Outdoor Provision

[Guest terrydoo73]

I have a weekly list for the indoor provision we provide divided into all our 12 areas ie sand, water, paint, small world etc followed by what we will put into each area then what we want to achieve from each of these areas followed by a column for evaluation at the end of the week.

 

I also want to do something similar for the outdoor but in a continuous provision situation if you understand what I mean so I am going to do it on a monthly basis as we don't really change but rather add to it over the period of 4 weeks. I have a list divided into the 6 areas of learning ie communication language and literacy, physical development etc

 

So for instance my activities for March are as follows:

 

sand tray = compost = learning about seeds and plants - teaching children how to plant and water to see the plants growing. The compost will be there throughout the month and as we have seen one child showing an interest in dinosaurs over the past week having watched a dinosaur movie we will add dinosaurs to it during this coming week. We have had plant pots over the past week with trowels etc

 

wheelbarrows - we introduced these during the past weeks just to see how much control the children had in handling them and we will develop this over the coming week to include pieces of wood with the hope of seeing them fill and empty

 

balls and baskets - we have laundry baskets with the bottom cut out to see if children can throw it into the basket and catch it coming out the bottom again - we will add to that this week with a small football net for control in terms of kicking as well as throwing again because we see children doing this. We also have a small darts board with velcro balls which we have been using to see if they have control over throwing and aiming

 

slide, tunnel and climbing frame - this is a continuous provision and we have been interested this week to see the children using this as a hiding den

 

music - we have old saucepans and wooden spoons as well as a bamboo wind chime above it to see if children can hit and hear the different sounds

 

small world - we have introduced a doll in a stroller which has been interesting as one child just continually walked around pushing the pram showing great control in handling and ensuring the doll stays in

 

golf and different holes to aim at putting the ball into - again control as we have seen children needing help with their grasping of certain instruments

 

painting - we introduced this last week with large sheets of cardboard pinned to the fence - interesting to watch how much concentration and determination individual children have had in completing with just one colour while others want a range

 

We will also be introducing the water tray this week with small yoghurt pots to fill and empty then following through with sinking and floating ideas in the following weeks.

 

I just need now to be able to put all these aspects into the various areas of learning so can anyone help??

[AnonyMouse_13453]

Oh wow! that's a great list. Putting it into areas of learning shouldn't be too hard - you've done it for inside, right? I'd be tempted not to do a lot of writing down with additions to CP or you'll find yourself in a paperwork cycle! If you are writing it as an observation or annotating a photograph, then get the development statements into play as you will no doubt find something that you hadn't expected popping up!

 

Tyhat's just how I'd do it though - I'm trying to get rid of a lot of paperwork, I'm asking myself "Who is it for?" every time I go to do something.

[AnonyMouse_11396]

Great list terrydoo, agree with Cait try to do the least amount of paperwork that you can, whilst trying to get optimum obs, wow moments etc.

I always feel to enable you to do this, is to get really down and engaged with the children this always gives you and the children the best outcomes, possible next steps, and most importantly in all of this great fun.

[Guest terrydoo73]

Thanks for your replies. Our Early Years Development worker is coming a weeks time and I just keep thinking it would impress her as we only opened our doors in January. This is the first time she has viewed us in action and I know as Leader I just want all the t's crossed and i's dotted! My Deputy Leader keeps saying no to worry as we are doing really well in her opinion and we are constantly watching the children to see how to extend it. Our observations were very detailed when we started out and we have got a little bit behind simply because we felt we were taking too many obs. We spent last week looking at all the photos we have taken and put them into individual children's obs just to ensure we are giving a combination - you can see more from a picture than describing it in words sometimes.

 

I am worried that we are doing just too much but the children are responding well without being bored or complaining!

 

We have a lot of new starts as we have to wait until children turn 3 so that means we focus on individuals to ensure they settle well and understand the procedures etc.

[AnonyMouse_11396]

Obviously as a new setting you want to do it all and like yesterday, but sometimes a little at a time has the biggest impact. Don't worry what others are going to say when they visit, if you feel you are working towards your goals, as it is still a work in progress.

