What do you guys display on your walls?

[Starfish007]

Hi, I took everything off the walls at Christmas to redecorate. It now looks so much better without all the areas being labelled (cont prov areas, was told to do this by my network coordinator) and covered in unnecessary paperwork. I would like to display things that are relevant and stimulating, maybe things that parents find interesting such as ways to support different schemas.

Apart from certificate, insurance cert. and photos etc what do other minders display? Does anyone else define each area? xx

[Allie]

In the play room as well as Ofsted cert I also display two network certs (EYE provider and member of accredited network) two qualification certs, insurance, complaints information poster, fire information (what to do) house rules poster, no smoking poster. All this displayed behind safety glass door (left open during work). Main wall display has mixture of posters featuring this terms theme and childrens work.
In the hall photos of the children by their coat pegs and another non smoking sign, in the loo more photos by their individual towels and a hand washing poster. I did have a welcome poster in the hall but a furniture change has left no place for that now.
I am concerned Ofsted appear to want more print visable now so exploring possibilities


Allie

[silvermist]

Hiya, I have a seperate notice board for parents. In my playroom I have display boards up with photos and artwork etc on. I dont have labels for each area as the room is set out so its obvious what area is what. I do have stuff on the walls, eg. months of the year, a handprint number line, colours etc but thats the joy of having a seperate playroom, if I wasnt lucky enough to have that then I wouldnt want my home covered in posters etc. Hth xx

[Starfish007]

Thanks guys, I just fancy doing something different and something that will really benefit the children and parents xx

[rachelle]

I have mostly handprints!

We're in a new build and all the walls are painted bright white - am torn between being horrified at the thought of anything on them and horrified by the little handprints appearing all over them!:laughing:

[singingcactus]

In the hall this season, we have a wall of nature detectives posters and challenges, and a wall of setting certificates of any challenges we have entered. Other than that we have an interactive calendar (that no one updates lol), and some bright teenage type, graffiti posters, some bells, some new year wish fairies, some silver fairies and a hotwheels wall track.
In the lounge we have bunting, some sequin strings, some snowflake strings, various kiddy framed artwork, an interactive timetable (no one uses this either), some plastic bugs, and a letter from the tooth fairy.
In the back room, baking trays with magnets on, posters, balloons, and just whatever else the kids stick up. They have access to the blue tack so stick a bunch of random stuff up.
We just painted up all the windows with sunshines today too, got so fed up of the rain and the damp!

We just pin up anything bright, colourful, pretty, or just cos we like it.

[Mouse]

I have one notice board in the playroom that has my first aid certificate, the Ofsted parents poster, my registration certificate & my Outstanding Provider certificate. It also has the opening times for the library & a meningitis awareness card.
I have another notice board that I use for displaying the children's work.

Other than that I have nothing - no posters, no printed name labels, nothing.

[LauraS]

In the hall I've got a huge fabric noticeboard (ikea white curved frame, fabric is an Amy Butler print I had been coveting for ages, crisscrossed with white ribbon so more home-y than a office style one hopefully) with lots of little 4 by 6 photos of us all doing stuff, going places, etc. Also some house rules, random treasures we found like odd leaves and pinecones and bits, the week's menu, some artwork, minor planning. Under the noticeboard a washing line style thing with pegs and some art pegged there. Will be taking down the Christmas decs at the weekend and the art will then be replaced with a visual timetable. On the other wall, my certificate and ofsted poster and our advent calendar :o

In the loo, a little handwashing cartoon.

In the kitchen, a 6ft illustrated childrens world map with all our postcrossing postcards stuck round it. It's got about 500 different little items printed all over it relating to the different places, native animals and plants, architecture, historical events, etc. I keep catching DH looking at it.

In the living room, nothing at the moment. Up until December was using the double patio doors as display space - before we took it all down we had our autumn stuff on there, a handprint tree, some laminated leaves we'd collected and some 'word leaves'.

In the garden, nothing at all but I'm working on it. We stripped the garden and did yet more work on it at the weekend. I'm making a garage and car wash in one corner so have some outdoor posters and traffic signs, plus some transport related colour cards for my transport obsessed mindee, bit of bunting, some props and the ride ons. Have some bird related stuff elsewhere, types of birds and info, part of an ongoing interest of one of the others, a couple of chalkboards to go up (one huge blue one at baby level on the decking, and a smaller brown one by one of the raised beds which is now a mud kitchen. Signs relating to cafe's to go in the mud kitchen - open and closed etc, to go on the fence. Two more washing line type gizmos to go up on fences, to hold things like number/alphabet lines. Lots of little stuff like plant labels for the raised beds with photos and names of the plants that the kids have planted. Some weaving/guttering/sensory and music bits.

