Ob's???? Haven't a clue!!!

[button68]

I really don't know what i'm supposed to do :blush: what I'm supposed to be looking for, are there official Ob's forms or do you just dream them up yourself? Maybe just note them in a diary????

Help :eek: someone please throw me a line and point me in the right direction :(

[Trouble]

sorry ive been doing it nearly three years and i still dont know how to do them and planning which i make up as i go along but works out fine:eek: :eek:

[LittleMissSparkles]

I just have a basic form I did with childs name , date of birth, date obs done, and observations etc and sign it xxx

[miffy]

Have a look on the bromley site

www.bromleycma.org.uk

there's a section on observations and some sample forms

Miffy xx

[littlepixies]

in the same boat to be honest but found some documents to help obs and planning which i have just printed off and read through seems easier enough. Not sure if it was this site i found them under ill have a look!!

[Trouble]

Have a look on the bromley site

www.bromleycma.org.uk

there's a section on observations and some sample forms

Miffy xx

excellent website someone has spent hours on the website thank god for them:clapping: :clapping:

[littlepixies]

http://www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/eyfs/resources/downloads/planningfrombirth.pdf

found by rubybubbles in the eyfs part of site! it is good for reference and gives you two examples of how to plan and record hope this helps you as it has really helpped me!

[miffy]

in the same boat to be honest but found some documents to help obs and planning which i have just printed off and read through seems easier enough. Not sure if it was this site i found them under ill have a look!!


If it wasn't could you let us have the website address

Thanks
Miffy xx

[Pipsqueak]

Obs don't have to be large formal things, I have been told (and already do) to buy a roll of sticky address labels and "note" down snippets, I then stick these in my mindees All About Me book (obs and notes section). From there I was told that a slight more detailed obs will then be around once a month and what you have produced there is adequate.

[button68]

BUT ............... what am I observing?? The fact that S always scribbles and never makes any atempt to 'draw' or that J sing alot of Hymn's:rolleyes:

I write in their daily diary all the activities they've done during the day.

Think I must have had a sub-standard ICP course - Ob's never mentioned once :(

[sarah707]

You need to look really closely at the learning and development grids at the back of the eyfs and see if the children are doing things related to their age / devleopmental levels on those grids...

For example -

The other day, M, aged just 4, started counting 1, 2, 3 etc to 10... then went backwards from 10 down to 1... I wrote it down on a post-it note to put in her obs book as I thought that was a pretty big step forward for her problem solving, reasoning and numeracy

W, aged 2, has just started to want to wash his hands after using the loo - he used to avoid the issue and actually hid a few times! I put an obs in his book about that, related to personal care (PD) as I thought it was worth mentioning.

I wouldn't make a note if they are doing what I expect them to do, but if they do something extra and I think they've moved on, then I observe it so i can move them on again... to the next thing...

So for M, the next thing will be to look at the shapes of the numbers and recognise those... and to understand each hand is 5 without counting the fingers each time...

For W the next thing is to get him to push his sleeves up when washing his hands so he doesn't get soaked every time - his motor skills are not great anyway, so this is a good goal to give him...

Hope this helps! There's loads more examples on Bromley - I like the clouds they use... or buy my book! :laughing:

[berkschick]

I use post it notes and make general notes throughout the day. M dropped her cup the other day and said "oopps!" first time I had heard her say this so I noted it on a post it note.

I then have a a4 drawing pad type book for each child and each week I use a page or 2 depending on what we have done.

This week for example, M finally drew a picture with felt tips! I have been trying to get her to do this for weeks ( as has Mum!) so I stuck it in her obs (A4 drawing book) with date and more detailed obs written underneath. Then any post its from that week are added too.

Where as J book this week is very bare as he refused to make his junk model car so there was nothing to picture or even observe really!( I only have him 1 day for 6 hours) But he was very good at sharing on Thursday and was making Ella and M line up for a turn on the bouncy zebra thingy so I noted that done. Some weeks it is really hard to think what he has done that needs observing as it is normal stuff he does all the time!

