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View Full Version : struggling to find a nice daily diary



andreaschildcare
03-07-2009, 08:58 AM
Hiya

I want a nice ready made daily diary for my mindees, anyone know where I could get some?

I did buy some from denise but she hasnt got back to me and I need some now

Thanks

sarah707
03-07-2009, 09:06 AM
Sorry I just use an A5 notebook...

Do you mean you want something bound? :D

miffy
03-07-2009, 09:09 AM
I'm sure Angel posted some nice character ones on A4 sheets

Not too sure exactly what you want

Miffy xx

Mouse
03-07-2009, 09:11 AM
I use A5 notebooks from Paperchase. I don't want anything with dates in as the children are all part time & come varying days, so I just need plain pages & I write the date at the top of each page.

The Paperchase ones are lovely - hard covers, little animal pictures on the front, little animal print at the top & bottom of each page and an elastic strap to keep it closed. They're not cheap, but will make lovely books for the parents to keep.

angeldelight
03-07-2009, 09:14 AM
Yes I did post some nice diary sheets - bob the builder - dora and some others

I use a A4 book

If you could see how some of my parents just throw them under their buggy and throw every thing else over the top you would not want to get a really nice book for them :laughing: :laughing:

If you do want the sheets let me know but it is more printing out etc

Angel xx

Mouse
03-07-2009, 09:18 AM
If you could see how some of my parents just throw them under their buggy and throw every thing else over the top you would not want to get a really nice book for them :laughing: :laughing:




When I've had parents like that I use a cheap exersise book with a few stickers on the front to brighten it up :laughing:

My current parents love the books & it's the first thing they look at when they get home - hence the reason I have nice books.

angeldelight
03-07-2009, 09:20 AM
When I've had parents like that I use a cheap exersise book with a few stickers on the front to brighten it up :laughing:

My current parents love the books & it's the first thing they look at when they get home - hence the reason I have nice books.

Yes I do the same

Nice books for parents who treat them nice and cheaper A4 note books for parents who do not care

Angel xx

MissTinkerbell
03-07-2009, 09:25 AM
I bought a coouple of spotty hard backed A5 notebooks from the Pound Shop and put my logo daily diary front cover on the front and then covered with clear sticky backed plastic.

manjay
03-07-2009, 09:26 AM
My parents always read mine so I am quite lucky. I use bound A5 excerise books with a laminated picture of the child on the front. I have made daily sheets based on the ones that Angel mentioned that I stick in each day. My sheets are different depending on the age of the child and I change the pictures depending on the theme I am following (loosely) for the month

PixiePetal
03-07-2009, 09:31 AM
I use A6/A5 books. Depends how often they come. I stick their name and a picture on the front. Older children choose their picture.

jeanybeany
03-07-2009, 11:00 AM
I use an a5 folder to put my printed off daily sheets. I find a folder great as I can put other things in it (receipts, newsletters etc). It's easy to make your own sheets, mine are really simple and do the job.

Hth

:)

huggableshelly
03-07-2009, 11:06 AM
i just use cheap excercise books from the market!

sonia ann
03-07-2009, 11:08 AM
My parents always read mine so I am quite lucky. I use bound A5 excerise books with a laminated picture of the child on the front. I have made daily sheets based on the ones that Angel mentioned that I stick in each day. My sheets are different depending on the age of the child and I change the pictures depending on the theme I am following (loosely) for the month

Snap! ....this is what I do as well....good idea about changing the pictures to suit the theme

Mollymop
03-07-2009, 11:10 AM
I use those A5 books you can get from Tescos. They get damaged, scribbled in, lost, torn, so I don't bother with anything more than these kida books.

pinklady
03-07-2009, 11:36 AM
I just have cheap exercise books at the moment but think I might get my binder out and make a personalised one for new mindee.

Pudding Girl
03-07-2009, 11:38 AM
I made up some Iggle Piggle ones myself, they are along same lines as the Dora ones, but with blank bubbles rather than headed ones to I can tailor them to what I need.

If anyone wants I can post it up later :D

andreaschildcare
03-07-2009, 12:11 PM
Hiya

Thanks everyone

I want somethong bound or printed for each child that I can buy as I am trying to cut down on ink!!!

Plus I am being lazy :o

Louise_Oaktree
03-07-2009, 12:18 PM
I got mine ready made on ebay, they cost £3.99 + P&P each but I find them so convenient as you just fill in the boxes and job done! No witting paragraphs for each day, it's all there for you and easy for parent to read.