Like Allie I'm also thinking about the amount of print we have (perhaps because of the same thread, the one about the 'print-rich environment' at inspection?). I have hundreds and hundreds of books which I circulate depending on theme and interest. I have labelled boxes, useful when tidying up. We have a choice book for toys, trips and activities. We also have free access to learning journals. It then got me thinking about how I integrate print into play in each area, so now we have daft little things like miniature posters with print on the sides of the ikea kitchen - a cafe one and a menu with price list, and hanging on a hook there I made a little visual recipe book with recipes from around the world, pictorial instructions for making the foods and brief print, and a shopping list thing with some pics. Then I started thinking the same about the dressing up area, how could I add to that using print, a policemans notebook, a japanese fan with japanese characters on etc. And so on for other areas.


I apologise, I'm rambling :o:D

[suebill]

These all sound like fabulous ideas. I do have some also, something else I have is a small display titled 'what the EYFS looks like in **** house. The areas of learning and development are there with a few photos of the children to illustrate each one

[jackie 7]

Sorry but I thought we were not a nursery and have main stuff on my door and a few posters at child height on some doors and nothing else. I may put up stuff when I am expecting ofsfed but this is my home.

[TAZ]

Sorry but I thought we were not a nursery and have main stuff on my door and a few posters at child height on some doors and nothing else. I may put up stuff when I am expecting ofsfed but this is my home.

Thank you Jackie 7! I have my Ofsted certificate & insurance certificate on display in the hall. This is our family home (which is what childminding is all about)

[PixiePetal]

I have a small playroom with just my certificate and CM poster we have to have on the door.

Then just a card tree trunk with branches on one wall - we decorate it with the seasonal leaves/animals/stuff :) and a hanging plastic pocket thing with A4 size pockets which I rotate with pics/calendar/photos. There are a few pieces of artwork on the toy cupboard doors but mostly they go home and I have just removed Christmas decs and a fibre optic tree till Dec comes around again.

Nothing in any other rooms - but the high chair and buggy give a clue to my job :rolleyes:

If didn't have a playroom I wouldn't have any of the extras as this is my home first and foremost and my own teens do not want to live in a nursery (and nor do we!)

[LauraS]

Sorry but I thought we were not a nursery and have main stuff on my door and a few posters at child height on some doors and nothing else. I may put up stuff when I am expecting ofsfed but this is my home.

I agree, each to his own. This is very much my home, not a setting. It is also home to four children, though :)

If I were to quit childminding tomorrow, the ofsted cert and poster would go. The menu and planning on the noticeboard would go. The rest would stay because my children enjoy displaying their photos and artwork, our treasures and discoveries.

[merry]

Sorry but I thought we were not a nursery and have main stuff on my door and a few posters at child height on some doors and nothing else. I may put up stuff when I am expecting ofsfed but this is my home.

I have my registration cert up in the hall, a posterboard for displaying children's artwork that I can take down when they're not here and some pics they do for me on my fridge and that's all, as Jackie says, this is my home, not a nursery. It might be different if I had a playroom I could close off but I don't want to sit in my living room every night looking at labels and posters and I don't have the energy to take down and put up things like that every day.

:)

[Tink]

I have a display board with our topic on and children's pictures. I was told before Christmas by my network coordinator and LA officer that I was doing too much and my house looked like a nursery and not a home. They said parents chose me for a home environment not a nursery one!!! So I have taken most of the unnecessary stuff down and I have to admit I've started to get my house back. I think they were right I'm not a nursery I work from home. Any pictures the children do go home or in LJ's for their parents to put up in their houses. Just hope I'm doing the right thing!!

