trying to sort out new planning system (again !!!) but a bit stuck......

[mrs robbie williams]

so DO has got me really thinking about planning and has put it on my sheet to evaluate next time she comes (Oct)

so I have done a sheet for September planning
i have written down the children and what days/sessions they attend

activities:
free play
post office role play
train set
cars and garage
dolls and buggies
play kitchen
garden play
trip to park
playing with dog, rabbit

i have then broken down each activity to link to Eyfs and then gone onto individual planning and further broken down the activities to link to development matters for the their age/stage of development

i have added my focus for each one - sharing, taking turns, playing together

does this sound ok so far?

so my main thing this month is going to be writing letters, putting in envelopes, putting stamp on, posting in post box (that i made today)
so ive put this will cover: (to encourage working together, recognising letters, writing skills etc)
Maths:
numbers - counting 1 to 10
shows skills in making toys work - play till
uses positional language - putting letters 'in' post box

Literacy
drawing and writing letters
recognising their name
give meaning to work
use talk that objects stand for something - eg the post box

art and design
gluing, putting stamps on envelopes
being imaginative
use available resources to support role play

PSED
play in group
select resources
take turns

PD
posting the letter
draw lines and circles
use equipment safely eg scissors
holds pencil between finger and thumb

C+L
talking about who they are posting their letter to
use of objects scissors etc
understand use of objects
recognising their name on envelope

KUW
im stuck?????????????????????

does this all sound ok? not enough? too much???? then i will do observations to link with the planning? TIA xx

[Tealady]

KUW: Get the children to make a card and post it to their home address and wrap a small light parcel and take it to the post office to weigh stamp and post back to yourselves?

Can't comment on the rest of your planning. It is quite different to mine but I currently questioning and reviewing my own as I'm not happy with it.

[Chatterbox Childcare]

Wow you do a lot - I only link the areas of learning with their obs - not their planning as they may not even do it.

[mrs robbie williams]

I really struggle to keep up with it and it often falls behind but do keeps on about ousted will want to see planning and why I provide the activities I do

[moggy]

I don't even do half as much as that!

Monthly, I used Sarah's play plan idea but just note 3-6 ideas per month (like 'get the toy farm out' or 'board games' for 2 yr old who has shown an interest) and put the initial of the main Areas per idea- we may or may not do them. I tick off what we have done and note how it went and any next ideas. For obs I do identify an Area or two and sometimes put a Next Step.

I do not try to plan something for every Area as I know we cover them all over a week/month as we are often getting paints out or music and go out for nature walks, talking and counting all the time, climbing and building etc etc. Every Area is covered by normal play and joining in with life in a normal home environment.

It is fantastic what you have done there in that plan, I have never written out something like that (except in a training exercise!). You are making a lot of work for yourself. Can you keep that up? What if the children are not interested in Post Offices this month but arrive with a fab idea about 'pretending to go to the seaside', or 'dinosaurs' or...? But then, I don't do themes so I find it hard to see how it can work.

The children I have are younger, though, so I do almost all day-to-day planning, ad hoc making things up on the spur of the moment following their lead almost by the hour. If one comes talking about posting a letter then we would do something that morning like paint a box and making postcards. I would not dare to plan that ahead because the 2 year olds are just as likely to decide today is the day to make the teddies a birthday cake and off we would go on another tangent. But if you have more older ones then maybe it works for you to be more structured?

I'd ask yourself why you need to please your DO? We don't have any here so I don't know how the relationship works. It must be confusing having people advise you on how you should do your own planning- sorry! Find your own way, it has to be YOURS, not your DOs or anyone's on here.

[FussyElmo]

activities:
free play
post office role play
train set
cars and garage
dolls and buggies
play kitchen
garden play
trip to park
playing with dog, rabbit

All this is wonderful but why are you doing it? Post office role play for example is there a particular reason you are planning this or is it something you think they would like to do.

Cars and garage again why? have you a mindee who enjoys this activity what are you doing to extend the learning?

Dolls and buggies again as with the cars what do you do to extend it.

Ok for example you have noticed a mindee that a mindee always chooses a doll and a buggy to play with so to extend this you are going to wash the baby in a bathe (PSED).

Planning sometimes is not about toys/activites laid it but why you are doing it.

