do you use a pretty diary or just a A5 notebook from Tesco?

[newandlearning]

hi.. I was wondering what everyone else uses for their diaries.. I've been using the A5 notebook for 49p from tesco but was wanting to glitz it up a bit for the next academic year.. ... what do you guys use? xx

[balloon]

a boring black day to page A5 diary from whsmith.

May jazz it up with some of the LOs pics this year though, lol!

[Mollymop]

I use the A5 Tesco book - they are great for jotting in what the child has done. I dearn't give the parents anything better just incase it gets ruined or lost!!

p.s - I have 4700 odd post and 700 of them are from answering queries like this one, I swear it!! ha

[balloon]

oops, misunderstanding, I thought you meant my own CM diary!

[Mollymop]

a boring black day to page A5 diary from whsmith.

May jazz it up with some of the LOs pics this year though, lol!

One of my diaries is all jazzed up with stickers that mindee decorated while at home with her mummy. It looks coolio and I always know exactly which one is hers - covered in pink hearts, stars and smiley faces

[Mollymop]

oops, misunderstanding, I thought you meant my own CM diary!

OPPS!!! Misunderstanding here too!! I think you are right Blue and I was wrong, I think she does mean a normal diary not a daily childs diary. (confused now)

[newandlearning]

soz.. I'm really tired and not writing in the key words.. I mean what kind of daily diary do you use .. gonna go try doing the washing up maybe I'm better at that

[TheBTeam]

For my diary I use an A4 book from poundland which i bought a few of so that they look the same over the years and they have lines and a box for the date at the top.

For the children's diaries I use A5 books from wherever I can get lined ones cheaply, I like to have different coloured ones for different children, so that i know whos is whos! I do not spend a lot on them as they often go walkabout!!!!!

Thinking i may try putting some photos in maybe this would make the parents more careful with them.

[Ally]

I use boring old cheap lined diaries from Tesco and then use alphabet stickers for the front to put their names on and a few extra ones to jazz them up. I try to have different colours for each one but not always obvious. Inside I print off some of the photos I have taken and stick them in - not every day but as often as I can.

Ally

[green puppy]

I use hard back a5 books, one parent writes so much in the parents comments section every day that we are on our 3rd book in a year! She actually supplies them now. Just plain cover that she then puts stickers on, suits me.

[Mouse]

I buy hardbacked ones from Paperchase. They are expensive, but the parents really like them & plan on keeping them forever!

In the past I have had parents who didn't really bother about the daily diary, so i just used an exercise book decorated with stickers.

[buildingblocks]

My daily diary are printed sheets from the computer.

I use one of the A4 plastic folders (clear front cover with coloured back - hope you know what I mean - with plastic inserts in like you would put sheets in a folder in)

Front sheet has child's name on then folder contains daily dairy sheets for the week, medication forms, just a note forms, picking up forms - parent fills in info on who will be picking up e.g. Nanny on Monday about 1.30pm, existing injury forms. This idea came from another childminder who I know from elsewhere.

This goes home every night and returns the next day (this works for me far better than the notebook I used to use - they tend not to forget it as it is too big being A4 size) the daily diary sheets I then bind into a booklet that eventually goes home when completed

[watgem]

I use the plain tesco ones for the children and use that clear sticky back plastic to cover them once the children have decorated them with photos stickers etc this seems to make them a bit more durable. I have just transferred my diary into a plain black folder- I think I will let the mindees decorate it they do a pretty good job!

[helenlc]

I use the contact book on this page for mine:

http://www.bromleycma.org.uk/payments/

It has space for date, meals, sleep, nappy changes, then large part for what we have done and then space for parents comments.

Its great. I did make my own when I first started but it was just as easy to get these. And as I am a Bromley childminder, I get it slightly cheaper (Actually my friends hubby used to run the BCMA site and had all the books at their house so got them even cheaper still!!! )

For my own diary, with things we have done, any events, planning ideas etc I just have an A4 diary from Poundland.

[Bitsy Beans]

I am using a mega cheapie exercise book (one of 5) bought from Tesco for about £1
I wrote mindees name on it and drew a flower in black marker pen - really what was I thinking

To be honest my mindees mum doesn't seem to give a toss what it looks like, she just likes to read what I've written inside!