I was going to buy a binding machine and make my own but it was much cheaper to buy them ready done. I have found parents seem to look after them more because they look valuable and not home made as such. My policy is 1 book per child, once lost they get a cheap alternative ;)

charleyfarley
03-07-2009, 12:29 PM
I use those A5 books you can get from Tescos. They get damaged, scribbled in, lost, torn, so I don't bother with anything more than these kida books.

Snap!!

Even though my parents do enjoy reading these books they still let their little darlings eat the book, draw on it and pull the pages out.

Carol xx

newandlearning
03-07-2009, 12:35 PM
mine are from Tesco too.. I've got a pic of each child on the front .. and cost 49p each.. so if they pulled apart then I can easily glue back together.etc.

Tam's Tribe
03-07-2009, 12:36 PM
Hi All

And just when you think you understand it all . . .

I have been reading all your replies and now I am confused.

For the children's daily diaries, I recreated in Word, an A4 version to print off for the parents and one to email if the parents prefer. The printed version I was just going to give loose to the parents and keep a copy in the children's files.

If you do it in an exercise book everyday, do the parents remember to return it next time them come so you can complete it, even the part time kids??

The Juggler
03-07-2009, 12:51 PM
I bought a coouple of spotty hard backed A5 notebooks from the Pound Shop and put my logo daily diary front cover on the front and then covered with clear sticky backed plastic.

ditto. I use these -all you need really.

Mouse
03-07-2009, 01:58 PM
Hi All

And just when you think you understand it all . . .

I have been reading all your replies and now I am confused.

For the children's daily diaries, I recreated in Word, an A4 version to print off for the parents and one to email if the parents prefer. The printed version I was just going to give loose to the parents and keep a copy in the children's files.

If you do it in an exercise book everyday, do the parents remember to return it next time them come so you can complete it, even the part time kids??


I use a book that I write in each day & put in the child's bag to take home. Parents do sometimes forget to put the book back in the bag, in which case I make myself a note of what I want to write & write it up the next day.

Personally I wouldn't want a copy of everything I write. I don't need it. The diary is for the parent's interest, not mine particularly. I have enough stuff in their folders without daily diary sheets as well.

Over time the books build into a lovely little history of what the children have done, how they've changed etc. They're great to look back on. If you give parents a loose sheet of paper you may find that they jhust get 'lost' (ie. thrown away, left crumpled up in the bag etc) and you'll be wasting your time.

At the end of the day though you have to do what works best for you & the families you work with.

Tam's Tribe
03-07-2009, 05:22 PM
I use a book that I write in each day & put in the child's bag to take home. Parents do sometimes forget to put the book back in the bag, in which case I make myself a note of what I want to write & write it up the next day.

Personally I wouldn't want a copy of everything I write. I don't need it. The diary is for the parent's interest, not mine particularly. I have enough stuff in their folders without daily diary sheets as well.

Over time the books build into a lovely little history of what the children have done, how they've changed etc. They're great to look back on. If you give parents a loose sheet of paper you may find that they jhust get 'lost' (ie. thrown away, left crumpled up in the bag etc) and you'll be wasting your time.

At the end of the day though you have to do what works best for you & the families you work with.

Thanks for your advice, I might get a slim line folder and put the copies in that . . . like the idea of being a history time line to show how far the children have come. I have soooooooooooooooooooooooo much to learn!!

Thanks
Tam

beckyteddy
05-07-2009, 07:13 PM
I use the same system as Mouse and the others.....a small notebook that I jot things down in during the day, the parent takes it home and then brings it back with the child the next time they come to me. I don't write anything very special in it, it's more just for times of sleeps and how many nappies they've had on etc. (I have one little boy who does 3 or 4 poo's a day so it's hard to keep track if I don't write it down!) I put "WOW moments" and proper observations/next steps in a seperate file.

I've found it works really well, as the parents can jot stuff down in it for me if they know they will be rushed at drop off time and they can see at a glance what their little one's routine has been like during the day without having to go through it all when there is children running everywhere at collection time. I have one family who are a bit bad a remembering to bring it but they now have two diaries and they do normally remember to bring one or the other or sometimes both!

I also find it works well for the twin sisters that I pick up from nursery. The nursery staff kept giving me complicated messages for the parents that I would have always forgotten by the time the girls went home, so I asked the nursery to write their messages for Mum in the diary too!