Daily Routines In Nursery

[Gezabel]

It doesn't sound me me me at all maddy! You sound like a lovely mum concerned for her son and there is nothing wrong with that. We chat away about all the little treasures in our various settings and am sure there are many people who will be willing and able to advise/ help you with your son better than I can. As a Mum I think "mother's instinct" is a valuable tool and if it were me I wouln't worry at this stage ( easy for me to say I know!)

[Guest]

thanks geraldine , my instinct is he`ll get there in his own way and time!

[Steve]

Listen to Geraldine Maddy. One of the penalties paid for the introduction of targets and increased levels of observation is that people/professionals worry too much when some children refuse to conform. Our son, Jamie, was exactly the same as yours at five years old. Far too much other stuff going on to be interested in other peoples' obsession with watching him drawing or making shapes.

 

For a while the teacher in those years expressed concern. He's now nine, and still would rather be doing the other stuff, but is more than capable of working in the mainstream of his class.

 

Interestingly, Jamie was a large baby as well.

[Steve]

It's taken me a while to catch up with this conversation. Sorry Unafitz - as Linda mentioned I took off on holiday for a week and neglected my duty. I'm moving the topic belatedly to the Nursery forum!

[Guest]

Lots of interesting things in this topic.

 

I like the comparison between emergent speech and emergent writing, but I don't know where to sit on the fence.

 

One issue with early writing - it has come from my recent ELG training - fine motor skill development can't happen until gross skills are in place. For example, you can't expect a child to control a pencil until their upper body (such as shoulders, upper arms) are developed and under control. Apparently, using a pencil in a controlled way (e.g. to write letters), needs the child to be using more than just the hand. Thinking about this, I agree.

 

Until the child has mastered gross movements (various physical activities, BIG painting, writing in sand, etc.) it seems pointless to expect correct letter formation with a pencil. Let them try, by all means, but give them enough leeway to achieve when then are really ready. I am a firm beiever that emergent writing deserves the same encouragement as emergent speech (parents are natural babblers, after all).

 

Aside from needing to develop the gross motor control, all those activities that can encourage writing spring to mind: anything that requires hand/eye co-ordination, the pincer grip. Pre-writers need these on a regular basis, as we all know.

 

Diane.

[bubblejack]

Yes diane I have heard this as well(developement of gross motor develops fine motor skills) I think pre-schools are geared up to this. We need to inform parents about this. When I take children to the park in the day we are often the only ones there.

[Beau]

This is a really interesting discussion. My daughter turned 5 2 months ago but since we live in Scotland she hasn't started school yet. She will be starting after the summer. The nursery she attends doesn't believe in teaching the children to write in any formal way, unless they show interest in doing so. My daughter will have a go at writing but her pencil grip is still not right so it's not something I push with her. I know that its something she'll sort out by herself eventually- perhaps not in the conventional sense though. Like Susan, she might end up with an 'odd' grip but why is that necessarily wrong? And this whole business of correct letter formation. Children used to be taught to write perfectly, I know my mums often talked about her lessons and the fact that kids got a rap over the knuckles with a ruler if they didn't do it right. But how many adults are there with really scruffy writing? Loads! Why are we all so hung up on this?

[Guest]

I think emergent writing is important as a creative outlet.my daughter would write pages of stories and poems in incomplete or reversed letters. now she knows she is dyslexic we get about 3 lines as she is so aware of spelling and correct letter formation.this is her biggest frustration.

[Susan]

Oh Maddy!

the situation you describe with your son just typifies all my concerns about what is required of me in my reception classroom.

As his reception teacher I would not be unduely concerned if he were playing an acctive role inother activities, it is not unusual for boys of this age to have no interest in the "work" or older boys either! My experinces pre national curriculumwas that many summer born boys did caught up by the time they were 7 ie yr2.

Unfortunately SATs and targets etc mean that we are far too concerned to pick out these children as having problems now and the demands of the yr1 curriculum and its NLS structures make things doubly difficult.

It also sounds as if the school may already be quite formal in its approach of your son is differentiating already about "work"!

In my classroom I talk about all activities as 'jobs' and 'work'---- if you're working in the sand or in the house, working with the teacher, your job with the paints etc.

