Planning Bonfire Night for a 2 year old

[sarah707]

I have just been asked this question in a pm... I thought it might be helpful to some of our newer members if I shared the answer.

QUESTION - how do I plan bonfire night for a mindee? He is 2 and likes cars, postman Pat and fireman Sam

MY ANSWER - Ofsted do not expect you to do formal planning for under 3s.

The way you involve him in bonfire night activities is ...

Child arrives with a firework picture from home / talks about fireworks night / says he is going to a display... that's your obs

So for planning you extend his interest... he likes fireman Sam so you could tell him a story about a bonfire and Sam comes to put it out - make a puppet of Sam and one of the bonfire... show him how to role play the hose pipe, talk about what ladders Sam will need...

OR you could make a firework picture using wheels of cars in paint, scooting across the black paper like fireworks in the night sky...

You are following his interests, using things he likes to do and showing awareness of special times in his home / community life.

I hope that makes sense

[Princess Sara]

I also have a 2yo mindee that is very into cars and trains. If you give him the option he will just play with cars and trains all day, but if you sit down and start doing something else 9/10 he will join in with me.

We are going to draw some fireworks on my pavement with chunky chalks (I also have a 16mo)

[kirka]

Hi Sara

Could you please clarify what you mean by formal planning.

Thanks

[sarah707]

Hi Sara

Could you please clarify what you mean by formal planning.

Thanks

Formal written planning... planned experiences that show specific learning objectives for the child.

John (age 4) has an interest in bonfire night.

At the moment his obs show that you want to expand his mark making experiences as he never seems to sit and do activities.

For his planning, you might consider...

Psed - talking about the dangers of fireworks; considering (through stories) how animals might be frightened;

Cll - reading books together about fireworks; mark making fireworks in the night sky using the mud puddle and sticks;

Psr&n - counting... making a firework number line...

ETC...

You might put this more formal type of planning on a spider web type form to show you have a balance of activities through all 6 areas of learning and development.

Have I answered what you asked?

[Twinkles]

MY ANSWER - Ofsted do not expect you to do formal planning for under 3s.

OH LEMONS !!!

I have wasted sooooooo much time doing planning for under threes then

I found great difficulty finding a KUW activity ( that would link to my other planning ) for under two's.

Everything they experience increases their KUW but for the two and a half to three and above it's easy to - get books from the library about autumn in other countries - go to farm shop to buy pumpkins and find out where they grow.
But for under two's I was getting really stuck and now I find I don't need to have bothered

[kirka]

Thanks Sara

Yes you have

[Winnie]

OH LEMONS !!!

I have wasted sooooooo much time doing planning for under threes then

I found great difficulty finding a KUW activity ( that would link to my other planning ) for under two's.

Everything they experience increases their KUW but for the two and a half to three and above it's easy to - get books from the library about autumn in other countries - go to farm shop to buy pumpkins and find out where they grow.
But for under two's I was getting really stuck and now I find I don't need to have bothered

I know its not neccessary to 'plan' but i get really bored if i just wait around so i plan in a loose way. We went for a walk (& fall down repeatedly) across the fields last week & i noticed that H (21 mths) pointed at a feather, picked up a stone and walked in a tractor furrow- plus played in the earth- so this weeks 'planning' contains a tray of natural objects (leaves, stones, twigs and flowers) which i have marked down as KUW Place (are curious about the environment) as a PLOD of the walk....of course H may just throw it across the floor or crush it in her hand but i've fulfilled my need to write something down and the Ob (if there is one) may show something completly different.
I do struggle just going with the flow

[Tink]

Thanks Sarah today I had the little boy in and he brought in a toilet roll tube which was fantastic he said it's for a rocket (perfect), we have also got a piece of black paper and like you said used the car wheels to paint shooting starts in the night sky, the pictures look great.
Thank you so much for your advice and I have wrote the ideas down on a spider chart under the 6 areas just like you said.
I'm getting the hang of this now

[sarah707]

Group planning / planning for older children / individual planning for little ones...

It can all be used again and again!

Never feel anything you have written down is wasted because you will come back to it over time.

Your observations will show how you look at and listen to the child across all 6 areas of learning and development...

As you plan activities for them to extend their interests and knowledge and learning and development, you are planning across the same 6 areas.

It all links together for the little ones... observe, then follow your obs into planning. Check the 6 areas (and 42 aspects) are being met and watch and listen again...

For the older ones you do need to do a bit more work linking it to the Eyfs to make sure their experiences follow the 6 areas.

BUT you will still be following their interests and learning styles... just extending things a little more to make sure they are not bored and giving them more structure in their days.

