How do you provide CP without it being a dump?

[Lems]

How do you all manage to provide continuous provision?
I'm lucky enough to have a dedicated conservatory as our playroom, therefore it is kitted out with trofast and malm shelving storage. It enables great c.p to cover all areas. I'm just finding my f/t lo's all around 24mths, just tip it out and stand on most of it while I'm picking back up around them before items are getting broken (which a lot are). I also find they are not interested in any planned activities and wander off to 'play' doing as I've said above.
I've scaled down some c.p resources but unless I completely change my storage system (which I cannot afford to do) I'm not sure how to break their routine. It makes my planning look unfulfilled, activities/resources are being wasted etc.. On the other hand I don't want a sparse playroom as it is one of my selling points
How do you all get a good balance?? I'd like to try and crack it before half term?!
Lx

[mum24]

How do you all manage to provide continuous provision?
I'm lucky enough to have a dedicated conservatory as our playroom, therefore it is kitted out with trofast and malm shelving storage. It enables great c.p to cover all areas. I'm just finding my f/t lo's all around 24mths, just tip it out and stand on most of it while I'm picking back up around them before items are getting broken (which a lot are). I also find they are not interested in any planned activities and wander off to 'play' doing as I've said above.
I've scaled down some c.p resources but unless I completely change my storage system (which I cannot afford to do) I'm not sure how to break their routine. It makes my planning look unfulfilled, activities/resources are being wasted etc.. On the other hand I don't want a sparse playroom as it is one of my selling points
How do you all get a good balance?? I'd like to try and crack it before half term?!
Lx

oh I so agree....I really hope you get some good replies to this, I really need some answers too.....

[Boris]

Yep, same here! I have scaled down a lot over the past few months. I think it's because all of my LO's are little at the moment. I am hoping when they get bigger it will get better!? They are too young to understand that you put one thing away before getting something else out and I just end up with a big mess and am constantly tidying up. I have the same storage as you and thought about making a little curtain to go over the front of the cupboard. Not sure that would work though. I hope someone comes along soon with a better reply haha!

[jillplum]

I Have ahoy room with shelves etc and like you say it can be a bit of a problem with little ones tipping it all out. I sometimes take one box from the unit and take it and the kids into the lounge. I close the doors and then get the items out of the box and sit down on the floor with it. this seems to focus their minds a bit better as they haven't got the distraction od all the other toys.

[jillplum]

* a Toy room*

[hectors house]

Yep, same here! I have scaled down a lot over the past few months. I think it's because all of my LO's are little at the moment. I am hoping when they get bigger it will get better!? They are too young to understand that you put one thing away before getting something else out and I just end up with a big mess and am constantly tidying up. I have the same storage as you and thought about making a little curtain to go over the front of the cupboard. Not sure that would work though. I hope someone comes along soon with a better reply haha!

I have got a small toy room - half the garage that has been converted for me to use as a playroom, but find kids tip everything out and then have no floor space to play, so I end up not using my playroom and they choose which toys they want to play with from photos and I get that box for them. I want to use my playroom for art and craft activities to save me having to clear the table for snacks and meals and for quiet time/stories at the end of the day - so had thought of covering up accessible boxes with a curtain or a throw, but haven't got round to trying it yet.

So that's 2 possible yes's for a curtain - but not tried and tested yet - I volunteer you Lems - let us know the result!

[Playmate]

I'm having similar problems and it is very frustrating. We currently have 4, 2 year olds that just tip and throw and move onto the next box Unfortuantely we also have 4 3 & 4 year olds who need the CP to be available to them. We added a shed with more trofast and keep less in the playroom. It sort of works but still frustrates me My tippers and throwers have been at this stage for a year now and I keep hoping they are going to grow out of it but there is still no sign I also can't interact with 2 of them, because if you go near them to play they move away, their speech is poor too which I find even harder, but it is not suprising because they choose not to interact. If anyone has a magic solution I would love to hear it

[singingcactus]

I think, without wanting to sound to simplistic, you need to make your resources and planning fit the children you have, rather than the children fit your planning and resources. Maybe instead of trying to break their use of the resources you could provide resources that work for the way they play. You don't need oodles and oodles of small toys and stuff to ensure all areas are covered, just carefully select what you have. Maybe covering up some toys at certain times of days and uncovering them at others will help extend the playability of a smaller amount of toys.

[TooEarlyForGin?]

I remember when our children's centre (when we were allowed to use it) used to have a wide range of toys that were suitable for everyone, books and an activity at the table all the other toys (mainly ones with lots of bits) were stored/hidden away and toys were fetched out when someone wanted to use them, then we swapped/tidied as we went along.

Then, when OFSTED were due they decided to have a change and put all the toys out available for all of the children at all times which we were told was much better for the children.

It was absolute chaos as all the little ones would just empty everything out within the first five minutes and everything would get trodden on and not really played with. It seemed to encourage more throwing than anything.

I operate on the old way. I have a wide variety of toys that suit everyone and rotate toys weekly to keep up interest. I then ask older children to choose particular toys if they want anything in particular.

[Daftbat]

I keep a lot of toys stored out of the way and rotate boxes so that things are varied from week to week. I provide some small baskets in the conservatory with a wide range of things which toddlers find enjoyable all the time like building bricks, cars, animals and books and then bring out larger boxes in the lounge for "themed" playing and more structured activities. I also recently moved some furniture around so that in the conservatory there is a unit with cupboard doors on it where board games are stored which the older chidlren after school can get access to but not little ones - saves going in to find all the frustration bits all over the floor - stops me getting .......well.....frustrated!

