Aussie Childcare Network Forum

Posted: **Wed Jan 11, 2012 8:32 pm**

Hi everyone. This is my first time posting but I have been a long time reader of the website.

I have just started the new year in the Pre-School room of my long day care centre (previously I have been in the Toddler room for the last two years) as the Group Leader. My assistant and I have come up with a routine that is working really well but I just can't seem to get the programming under control.

I am going by children's interests and my program doesn't seem to be growing as much as it should be. I don't use boxed programming but instead the "web" format, for which there are no examples or any help online (I've looked.) I put my children's observations on and they seem to be the only things that grow and even then they are changing constantly.

So far I haven't found a way to keep the pre-schoolers interests in things for them to learn more (an example is that on Monday this week our Director brought in a blue bottle jellyfish to show the children and we had a conversation with the children about the beach and being careful with them. I went home and downloaded heaps of pictures and movies to show the children about jellyfish and brought them to work on Tuesday and none of them had the interest still. They just all wanted to go back to the same old things, ie blocks and trains.) and when they have an interest in something, its like they don't want me to help further that learning.

If anyone has any ideas on how to keep their interests, and I have done as much as I can to further their interests, please let me know. Also, any help on how you all program would be good. Thanks again.

(Also, I have at least 20 children minimum every day so its a big group with children as young as 3 that have just moved up.)

Posted: **Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:26 pm**

Not having worked in Long Day Care in a programming capacity I can only reference from my own experiences.
Sometimes children need to do the same thing over and over again as they haven't learnt everything from those experiences yet. Also somethings (I feel this is the crux of EYLF) the children don't need an adult directing their play. If they are engaged and happy then let them be. Add things into their environment and if they play with them great, if not thats ok too. Give them the tools for their 'work' and see what they do with them.

Thats my thoughts anyway.

Posted: **Thu Jan 12, 2012 7:56 pm**

Welcome to Aussie Childcare Network!

I understand how hard it can be trying to find programming templates on the net and it can be really frustrating especially if you can't find what you are looking for. I have heard of a web format but I haven't had any practice with it and I don't exactly know what it is about. I'll see if I can find out more info on it for you.

I use "box programming" and basically I add everything on the program (well as much of it as I can). For example: This week (being my first official week of programming) I basically stared off with a blank program. Then I simply add experiences , activities that occurred in my room over the day for the whole week. I work with toddlers and a lot of them like to play with the same thing (dolls, cars, trains, drawing etc.). This is perfectly ok I just normally add other elements into it. For dolls I would also add different clothes for dressing them up and a week later change it to a hospital setup to also include the baby dolls, add stencils to drawing area and the following week add chalkboards instead etc.. This way even though that the children may like to play with the same sort of thing it is slightly varied.

Even if a child ask for something they want to play with I will also add this onto the program. So, if little Tommy wanted to play with the toy planes and I didn’t have them out in the room I would add this as Child Input onto the program. You could also add transitions, group times, discussions, extension ideas, conversations etc.. So basically use your program like a recording tool where you document what happened throughout the day not just the activities you set out .

In relation to finding a way to keep a child's interest ongoing I guess it's all about trial and error. Children often change their minds and whatever works one day may not work another. I think if you find an interest emerging and before you start to focus on it you should add it into the room environment in order to make sure that the interest is something that you can work with. For example you mentioned how your director brought in a blue bottle (great idea), you could always add sea creatures figurines to block area, add books about sea creatures/blue bottles onto the book shelf, add colouring stencils to the drawing area etc.. So by doing it this way you can add on to what the children enjoy playing with and see if anything further develops.

I really hope that all this makes sense and I'll see if I can find out more on the web format.

Cheers

,
L.A

Posted: **Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:24 am**

I used to work with Toddlers so they're easy to program, so I know how to turn a simple child's interest and turn it into a fantastic program ( I haven't used box programming for almost a year ) but its a little more different with Pre-Schoolers because its all about learning.

Last week my program is covered with things about cutting ( because they all love to cut ) and drawing ( because they all like you draw ) so this week I am going to further their interest from drawing to starting to do some writing ( like their names ).

Its not that I don't know how to do a web program ( do don't worry about finding that out ) its just that I wanted to see some other peoples examples of their web programs, if they had them.

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