In the days before every classroom had a computer, never mind an iPad per child, schools were full of weird and wonderful contraptions to help to make your life more simple. When none of us had even heard of a photocopier we relied on the services of the Banda Generator. A spirit based printing machine that required you to write out your worksheets in special ink, load up a large drum with your master copy and then turn a handle like your life depended on it. Sheet after sheet of purple stained paper would then land in a pile – still wet and reeking of alcohol. Many a morning was spent in ‘the Banda queue’ observing some quite unnerving ‘jiggling’ … Read More
Mid Week Make – Apple Shrunken Heads!
These weren’t my idea, I came across them on the internet and just had to have a go. Initially I made them as talk prompts as part of an activity for my next book about display. The whole concept of a severed head is wonderfully gorey, but also the process of the initial making and then the ensuing decay is fascinating. Not to mention the end results. I love them! They are dead easy to make (excuse the pun)! You need Apples (any sort will do) Apple peeler Play dough utenstils Blunt wooden skewers or sticks Lemon juice (optional) Water (optional) My boys loved making them. I obviously don’t condone the drinking of wine whilst working with children (unless they … Read More
Making Snow…and other Early Years Practice.
Just thought you might like to share some of the sorts of practice that I have been looking at over the past couple of weeks. Last week I popped to Coventry to work with Nicki and the Early Years team at Joseph Cash Primary school. The school has 60 Reception children who work in one open plan space (with a small work room next to the loos!) and a Nursery class who have their own space but share an outside area. I was working with Nicki on the further implementation of objective led planning and looking at their current systems for recording all of their other bits of planning – plus a bit of outdoor evaluation thrown in for good … Read More
Objective Led Planning
With objective led planning you would still group the children by ability based on assessment. Rather than having 'red group', 'blue group' etc for CLLD, PSRN etc. It allows you to group your children by their specific need in each area of learning. So, children who need more support in talk development and less in fine motor can get just that, rather than being in one ability group for both. Once you have decided on your teaching focus you group your children in relation to their performance within that area For each group of children you would make a statement of their current performance in that area 'where they are now'. Then you plan a 'next step' for each group. … Read More
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