more fun

[bubblejack]

They are such wonderful moments aren't they Fluff the impromptu child-initiated ones. We have 2 little girls who "teach the others ballet "after lunch club. The other day I put on an old Party Time tape from early learning. Their are lots of games on it but when we got to pass the parcel we didn't have a parcel so I suggested to the children that they could pass a hand shake but instead they pretended to pass a parcel. When the music stopped the child holding the pretend parcel opened it and said. "Ahhh chocolates", the next child on opening the parcel said "yes a computer game" and so it continued.

I just wonder if having plans being reasonably structured actually destroys children spontanaety. Whilst we do try and follow childrens interests by observing and planning for the following week i often find that children have changed their interest by the next week. I would like to do reverse planning i.e. record what the children have chosen to do.

[hali]

we love music and movement sessions on a friday, any other day staff seem reserved but on a friday afternoon all of us are up dancing to macarana, timewarp etc....mad.....

[Sue R]

These moments are exactly why I started thinking about 'unplanned' planning! See this thread'Success', for enlightenment. Yes, they are just great

 

Sue

 

YAY!! Yet more success, thanks Carol!!

[Guest]

What great fun Fluff and soooo child led.

 

All I'd suggest for your planning to show you meet childrens interests is to plan next week to show the girls (the ones who asked for music) How to self select their choice of music tape ( stick a photo of them dancing on the tape so they know which one it is) and how to put on the music themselves, then they don't have to ask for the music, and can access it any time they have the desire to.

Although there are many others the main Learning intentions covered would be. PSE Making Independent choices, CLL recognising symbols for reading, ICT using programmable equipment, CRE: responding to music through dance.

 

That's what I call planning to childs interests, is that how others see this way of planning???

 

Peggy

[Guest MaryEMac]

Absolutely fantastic Fluff. It's times like that, that make you remember why you chose to work with children isn't it?

 

Mary

[Guest]

I agree Mary it is those moments that keep us coming back, day after day.

To go off on a slightly different "wonderful" moment, i had a mum who is having lots of problems with her children at home and so do we in pre-school, and the other day when we were talking about different strategies to use for the behaviour, she said"Well I don't know what to do with them because I've never had children before!!"

Even a couple of days later I am still wondering if she will have any more because maybe she know's what to do with them now that she has 2 already!

Even after all the children Ive had go through pre-school I'm not sure I know what to do with them. I must remeber to read that manual that came with my 2 sons, but I do hate reading the manuals!!!!!

Steph

[Sue R]

Priceless, Steph!!

 

When you've read it, tell me, I'm waiting for grandchidren (forlornly.......) - I really need to know for them - so I can show off!!

 

Sue