Hello!

Welcome to my blog! I'm a primary school teacher (reception) who loves to be creative and (even if I do say so myself) I have some pretty good ideas sometimes. So if you're looking for unusual inspiration then you're in the right place.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Revised EYFS (2012)- Children's Target Book

I've just put the finishing touches to an Individual Target Book for the children in my FS class. My previous version for the ELG's went down very well with our SIP so I've decided to make one for the revised EYFS. It essentially consists of all of the statements from the 30-50 & 40-60+ (including broken down ELG's) parts of the Development Matters document with 3 tick boxes next to each statement. It can be used alongside a target card (like those available on Sparklebox) to set the children small targets that they can then have ownership of.

It worked really well for me last year and was a great way to encourage some children to have a go at activities they were not always keen on doing (they get a small sticker if they achieve a target). I am currently taking part in an 'outstanding teacher' programme and the lady running the course has also commented on how good they are for not only target setting but also showing progress- which is definitely a big issue for FS teachers/co-ordinators at the moment.

If anyone would like me to e-mail them a copy then just leave a comment below and I'll send it off to you.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Wallpaper!

This ones a bit random, but hopefully some great ideas all the same. On Friday, I received a most unusual delivery of about 30 rolls of wallpaper- a parent at my school works at B&Q and they were throwing away a load of end of line rolls of wallpaper that they couldn't sell. She bought them in, knowing that I'd find some use for them- so here's a few ideas:-

1- attach pieces of wallpaper (wrong side out) onto the wall in your role-play area. Children can draw or write on it to decorate the role-play area to match the theme

2- use the paper with any big outdoor art tools like those sold by TTS (we have wheelie painters, foot printers & big mops/sponges). The bigger the paper, the better as otherwise the paint gets everywhere (I speak from experience here!)

3- new idea that I tried last week and my kids loved was mixing a small amount of paint with water in a spray bottle and letting them mark make onto paper. They tried lots of colour mixing and there was also lots of great communication about ideas going on too. Only problem was that paper got so saturated, it stuck to my tuff spots and is taking quite a bit of getting rid of! Wallpaper should be thicker so will work much better next time (I hope)

4- if the paper has any pattern to it e.g. flowers, let the children simply cut them out and use them for cutting and sticking activities. Great for practising scissor skills on a larger scale than usual- good if their fine motor skills aren't great yet

I'm sure there will be lots of other uses as time goes by and my brain has a chance to think but it shows that it is definitely worth asking at big stores if they've got anything useful that they would otherwise throw away. They are usually more than happy for you to have it!

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Using 'Windows Live Photo Gallery' for storing FSP evidence

As a FS teacher, it is a miracle to be seen at any point of the day without a camera attached to my hand. Any FS practitioner knows how important photographic/video evidence has become especially when taking part in moderation activities at the end of the year.

I used to print out all of my photos and annotate them by hand but it was such an unbelievable waste of paper (and ink) that I've changed my practice a bit over the last couple of years. I now use my Windows Live Photo Gallery to keep track of the photos and to annotate them.

I started by creating a folder for each child in my class. As I upload photos onto the laptop, I tag the children that are in each photo and then put them into each childs individual folder. I number them and name them with CI/AI/AL (child initiated/adult initiated/adult led) and also record the type of activity e.g. 1- CI role-play. The numbers then help me to code the photos to my records against the FSP Early Learning Goals (see 'revised EYFS' post). I have circle stickers (ESPO) with a camera stamped onto it (rubber stamp from NEC craft show-see my other blog) that I record the photo number onto and then stick this in the appropriate section of my record sheets. Within the photo gallery, I then use the comments section to record what was actually going on in that photo and why it was relevant for that child.

It does take time to upload and label the pictures, if you take as many as I do anyway, but you save an awful lot of paper, hand annotating and filing time. It also makes a nice use of the IWB during a parents evening to show the photos & videos and I have also been thinking that the photos could be put onto a cd and given to the child/parents as an end of year gift (depending on how many pictures you take).