I have no idea if this is right or wrong but its what Im doing!

[button68]

Hope this helps! There's loads more examples on Bromley - I like the clouds they use... or buy my book! :laughing:

What is your book called? :idea:

Edit: Call the dogs off I've found it on your website :)

[littlepixies]

Hiya

Ok .... after having alook a various planning and ob sheets which i found on line linked with eyfs the conclusion is as follows.....

ok to start you need to gather a small amount of info on the individual child, so that you can plan and support in area of development, and to provide information on the child to decide which resources and experiences to provide.

from the web site posted by rubybubbles on eyfs page.... also copied and posted above by my self it gives you an example of "all about me sheet"
just to get brief info on the child.
It sugests that you use these sheets to get to know what areas of development the child is at and to reuse frequesntly to help identify stages of development to concentrate on.
(you can print these off from link in previous link)

So now you have the foundations of the child for what stage they are at in development so you can nw concentrate on spacific areas for each individual child.

They say that all planning is based around the childs development and interests rather than a theme or topic as most of us use at the moment with birth to 3.

Then you need a plan... this is weekly based, and goes around the all about me sheet you have already done.
You need to now identifie the key points from your all about me obs, write 2 or 3 under title of key points from obs (to start this is ya all about me)
then you need to section the paper one half with what you have done and one side with what you intend to do using the same resources.
there also needs to be your resources you are using
then you need one more section to show where it links to the frame work.


Now you have done one main obs to see what stage the child is at, and a weekly plan based around the activities you have observed and then developed slightly into someting slightly different.

so now all you need is an ob sheet.....

on this you need.... name, age
a section on observation... doesnt need to be huge just a few mins worth.

and what you are going to do next.

then links to eyfs.

this could be more indepth though with sections for your thoughts on what the child has done, what went well, what didnt go to plan, this is totally up to you. AS long as you have the basics thats great.


You can make your own obs design using these titles And it doesnt have to be complicated.
then its justa running circle.... use your observation to plan the next developed activity and then observe that!

[littlepixies]

Hiya

Ok .... after having alook a various planning and ob sheets which i found on line linked with eyfs the conclusion is as follows.....

ok to start you need to gather a small amount of info on the individual child, so that you can plan and support in area of development, and to provide information on the child to decide which resources and experiences to provide.

from the web site posted by rubybubbles on eyfs page.... also copied and posted above by my self it gives you an example of "all about me sheet"
just to get brief info on the child.
It sugests that you use these sheets to get to know what areas of development the child is at and to reuse frequesntly to help identify stages of development to concentrate on.
(you can print these off from link in previous link)

So now you have the foundations of the child for what stage they are at in development so you can nw concentrate on spacific areas for each individual child.

They say that all planning is based around the childs development and interests rather than a theme or topic as most of us use at the moment with birth to 3.

Then you need a plan... this is weekly based, and goes around the all about me sheet you have already done.
You need to now identifie the key points from your all about me obs, write 2 or 3 under title of key points from obs (to start this is ya all about me)
then you need to section the paper one half with what you have done and one side with what you intend to do using the same resources.
there also needs to be your resources you are using
then you need one more section to show where it links to the frame work.


Now you have done one main obs to see what stage the child is at, and a weekly plan based around the activities you have observed and then developed slightly into someting slightly different.

so now all you need is an ob sheet.....

on this you need.... name, age
a section on observation... doesnt need to be huge just a few mins worth.

and what you are going to do next.

then links to eyfs.

this could be more indepth though with sections for your thoughts on what the child has done, what went well, what didnt go to plan, this is totally up to you. AS long as you have the basics thats great.

