AnonyMouse_834 Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Can anyone help we dont currently have an early years mentor as she has been put into the new childrens centre to manage it! I requested a visit from someone from surestart for some support re planning etc. She announced that we ought to be doing free flow play! Help, I think I have the drift of this however she says we dont need so much planning just one focused activity a week and we ought to be concentrating on the children leading the play observing them and not planning activities. Then off she went! We have tried it this week ......... The whole staff team after working very hard to get our planning right are feeling confused and very disorientated. I dont think it helps that we use 2 rooms so the children can now come and go the staff dont know whether to stay or follow if you have one children wander into another room then the staff ratio can be out? We have tried doing another planning template but cant seem to get ir right? Can someone tell me how this works in their setting? What plans are used? How do we show we are covering ELG's? Does one member of staff sit at the focused activity and the other just join in play? Any help would be appreciated! Ive told the staff do not fear foundation stage forum is here!!!! ha ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_4544 Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 What sort of setting are you in? How many staff? How many children? ages etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_834 Posted February 22, 2006 Author Share Posted February 22, 2006 What sort of setting are you in? How many staff? How many children? ages etc? 48801[/snapback] hi Full day care we have various sessions most of our children however do sessions we have very few that stay allday We are registered for 20 children aged 2-5 years 3/4 staff per session. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Hi we have been doing "free flow" for about a year now and we have found that if you split the six learning goals up and create areas for them in your setting eg Maths area, creative area etc then it helps you to plan. As a Manager of a Day nursery i place a member of staff in each of the six areas for a week and they have to plan activities for that area eg Maths (floating and sinking) They do activities all week and take pictures of the activity and then on one of the days they do an activity plan and write up an evaluationfor it . Then on a friday i collect the activity plans in from all the staffand collate a folder together so, in one week i have six activities handed into me! This happends every week and the staff know that they have to choose one main activity per week in their area and write an evaluation on it. This has worked really well. The staff also have a clipboard each which they keep with them during the Nursery Day and it enables them to observe the children as they free flow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Hi Sharon We have three main rooms at our pre-school that the children can access during the morning. I have a member of staff in each room and one doing snack. Staff don't move into another room when the ratio goes over in another, because very soon the balance tips the other way. But they are aware that there may be a lot of children in a particular room and help keep an eye on it. We have always worked this way and have found it easy to maintain. And the children enjoy being able to chose where they go and what they do. Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_705 Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Would be very interested to know what others do. We are also trying to get our planning, obs and assessment right (not much then, what shall we do after breakfast!) Just done the second part of an observation and assessment course. Understand Ofsted very keen to see how we plan for each individual child and that child intiated activities are the best for observations as the child is really motivated. We now need to reflect on our practice. Looking forward to reading some more replies so I can make sense of it all, too tired tonight. Deb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_834 Posted February 23, 2006 Author Share Posted February 23, 2006 Its so nice to hear others are or have been in the same boat! I approached another local nursery to ask for some help/advice but in our area(maybe in all areas!?) there is such a closed door policy! which I feel is such a shame,anyway have called a staff meeting today think its time to get a bit tough , Im too soft and seem to do it all! Thanks for all your comments I will certainly try. It is just so frustrating when you think you have it right and someone comesalong and says its not, maybe their wrong, now thats a thought, speak to you all again soon Before I go can anyone share a weekly plan, completed would be good, I will post mine on here later if I can suss out how to and your comments would be appreciated- I think I have too much on it Bye for now Have a good day! Sharon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 Its so nice to hear others are or have been in the same boat! I approached another local nursery to ask for some help/advice but in our area(maybe in all areas!?) there is such a closed door policy! which I feel is such a shame,anyway have called a staff meeting today think its time to get a bit tough , Im too soft and seem to do it all!Thanks for all your comments I will certainly try. It is just so frustrating when you think you have it right and someone comesalong and says its not, maybe their wrong, now thats a thought, speak to you all again soon Before I go can anyone share a weekly plan, completed would be good, I will post mine on here later if I can suss out how to and your comments would be appreciated- I think I have too much on it Bye for now Have a good day! Sharon 48885[/snapback] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 Hi Sharon. I have been having major probs with my planning but I have come up with this idea that I think will work. I hope I've attached it right as I'm not very good with computers! It's not completed, but I have made a start, as I'm still trying to work my way through it. Hope it helps! Clare x What_do_we_want_the_children_to_learn.doc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 Hi Sharon. I have been having major probs with my planning but I have come up with this idea that I think will work. I hope I've attached it right as I'm not very good with computers! It's not completed, but I have made a start, as I'm still trying to work my way through it. Hope it helps! Clare x 48906[/snapback] There should be a space there for the date, theme and title. Don't know where they went but they should also be on there! Clare x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_834 Posted February 23, 2006 Author Share Posted February 23, 2006 There should be a space there for the date, theme and title. Don't know where they went but they should also be on there! Clare x 48907[/snapback] thanks clare, x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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