Observations i am doing too many

[busybee81]

I am quite new, I have been doing about 4 a day on my full time mindee, just because I think I'll get a picture of that but then write it up and link it to eyfs. I am finding that many of the links are are the same do I need to show these on every obs if I have showed that they have achieved it?
Shall I just pick which activities I am going to observe as I feel I am repeating a lot when linking to eyfs.
Thanks

[Rick]

I am quite new, I have been doing about 4 a day on my full time mindee, just because I think I'll get a picture of that but then write it up and link it to eyfs. I am finding that many of the links are are the same do I need to show these on every obs if I have showed that they have achieved it?
Shall I just pick which activities I am going to observe as I feel I am repeating a lot when linking to eyfs.
Thanks

I found I was doing too many observations, particularly for a new child. I was almost trying to document everything they were doing. Once I had got I know them I tended not to repeat obs if I had seen something before. For instance if I had seen LO use a spoon competently to feed and had done an obs, wouldn't do an obs next time.

The development matters should not be used as a ticklist but if course if you keep seeing the same thing you don't need to record it again and again.

[Cammie Doodle]

I would say so, can you imagine if you had 3 children to care for !!! How would you have the time? Lots of Photos are a great way of building a picture and getting evidence , then all you need is a few words to back it up . Enjoy

[hectors house]

I take photos during the day of - children doing craft activities, cooking, playing (inside & outside) on outings, when they manage something new (had a lo learn to start zip off at bottom and do up yesterday) then I put all the photos in the LJ but for some I will just write "X making some cakes for your birthday" "Y digging in the sandpit if I have written these up for an observation before - whereas when it is a first like the zip yesterday I will write it in more detail as an observation. So some of my photos are more or less diary entries and some are proper observations but I still link them all to the EYFS headings. Sometimes even if they are doing a craft activity or cooking they will say something different, manage to read the numbers on the scales, crack an egg and then that becomes a "first" and deserves an observation. I do lots of small observations but then will sit down and do a planned observation eg: have a child with speech pronounciation difficulties who I monitor every couple of months and go into lots of detail on words and sounds she is still struggling with.

[mrs robbie williams]

I have five all under three at the mo spread over the week and i try and do one obs for each per week and then use it to plan for the following week xx

[chezzagriff]

I do one planned obs a week for each child which includes next steps and photographs. I then do small one lined ones when they do something new. This varys as one week a child could do 3 new things the next week 1 and the next week none etc.

[Tazmin68]

A minder I know who got outstanding does normal weekly observations and does one in-depth planned activity including photo observations once a month so have reduced mine as I was doing one a week.

[kel1983]

We do one observation a week (unless the child is having a good week and we have more) and have at least one piece of work a week and a photograph of them doing something special a week.

[mummyMia]

I started off doing way too many too. I think I was trying to document every special activity and outing so that I could show Ofsted all the lovely things that we have done. I went on a training course recently and they said that you should only be doing an observation if a child actually does something new. The focus of the learning journey is supposed to be about their learning and development and the milestones that they have reached. It doesn't need to include everything they have done. I am now finding that by doing less observations it is actually easier to focus the most important things and to plan accordingly. It's cheaper printing less photos too.

[rickysmiths]

I do wow moments as they happen so you may get one or several in a day. I stick photos and examples of activities and work all the time and I use the pacey stickers to indicate the areas of learning covered. Full Obs are done approx once every half term unless something special pops up. I was inspected 13 months ago and Ofsted commented that they had rarely seen such wonderful LJs.

[hectors house]

I do wow moments as they happen so you may get one or several in a day. I stick photos and examples of activities and work all the time and I use the pacey stickers to indicate the areas of learning covered. Full Obs are done approx once every half term unless something special pops up. I was inspected 13 months ago and Ofsted commented that they had rarely seen such wonderful LJs.

Lovely weather here today and the baby who used to scream if I tried taking him in the garden is now 15 months and he loved the garden - took far too many photos and now have to write up too many obs - may just put lots of photos on one and link them all together!

[Essbops]

I'm using ***** but not sure what to write is xxxx lifted spoon to mouth by himself
Good enough or should these be much greater in depth?

[busybee81]

Ok, so I like taking lots of picys, if I just right basic note and then do a more focussed 1 about once a week or if something special happens.
Thanks everyone x

[twinkletots]

I'm using ***** but not sure what to write is xxxx lifted spoon to mouth by himself
Good enough or should these be much greater in depth?

I use ********* too! I find it really good

[KatieFS]

Yes im getting to grips with this too! I try to only capture new or wow progress observations.

I think one or two a week is brilliant, you can always take more pics if special or fun things they are doing and email over or save up for a cd of images if your families would like that.

A course I went on re observations said only to state factual information, so Saying a child can hold a spoon in hand, able to feed themselves independently is perfect. You can include any other suggestions or likes/preferences in comments/nxt steps.

[rickysmiths]

Lovely weather here today and the baby who used to scream if I tried taking him in the garden is now 15 months and he loved the garden - took far too many photos and now have to write up too many obs - may just put lots of photos on one and link them all together!

Why do you need to write loads of obs? Just put the set of the photos in the LJ and annotate them and indicate which areas of learning they cover. Job done. Yes if one of the activities show a good developmental stage reached or there would be good next steps do a more detailed observation but don't feel compelled to do these all the time they really are not needed or expected.

Mine written as if the child had written them like a diary were very well received. I think people do far too much sometimes and it is not expected or needed.

[SYLVIA]

Why do you need to write loads of obs? Just put the set of the photos in the LJ and annotate them and indicate which areas of learning they cover. Job done. Yes if one of the activities show a good developmental stage reached or there would be good next steps do a more detailed observation but don't feel compelled to do these all the time they really are not needed or expected.

Mine written as if the child had written them like a diary were very well received. I think people do far too much sometimes and it is not expected or needed.

I like the idea of writing obs as if they are written by the child.

[busybee81]

I thought I was doing too much

[phoenix2010]

I take on average one pic per child per day

so if a child attends 2 days a week , thats 2 pics a week

then any wow /special moments too

I write a sentence or two on each one and put it in relevant section on Orbit

then every 4 months I do a complete assessment of all areas for each child

I evaluate one planned group activity per week