You can make your own obs design using these titles And it doesnt have to be complicated.
then its justa running circle.... use your observation to plan the next developed activity and then observe that!


sorry this post is so long but i do hope it helps:)

[button68]

:crying: :crying: Ahhhh! why did childminding have to get more complicated just as I start. I fear this is going to be beyond me :panic: I am not putting myself down but it is over 20 years since I was at school and I was only an average student then :blush: I don't have any background in teaching/nursary/childcare :(

So do we have to do separate planning for ach child in our care? So everyone is going to be sitting there doing something different :(

[littlepixies]

Hi there, well the way i can figure this out is that you try to inco-operate everyones tastes into the day not necceseraly at the same time of the day this way you can do obs on different aspects ie. 10am reading books with touchy feely bits, 1pm sticking using different materials to create a picture of childs interests, 3pm dancing to music with floaty scalfs..... then you have the reading for those who enjoys books and can ob the others who may not really like the reading as much, but they have something else which they do enjoy later in the day ect.

Trust me i was crap at school.... but if you look at the linkin an above reply to this from myself but origionally from rubybubbles print it off and sit down when you have 10 mins.... it really breaks it down!!! i have printed off the ones from bromley childminding association(just down the rd from me, and liz hodgeman is my net work co-ordinator) as well as some other one i found. and putting them all in front of me, the one from rubybubbles seems the easist to do and understand! :)

[Monkey1]

Girls i wouldn't worry so much! I have spent the last couple of weeks to realise that we are all looking too much into it all. As long as we have some form of obs down ie post it notes, we know what stages of development they are at and the next steps to take, ofsted will be happy! I realised that i was doing far too much...something that parents dont realise or appreciate anyway and as a result my health was suffering as i was burning the candle at both ends and my time with my own children was being determined around childminding and ofsted requirements. Now i feel much more relaxed, so please dont let yourself be worked up about it....after all....we are childminders.....not superwomen!

[berkschick]

Hear hear Monkey!

I am really pleased with how my post it note covered pads are coming along.

It shows that the children are being well cared for, are busy doing activities everyday and I am taking notes.

Speaking to other childminders locally, I have not yet found even one who does as much as I do and I only do the bare minimum! And they have been minding for years and passed several inspections without all this added worry. And they are all full with waiting lists.

They say they are too busy painting, going to toddlers, going on walks, cooking, etc.

Dont worry about linking obs to eyfs yet as that is not what ofsted want at the moment (so I was told at my pre-reg in December)

I also have a photo album and make sure that I get at least one picture a day of each child and then stick it in the album with a little note next to it just saying what they are doing. EG M was playing really nicely with the shape sorter the other day so I took a piccie, stick it in the album and noted next to it that it was the first time M had enjoyed playing with it and that she could now get the circle in the right hole.

I got a sticky album from asda and it has lines along the edge to write on.

[Monkey1]

Morning Debbie!
I have three photo albums, one for pictures of the children doing things, one for pictures of outings (kuw) and one for pictures of finished atr work, wall displays etc. Photographic evidence is the easiest way of doing obs, the picture speaks for itself you only need to write a sentence under it.

[netty]

I plan activities around my monthly theme.Then use the spider diagrams which can be download from the birth to three matters cd-rom to observe the children and plan further learning.I add these ob's to the childrens learning stories and tie them in to birth to three or early learning goals.
Netty:)

[bubbly]

Speaking to other childminders locally, I have not yet found even one who does as much as I do and I only do the bare minimum! And they have been minding for years and passed several inspections without all this added worry.

I've found this to be the case too. I spoke to another childminder (she's been a CM for 14 years) about planning and she said not to worry about having written planning. She said just let the the child decide what he/she wants to play with and then I can join in. So that's what I'm doing.

[Cheeky Chops]

I have decided to take pictures of the children playing with normal toys, write up a quick 2 min obs in a scrappy notebook and then write them up after they go home. They go home early about 4.30 but I work til 6 as the parent is paying me til then and I feel its cheeky to not do any work even tho im getting paid for it!! Hehe, I have found this so much more easier to do as they are playing with normal toys but its amazing how much you can write up on them refering to b23 and eyfs!! I also take pictures and photocopys of their work and include them in this scrapboook too!! hehe I guess some people dont want to do too much and also might not have the time to do loads, but I am finding it easy and a joy to do (not the actual paperwork bit!) so I enjoy it when i can get stuck into it!!! hehe x x