I've found it to be a simple way of collating evidence and most schools will have access to the programme already so it's free- and that is my most favourite 4 letter word (although not the one that I use the most, at certain times anyway)!

Friday, September 7, 2012

Storing Tuff Spot Mats

Most FS/KS1 classrooms that I've seen in recent years, have a tuff spot/builders tray (large circular/hexagonal plastic tray) that has all manner of uses. Catalogues like TTS sell a huge range of mats to go inside it related to different topics. I've been lucky enough over the last few years to build up a bit of a collection of them as they are generally quite cheap and my children enjoy using them as a basis for small world play.

My only problem with them is the difficulty of storage as they are quite large. I always store mine rolled up simply in an old box which regularly falls over! I thought that all my problems had been solved when, in  the most recent TTS catalogue, I saw a specially designed trolley with a square mesh at the top and a tray at the bottom, allowing you to put one mat in each slot. "Great", I thought but at almost £40 I was a little dubious- I could get an awful lot with that money.

Here's the TTS version-
Active World Mat Storage Trolley


and this was my much cheaper solution-










It came from the ESPO catalogue for about £10 and is very sturdy. It was flat pack, but incredibly easy to put together. It will hold at least 20 mats and each compartment is the perfect size, meaning that even when the children roll the mats, slightly dodgily, they will still fit. Next plan is to get the kids to decorate it a bit as it is a bit plain at the moment but for 1/4 of the price, I can live with that! Anything for a bargain and I'm sure they'll enjoy it.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Outdoor role-play petrol pump

My kids love to be outside and we are really lucky to have an excellent outdoor area for them to use. Even though it is already great, I'm always looking for something to make it even better. I do sometimes have an issue with the amount of children that just want to ride around on the scooters/bikes and do nothing else, so it's a case of trying to entice them into doing something else as part of that play. This is where the petrol pump came in!

We regularly have out buckets, water & sponges for a car wash as the children love anything that involves getting wet but the petrol pump has helped to add a new role-play element to the ride-ons. It is very simply an old hoover pipe (from a neighbours rubbish), a piece of garden hose and a garden hose spray gun (wilko's have one that is shaped just like a proper petrol pump). The trick is to put the garden hose onto the spray gun and then hide the green hose inside the hoover pipe. All you then have to do is seal the top and there you have your own petrol pump! Simple but very effective (and great for hearing some of that all important capacity language for the FSP)! The fabulous 'cosy' catalogue also sells the pipe if you've not got neighbours who throw away these useful items!

Here's a couple of pics to show you how mine looks-
I attached the garden hose to the nozzle and then put that inside the hoover pipe. To secure, I cut slits into the top of the pipe meaning that I could squash it and then taped with black insulation tape. The whole thing was tightened with the silver screw key thing (technical term) that came from Wilko's- in their hardware range with the screws etc.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Baker Ross photo hanging

A great idea that I'm going to use as an activity to help me get to know the children in my new class this September is a product that has come from the Baker Ross catalogue. It is essentially a fabric wall hanging with pockets that photos can be put into. Each child gets their own square and the kit includes ribbons to tie the squares together. As a school, we have made one (without the photo pocket) and it looks very effective hung in our school hall.

I'm using it as a way to get to know the children by having ordered a whole range of different foam stickers (dinosaurs, pirates, sports, pets, transport etc.) and one of our very first adult led sessions will involve me taking photos of the children for the pockets and them choosing some of their favourite things/stickers to decorate it. I also ordered some small glittery alphabet stickers so their names can go on it too. I will then display it in our cloakroom/entrance hall area of the classroom for parents/carers & everyone to see.

The whole kit (incl. the stickers I ordered) came to less than £50 and I'll have enough stuff there for 2 year groups (I have 15/16 in my class each year). I also thought they would make a great/funny end of Year 6 leaving gift too- "This is what you looked like when you first got here! Look at you now!"

