Man they were tired today – and kept telling us! There are only so many responses you can give to 'I'm tired!' (other than SO AM I!) We are meeting after the pm session everyday to plan for the following day. Not only does it mean you get your weekend back but you are actually planning something that has maximum impact on where the children are at. Mentioned earlier about one of our boys who is fascinated by how things work – firstly we set up a table of 'things' with mechanisms which, after an initial 'lull', got lots of visits. The hole punch was the most popular item, especially when we took the back off to reveal the … Read More
Permission Granted
Asked everyone concerned and all are happy for me to blog. Used this at a staff meeting tonight and it made for interesting discussion. Yes, I could have said 'well what could you use to stick it?' and my lovely TA could have let the little boy find out by trial and error that he had not put 'the sticky side down' but what I always say to staff is to look at the whole picture – if you took EVERY learning opportunity in a session then an activity may well lose momentum. See what you think. P.S. Check out my TA's coordinating observation bag and assessment book and pen in hand!! Both of my TA's are really embracing my thinking … Read More
two little boys… build a tunnel
Today was officially great! The children are still coming in a few at a time but the ones who have been in for a few days are really starting to feel at home and use the environment independently. They did some brilliant outdoor work with the bread trays and plastic covers. In the couple of hours that I was out there the area was everything from Tia's sausage butty shop to a pirate ship complete with planks for walking! All of this with minimum adult intervention. If we had themed the outdoors as a cafe or a house we wouldn't have got such diverse opportunities for play. I have got some big plans for outdoors but we are starting with … Read More