Medium & Long Term Planning

[Guest]

Hi,

I was just wondering what medium and long term planning other practitioners are using,I am thinking about changing our planning, so ideas and templates would be really appreciated!

Currently we have a themed long term plan which i'm not fond off and a medium term plan with dm goals. Should we be doing seperate medium and long term planning for each room? (we are a small nursery who is just now going to properly split into preschool and baby/toddler and we have been doing just one overall plan)

 

Thank you

[AnonyMouse_33773]

My understanding is that the ELG are the long-term planning.

 

I don't think themes are appropriate for pre-school children.

[AnonyMouse_5970]

I would definitely do a different plan for the separate age groups as the needs of the children will be different.

We don't use themes generally and base our planning more on the interests and abilities of the children, their developmental needs and what is going on around us. However, sometimes we will plan a 'mini theme' from something that has sparked children's interest and enthusiasm.

The staff in each room plan for their own children, bearing in mind their ages, stages of development etc. The plan for pre-school age children would not be suitable for babies and toddlers and vice versa.

Most of our planning is around our continuous provision and what we provide for child-initiated play. Then, we plan some adult-led activities too, based on our observations of children's development, skills and what they need to do next.

If you search the forum there is probably more on planning than any other subject and there are lots of examples of what people do.

[AnonyMouse_19762]

Beehive has already said that I would have done .......so I will just say hi and a very warm welcome to the forum!

 

Oh, will just add that I consider my 'Enabling Environment' and 'Continuous Provision' to be my 'long term' plan.......and this might not be the appropriate time to say this - but 'themes' - I can't really believe that they are still being considered as necessary and/or appropriate the closest I come to a 'theme' is when something has ignited children's interest - this is often a book and then I will continue to build on that interest :1b

 

We had a visitor from our nearest CC last term and she said "what theme are you currently doing, I can't spot anything from your displays" - aarrrgghhhhhhh

[Guest]

I was asked to provide medium plans by boss who professes to understand EY (i'm in a school setting). When I said I don't do them she said but surely you do topics. Hmm, we compromised by agreeing I would complete an environment map with staff as suggested by Alistair on his blog http://www.abcdoes.typepad.com/

 

she was satisfied and we found the process helpful too which is what plans should be shouldn't they?

[AnonyMouse_79]

 

she was satisfied and we found the process helpful too which is what plans should be shouldn't they?

Absolutely!

[Guest]

We use more of an open ended theme for example row row your boat. In the past this has led to a number of mini topics from the children. Animals, pirates and islands, dinosaurs and volcanoes, homes and den building, what things are made from, fairies princess and castles. We led in and see where it goes.

 

 

We normal start the year with this little house. Again in the past this has led to childrens own home and family but it has gone on to favourite stories such as the Gruffalo, pets, tv character's, birds and nests.

[Guest]

My long term plan is like a diary it has on it what I will do when, eg supervision, appraisals, staff meetings, parents in, fire drills , update sef etc. it does not have themes on it as we bounce these around week by week depending on what the children are wanting to do.

 

Do not waste paper or thought on a medium plan

 

 

Have a weekly plan for CP, adult led, letters and sounds, IEPs, children's individual plans and goals including any noted schemas are written on other sheets and also completed weekly

Edited August 31, 2013 by Suer

[AnonyMouse_31752]

we do pretty much the same as everybody else really, a 'long term plan' is just important dates we may want to cover (although sometimes we miss them if an interest takes us in another direction) I used to have the areas of learning on it and as we covered certain aspects really well would highlight them but this wasn't as effective as it could be so don't bother with that now.

 

We don't 'do' topics but will follow interests so we may cover dinosaurs say or pirates for however long the interest lasts and then move on.

[AnonyMouse_22106]

Does anyone still celebrate festivals anymore?

5/6 years ago it seemed as if every festival under the sun was celebrated come what may, and lots of long term plans had these on

 

What I mean is do you celebrate them even if you have no children who celebrate what ever time of year it is?

We have and still do try and get hold of different resources for CP and general displays show people from all walks of life, but we don't 'do' a festival just because its here; unless of course it is relevant to a child in the setting or a child's interest.

[AnonyMouse_19762]

Hi thumper - I must have been 'ahead of the game' (as if :blink: ) on this one!!! have never got into the whole 'festival' thing - the only exception would be if I had a child with the cultural background that meant that this would be celebrated at home (goodness that was garbled - but sure you get my drift :1b ).......would much rather 'explore' other cultures/other countries/other customs through - books, music, foods etc.

 

as ever - I don't know if that's the 'right' answer - just my way of doing things! :1b

[AnonyMouse_33773]

My view is that any 'cross-cultural provision' must connect with the children to be meaningful.

 

Obvious is a celebration that is important to someone in the group, though we wouldn't celebrate it ourselves

as it wouldn't feel right, particularly not if a religious celebration - just talk about it, asking the child and parents

to perhaps show us something or sing a song etc.