I'll post some pictures when we've got it finished (hopefully next week), if all goes to plan- it rarely does!

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Small World Tyres- update

Just a quick update on my previous post about using old tyres to make small world areas suitable for outdoors.

Firstly, I managed to get my hands on 5 more tyres just by going to my local Hi-Q place and asking if they would let me have some. The guy was more that happy for me to take some off his hands as they have to pay to get them taken away. I only wanted 5 but he would have given me as many as I asked for. He even put them in the car for me too!

Secondly, kitchen & bathroom paint really doesn't come in a great range of colours so I've been experimenting and I am pleased to say that, whilst normal matt emulsion will not work, the Dulux colour mixing range will as it has a slight sheen to the paint finish. This means that you can pretty much have any colour you want and they will mix it for you. I've found that a tester pot size (250ml) is more than enough to give the tyre 2 coats and is also a cheap option. They are available in most Homebase and B&Q stores but I've found that B&Q are about 50p cheaper per pot (roughly £2.69). They also have an offer on at the moment where all paint is 3 for 2, and this includes the colour mixing range.

I'm still working on the yellow & white tyres (the rain isn't being very helpful) but this is my collection so far


I'm hoping to go and get some plants at the weekend so that I'll be ready to get them planted up when I go back to school next week.

The bowls to go inside of the sea, polar, desert & fantasy tyres were a bit difficult to find as they need to be so large but I managed to get some from a 99p store for just 99p! They are technically a salad bowl so have a slightly wobbly lettuce look to them. They are hidious but they do the job!

As I get them finished, I'll post another update showing the finished article and any other important info that I've discovered...

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Learning Area Photo Albums

In each of my areas (indoors & out) I have mini photo albums that contain a range of photos that I have taken of children engaged in that area in their Child Initiated play.

The albums are plastic covered so showerproof and came from my local Asda for just 50p each. They hold roughly 40 6x4 photos.

They have gone down well with Ofsted inspectors & SIP's as they can easily see examples of what children have done in the different areas even if a child is not working there during the observation.

The main reason I have them though is for the children. I encourage the children to use them to inspire what they can do in that area and they also love seeing photos of what they have done in them too- a great way to encourage boys to go into an area such as 'mark making' or 'writing'! "I really need some new photos for my album!"

I try to update them at least once every 6 weeks and they can be fun to look back on at the end of the year too- it's amazing how much the children change over the year and I certainly don't always notice it, seeing them every day.

A really simple & quick idea but as I mentioned, it's gone down well with a lot of people. Worth a few minutes of work!

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Superhero capes

Most kids absolutely love anything to do with Superheroes and lots of the catalogues aimed at FS classes (e.g. TTS) have started to stock superhero capes for role-play. They are usually pretty nice but also pretty expensive. I've had some in my outdoor role-play box for a couple of years now and they get lots of use by both boys and girls. They are very cheap and easy to make for yourself if you own a sewing machine (or know someone that does).

All you need is about a metre of a shiny satin fabric (about £5/m at my local fabric shop), some elastic & the sewing thread. From that metre of fabric, you'll get at least 2 capes. If you cut your fabric carefully, you'll only have to sew a hem on 2 edges, plus the channel for your elastic, to stop fraying. You basically need a square of fabric, hemmed so it will not fray, and with a channel sewn on one edge. Thread the elastic through the channel and then sew together to secure. The elastic will cause that edge to bunch up and is perfect for the children to stretch over their head without it being too tight. They can be worn on either the head or around the neck.

I have 2 black (Batman), 2 blue (Superman?), 2 red (Spiderman?) & 2 pink (for the girls). If you want, you can always applique a fancy design onto it (or just glue it on) to add more detail but the children generally don't care about that sort of detail. They just want an excuse to be allowed to run around like a lunatic sometimes!

(BTW- 3 sequinned ones in the TTS catalogue almost £30)

Go for it- it's not as difficult as you may think!

