child led planning?

[samkeddy]

ok iv just sat down with the children (aged 3 and 2) and asked what they want to do with the school holidays, we have:-
Playgroup
farm day
library
baking
painting
park day
walk
pet shop
roth by the sea.

So iv penciled all these in my diary and it leaves very little space for anything else, im more than happy to do what the kids want im just worried about the lack of 'planned, structured educational type activities'

Can i have honest opinions please?
But bare in mind i am only referring to the hols and when were back to routine i do plan 'proper' activities

Thankyou x x

[sarah707]

Absolutely right! Mix with lots of free play.

You are planning the activities - the shopping for baking ingredients, picnics for the park etc.

You are also writing risk assessments etc.

Child led planning is all about spontaneity and children having an input. Much of what you do can be written up after the event too :D

[Maza]

What lucky children! You could do a mini topic web (or whatever fits your planning style) and think of how you can address each of the 6 areas of learning through each trip. For example, at the farm for CLL you could sing 'Baa Baa Black Sheep and introduce new vocabulary, listen to animal noises and distinguish one from another, For PSRN you could count the animals, sing 5 Little Ducks, for PSED you are learning about respecting/caring for animals, following rules in a new environment, handwashing after touching the animals, etc. etc. Have fun!

[samkeddy]

Absolutely right! Mix with lots of free play.

You are planning the activities - the shopping for baking ingredients, picnics for the park etc.

You are also writing risk assessments etc.

Child led planning is all about spontaneity and children having an input. Much of what you do can be written up after the event too :D

Thanks sarah, thats what i thought if i plan to do what the children want to do now then add the EYFS links in after when i know how it worked out! (its just abit back to front lol)

Thankyou x

[samkeddy]

What lucky children! You could do a mini topic web (or whatever fits your planning style) and think of how you can address each of the 6 areas of learning through each trip. For example, at the farm for CLL you could sing 'Baa Baa Black Sheep and introduce new vocabulary, listen to animal noises and distinguish one from another, For PSRN you could count the animals, sing 5 Little Ducks, for PSED you are learning about respecting/caring for animals, following rules in a new environment, handwashing after touching the animals, etc. etc. Have fun!

Great idea maza!
just makes it all a little more proffesional if i add those bits in first, the kind of things we do withought even thinking about it - but will help me feel better to have it all wrote down as prep i think.

[Penny1959]

I have ditched planning - in the written sense - yes I do plan as I plan what to put out each morning as I prepare the environment - and this is based on interests and areas that i want to support the children in. The day is then led by the children and changes to the environment recorded - as well who played with what (useful for spotting interests, schemas andso on, mini obs and wow moments - all supported by photographs. The linking to EYFS happens once I know what the children have done - it all then starts all over again the next day.

Penny :)

[Fairy Tanya]

I'm new to this, only been doing childminding for 2 weeks, and it is siblings. a 2 year old & 5 year old. Since the 5 year old is going into 1st year school, I thought she would probably like to just play and not work, so I have free play all the time, with strctured tidy up and lunch.
We do sing and dance, go for walks to the park and local shop and wood. We collect things like leave and twigs, feathers etc, (to make pictures and paintings) and also listening to the sounds we hear, I-d them and copy the noises. We play shops, and restaurants, play with animals and snap cards, train tracks (not real ones - toy ones) dollies with toy push chair. We count and i-d colours. Also try to sit down to read stories, but they don't seem interested in that, as they then run off to find other things to amuse themselves.
we do shapes, and with the 5 year old, we look at the maps and flags of different countries.( also it being the summer hols, I think the 5 year old just wants to play all the time, which will be a bit of a shock when she goes to school). I then write down what exactly we have done and what time. then do a short one for the daily diary. not sure what else to do really.

I should really read books, but by the time I have read the books, i have not found anything of help. so find it easier by asking people what they have done.
If anyone else could suggest things and what kind of format I need to write them down, that would be helpful.
One childminder I know writes everything down on post it notes, then hands the post it notes to the parents for their diary, No idea how she got an outstanding for her stuff, as she plonks them down in front of the tv and gives them stuff to play with.
Also I don't plan for anything unless we are going out for trips, as my 2 just want to play with what they like to play with. and you can't rea;;y force them. I just get loads of bits out. take this morning, i had painting all set up. which they enjoyed, but whenthey got bored after 15 mins went off and got out stuff they liked to play with.
please let me know if I am doing this right or wrong.
Tanya

[marleymoo]

ok iv just sat down with the children (aged 3 and 2) and asked what they want to do with the school holidays, we have:-
Playgroup
farm day
library
baking
painting
park day
walk
pet shop
roth by the sea.