Over the years I have found that I just have to keep re thinking all of my strategies to allow for different children of different ages and temperaments/interests. Its a bit like painting the Forth Bridge.........

[Mouse]

If you look at research on the childcare environment, it shows that the less choice there is, the better the children play

I used to have all my toys out in clear plastic boxes so that the children could see everything that we had. They used to walk round, pulling boxes off shelves & emptying them onto the floor. They never played with anything.

I changed all my clear boxes for wicker or fabric boxes that weren't see through. I also cleared LOTS of toys out the the shed & had a very limited number out. I thought carefully about what to leave out & made sure there was a good selection, but a limited amount. It was amazing how differenntly the children played. It was as if they had less things to look at, so concentrated better on the things that were there.

If you're finding the children don't play, I would try removing, or covering some of the toys so they have a limited choice. I know you say your full playroom is one of your selling points, so perhaps you need to explain to parents the benefits of having a smaller choice of toys

[loocyloo]

i have a unit with 6 big boxes in my playroom ... these boxes contain - animals & people, vehicles, duplo, wooden train set, wooden playfood/teaset etc and little people.

i also have a clothes stand with dressing up clothes on, a box of dollies and a box of baby/toddler toys. oh, and a bookcase

all the other toys are in cupboards with doors! some boxes can be seen on shelving, but this is the sensory/heuristic boxes & is all in wicker baskets.

i choose one or two activities each day to have out and this suits the children. they choose which of the 'big' boxes they want, and are learning from each other to put one away, or at least tidy a bit before getting another box out! My LOs have pretty much all been with me for a year now, and are all 3 or coming up 3! ( bar 18mth old who thinks she is 3! ) in january i will have 2 LOs start ( 14mths ish ) and i am hoping that the way the current LOs play will rub off on the new mindees!

my biggest nightmares are the schoolies, and my own children !!! DD had a friend to play at the weekend and you should have seen the playroom !!! took them a long time to tidy up!

[kel1983]

All our toys are stored in our small box room upstairs. We rotate toys as and when we feel they need changing. This works to our advantage as we only have a couple of boxes out a day. The children tip them all out but its manageable. If children look as if they have lost interest in something we put it back upstairs and get something else out For older children we ask what they would like to play with.

[jadavi]

i agree rotation is the key and less is more as well
xxx

[blue bear]

Mine used to be in all open shelves and it just got on top of everyone, children and me.
I bought trogast units, trimmed down the toys, made story bags and put up shelves.
We now have one open shelf in the lounge, this had trofast boxes on it rotated with the trofast unit in the conservatory. I use the story bags for themes and add resources to play areas, so when the children were playing restaurants earlier I put put paper pads, pencils, phones, hand bags, scarves, heeled shoes.
Having it all easily available all the time just over whelmed the children, I definetly find a more tailored choice works best.

[lilac_dragon]

If you look at research on the childcare environment, it shows that the less choice there is, the better the children play

I used to have all my toys out in clear plastic boxes so that the children could see everything that we had. They used to walk round, pulling boxes off shelves & emptying them onto the floor. They never played with anything.

I changed all my clear boxes for wicker or fabric boxes that weren't see through. I also cleared LOTS of toys out the the shed & had a very limited number out. I thought carefully about what to leave out & made sure there was a good selection, but a limited amount. It was amazing how differenntly the children played. It was as if they had less things to look at, so concentrated better on the things that were there.

If you're finding the children don't play, I would try removing, or covering some of the toys so they have a limited choice. I know you say your full playroom is one of your selling points, so perhaps you need to explain to parents the benefits of having a smaller choice of toys

My room has a full to bursting bookcase, a box of Duplo, A box of small world and little people, Brio track, dressing up clothes, and a small home corner with food and a box of dollies etc. My Laundry room is for messy play and has a table set with crayons and pencils and pads an old computer keyboard for the"office", I get paints out when needed, but we have a chalkboard fixed to the back of the door for anytime use. I have a 10x12ft metal storage shed on the patio which is bursting with toys, which I delve into when I think things are getting stale, or when a child shows an interest in something which I can feed into. My BITSA box ( bitsa this and bitsa that) has a couple of items of all sorts of things in it, and when a child picks something from it and has a WOW moment and starts delving into the depths for "the other bits" I go and get the appropriate box and bring it into play. The parents are given a 3 page list of my available toys, and I let them borrow things at the weekend especially if they want to try before they buy a toy. I keep on top of the "mess" by having "tidy up time" before snack , lunch and school pickup time. I find it mostly works.

[sarah707]

CP is not about a free for all. It's about children being able to access a wide range of resources that meet their learning needs and interests through the day.

So in the morning you might get out xx in the house and yy in the garden. then in the afternoon you get out ww in the house and zz in the garden.

These are the main 'focus' toys which the children will enjoy using (based on previous observations) and which will help their learning to progress (based on assessments and individual planning).

This does not mean they cannot get out other toys to complement their play - it just means that you are partly controlling their environment - this is what the balance of adult led and child initiated play is all about.

hth

[Lems]

As always some helpful advice and information. I think a different way of thinking when it comes to c.p is needed on my behalf reading some posts. For a quick fix,ready for half term I think I'll be investing in some lidded boxes for the lower shelves.
Lx