25 February 2016
When we plan our activities we always look at each individual child’s interests and how we can use these interests to further the children’s development in all areas of the EYFS.
In the Reception Room it’s easy. We don’t have to do anything they can do the planning for us… they talk, they play together, they practically look after themselves... Okay so who actually believed me when I just said that?! It’s like saying working in a Nursery is the easiest job ever, all you do is play with children all day... (hahahaha)
Anybody who says this clearly has never worked in, or been in to a Nursery in their life!! Working in a Nursery has got to be one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever had, but it is definitely not the easiest and as I have worked my way up from being a Childcare Practitioner to a Manager I completely understand why my staff say this to me. I have been there, done it, and got the t-shirt (no photo evidence to prove this unfortunately).
Each day is completely different… yes we have routines, yes we have planning and yes we do know the children inside out, but that doesn’t mean that we know what to expect every day. We couldn’t possibly know that Bob has had a disturbed night’s sleep last night and that he will be very grumpy today. How could we know that Susan is not feeling like sharing today and will not let anybody else ride in the blue car? You didn’t think that we would be aware that Tommy would want to cover himself in all of the paint out of the pots and think it would be funny if he painted his friends blue and red too did you? This is why we ask our parents to communicate with us on a daily basis and keep us up-to-date with what you are doing at home, or how your child has been feeling at home. It doesn’t mean that because we know all of this the day will still go smoothly, but it does help. It’s true what they say “always expect the unexpected”! Please see your emails or pamphlet holders in the Reception area for the parents’ next steps and contribution sheets as these are very useful for us and you as a family and we can use your ideas to help us at Nursery.
To plan for the children we need lots of ideas that we know they will enjoy, and resources to help. Could you imagine if I gave you a piece of paper and a pencil that needs sharpening? Would you have fun with that? We always encourage our staff members to think beyond the box, imagine when you were a child what did you enjoy doing? What would you find fun now if you were given the opportunity to have a bit of fun whilst learning all about the world and the environment?
This is why I have just been inspired to write this blog! As I sat at my computer typing away I could hear laughing and lots of fun sounds coming from the garden. “Wow “ I could hear coming from Nic who was just behind me in the Office “ look at that” “that’s amazing”... she was staring without a blink outside at the children having so much fun playing with the outdoor resources and cleaning the cars, the walls, the slide etc... you name it they were cleaning it.
Now I’m not saying that we bring your children in to Nursery to clean up for us although they do seem to be very good at this, but because we had provided them with resources to play fire firefighters and fire engines they had taken it a step further and were using the water for other things too. Okay so one of them thought it would be funny to wet the staff that were out there too, but they didn’t mind, they quite enjoyed joining in because the children wanted them to.
We plan for our outdoors as well as the indoors but it doesn’t mean that when the children add ideas or resources that they can’t continue… it just means that we can help them to extend their learning further.
The EYFS is a big part of our daily life throughout all of the rooms and to make sure that we continue to provide a safe and nurturing but also fun environment we need to always be on the ball and willing to join in. The staff members do have lots of paper work and they do have lots of jobs to do but the best job of all is making sure that each child has a good education, preparing them for school whilst also enjoying their time with us and making lots of wonderful memories along the way.
Best wishes,
Leanne x
(Manager of The Stables)