Monday, August 6, 2012

VERY CHEAP SAND TOYS!!!

Nursery & Reception teachers, get down to your local Homebase store. They've got some great offers in their sale.

Big Box of 25 sand toys (spades, rakes, moulds, sieves, boats, a bucket & a fab castle shaped mould). Original price £9.99 now only £2.99!!!

Bargain- a very cheap way to get a whole new set of toys for the sand area indoors or out. I'm sure they won't last long though.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Small World tyres

I'm really going to try and post some of my ideas on here as I get lots of compliments about my fab ideas and maybe some other people can use them too. I love to try new things with my reception class and make lots of things for them to save that all important budget so I'll start with some Small World Zones perfect for outdoors.

This idea has partly come from looking at the wondeful 'Cosy' catalogue & is also a development on an idea seen on a TV gardening programme. The idea is to use an old car tyre (painted to look nicer) as the basis for a small world zone. The trick is to paint the tyre with Kitchen & Bathroom paint as once dry, it is weather resistant- it won't last forever but it really gives the tyre a new lease of life. WARNING- it will take a fair bit of time to paint it (if you plan on doing as good a job as I have :-) anyway!).

The tyres are pretty easy to get hold of as tyre places generally have to pay to dispose of them so they'll be happy to give you some. I happened to have 3, very old & dirty ones, in the garage. I'd imagine most schools will have one parent that would be able to get their hands on some if you asked anyway.

I've started on 2, painting 1 white & 1 blue that I am planning to use as a Polar Land and an Under the Sea Land. If you were feeling brave them I'm sure you could get the kids to help with the painting as it is washable from hands with a bit of scrubbing (I am not that brave or stupid though!). I am currently trying to hunt down some bowls that are large enough to sit inside the tyre but with little success (they are available in the cosy catalogue but I'm hoping to find some cheaper elsewhere). When I get my hands on some then the last part of the plan can be put into place. I want about 7 in total so I can carry out the following ideas:-

1- Polar Land
White tyre with a clear plastic bowl inside. That will hold some water and some ice cubes giving the children the chance to learn about what happens to ice and how it changes as well as the wider issues of global warming etc. I can then add in my small world polar animals and sometimes actually encase objects in the ice too.

2- Under The Sea
Blue tyre again with a bowl inside. This time holding mainly water but also potentially some of the real (or fake) plants that you get for fish bowls, maybe some stones too. Can then be used with our small world fish etc.

3- Desert
Golden yellow tyre again with a clear bowl inside. Filled with very dry sand and maybe an odd cactus if there are outdoor ones available (I'm not a gardener!). Again plan to have as an area for children to use the small world animals such as camels, snakes etc.

4- Dinosaurs
Green or maybe red tyre this time filled with compost. Lots of nice tree style plants (but small versions of course) planted in it. Could also put some type of volcano in it (there are ones available that you can actually use for the old favourite bicarb & vinegar test that you could erupt) and surround that with some 'lava' (black stones with some red paint & glitter on them). Then of course small world dinosaurs to roam the earth!

You could also do some for a Jungle or Minibeast zone using a green tyre and various plants or go mad and have a purple one for a fantasy land or a pink one for a girly fairy garden.

The possibilities are endless really and even if the kids can't help with the painting then they can definitely help to come up with the ideas!

Revised EYFS (2012) scale points breakdown

In preparation for the new EYFS, I have made a 2 sided grid outlining the new expectations for the end of the Reception year. I've also broken them down into what I feel are more manageable parts rather than the new (very large) ELG's.

It can be used simply as a reference guide for staff (which is my plan), shared with parents, or as a way of tracking the children. If anyone would like me to e-mail them a copy then just leave your e-mail address in the comments section and I'll send one to you.

I've also put these broken down statements into a grid format with a space for comments that can also be used to track the children's progress. Again, leave your e-mail address if you'd like a copy.