Plans for special events

[Chell]

If you are planning for say Easter, Mother's Day or Chinese New Year, how long so you keep these running?

Does that make sense, :laughing: eg, Easter, when will you start activities on this theme? We've three weeks left after this one before Easter I think. If you have children in the holidays will you continue the theme after the Easter weekend?

[sarah707]

It depends on the children, whether they are part or full time, their interest level etc.

For example this week we have been looking at Mothers Day... between all 7 of my mindees, none come for more than 18 hours a week (and that's a baby) so to make it work I have needed the whole week...

However, if children are with you more often, you will get things finished a lot faster without having to break for tea or a quick game in the garden.

So there's no hard and fast rule really is what I think I am trying to say :laughing: :D

[mama2three]

well ive just wrapped up chinese new year! they were still enjoying the role play and its been extended in lots of different directions. things id planned for march just went on hold - or ran alongside. Whilst they are still learning / enjoying it why change?

[Chell]

well ive just wrapped up chinese new year! they were still enjoying the role play and its been extended in lots of different directions. things id planned for march just went on hold - or ran alongside. Whilst they are still learning / enjoying it why change?

On that, do you plan the number of activities you think you'll need or do you plan more then just evaluate was was used/needed IYSWIM?

At the moment I only have a little boy for three hours a day, this includes lunch and a school run. If the weather is nice then we would abandon plans and go to the park but if the weather was awful we might need something extra.

[mama2three]

i planned enough to cover about 2 weeks with the hours my mindees do , but sometimes we dont do anything that has been planned so we may or may not do the 'planned' stuff another day. All the arts/crafts we did around the time of new year - but the role play changed from a kitchen ( based roughly on the tiger who came to tea) then morphed into a chinese restaurant which they have loved - serving each other , making menus , trying to pick everything up using chopsticks , .... other things i set up get ignored but this just flew. so thats where the evaluation comes in. ( which is usually as simple as remember to put out chunky gripped pencils for l next time!)

I had planned to do the story sack of handas surprise on monday while ofsted were here but we spent most of the morning trying to get a block of ice out of a jug.

on my weekly plan at the bottom of each day are 2 boxes , spontaneous and evaluation. the rest of the plan is often a bit bare but spontaneous box needs to be bigger when i get chance to redo the forms.
most next steps seem to come from spontaneous activities somehow.

not sure ive answered the question , sorry ive waffled on a bit there!!:blush:

[Chell]

Super thank you. You say you have a weekly plan, how far ahead have you planned/are expected to plan?

[mama2three]

me? not very - as little as up to the end of this week , then towards the end of the week i do next week! used to plan further ahead but as things get moved around / added/ missed - that didnt work for me. i do a monthly sheet of ideas i use to base my month on so im not completely unprepared for next week though!
this is about the 4th version of my planning over 6 months but it seems to be working for me. i still need to 'tweak' it as i dont think it always shows how i cover all areas , as i tend to work very 'holistically'. try different things til you get the one that suits you. we all work differently and so everyones paperwork will be different. hope ive helped but im no expert - this is just how mine works just now , no right way on this!