Aussie Childcare Network Forum

The whole point of the EYLF is that it is about getting back to the basics of interacting with the children. There are no right or wrong ways to document your experiences and observations - no set cycles you need to follow. So long as you can show the 'journey' of the children's learning in your documentation and how it links to all the EYLF outcomes, etc then you are doing it right! You don't need to be doing it perfectly, just showing that you are continually reviewing your practises based on the needs and interests of the current children in your care and improving on these. Good luck....we have a long road to get our heads around all these changes but I do think they will be fantastic for the children and our industry as a whole.

Hi LA,
I,m using your EYLF formating, since i knew it. I like the Input icons. At the moment i used testas to indicate icons on my curriculum plan. Please help me where could i find the post icons you are using, much appreciated your help
thanks
Daisy

Hi
I just noticed that the 'f' is missing on your sample pages for the reflections of our day

An idea for using Input Icons on your Curriculum - I use stamper marking pens, available from discount shops at a very reasonable price. Works for me!!

Hi L.A.,
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Finally a programming format for EYLF that is is practical and easy to follow! I only recently discovered this site and what a gem. I am currently sharing all this information with my collegues at work and we are eagerly trialing it at our centre at the moment. We just made a few minor adjustments to suit our learning areas and off we went. Only been a week so far!

Like many of our collegues out there, we too are finding that the paperwork is taking up a lot of time! Hopefully as we work through the various methods of observing, planning and reflecting we will learn some shortcuts along the way...I hope!!

Cheers,
S.D.

Hi L.A,
So far curriculum planning is going well however I have a question. At our centre we have always had a separate curriculum plan for indoors, outdoors and our music and language groups with evaluations for each of these different areas. Do you have a separate curriculum plan for outdoors and your group times or do you incorporate these under the one "CURRICULUM PLAN" and then just evaluate these in your "DAILY REFLECTIONS" ? At the moment, we seem to be doing copious amounts of writing up and evaluating in all these different areas and I feel we are just doubling up a lot...apart form the fact that it's sooo much writing that we don't have time for!!
I would appreciate some feedback on how you document your groups and outdoor experiences.
Thanks,
Sonja

Hi L.A,
Thanks for the feedback. It's much appreciated! The girls wait in anticipation for the latest updates from your site via me, as we continue our EYLF planning and documentation trial! So far the girls are all embracing it with a positive attitude. So THANKS again...until the next question arises!!

Cheers, Sonja

Does any-one use the Raise Learning Program? To me it looks like it will make documenting childrens observations, and programming etc, a breeze, but just wanted to get an opinnion if other centre's are using it and what they think of. Or if any-one knows of any others that are similar.
Cheers
Leah

Hello Everyone

this is my first post as I can't resist myself to say thank you and importantly I find this forum very useful.

cheers

Hi L.A.

Learning lots from this great site, and looking forward to your next article about cutting down paperwork as I always seem to be doing way too much!!

Thanks heaps for sharing some really great ideas, I'm all for spending more time with the children and less on the documentation.

Good Evening,

How excited was I when i was refered ur site from a friend last night, i wasnt happy as i was up all night. So i have a couple of questions, so would love to hear what others do

1. Do you link your learning stories with the learning outcomes, princplies and practices?
2. do you still do observations?
3. how many learning stories/observations do you do per child?

Do you have any information regarding the different style/types of play, wanting to do some staff training to add with observation and what staff need to be looking for while observing.

Thank you for your effort and the free resources, i have come across alot of sites wanting hundreds of dollars and as you know child care workers we arent on the best wage.

Happy weekend to all.

Heather

Hey Hwalsh,

Welcome to our forum !

Just wanted to share my thoughts on the questions you have about the EYLF...

Do you link your learning stories with the learning outcomes, principles and practices?

Yes, all your learning stories should be linked with the EYLF Learning Outcomes/Principles/Practices. I normally add these at the bottom of the learning story. I use sub headings and I write what I believe were the relevant Learning Outcomes/Principles/Practices are. When adding the EYLF Learning Outcomes it's a good idea to list 2-3 different outcomes for your learning story because most of the time the children achieve more than one, so you can list a couple. For Principles and Practices I normally add only one for each.

do you still do observations?

Yes, child observations are still maintained however it does change a little to fit into the elements of the EYLF.If you haven't already take a look at the article I wrote called "EYLF Documentation & Planning". At the bottom I write about Child Observations. This should give you an idea about how to do Child Observations using the EYLF... Click here to read...

how many learning stories/observations do you do per child?

At my centre I do one child observation a month which I believe is sufficient enough. In regards to learning stories there isn't a set limit I would necessary do per child. I write learning stories about events/spontaneous/interest that emerge. Sometimes this happens once a week or a couple times a week... Learning stories could be about a group experience or an individual child experience. If using a group experience I will include all the children involved in that experience and individualize the learning stories to each particular child, I also include what they said, photos etc..

You can also include a learning story as part of a child observation and use the learning story itself as part of an assessment tool. For e.g. this month you could use a child observation format and then next month you can use a learning story.. as long as the learning story is individualized to that particular child and you add the EYLF Learning Outcomes as well as "extended learning opportunities" then it should be fine!

Do you have any information regarding the different style/types of play, wanting to do some staff training to add with observation and what staff need to be looking for while observing.

I had a look through my Resources and I did find some information you can possibly use to help train your staff... I've attached them below.. If you require more info let me know and I will try and get my hands on some more info for you... Feel free to let me know...

[attachment=2]Importance_Of_Play.pdf[/attachment]
[attachment=1]Play_In_Early_Childhood.pdf[/attachment]
[attachment=0]Value_Of_Children's_Play.pdf[/attachment]

Thank you for your effort and the free resources, i have come across alot of sites wanting hundreds of dollars and as you know child care workers we arent on the best wage.

I really appreciate your comments... I am very happy that you noticed this... I've also realized how much profit is being made in regards to EYLF Documentation and Information..I believe if you have the knowledge then it should be freely shared not bought... Our team believes that you can't put a price on knowledge...

Thank you once again for your comments !

Cheers ,
L.A