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View Full Version : Planning!! STRESSED out with the EYFS



Louise0208
19-05-2011, 07:51 PM
im getting myself in a real tizzy this week, i didnt sleep a wink last night :panic:

up until now i have had schoolies (the only early years child was here for an hour a day so no planning was required although for practice sake she has a detailed Learning journey).....this week i have took on 2 under 4's and need to start planning.......here is the problem.....

A (3) is here for 2 hours a week (1 session) including school run & making evening meal

B (nearly 3) is here for 2.5 hours a day including school runs & making dinner

school run alone takes 45 mins-1 hour then i have the schoolies & my own kids to cook for so its generally free play/colouring/garden/dress up etc....anything i can monitor without needed constant input.

Nothing goes to plan in this house, i cant imagine sticking to a 'planned' day, we have a 'typical' day but its pretty much see how everyones mood is at the time. (i have no intention of dodging flying scissors just because the plan says we need to have a crafty session)

i have started a learning journey for both boys which includes the following...

-All about me page
-EYFS 6 areas of learning & development info page & child development charts which are dated when each stage is reached.
-13 monthly reviews for each area of learning (12 months + starting point)
-Detailed planned activity pages with sections for photos, what the child did, links to EYFS early leaning goals, how did it support learning & Next steps.
-Look listen & note observation records.

Is there anything else i need to add?

Do i need to do themes?

Do i need to plan daily/weekly/monthly/yearly?

How often do i need to do a detailed planned activity?

How the blooming hell am i going to squeeze everything into the small amount of time we have together?

Will ofsted want to see evidence 0f planning?

Playmate
19-05-2011, 07:59 PM
In your situation, all I would do at the moment is do some base line obs to give you an idea of what they like doing. Have a look at the areas of development appropriate to their ages and then maybe plan monthly to incorporate a acouple of activities that will possibly help them to the next stage. If does not need to be in depth and if the activities don't happen because the children's interests take you elsewhere, so be it! Don't make it more complicated than it need be :D

buildingblocks
19-05-2011, 08:49 PM
The best piece of advice I can give you re Learning Journeys is keep them up to date and don't get behind with them or you waste a week off getting them up to date (not that I would ever do such a thing)

s there anything else i need to add?

Keep it simple the more you do the morework it takes

Do i need to do themes?

no as your planning should be on individual needs but I tend to include simple festivals and the seasons

Do i need to plan daily/weekly/monthly/yearly?

I tend to work out my planned activities etc on a fortnightly or monthly basis but the child's planning is done daily at a push weekly


How the blooming hell am i going to squeeze everything into the small amount of time we have together?

As I said before keep it as simple as possible


Will ofsted want to see evidence 0f planning?

yes but they want to see evidence of how you use that planning to develop next steps from it

catswhiskers
22-05-2011, 04:45 PM
I tend to take each day as it comes - I don't really do any planning on paper as feel I do enough paperwork.

Who will be looking at all this weekly/monthly planning anyway?

Don't get me wrong, I take the children out every day to groups in morning and park in the afternoon - this takes up a main part of my day - then inbetween I try to do a craft activity, painting, playdough.

I read books and put musical CDs on every day.

If, for example, father's day comes along I will get the children to make a card.

If that's planning, I must be doing something right.

I've spent so much time on a brother and sister for the past four years and since the EYFS came in, have loads of folders for them.

They are leaving me in July and all my hard work will be going with them - my Ofsted inspection was due last November so it's now 3 and a half years since my last one. Ofsted won't see these folders so I feel really cheesed off. So much so that I'm cutting back on my daily diaries, which I sometimes feel I put too much in.