Of course evidencing all this for Ofsted is another thing entirely and this is where it is useful to build up folders of information.

John comes in on a Monday morning with an interest... how do you meet his needs? You go to your file and pull out some ideas or you go on the internet and browse or you come on here or you read one of my e-books...

THEN a few years later Jane comes in and has the same interest... you've already done a good chunk of the work, except of course you will make sure it meets Jane's needs by tweaking things slightly.

I am getting this information by reading feedback on the Ofsted website and in documents ... it's not about quantity of information, it's about quality and 4quality means showing how you meet (or you have met) the needs of the child.

Does that make sense?

[sarah707]

Bumping for November planning

[Cazz]

I understand what you're saying about under 3's but do you mean that for my 4 and half year old after school child I need to be planning so that I cover all 6 areas all the time? If so, weekly (comes 3 days a week after school) or is it okay to do the 6 areas over a month?

Bit confused again now!!

[sarah707]

I understand what you're saying about under 3's but do you mean that for my 4 and half year old after school child I need to be planning so that I cover all 6 areas all the time? If so, weekly (comes 3 days a week after school) or is it okay to do the 6 areas over a month?

Bit confused again now!!

This is from last year I was just bumping it up... I haven't read it properly

Hang on I'll come back to you

[sarah707]

I understand what you're saying about under 3's but do you mean that for my 4 and half year old after school child I need to be planning so that I cover all 6 areas all the time? If so, weekly (comes 3 days a week after school) or is it okay to do the 6 areas over a month?

Bit confused again now!!

If you think about your continuous provision you are already meeting all 6 areas of learning and development without even trying very hard.

Children are playing together (PSED) while eating healthy snacks (PD) and counting out the pieces of banana on a plate (PSR&N) etc.

On top of that you are planning to meet their individual interests... John likes boats so you have the water tray out (KUW) while Jane is fascinated with putting her dolls to bed (PSED) so you provide blankets...

Then you might have group planning for older children which is broadly based around themes children are interested in such as bonfire night...

First you would look at a range of activities that the children might enjoy being given the opportunity to do...

You get out relevant books (CLL), provide black paper and glitter for crafts (CD)... so again you are meeting the 6 areas of learning and development.

Then again you think about John and his boats and he might like to make a rocket flare ... or Jane might enjoy making a sparkler for her doll to hold... and they both might like to watch a firework display on the computer.

You are planning all the time and you are meeting all the areas of learning and development all the time.

Does that make sense?

[Cazz]

You are planning all the time and you are meeting all the areas of learning and development all the time.

Does that make sense?

Yes but does it have to be written down to show how I'm meeting all 6 areas?

If so, would filling in the continous provision sheet that was in your planning e-book be okay? If so, how often should I complete that sheet for a child that's with me less than 3 hours for 3 days a week? (Out of those 3 hours he will be doing his homework and eating his tea!).

[sarah707]

Yes but does it have to be written down to show how I'm meeting all 6 areas?

If so, would filling in the continous provision sheet that was in your planning e-book be okay? If so, how often should I complete that sheet for a child that's with me less than 3 hours for 3 days a week? (Out of those 3 hours he will be doing his homework and eating his tea!).

How old is he? If he's doing his homework I am thinking he is out of the Eyfs age range anyway.

If he is within Eyfs then you do need written evidence if you want to prove to Ofsted you are planning for his needs.

However how much you evidence will be in direct relation to the time he spends with you.

I would say that a photo of him with his rocket plus a note that he built his rocket to follow his interests in bonfire night plus a quick reference that this met xx area of learning and development would be enough.

The continuous provision planning is really for groups... I have 3 after schoolers and they all get involved in themed activities because they enjoy them and it keeps them out of mischief until tea time. So I plan a range of activities I think / hope they will enjoy and sometimes they do and sometimes they don't and that's fine with me.

If you have one child it's more difficult ... so turn it round, see what they do and what they are interested in and make retrospective notes.

[Clareysbusybees]

HI, i am new to this website and i found sarah wesite with all her books!!, so i ordered loads, the cd came today, and its fantastic, lots to read, but makes perfect sense, and if like me your not a teacher or haven't yet gained a eyps, its great, this should make my planning alot easier. x

[Cazz]

He will be 5 at the end of January so still in EYFS.

When I say homework I mean a book that he brings home with a letter of the alphabet for him to practice writing and saying the sound. Sometimes I ask him to draw a picture of something beginning with that letter in his book.

I don't have any other mindees when he's here (well apart from a 13 year old who just does her own thing!) so I'm not doing group planning. I think this is why I'm finding it difficult to cover all 6 areas.