Help-Minds gone blank re planning

[Bitsy Beans]

I have a single mindee one day a week. I've only had her for 2 full days so far as I've just started. Now after getting quite stressed about this whole planning malarky I think I've got my head round gearing it towards my mindees interests (rather than picking with a theme each month).

From the limited time I've seen my mindee has interests in:

animals. I think this is a big interest. She loves the animals in my Happyland play set and also a Kipper soft toy (dog) that she is surgically attached to whilst she's here.
Stones - her dad told me she's sort of into these and shes been playing with some in my sand pit.
Water play - got a bowl out and pouring cups last week which she enjoyed
Sand pit - seemed to like this the first week, wasn't so interested in the second.
Picnic set - enjoyed having our snack with the picnic set last week outside on my lawn

So my mind has gone a bit blank with planning for 6 areas to include these particular activities. Any suggestions?

I thought for animals I could do the following:
walk to Pets at Home to see the guinea pigs etc PD
Talk about the pets that we see there CLL
Discuss the nature of the shop? eg what people go to the shop to buy, food for their pets etc KUW???

Use Happyland animals to extend her counting as she can get to six and then misses out some number PSRN

Perhaps some craft activity to create an animal of her choosing or draw a picture - CD

Can't think of something for PSED :panic:

For all the other activities I assume if we are talking about what we are playing with I can cover CLL.
With the stones these can be used for PSRN ie counting, what happens when we put them in water etc.

For everything else though I've drawn a blank :panic:
Can you make any suggestions?

sorry this is so long and thanks for reading this far :thumbsup:

[hello kitty]

PSED ~ talk about how we care for animals, maybe?

I think you have covered everything else. Sounds good. :)

[sarah707]

Psed is anything to do with caring, showing empathy and understanding... so a vet's hospital would cover everything.

Don't forget thuogh that if you are at the park and she waits while someone else goes up the steps, that's Psed too and you can plan after the event as well as in advance.

You might talk about stroking the animals and how soft their fur is - that's another element of Psed because she is developing a caring nature as well as Kuw and learning about the world around us.

I think you are trying too hard. If you sit back and watch a lot of the Eyfs is happening organically around you. The child will be showing her developing Psed when she waits to wash her hands or pats a friend on the back when she's upset... or even when she is making friends.

Have a good read through the ages and stages information in the Eyfs guidance. It will give you lots of ideas. :D

[Bitsy Beans]

PSED ~ talk about how we care for animals, maybe?

I think you have covered everything else. Sounds good. :)


Thanks Kitty.
Now I just need to put that planning into some sort of format :eek:

[Bitsy Beans]

Psed is anything to do with caring, showing empathy and understanding... so a vet's hospital would cover everything.

Don't forget thuogh that if you are at the park and she waits while someone else goes up the steps, that's Psed too and you can plan after the event as well as in advance.

You might talk about stroking the animals and how soft their fur is - that's another element of Psed because she is developing a caring nature as well as Kuw and learning about the world around us.

I think you are trying too hard. If you sit back and watch a lot of the Eyfs is happening organically around you. The child will be showing her developing Psed when she waits to wash her hands or pats a friend on the back when she's upset... or even when she is making friends.

Have a good read through the ages and stages information in the Eyfs guidance. It will give you lots of ideas. :D

TBH I read the EYFS guidance and it made me more confused. I didn't find it filled me with loads of ideas :o
A friend of mine is a CM. Although her inspection was good she was pulled up on planning as she was thought to be more geared towards the setting rather than the individual child. That just what I trying to aim for.

With regards to PSED I can see how much of that will relate to unplanned activitied since we all show emotion and social skills.

[sarah707]

Individual planning can be retrospective as well as in advance.

So you watch xxx playing with the animals and you have found one of her interests.

For her individual planning you decide to support her to set up an animal hospital. Your planning is that she will ...

Help you to find the resources she wants to use - Psed

talk about the resources and the animal's illnesses - Cll (and Psed caring about animals)

Count legs - maybe one has fallen off - Psr&n - this could go on (next steps) to making and doing jigsaws which is problem solving

Discuss the differences between dogs and cats - Kuw with a healthy dose of Cll

Pd could be something as simple as manipulating the vet's equipment or opening up / putting on plasters - and of course that's Psed because she is showing concern for the animals. A good obs would be her copying you saying 'ahhh poor animal' and giving it a stroke

Cd might be setting up the environment and using her imagination with the resources.... or drawing a picture of her favourite dog (favourites are of course likes and dislikes which comes under Psed).

Retrospectively she might decide to treat the dinosaurs which leads to you knowing more about her and her likes and dislikes... which might lead to a whole new activity the next day.

Or she might take everything outside and make a den (psr&n and pd with a dose of cd) in the garden for the animals (psed - caring for animals) which would lead you to talk about where animals live (kuw) and maybe visit the library (kuw) for a book (cll).

It's known as holistic learning - all the 6 areas work together and very few activities just cover one of the other, they can all be manipulated to fit in different places - which is part of the reason why a picture shows so much

Is that better? I think I need a cuppa now! :D

[Bitsy Beans]

I am never going to get the hang of this :(
I know kids can have fun and learn with me - goodness I am doing this with my own children. But I can't put it down onto paper :mad:

I didn't realise planning could be retrospective - I can't even get to grips with future planning.

I just have no clue as to what I am doing.

[sarah707]

Try and think about it this way...

FIRST you plan for what you intend to do... because you are planning for the child's interests, it is individual planning...

GROUP - you might have a group of children in the future and plan for them... within that you also have Flossy who likes animals. So even if you are planning cooking for the group, you could use some animal cutters and that's planning for her individually... yes?

RETROSPECTIVE - backwards planning. You in effect plan for what the child actually does... that's following her interests as well. Flossy comes and says last night she watched Peppa Pig with mum on the Tv... out come the Peppa books or you go to the library to borrow some. Huge bits of the Eyfs are met through that one outing...

AND of course as Flossy plays she is planning her day too. She asks for the sand ... she helps wash up... she gets out the Lego and builds a house... things you cannot plan for her but she is telling you she enjoys.

THEN you've got your routine... Flossy has her lunch and talks to the other children; visits the toilet and washes her hands; goes with you to the shop; plays with a friend's children... lots of the Eyfs met there without even trying.

You are doing it already... you are meeting the Eyfs simply by being a caring person who loves working with children... all you need to do is recognise that you are already fab and figure out how to get it on paper.

Do you want to send me some bits you have done and I'll have a look at them? xx

[Bitsy Beans]

Would you please Sarah I'd really appreciate it.

I really would love to do a course on EYFS and planning but since my LA has run out of money they're not running anything at the moment.
it sounds so lame but with examples I could probably get my head around it.

Mindee has a short attention span most of the time (she's not quite 3 yet) unless it's things that really interest her so didn't want to spend loads of time planning for things she's probably not going to pay much attention to.

[sweets]

individual planning can just be the next steps that you write on your obs, group planning can be something like, i am going to get the water out today or do a particular craft. longterm planning is a list of birthdays in your setting, festivals etc

[Bitsy Beans]

Thanks Sweets.