Register, Snack, Planning Etc Etc

[Guest]

Hi all!

 

Im preschool background and so having spent 3 nights at school club just want to know how others do things, if what i have experienced is the norm??!!

 

Register

How do you take yours?

Kids wander in from classes (apart from rec, and yr 1 which are collected). Manager then does visual check. I caught kids wandering in and out to the toilets wjhilst this was happening. Noise was awful!! Surely they should all stay in room and answer reg? Makes it quicker???

 

Snack

Was 40 kids in the same room!!! This week they have split it so yrs rec to 3 stay in have snack and reaminder outside then swap. This all happens in the club room and to get through the 40 kids takes over an hour. Ok at the moment as nice outside but not sure what will happen when not. Supposed to have use of the hall but school sometimes use it for after school activities eg table tennis, drama... so club dont get to use it. I know already got a committee member who has told the head that we are registered to use it...his answer he will take some of the children from club to do t tennis!! As they use the room for snack, no activities have been put out. Now its 4.30. Some children go outside, some then get the games and things they want out.

As yet no planning being followed. Manager says its waste of time, children get out what they want to do. I said ok so plan retrospectively noting down what they are getting out doing. Childrens choice? How does everyone else plan?

 

There seems to be no structure or routine at all. Is this normal.I realise they need to let off steam but the noise they all produce upset some of the youngest girls and me shouting for them to keep the noise down has left me with a croaky voice!!

 

 

Lots of year 4 - 6 boys i dont think we have enough to keep them amused. Any ideas for equipment etc. They have football, scooters, kinnex, games, lego, playstation (altho tv currently broken). Behaviour is not the best ever and yet at school behaviour is exemplary!!

 

Ideas please as I think i may need them for monday!

 

xx

[Guest jenpercy]

Hi all!

 

Im preschool background and so having spent 3 nights at school club just want to know how others do things, if what i have experienced is the norm??!!

 

Register

How do you take yours?

Kids wander in from classes (apart from rec, and yr 1 which are collected). Manager then does visual check. I caught kids wandering in and out to the toilets wjhilst this was happening. Noise was awful!! Surely they should all stay in room and answer reg? Makes it quicker???

 

Snack

Was 40 kids in the same room!!! This week they have split it so yrs rec to 3 stay in have snack and reaminder outside then swap. This all happens in the club room and to get through the 40 kids takes over an hour. Ok at the moment as nice outside but not sure what will happen when not. Supposed to have use of the hall but school sometimes use it for after school activities eg table tennis, drama... so club dont get to use it. I know already got a committee member who has told the head that we are registered to use it...his answer he will take some of the children from club to do t tennis!! As they use the room for snack, no activities have been put out. Now its 4.30. Some children go outside, some then get the games and things they want out.

As yet no planning being followed. Manager says its waste of time, children get out what they want to do. I said ok so plan retrospectively noting down what they are getting out doing. Childrens choice? How does everyone else plan?

 

There seems to be no structure or routine at all. Is this normal.I realise they need to let off steam but the noise they all produce upset some of the youngest girls and me shouting for them to keep the noise down has left me with a croaky voice!!

 

 

Lots of year 4 - 6 boys i dont think we have enough to keep them amused. Any ideas for equipment etc. They have football, scooters, kinnex, games, lego, playstation (altho tv currently broken). Behaviour is not the best ever and yet at school behaviour is exemplary!!

 

Ideas please as I think i may need them for monday!

 

xx

Children may do what they want to do - but you still need to get stuff out for them to make a choice. We colect all our children, so registration different BUT

 

can you make them responsible for signing themselves in. They seen to like this. Otherwise, you must have someone on door to check them off, and or answering to register.

 

Snack

We have had up to 36 in same room. we put out tables and then food goes onto tables for children to serve themselves. We have bought sets of plastic tubs for marge and also for pre-prepared cucumber and tomato. OFSTED want to see children helping themselves and also like family atmosphere of tables. i know that there has lately been a fad for children to help themselves from a snack bar when they want but DON@T do this. It takes forever and older children stuff themselves and leave nothing for littlies.

 

We used to have a problem with children who were left to their own devices. now we don't BUT we now allow home made guns, rough and tumble play etc. One very popular staple is den making. we now allow dens to be made round furniture. Bring in old sheets and blankets, sticks etc.

 

In addition, we also have a free craft station set up. we have baskets/tubs containing various tapes eg masking, sellotape, strings pegs, scissors pens, pencils and then we also put out a selection from tissue, sticky back paper, garden canes, pine cones, shells or whatever takes our fancy. monday i will be taking in some old dried flowers and seed pods from the garden.

 

and in addition to this someon will be doing cooking. Often this is making smoothies, or fruit kebabs, but if you have access to a baby belling you can also bake. We often ask the children what they want to cook, or we may bring in ingredients and ask who wants to do this?

 

re noise. we will stop everyone. an initial shout to get their attention, or a blast on the whistle as we have a full-size sports hall, then drop the voice and get them to listen.

 

Free choice doesn't mean no planning. you need to switch emphasis to what is being provided, and making sure that whatever is beig put out is being rotated.

 

I also suggest that you post on freecycle for new tv, and or other consoles. Our older boys live for 5 o'clock when we allow them to switch on the computers, and we use the threat of no computers to regulate behaviour.

 

Hope this helped.

[Guest]

I was waiting for your reply jen!

Thanks for the info and the ideas!

It is completely different from pre-school!!!!

[Guest jenpercy]

I was waiting for your reply jen!

Thanks for the info and the ideas!

It is completely different from pre-school!!!!

 

Oh I don't know. We are told that some of this is best pre-school practice.

 

Thinking about behaviour, you have children who know that they are allowed to be freer and more casual than school, but they have more difficulty in setting their level than coming into a different setting away from school. Another issue is that they have not expended any energy, or experienced a transition between school and club. We used to have a club across the road from school and the noise and behaviour was awful. We started an energetic activity as soon as children arrived Unihoc, football, parachute games, circle games. This gave one member of staff time to set up and also did wonders for behaviuor.

 

Eventually we had to move which involved a 20 minute walk. We didn't have the same need to do the activity, although it was still popular, and still helps to give a purpose when they first arrive.

 

Don't let staff get away with saying that they don't need to get anything out because the children get what they want. 40 children cannot all converge on the cupboards at the same time.

 

yuo also do need adult led activities. Older children need stimulus of learning new skills. We bought a cheap sewing machine which is very popular. Also glass painting, modroc, engraving, woodwork (even with balsa wood, tie dye etc