All My Children

Top tips for managing staff

Make sure that all staff are enthusiastic and are encouraged to work outside

Staff need to be briefed and be clear about the reason for carrying out activities (is the aim of the task counting/caring for the environment etc.?) Staff require very specific teaching aims and objectives and need to share these with the children

Staff should be role models for language/behaviours/interaction skills

Children should be expected to do their own work (how many Mother’s Day cards are made by the adults?)

Staff should encourage children to be independent

Staff require regular training and updating, including health and safety New and volunteer staff should receive some induction training including a sheet setting out all the expected modes of conduct

Top tips for using outdoor Playing resources

Use large stones or tree stumps as natural climbing blocks, tree trunks/branches for seats (check safety), pebbles, assortments of rock, small pieces of wood and shells to encourage exploration of natural materials

Set up water and sand play areas outside where any mess created can be easily cleaned

Encourage the children to care for plants by growing annual flowers (e.g. nasturtium), vegetables (e.g. lettuce, radish) and herbs (e.g. chives).

The children can harvest and eat the salad crops. If space is limited these can be planted in tubs or window boxes. In autumn plant bulbs so the children can see them flower in spring

Have indoor plants in pots on windowsills and encourage the children to take turns in watering them

Grow plants in the outdoor space to attract birds and insects, e.g. buddleia to attract butterflies. The children can use magnifiers to study small insects Hang bird feeders on trees and hooks and have a bird bath to encourage garden birds to visit the outdoor area. Ask the children to help fill the feeders and in cold weather check that the bird bath is not iced over

Create a small pond and stock it with fish (ensure it is covered with a safety net to prevent children from falling into it)

Collect building and construction materials such as cardboard boxes, pieces of wood etc. These can be used for imaginative role-play games.

Top tips for organising equipment for outdoor Kids play

Have a collection of wet weather clothing and footwear in case of drizzle or wet ground during outdoor play. A collection of extra clothing is also useful if the weather is unexpectedly cold

Construct a Wendy house, shed or tents so the children can use these as a focus for role-play activities

Encourage an awareness of the weather by having kites, windmills and streamers available for windy days and rain gauges to catch rain

Collect gardening equipment, e.g. small watering cans and trowels that are suitable for small hands to cope with

Encourage physical activity outside by having skipping ropes, balls (sponge and plastic), bats and skittles, tunnels to crawl through, wheeled toys, a rocking horse etc.

For large-scale painting activities have a selection of large brushes (household-decorating size) available and materials to paint on, e.g. sheets of cardboard, old linen, walls

Create a puppet theatre

Make an outdoor chalk board

Collect real pots and pans, kettles and telephones for the home corner

Top tips for observing Kids behaviour

One of the most effective ways of observing the play of an individual child is to use a time-sampling chart.

The observer watches from a spot not too near the child but near enough to be able to note any verbal interaction the child may have with others. Using the second hand of a watch or a minute egg timer, the observer makes a tally mark at the end of each minute for a set period of time, e.g. five minutes, ten minutes, 20 minutes etc. If the child is on-task a tally mark may be put in the `on-task’ behaviour box — it does not matter what the task is — just as long as they are doing it! Other tally marks are made on the sheet whenever a different behaviour occurs, e.g. talking to other children or adults, wandering around, staring into space, invading another child’s space.

A couple of short observations taken each day for a week can be very illuminating when you are concerned about a child’s lack of progress or even if you are concerned about some of the activities you have on offer and are keen to know how (or if) they are providing a stimulating play experience.

This brief graphic Observation record completed for several short periods of time can sometimes provide a better overview of a child than a lengthy, continuous log of a child’s movement around the play area.

Observation once a week for a month or so can also help to detect patterns of a child’s behaviour. Some children never seem to get into trouble but actually spend a large amount of time drifting, avoiding socialising with other children, avoiding particular activities, having good social interaction with peers but not with adults (or the other way round) or place too much reliance on the adults etc. This type of knowledge about children can be very valuable when meeting with parents/carers or planning for the next stage of their education.

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