[loocyloo]

i have an picture pocket thing hanging in my porch with my certificate, ofsted poster, fire poster, menu & weekly plan on it, plus self registration board & attendance book.

a 'have you washed your hands?' small poster in downstairs toilet.

then i have 2 big boards in playroom. one is covered in a selection of childrens artwork and the other has copies of 7 areas & characteristics of learning on, plus a laminated copy of this terms 'planning/themes', a pack of post it notes for obs, which are then stuck on laminated planning until i put them in files! plus a couple of other notes - one with technology ideas on it, and another with ideas for activities to go with a book the children are currently obsessed with! - aliens love underpants ... my fault ... i bought a 'noisy' version the other day in a sale !!! oh, and a few random postcards/pictures of places we go.

sometimes the children want to stick stuff up, so we blutak to playroom cupboards:D

[FussyElmo]

Its restricted mainly to the dining room which we only use a] when Im working b) when we are eating. Other thasn that I shut the door on it and then my house is my home.

My ofsted inspector said it was enough and I HAD to live here when the mindees had gone and shge wouldnt want to look at posters everywhere in her house.

We have a few posters with nursery ryhmnes up and numbers, a sign saying book area, my ofsted poster etc. We do have snowflakes etc on the ceiling at the mo because its part of our winter wonderland theme :thumbsup:

[Daisy De]

I think it really is personal taste and probably the space you have available.

I am very lucky I have a dedicated playroom, and although the mindees do use the rest of the house, everything to do with childminding is in the playroom. I have a board for Ofsted poster, Ofsted Registration, Insurance, First Aid Certificate and calendar. I also have a Seasons Board and a Festival and Celebration Board where all the childrens' work is displayed for a few days before it goes home. I have a weather chart which we change everyday and a "who is here today" poster where the children put their decorated drawn around hands to show they are here, they seem to love to do that.

The rest of the walls are filled with colourful posters, some stay up permanently others like seasons or particular topics or celebrations change regularly. I also have labels on drawers and boxes with pictures showing what is inside.

I don't feel like a nursery, the room is inviting, colourful and always gets a wow from prospective parents and mindees. The mindees see it as their space and seem to love the bright colours and ever changing environment, I swop things around quite a bit.

I suppose as its a separate room I can do this and it doesnt affect the rest of my house but I still feel it is homely, comfortable and I know the children love it, I can't see why that would make it wrong or a nursery.

I also have a downstairs toilet next to the playroom which I decorated as a seaside theme. I painted scenes from childrens' seaside books and over the years have added shells, seagulls, mats etc. The children love going to the seaside for a wee or to wash their hands and I even find it helps with potty training.

I know the playroom and loo wouldn't suit everyone but I love it and consider it part of my home and a huge bonus to my setting. :D

[CAZMCA]

i currently (hoping to move this year) have a lounge/dining room, the dining room is also used as a play area, i have a pictures and art work all over the walls and all my toys are down there too, i dont mind the kids stuff down there a it is mainly kids/parents that are in my house and b everyone knows i am a childminder so they should expect it, i try and keep it tasteful and dont let it overun the house tho :) x

[bunyip]

All my compulsory stuff (insurance, reg cet, etc.) is in a clear plastic artwork display hanger, so it can go away when I'm not working and Mrs bunyip wants her house back.

Handwash notice and teeth-cleaning sign are by the basin and a fire safety notice is next to the fire blanket, so none are too obtrusive. I have a "take care with hot drinks" sign by the kettle, which is the most important one cos adults are far more accident prone that lo's IME.

The back room has lots of artwork and a seasonal/themed display, plus achievement certificates, so it does look a bit like a classroom. But if I didn't have minded children, then the grandchildren's stuff would be there anyway, so not a great deal of difference. :D

[Starfish007]

Thanks for all the replies, its great to get different opinions. Got some good ideas from your replies and my head is now working overtime! Thanks again x

[cathtee]

I have a sign in the porch asking you to take off your shoes please, coat hooks and a shoe rack. In the house i have my ofsted certificate
and a house rules A4 poster and that is it, it's my home and therefore I only have the a bare minimum, I'm having a conservatory built
soon so there will probably be more put up in there I will decide when its built.

[migimoo]

I haven't got a separate area for minding and don't want to be looking at it all night as my own kids are 9 and 13-our mainly used room is my living room so I just have up a picture sign with house rules and a couple of A4 posters with colours/seasons/numbers on.

I had a removable display board which I need to dig out again after Xmas.

I don't have a hallway so just have laminated copies of certificates blu-tacked at the bottom of my stairs by the front door.

If I was lucky enough to have a separate playroom you wouldn't be able to see the walls for artwork and posters!