 

Then there are the universal themes such as birthdays, marriages, celebration of light and changes in seasons

for example, where links can be made to celebrations the children have experienced.

[AnonyMouse_5970]

I agree that celebrating festivals can be seen to be a token nod at multiculturalism but we don't limit our exploration to the cultures of the children at the nursery (and just as well really as we are in rural East Anglia with very few families from other cultures/countries). Some festivals such as Diwali are very visual and capture children's imaginations. What bothers me is that the stories behind some festivals are often too complex for young children to understand and therefore I feel that we do sometimes give that token nod.

[AnonyMouse_31752]

We would really only celebrate a 'festival' if we had a child of that culture in the setting although Chinese New Year we tend to do because we have children most years with this background and its lots of fun with food, craft etc....

 

We do though look at other countries and cultures. Last term we had a lady who goes to Africa every two years and does lots of fundraising for villages over there and she came in a did an amazing Africa day for us is was brilliant and the children loved it even though they didn't really have any experience of Africa.

[AnonyMouse_33773]

Need to add/clarify: Looking at pictures and various things, and talking about how people elsewhere

live, dress, eat, travel etc. is relevant to the children - they can connect to it as do all those things

themselves. We often bring in other cultures as an extension of the children's interest. (This has

become another topic than long/medium term planning... Apologies!)

Edited September 1, 2013 by Wildflowers

[Guest]

actually I disagree a little we do festivals and not because we have children of a certain ethnicity.

 

the ones we do are Christmas, Easter (not all our families are believers in god) we also do Chinese new year which is loved by the children, they all love noodles and stir fry. Dancing with the dragon we make is fantastic, no we don't have anybody who celebrates Chinese new year but they all see and here about it on the tv and more importantly it is fun

we also do Diwali we have a huge Indian population and a large beautiful temple, this just gives the children a bit of background to the people living in our community and in the outside world

we do not cover anything else otherwise the whole year would be full and there would be no time for spider hunting, talking about the veg we have planted or the million other things that spark an imagination.

[Guest]

Agreed Suer aren't we just broadening horizons, opening up the door for further learning - I think everyone benefits children, staff and parents - and I realise it's not popular but I slot a 'loose' theme based ltp as a guide - but sometimes it's to ensure we talk about festivals and also I use that to plan in my Letters and Sounds - even if that means a suggestive list of books to look at throughout the year - all of it a changeable, working child-led document.

[AnonyMouse_33773]

That those festivals are important to people they see and meet in their community, makes them relevant to the children.

 

However, what I'm trying to say is that celebrating other people's festivals can perhaps make other people seem more foreign.

I feel it's of greater value to emphasise what we have in common - that which connects us as humans.

[Guest]

That those festivals are important to people they see and meet in their community, makes them relevant to the children.

 

However, what I'm trying to say is that celebrating other people's festivals can perhaps make other people seem more foreign.

I feel it's of greater value to emphasise what we have in common - that which connects us as humans.

I have to disagree, most of my children are white, some are C of E few catholic, majority non believers, few that are hindu and roman catholics from bulgaria

by c what makes them celebrating Christian festivals does not make my children seem alien or foreign to each other, children from other countries are foreign, its what we like to all celebrate about each other. We recognise that all though we are human we come from differing places on the planet , believes, customs and celebrations are what makes us unique and special as human beings

[AnonyMouse_19782]

I agree that celebrating festivals can be seen to be a token nod at multiculturalism but we don't limit our exploration to the cultures of the children at the nursery (and just as well really as we are in rural East Anglia with very few families from other cultures/countries). Some festivals such as Diwali are very visual and capture children's imaginations. What bothers me is that the stories behind some festivals are often too complex for young children to understand and therefore I feel that we do sometimes give that token nod.

 

Not just for the children is it too complex - if we really don't understand the culture and beliefs of another country are we the best ones to be "teaching" it. Some of the Hindu stories are quite 'fantastic' to explain - they are like a fantasy - but just because we may be more comfortable with the birth of Christ or the Resurrection because we have been brought up with it, it doesn't make that any less a 'fantasy' to a child of another belief.

 

This is all tricky stuff ....... at the end of the day most of these celebrations are the same....... families make their houses clean and welcoming for visitors, people are made to feel special, gifts are given, special food is eaten. I have come to the opinion rightly or wrongly, that from a pre-school point of view we are starting off this understanding, and so we can perhaps keep it very very simple, we start off the words which will one day become familiar to the children as they progress up the primary and secondary tree. I certainly celebrate those festivals which would be important to my families and then I just choose others because of their vibrancy - much like others have said Chinese New Year is one we look at, and have become more and more knowledgeable and comfortable with to "teach" and because of our infectious knowledge the children enjoy it too, if they are enjoying they are learning.