And for a child like your son, of whom you always have some would be being encouraged to paint , draw, use the dough in structured ways etc. as well as building with bricks or whatever his preferences actually were.

I am sure you already have a range of suitable mark making equipment at home already but I would be telling parents like you to encourage tracing, drawing, colouring etc as much as possible.

Can you make him an office, buy a brief case etc etc to encourage his use of these things and most Importantly allow him to be a little boy of nearly five and do all those things little boys love.

I'm sure I'm not telling you anything you dom't know but do be prepared for some comeback from the school.

It will happen but writing is a developmental skill that must be practised too.

 

He may also of course be affected by your daughter and her struggles.

Good luck.

 

I feel as if I'm preaching her but don't intend to.

 

Susan

[Guest]

thankyou for all your replies. they were all really helpful. when it comes to your own children you always question whats best.

I feel that all your advice has been a real boost, i feel prepared for another term .

susan the idea of a briefcase might work i will give it a go. although if you saw his little table and craft draws you would think he was busy all the time, but he just doesn`t touch them.i must be one of the only mums who leaves felt tips and crayons all over the place in hope he might draw on something!!

thanks again maddyx.

[Guest]

Maddy,

 

I would certainly be pleased to have a parent with your attitude (and I do have some just like that!), who are aware that it's OK for boys to be themselves (and girls sometimes too, obviously) and get to things when they are ready! (I think that's how you feel!)

 

Looking back at my 1st post about writing I'm not sure I expressed myself very well - I'm really in favour of all us adults taking a step back with regard to writing and letting most of it begin in y1 for most children. I think that the 'damage' over wrong letters may be mostly caused by people being sure that chidren should write their names, when it's really not necessary (we use a lot of name cards in my class so writing names needn't be a great pressure). I also agree with all the people who said how much they value emergent writing, and wouldn't dream of 'correcting' these important early attempts.

 

Hope I make some sense - isn't it nice when we all agree so much!

 

Dianne xxx

[Guest]

dianne, thanks again . really all the advice has been of help and of interest. it can be really difficult some times to stick to your instinct when alot of parents around you are pushing their children forward or simply have a child who is more advanced.

I just want him to be happy and to continue to enjoy reception . maddy.

[Verona]

In my Pre-school we have snack time in our keyworker groups. Groups of up to 6 children with age ranges of 2.5 yrs - 5yrs old at approx same time each day. Quite a few groups I know, have a 'milk bar' system, where the children can go choose their snack during a certain time. We feel that having our small groups all sitting down together is great. We all get to know the children in our kw groups better - they chat about what they have been doing at home, where they have been etc. there is conversation going round and and round - taking turns and listening to others. The older ones help the younger ones and we have also found that the quieter ones find their voices in small groups. Luckily my staff all feel the same and wouldn't change it.

How do others do snack time?

 

Sue

[bubblejack]

Well Sue we have keyworker time like you. We don't do it all together though. It is the responsibitity of each keyworker to access a suitable time. Could be if some of the children need calming down .reassuring or if they are just plain hungry. Some of our children do not eat breakfast.Chidren are encouraged to eat and drink.

We have also have water available at all times for the children to pour themselves.

[Guest]

Can anyone attach a weekly timetable for me to see, so I can compare it to our newly opened nursery section of our school. I am concerned that we do not have the correct sessions, and how many of each.

Thanks

Boshbum

[Steve]

Hi -

You might like to visit some of our conversations on planning - this one, for example contains lots of attached short term plan examples, which usually cover weekly plans (not quite schedules, but I don't think you'll find timetables in the Foundation Stage as meaningful as with the rest of the curriculum.

 

If you find discussion of the planning side of things useful, you can also find a couple of articles with downloadable templates from our Members Articles index (in the navigation menu on the left hand side of this screen).

 

Hope that helps!

[Guest]

I just thought i'd add my two pennies worth.

 

Where im currently placed they use trays with salt, not unlike the icing sugar, but we always worried they would try to eat it (h&s).

 

As salt is unpleasant to taste they don't tend to eat it. Also salt has excellent germ protection too.

I hope you are aware of the risks of having salt within easy reach of the chidlren- salt poisoning is a serious condition and a number of chidlren are admitted into hospital (though admitittedly not all from schools/nurseries)Just thinking that we, as staff, could be prosecuted for salt poisoning.