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Stanfield
02-05-2010, 07:44 AM
Hi,

We have been doing "Spring" for the past few months, which is quite a broad topic and easy too. I usually only have my mindee 2 days a week, but at the end of May I will be having him for 10days on the trot so really need to plan carefully for this.

He is 2, I have my own two boys 1 and 3. I want to really be able to run a theme for these 10 days and feel like we have really got involved in it.

Looking for some inspiration!:thumbsup:

miffy
02-05-2010, 08:00 AM
I'd just be following what the children are interested in. There's no point in planning lots of activities if they aren't interested in them.

Miffy xx

hello kitty
02-05-2010, 08:03 AM
Well my littlies have been making shadows and commenting on our shadows so I am going to extend this to light and dark and maybe even outer space.

Books to read, Q Pootle 5, Whatever Next, Aliens Wear Underpants.
Exploring a dark den, making a shadow puppet show, talking about sun safety awareness, making starry sky collages, baking star cookies, etc etc.

I have 3 4 year olds and a 3 year old so this planning is more for them than my babies.

I'm looking forward to it!

Hth. :D

Bernie
02-05-2010, 08:21 AM
We are continuing our Spring theme into a Garden Theme. Planting seeds, digging in mud, picking daisies for pictures, shadow jumping, rainbow painting, rain catchers etc

x

TheBTeam
02-05-2010, 08:42 AM
I have given up planning for full themes, I have it all in place to cover a whole year with activities linked to EYFS etc, but my main work comes from 3 x 2 1/2 year olds who have been with me for a couple of years and are pretty strong in their likes, so I go with their flow, I pick up crafts relating to festivals/special days and their interests and that is my planning, the rest of the time we have made use of outdoor play and building on the way they are now starting their own ideas for pretend play.

The only thing with this is I can write after the event what we did, but not easy to write too much before!

mushpea
02-05-2010, 10:59 AM
this half term we are doing 'on the farm' so i have picked an animal each for 4wks then wheat for 1 week and tractor for the last week. I feel like a realy cr**p childminder this week as we have done no arts or crafts cause the kids have been happy to just play with each other in the garden,
anyway after half term i will do mini beasts as a theme.

venus89
02-05-2010, 11:19 AM
Pets, to tie in with NAtional Pet month. Lots of vet role play, arts and crafts, singing etc. I have lots of ideas and use the ones that are appropriate, adapting them as needs be.....

Roseolivia
02-05-2010, 02:42 PM
We're not doing a theme this month as our Spring one was quite big the last 2 months and i'm planning for June as i'm going to base it around the world cup by making flags, football shirts, learning about the different countries including food, clothing etc....

angiemog
02-05-2010, 03:57 PM
Mine pretty much all under 2 so will have a few craft ideas around a few topics.
Mine are farm animals (we have and will be visiting a farm)
Pink card pigs (with brown paint splodges)
Black card cows with white paint splodges and added grass
We have done lambs with cotton wool

Jungle theme after we have visited zoo
Different paper plate animals

Possibly frogs and butterfly life cycles (following my rising 5 topic at school)
Flowers.... all sorts

I also have some rainy day ideas
decorate a cut out umbrella
I found a sheet with rain drops printed on then you add a rain drop on top of that has a pic in it like a glass of water, rain outside, brushing teeth, swimming.... all reasons why we need water.

xx

Stanfield
02-05-2010, 09:50 PM
I feel like planning is a waste of time most of the time, but think it has to be there on paper to show Mrs O!!!

The boys do just love to be outside in the good weather playing together, they are not interested in crafts and home iin on tractors and diggers all the time.

I have mostly gone for the spring theme so we can be outside and they have loved digging in the mud (like most of the day!) So maybe I could move onto a garden theme. We have platned some things already but could do a bit of role play, garden centre trip etc ...

I like the rainy day activities, ready for a rainy day.:thumbsup:

suzyblue
03-05-2010, 06:55 AM
I tend to pick an area for planning that I need to expand on in my setting. We are doing wildlife at the moment and we have bought a bird table, wormery, ant home thingy, fish tank etc, then we have posters around the room to encourage visual learning and conversations. I need to expand my ICT resources too so this will be our next topic.

funfunfun
03-05-2010, 07:08 AM
Quick question

we dont have to do themes do we ?? i was just (wen i start ) going to plan around the time of the year and the childrens interests

is this ok ??

dont see the point in creating extra paperwork

Chell
03-05-2010, 08:41 AM
Both my mindees are here for a short time each day and also attend either Nursery or Reception. I'm not following a theme, just updating my planning as and when they show an interest in something.