Can i ask why you only take at age three, is it to do with your premises or something.

Haven't forgotten your role play clothes will pm you this week.

kind regards

bridger

[Guest terrydoo73]

Obviously as a new setting you want to do it all and like yesterday, but sometimes a little at a time has the biggest impact. Don't worry what others are going to say when they visit, if you feel you are working towards your goals, as it is still a work in progress.

Can i ask why you only take at age three, is it to do with your premises or something.

Haven't forgotten your role play clothes will pm you this week.

kind regards

bridger

 

 

Thanks Bridger!

 

We in NI have what we call PEAG places for those children aged 3. It is really for their preschool year. As we started half way through a year we missed out on these children - they were already settled in their PEAG's choice for the year and we were warned by our Early Years registration process not to be seen to poach them!! Primarily we wanted to reach our own local community initially so it was suggested to go for the year below the preschool age and that way we would have them for half a year plus their preschool year. We have applied for PEAG's places come September but have more or less been told we will not get them. However parents are paying a very very low price for the care - £10 for 5 days a week (2 1/2 hours per day) and the Committee having built up a lot of money from within the community are prepared to pay for the salaries, overheads etc for the time being. However they would ideally love us to raise some funds towards it all which we are going to address in the autumn. Our first fundraiser is going to be simple - an Easter draw where we will get donations from local businesses for eggs, hampers etc and we will ask each parent to pay £1 per ticket with the hope they will sell about 20 each - that way we will have raised about £200. We are also thinking of something like the smartie tube idea whereby each child is given a filled smartie tube at Easter and once eaten they will have to fill it with 20p's - we reckon that could raise about £150 too. We were just recently given £250 as a donation towards our outdoor play area which was brilliant and are hoping to get another grant assistance from a local community agency of £200 during this month. I have applied for an arts council grant which will enable us to hold Jo Jingles sessions once a week during May. It might be small amounts but it all adds up in the big scheme of things!!

[AnonyMouse_11396]

How interesting terrydoo73, why have you been told you probably won't get it.

Do you not have Early years funding in your neck of the woods.

[Guest terrydoo73]

When we were registered our registering authority were not keen in PEAG's as they felt it was too much paperwork too soon and questioned why we needed it when there was enough community money available. Obviously to stand in its own right it would be better to have funding - this is the only money available in NI. There used to be more for the likes of salaries and overheads but that was all pulled - it came with the Peace and Reconciliation funding that was poured into our country as a result of the breakthrough in talks!!

 

Talking with local playgroups (there are 5 others in our immediate vicinity and they are all full!) we have been told that it takes years to get PEAG funding and you really have to earn it!! We have a letter on file when the Committee first started to look at the possibility of providing a playgroup in the community from local Education authority who provide the PEAG funding that stated they will look at it with due consideration if we supplied names and addresses of parents who definately would use such funding. I was able to get 10 names of parents who would use us if PEAG's was available - not all of these are of the age to attend this year but some are also determined not to have to pay a penny if they can get it for free. We would really prefer if PEAG's funding did come through for parents to continue paying us as this would help with extras - not all salaries or overheads would be met and we are desperately trying to get the Committee to give us a third member of staff. They did appoint 3 of us before opening but 1 person got another permanent job in the meantime so the Committee said as Leader I did not manage to secure all of the places filled by opening the playgroup so therefore they would work with 2 volunteers. It is not ideal as we are constantly having to tell the volunteers what to do, what not to say, how to approach things and they are not included in any of our planning or obs. Up to last week we had 5 full timers and 2 part timers - we now have a third part timer starting this week with 2 more full timers in April and May. This means I am still short by 2 people and I don't know how much more I can do to advertise the places to get them filled this side of the summer. Of course I will lose the 3 part timers and at least 1 full timer come September. The 1 full timer goes to school and the 3 part timers have applied for PEAG's funded places in another nursery - a decision made before our playgroup opened.