So iv penciled all these in my diary and it leaves very little space for anything else, im more than happy to do what the kids want im just worried about the lack of 'planned, structured educational type activities'

Can i have honest opinions please?
But bare in mind i am only referring to the hols and when were back to routine i do plan 'proper' activities

Thankyou x x
they sound like proper activities to me - you still have to plan for them to happen, plan what you have to take with you and what you will do when you get there. When you reflect on the day you can note what was good, what you could do next time you go etc.

[marleymoo]

Tanya:No idea how she got an outstanding for her stuff, as she plonks them down in front of the tv and gives them stuff to play with.
[/QUOTE]

aah but is this her planned quiet time? i find that others are often very critical of outstanding childminders, looking hard for their shortcomings.:rolleyes:

[Fairy Tanya]

nope, this is an all day thing. When I used to get invited round for coffee, becasue she said she was bored and wanted someone to watch her kid whilst she nipped out for a cig. I now don't speak to her, as I had enough of her bad mouthing her friends all the time and this was in front the kids she looked after too. I know if My child was in her care, I think I would have taken her out. sorry..
Today with the kids I had today. 2 & 5, We played dress -up, then built train tracks, naming the colours, shapes, how many there are. we played camping in the kids tee pee, ran around the garden, throwing balls for my dog, then had lunch, with a dvd until they finished. then we got out the drawing and colouring stuff. all drew pictures. had a dance around the living room with music. then played sleeping lions for the last 10 mins before their nan turned up. they went home singing the songs we had sung and smiling. now that was a good day. my friend whose kids they are, says, that since they have been with me, there are not so naughty, as they have run off their energy in the session. they go back singing songs, telling stories of what their day has been like. full of content.
I do know that the lady whose child it was, did eventually take her out of the care. as the child always came back troubled. and never really wanted to go in at the time she was being dropped off. It seems such a shame, I know we are not always full of beans everyday. but because she didn't like her job. didn't mean she couldn't do it while she was still working as a childminder.
The thing that gets me is, I have never asked anyone whilst getting my business sorted any advice, on how to do this or how to do that. so have never really seen any examples to copy, so really I have no idea if I'm doing things right or not. then to find that people are amazed at what I have done, when I have just thought it was common sense. so I'm wondering what kind of rating I would get as I interact with the kids all the time. If she got an outstanding for what she does, then is the rating system any good. is there a higher mark than outstanding????? I just find these things puzzling, and that is qhy I queried it in the first place. As far as I'm aare, I thought as childminders, we are there to help the parents of the children whilst they are at work by teaching the children their way through life, be it the basics of structured learning, not to plonk them in from of the telly and sit there chat with your friends for hours and let the visitor watch the kid whilst they nipped out the back. I'm sorry if this has upset anyone. but this was my local childminder. and after learning and doing the course, it left me puzzled as to what exactly was she taught when learning childminding.
I'll stop ranting now.
Thank you
Tanya
:(

[marleymoo]

don't worry Fairy Tanya, I'm sure nobody took offence, I know I didn't. I can only assume that things have gone downhill since your ex childminding friend was last inspected. I really am trying to give her the benefit of the doubt because I really don't like to badmouth fellow childminders. It is extremely difficult to be awarded "outstanding" and it takes an awful lot of effort on our behalf. It's not about doing things well, it's about doing them exceptionally well and being innovative and forward thinking, as well as continuing our personal and professional development and being a very good reflective practitioner. Believe me, it takes an amazing amount of effort and hard work. I was last inspected in 2009 and I have been constantly working hard to try to get "outstanding" for a third time in 2012.
I have been told that other CMs in my area often gossip about what goes on behind my closed doors because I'm not into the playgroup scene, but I have my own personal reasons for that and, again, i don't want to badmouth other CMs.
I do entirely understand how you feel. What you have witnessed is very poor practice and i expect that this will be apparent to her next Ofsted inspector. I have often said that I think we should be inspected annually but everyone grumbles when i say that but I think it is the only way to raise, and keep, standards high. Please, let it be that I have found someone in you that might agree with me? pleeeaaase lol,x

[marleymoo]

they sound like proper activities to me - you still have to plan for them to happen, plan what you have to take with you and what you will do when you get there. When you reflect on the day you can note what was good, what you could do next time you go etc.

this was meant to come over as - you still HAD to plan for them to happen etc else they wouldn't have happened at all, whether the plans were written or not. does that make sense? sorry for any confusion, i really have got my head up my butt this week:o