Combined Diary and LJ

[bindy]

Anyone do a daily diary and LJ combined? I spend a great deal of time writing in dairies including photos. I thought, easy to add obbs, art work etc . Job done!!

[QualityCare]

This is what l am going to do from sept when my 2 come back, it is not a requirement to do a LJ and parents like a diary so l think this is a better way haven't decided yet whether to send it home daily or weekly giving parents a verbal update each day, they are both 2 so don't need a daily diary of feeds sleeps etc.

[Bumble Beez]

I don't personally, but I know a childminder who does a kind of scrapbook that everything goes in, including daily diary entries.

Seems to work for her, it's personal preference I think :)

Sarah x

[Rick]

My worries in doing that is:

More chance of losing it if it goes home every day
Don't have time to put a picture/obs in before LO goes home so I have to leave a space (will it be big enough!)

I would consider it though for very short hours.

I still do a daily diary until they go to school! Is the child's account of the day going to be accurate, will parents have time at pick up?! :laughing:

[angeldelight]

My worries in doing that is:

More chance of losing it if it goes home every day
Don't have time to put a picture/obs in before LO goes home so I have to leave a space (will it be big enough!)

I would consider it though for very short hours.

I still do a daily diary until they go to school! Is the child's account of the day going to be accurate, will parents have time at pick up?! :laughing:

Same here

I would not combine the two

The Lj shows the child's development including pics linked to the eyfs so is therefore very detailed and should be kept in your setting

The daily diary is something you do if you so wish ... This is brief and just basic information on what a child has done that day with you ...food ...sleeping etc


Plus half the time my parents never even read the diary ...I would not dare risk sending the Lj home for fear of it getting lost or damaged

Angel xxx

[Mouse]

I do mine combined and it works really well.

My diaries have never been about feeding, sleeping etc. They have always been quite detailed with info about what the child has been doing, obs linked to development, next steps, ideas for home etc.
When I did separate LJs I found they were just a repeat of the info in the diaries. Parents weren't interested in them as the info was stuff they'd read in the diary 3 months earlier!

Parents love my diaries and take great care of them. I have never had one lost in all my years of childminding. For childminders who say parents aren't interested in the diaries, maybe it's because they're boring!

The only thing I have changed recently is that I type everything rather than hand write it. I find it quicker to type and print off the entries, which I stick into the diary ( an A5 book). It also means I have all the entries saved electronically.

[bindy]

Thanks for you replies. The reason why to combined. I always put a selection of photos from each day, always write a detailed day including stuff that goes into their LJ so giving the info twice. It would only take a few more minutes to link. Like Mouse says if I write on the computer and save, will have the info if parents lose but unlikely. I will give it ago and see how I get on. I get so behind with LJ it would make my life so much easier! The parents love the diary, put their own photos, etc into. They hardly get to see the LJ and never add, seems strange I know!!

[Mouse]

Thanks for you replies. The reason why to combined. I always put a selection of photos from each day, always write a detailed day including stuff that goes into their LJ so giving the info twice. It would only take a few more minutes to link. Like Mouse says if I write on the computer and save, will have the info if parents lose but unlikely. I will give it ago and see how I get on. I get so behind with LJ it would make my life so much easier! The parents love the diary, put their own photos, etc into. They hardly get to see the LJ and never add, seems strange I know!!

My parents tell me they found the LJ daunting. It seemed much more "official" and they were conscious of not writing the wrong thing. They are so familiar with the diary that it is much more natural to write in it and it's much more a joint project.

[mpullen17387]

Remember to have at least one lj at your home as due to recent advice on here, someones friend got inadequate from outstanding in an Inspection, because she didn't have a lj at her home to show them xxx

[bindy]

Remember to have at least one lj at your home as due to recent advice on here, someones friend got inadequate from outstanding in an Inspection, because she didn't have a lj at her home to show them xxx

Yes, I had read that, very hash!! Just had my inspection hopefully Ofsted will not be back for a very long time.... But having 7 under 5's on my books if any parent forget to bring them I will have a couple to show, if Ofsted do show up for any reason.

