Guest Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 We have got OFSTED in on the 15th January!! and I am doing food as my topic. I was wondering if anybody had any good ideas for some activities? Please help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_73 Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Welcome to the forum Emmalouise and thanks for making your first post. What age are you working with? Food is a great topic as there is so much you can do. Cooking, and lots of it, children get so much form this. Of course, our 'cooking' isnt always 'cooked' because we do simple things like sandwiches, jelly, tea, custard, fruit salad, along with the biscuits, bread etc whcih depend on your facilities. Stories- The very hungry caterpillar'; 'The sandwich that max made'; Oliver's fruit salad; The shopping Basket. There's a lovelyt book of poems I use called 'Poeams about foof' by Brian Moses. Role play can be a shop, supermarket, cafe, take away, ice cream parlour, bakery (make all those cakes from clay or salt dough). Im sure others will add to the list- it will be fine Im sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Hi Emmalouise Healthy eating is a good one. You could do a display of plates with pictures of healthy food on one side and not so healthy things on the other. Lots of discussion there about what keeps our bodies fit and strong. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a good story to link to that because of what he eats to give him his stomach ache and then eating the healthy leaf to make him feel better. We have also done paintings of fruits with essential oils added to give them a smell-strawberries, apples and peaches are good ones. It's amazing how long it lasts-we did that about two years ago and I found a painting a few weeks ago that I had done to see if it worked and it still smells!!!! You could make it an observational painting activity and have the fruit there and they could compare the smells. This is a great topic for using lots of senses!! Good luck Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 I am in a Year 1/2 class but have very low Year 1s and I like to keep things as practical as I can for them. Thanks for some of these ideas! I just feel so sick about it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Emmalouise I know just how you feel. I own and manage a pre-school and we had our OFSTED inspection last week. I know it is probably useless telling you not to worry-I told my staff exactly the same thing and they still did and come to that so did I!!! Just keep it in your mind that you are doing a great job and you will be fine. And do try not too worry too much!! Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Probably not very suitable and maybe designed for younger children but cook some spaghetti or jelly and let the children play with it, hiding small counters or such like in it. Explore the language, they come up with some wonderful descriptions. Make fruit salad - x referencing with Handas Suprise and getting as many of the fruits as possible to include in the salad. Likewise you could use Olivers Fruit Salad or Olivers Vegetables for soup. Take a trip to the local allotments. Interesting Spices from around the world. Get the children to smell the spices and stick them on to a card and create a spice wheel. Could bring in maths if you divide up the card wheel into quarters or eighths, or KUW - whatever emphasis you like. Make pizzas from salt dough or take a visit to the local pizza place - Pizza Express are very helpful if you have one near you, or make the real thing if you have access to a cooker. Shame, but you are bit early for Chinese New Year - we cook noodles and let the children eat with chopsticks - try your local chinese they are often very helpful and will give you the throwaway one use chopsticks - always goes down really well. Start cutting out piccies of all different types of food from magazines - get the children to categorise them - healthy, not healthy - favourite foods, least favourite foods. Safeways/Sainsbury's have good books/ recipe cards which are free. Children can then cut and stick on to their own sheet - types of food etc. Just a few ideas - tried and tested and work well - if you want more let me know. Nikki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_79 Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 Hi Scholastic have a Food book in their Themes for Early years range, or they did. It has some excellent ideas in it. Remember that you are at the beginning of the term so Ofsted won't expect to see masses of work already completed. Could you start by thinking about Christmas Foods/ special Food/Party food and move on to favourite foods and healthy foods? we had an Ofsted at the same time as you 2 years ago and apart from meaning I went to school between Christmas and the New Year that year!! It was a far preferable time than the penultimate week in the summer term, in my opinion. Good luck and don't forget to let us know what you decide, I'm sure we could help a bit more then too, and with how it all goes in january. Susan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 Snack time is also a good opportunity to try new food. Do you have a set snack time? If so you could try different foods and drinks that perhaps children have not tried before. Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 Thank you very much for all your help. It's given me some great ideas. I feel slightly more confident about what I am doing now although it is still scaring me. I have some very difficult children (2 with statements) in my class and so things very rarely go to plan with someone lashing out etc! So, the thought of someone in my classroom really scares me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_79 Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 Emma, make sure you identify these children to the Inspectors and demonstrate in your planning their support etc. We were asked to identify EAL etc in the front of our daily planning. You should not be judged on their behaviour but need to show you have identified and are planning for their needs etc. Its easy to say I know, harder to relax but don't stress or you won't cope. Its an horrific experience, I don't suppose anyone likes it but you must stay calm. Behave normally, pretend they're not there or its someone you know and trust and it will be okay, I'm sure. If you have children with statements you are used to having other adults with you, aren't you or another professional observing them so pretend its the same. GOOD LUCK Susan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_73 Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 Emma, I know its easy to say, but OFSTED isnt that bad any more. Im sure that you will be well prepared, as you are obviously doing that now. Do you have support for your statemented children? Make sure that they are well deployed (the support staff that is ) as that is one thing OFSTED do seem to very keen on seeing. Dont worry about things not going to plan, that happens to most of us, its how you manage that that is often more important. So if you have to change a lesson half way through (as I did in my last inspection), be prepared to say why if you are asked. That shows that you are aware of the children's needs and adjusting the lesson to meet them. Please make sure that whatever you do, that you do take some time off over Christmas to relax and enjoy yourself. You will return to school much fresher. And do whatever you do to help you wind down (for me its Tai Chi, best thing I ever learned). Keep asking if there is anything else- between us Im sure we can help a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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