[mrs robbie williams]

Everything except the post office is just out all the time the post office idea I guess was to get them to try and play together, take turns that kind of think also have ds10 here who likes that kind of thing. Do keeps banging on about ifsted want to see planning following their needs teaching them new things I'm happy to let them okay and do what they like lol but she said there has to be done thing adult led covering each of their next steps at each session which I need to plan fur and keep in yet another file

[gwm]

I agree with the previous replies.....DO the planning for you and your children NOT the DO!!!!!!!!
What YOU have to show Ofsted is how well YOU know your children and what they enjoy doing. It is not a military operation...it is children enjoying an experience.
You can cover so many areas in a handful of activities....trip to shop....trip to playground/having friends over for lunch....a picnic.....playdough/water/sand....sticking and cutting/painting/chalk....making smoothies/sandwich.....reading a book.....music. Each one will cover most areas of learning and development. Once you can show Ofsted where each child is a moment in time and how they are progressing you have done your job.
Free play is very important to children so that they can learn to entertain themselves and be self motivated. Overplanning can take away spontanaiety for you and the children.

[FussyElmo]

Everything except the post office is just out all the time the post office idea I guess was to get them to try and play together, take turns that kind of think also have ds10 here who likes that kind of thing. Do keeps banging on about ifsted want to see planning following their needs teaching them new things I'm happy to let them okay and do what they like lol but she said there has to be done thing adult led covering each of their next steps at each session which I need to plan fur and keep in yet another file

There has been a big move into learning and development to see how the children are progressing so you do need to see their next steps achieved.

The stuff you always have is your continuous provision which is an part of planning but not all of it.

So for example Mum comes tomorrow and tells you lo has really enjoyed a trip to the farm. So you would follow this on by getting the farm out, singing songs, reading books. then you could extend it by making animal masks, the farm animals and their babies.

Its about following their interests and extending them.

[mum67]

Your planning is very indepth and covers everything but wow it's a lot of work for you. This DO sounds like she puts too much pressure on you. I have Sarah's planning also but haven't had the chance to use it yet as only older after school children, but it is very easy to follow and again like yours covers everything but without all the hard work (Sarah has done that for us).

[mrs robbie williams]

Going to look at Sarah's she is brill xx

[mum67]

She certainly is Mrs Robbie Williams

[VeggieSausage]

I order a planning book from Childminding Angels on Ebay every year and I just fill it all in and all my planning is in one place, it has a page for each week of the year, long term planning ideas and boxes for Events this week, indoor and outdoor provision etc, outcomes......

[mrs robbie williams]

childminding angels planning book | eBay

like that idea veggie sausage is one of these? xx

[mama2three]

wow , that's a lot!
Its great - if you can keep on top of it!
planning is the one thing that Ive found hard to balance - I have done weekly planners , monthly planners , themes , no themes....it has taken me a long time to balance - do too much 'recording' fall behind , ...don't do enough , worry about grades etc.
I know I plan well for my lo's. They are happy , progressing , enthusiastic , involved in their play. That's without writing a single thing down!. If we are painting I automatically get W to help me mix the paint - he needs the added input and large pivoting motion to help with his dexterity....
Now My learning journals have the childs individual planning in , plus I do a monthly or half termly newsletter / planning sheet with what we might focus on , seasonal festivities , or a book we are enjoying , with some play ideas and links for parents to do at home.
sometimes the link between the 2 is a bit hazy , I did have to explain it to mrs O so it obviously wasn't clear enough , something to work on? Maybe , but as she said , planning doesn't have to be written at all , and I could clearly explain how I incorporated the childrens next steps in to the group plan.

[hectors house]

I use Tapestry and print off next steps which shows me suggestions for observation ideas which is similar to looking at the EYO document, I then see what statements haven't been achieved yet for a particular child, then see if other children have a similar statement and then plan an activity to help them reach it.

I think of the child first, take into account their interests and which area of EYO I need to work on with them, then plan the activity/resources last - sounds like you are putting lots of effort into your planning but it needs to be a system which you can keep up with without making too much extra paperwork.

[Simona]

I have to admit I get very confused by this and cross too

We are constantly told that we have lost 'LA support' and then ...here come the DOs telling cms how to plan etc etc and telling us how we should do this and that and the other...I know that group settings feel like this too! I have heard of DOs asking for things that have been removed from EYFS

CMs know their children best and planning should be around their interests and the way we know they learn and the way we teach...how would a DO know all that in just one visit?
and at inspection she would not be there to tell the inspector the cm has planned according to the DO's ideas rather than her judgement of the children's progress and next steps

Do these DOs ever read the EYFS and carry a copy with them when they make these requests? I think EYFS p9 is rather clear on our requirements

Keep the planning simple...follow the children's own interests and lead in their play to extend their knowledge...that planning is far too much but obviously you have to decide on what is best for you and what format you feel confident in discussing with the inspector on judgement day!

Good luck