[blue bear]

I've seen it done really well, i find the learning journals are very much a duplicate of the diaries and have been tempted to just do the diaries but have had a few diaries go missing or have had mishaps over the years so keep the lj's separate as a precaution more than anything.

[Mouse]

I forgot to say, what I do keep separate are the development matters sheets. I highlight and date areas, which correspond to dates in the diary...very easy to find the entry(evidence) that matches the development matters.

[bindy]

I forgot to say, what I do keep separate are the development matters sheets. I highlight and date areas, which correspond to dates in the diary...very easy to find the entry(evidence) that matches the development matters.

Yes, I was wondering about those! Will take your advice and keep separate. I must add, when Ofsted came , a couple of months ago, all the parents had brought in the back diaries which they love to keep. The inspector spent ages looking at them and told me they were much more interested to look at and told a story and very colourful!

[Mouse]

Yes, I was wondering about those! Will take your advice and keep separate. I must add, when Ofsted came , a couple of months ago, all the parents had brought in the back diaries which they love to keep. The inspector spent ages looking at them and told me they were much more interested to look at and told a story and very colourful!

My inspector was the same. She said the diaries were the best she'd ever seen. I think that gave me confidence to ditch the LJS.

Parents have told me that they love the style of my writing. The diaries are written with humour, whereas the LJ obs are very matter of fact. The diaries do have some more formal obs in them, but most obs are simply what the children are doing every day. The ofsted requirement is to show a child's development over time. My diaries show it on a daily basis rather than through odd entries in a LJ.

One of my new los has had trouble settling. Each day I note how she's been, how much better she's settled, what I've found that helps her settle, ideas on how parents can help. By reading the first few weeks entries in the diary you can clearly see her progress. Surely that's better than anything I'd put in a LJ.

[Simona]

Do they have to be called 'Learning Journeys'?

I call mine 'Records of Achievements'....have done so for 20 yeras

I have adapted the format since EYFS 2012 so they start when they are babies then include the Progress check at 2 and then go on at 3 when I add the other 4 learning areas until the child leaves...
they go home regularly but not everyday and all parents feedback is there in one place rather than have different things that go backwards and forward...
will Ofsted like it? they did last time so I wait with trepidation what the next inspector will say but I am ready to argue it shows the progress children make and parents like them

It is the record that goes on to the next setting or is shared if the child attends another...I too type them so I have them on record to show Ofsted and ...they save me a lot of paperwork

[TooEarlyForGin?]

I do mine combined and it works really well.

My diaries have never been about feeding, sleeping etc. They have always been quite detailed with info about what the child has been doing, obs linked to development, next steps, ideas for home etc.
When I did separate LJs I found they were just a repeat of the info in the diaries. Parents weren't interested in them as the info was stuff they'd read in the diary 3 months earlier!

Parents love my diaries and take great care of them. I have never had one lost in all my years of childminding. For childminders who say parents aren't interested in the diaries, maybe it's because they're boring!

The only thing I have changed recently is that I type everything rather than hand write it. I find it quicker to type and print off the entries, which I stick into the diary ( an A5 book). It also means I have all the entries saved electronically.

I do this too, it works really well, it shows that I am constantly assessing and it is a full working document. I type up a sheet as I go, then add photos and link to the EYFS, because so much of what we do day to day is part of the EYFS. I have a small paragraph at the top which details basics, such as nappies and feeding, and then mainly detail activities, cutting the rubbish out I used to write, such as "I loaded all the children into the car and we headed off to playgroup" instead I will just detail ant interesting points about playgroup. My parents are provided with a sheet to show each day I always aim to go outside, story time, messy play etc... Mine is a parents contact book. Each term I slip in a summary and a page on general aims for the next term.