Observations???

Hi there,

in a tizz as usual- do you always have a learning objective for a planned activity other then just for childs enjoyment
How long would you watch child with activity for ?
Can anyone recommend a good online course?


Thanks in advance xx

do you always have a learning objective for a planned activity other then just for childs enjoyment?

Good grief no! We just play! I follow what the children enjoy and want to do. Children generally naturally want to play with what is best for them, funny that- anyone would think they might actually be able to grow up and develop into fully functioning adults without any EY professional following them round with a copy of EYO... amazing :p
OK, so if I know a child can't use scissors yet and it would be something I think they'd enjoy we'll get the scissors out and do some snipping etc... or a baby is starting to cruise round furniture so I get the push-along trolley out... but really, it is not rocket science- look at the child and put away the book, I say.

How long would you watch child with activity for ?

I watch because I am supervising or playing alongside the child. I do not purposefully sit and 'observe', I have 3 little ones here and only one pair of eyes. Sometimes in nurseries or where there are more than one adult (eg assistant) you could decide for one to sit and observe if there is a child you want to really check something out on. But we are observing all the time, you do not need to decide 'today I am going to make an obs of child x', you just get on with your day together and the 'wow' moments happen by themselves and you go 'wow, you just did xyz!' and that is an obs and I make a note when I next get a chance. The longer I do this job I realise how little we really need to do- provide the experiences, be there to talk and listen, and the learning comes all by itself.

Courses- well, I have read all kinds of books, done my level 3, done courses but I still stick to my theories above!

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I plan an activity because a child has responded really well to something similar and sometimes because I'd like to encourage them to learn something specific. Don't get into a tizz with it, it's really not worth it. :)

How long to observe?
The child will let you know when the 'observation' is over as they'll loose interest.