Learning journals

**lubeam** · 04-03-2013, 10:44 AM

Hi wonderful forum ppl

I'm really confused

What's the learning journal for?!
Does it stay with you or go home?! If so how often?!
What's the difference between learning journal and daily dairy?!
Do u do your obs and planning in the LJ?!
Do you have to have daily dairy and LJ?! Thought they where the same thing??

Scratching my head lots trying to figure it out so thought I'd just ask

thanks

**mummyMia** · 04-03-2013, 03:48 PM

The learning journal is a record of the child's learning and development and should be passed onto the next setting when the child moves on. It normally contains observations, photos, art work, etc. It is up to you what you want to do, but I normally keep the learning journals and send them home every 6 months or so for the parents to have a look at.

The daily diary is completely optional and is used to tell the parents what their child has done that day. They are normally sent home each day and are especially useful for babies. I write a few sentences about where we have been that day, and also nap times, nappy changes and what the child has eaten. I also write down anything new that the child has learned and include some photos.

I do find myself duplicating a lot of the information in both but in a slightly different format. For example, if we went to the park, then in the daily diary I might write 'We went to the park and x had fun playing in the sand'. In the learning journal I might write 'x filled a bucket with sand and tipped it over to make a sand castle' , then link it to an area of learning and add some next steps.

**hectors house** · 04-03-2013, 04:05 PM

Agree with mummymia - I only do a Learning Journey also called Learning Journal - this is where I record observations and match against EYFS headings. I don't do a written diary for each child, I just e-mail home at end of each day with what we have done, where we have been, eaten, naps, nappies etc as a group rather than each child. So we may have had out Duplo, threading cards, puzzles, books, dolls house etc to play with but I don't specify what each child played with.