The reception child has had eggs/chickens in an incubater at school. Her and my DD enjoyed making scrambled egg at school for snacks so they made it at home for themselves. They want to make some other recipes with eggs.

I'm just adding to a planning sheet as and when really. I've found with this little girl she doesn't really want planned activities. I think it is a novelty being at my house with so much company as she is an only child.

breezy
03-05-2010, 09:28 AM
We're doing " people who help us" as I have three boys who are Fireman Sam mad and I want to extend it as I'm fed up of living in Pontypandy!!!!!!!
Also, they werent that impressed with the Spring theme! I'm then moving onto world cup etc.
I dont stick rigidly to any planning and if we can get outside we will!!!

toobusy4tea
03-05-2010, 09:39 AM
we are doing fairytales this month, i ahve a fairy mad little lady and castle mad little man so seems appropriate. we will also carry that on to be based around a popular book like gingerbread man. we are making crowns, junk modellign castles, dressing up, growing pumpkin seeds, etc etc.
i have two one yr olds too so it gets hard to mass plan for all, so i have to pick and choose out what the little ones can do also.
want to cover the world cup next month!

Hebs
03-05-2010, 10:42 AM
we are continuing on with our spring crafts, and waiting for our flowers to start growing :clapping:

Also doing pet month, have asked our local vet to come and see the kids (he does educational home/school visits) or if i can take the kids into the surgury to have a look around :D

and will be visiting the farm during may half term too

AnnieM
03-05-2010, 03:02 PM
We have been doing farm animals and are swinging that on into next month with farms in general and farm vehicles, to tie in with one of my mindees nursery topics of transport. I HATE football but as I mind 7 boys I think we will be covering that in June, so I am planning for that at the moment. We are having a mini world cup, lots of flag making, decorating paper football shirts and will buy some white tshirts to decorate too, still looking for more ideas for that though as it is half term too in June, so will have the older ones who are holiday only. In July we are doing minibeasts.

I really like themes as it concentrates my planning and expands the children's knowledge with things they wouldn't necessarily choose. My lot would just play cars all day long if that was a choice, that is not to say that they don't get to play with cars when they want to, but we have the theme running alongside, mainly for craft and messy play activities.

AnnieM
03-05-2010, 03:04 PM
We have been doing farm animals and are swinging that on into next month with farms in general and farm vehicles, to tie in with one of my mindees nursery topics of transport. I HATE football but as I mind 7 boys I think we will be covering that in June, so I am planning for that at the moment. We are having a mini world cup, lots of flag making, decorating paper football shirts and will buy some white tshirts to decorate too, still looking for more ideas for that though as it is half term too in June, so will have the older ones who are holiday only. In July we are doing minibeasts.

I really like themes as it concentrates my planning and expands the children's knowledge with things they wouldn't necessarily choose. My lot would just play cars all day long if that was a choice, that is not to say that they don't get to play with cars when they want to, but we have the theme running alongside, mainly for craft and messy play activities and the display really brightens up the play room.

Chell
03-05-2010, 06:49 PM
5th May - Children's Day in Japan

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/childrens_day_japan.htm

I'm going to give my 5yr old mindee and my own children the choice of making the carp kite/wind sock thingy's or the Japanese dolls/costumes.

Toothfairy
03-05-2010, 07:35 PM
For May I have planned;

Disability Awareness Week and I have been invited to bring the children along to visit the Deaf Unit at our local primary school.

Victoria Day (Canada) 24/5/10

May Day 3/5/10

Vesakha Puji (Buddhist 27/5/10)

Daisy1956
03-05-2010, 07:55 PM
I'm doing On the Pond- we just love the tad-poles , feeding the ducks, watching the lily-pads grow. I just love this time of the year.

fiona
03-05-2010, 08:01 PM
hi all, we are doing mini beasts this month, we have our butterfly house and we make lots of bits and lift up rocks etc, most of mine are at nursery half a day, my topics last for half a term so they dont get to board! we pick a new topic and change it during the holidays,:p

monkey62
03-05-2010, 10:39 PM
Quick question

we dont have to do themes do we ?? i was just (wen i start ) going to plan around the time of the year and the childrens interests

is this ok ??

dont see the point in creating extra paperwork

I do the same, I have 4 mindees ( full and part timers) and all of them are under 2.5. They are not very intrested in themes and long activites.
I plan on them interest, next step... If they are intrested in a subject then I plan on them interest...
I also have a group planning, long term planning...

The Juggler
04-05-2010, 06:19 AM
broadly spring but this includes pets (babies), farms, growing veg, caterpillers, the train track is a constant (2 mindees), space for another so I suppose not a theme as much just a trigger for some of the planned activities.