This inset day challenge was designed as a first step towards creating a directory of support for stakeholders within our school community. It aims to support staff, parents, children and those with SEND. Works best if you set time limits for each part of the challenge and give someone responsibility as timekeeper and someone to be note keeper. We did this by putting hula hoops on the floor and putting the post it notes from the first part of the challenge within them - One hoop for each group of stakeholders.

An experiment I created as part of an Advent challenge but can be fun at any point in the festive season. I made these up as packs to send home to do at home as a family activity. Resources required: Balloon Tissue paper Angel outline Simply trace the outline of the angel onto the tissue paper and cut out. Blow up a balloon and rub vigorously on your hair to generate static electricity. Hold above your angel and watch it fly up to the balloon.

If a child is exhibiting a particular behaviour and you want to identify why it is occurring and what the child may be communicating, an ABC table can help. It is an observational tool, we have ours uploaded to sharepoint so that anyone can access it, and complete it on an iPad shortly after a behaviour occurred. Alternatively you can print it out and have it close at hand within the classroom. The antecedent is what happened just before the behaviour occurred. You may want to include factors such as the noise level in the classroom, how busy it was, temperature, proximity to others The behaviour is what occurred e.g. ‘child x’ knocked the books deliberately off the shelf. . The consequence is what happened immediately after the behaviour. This is both for the child that exhibited the behaviour and to those who were affect by it. It can also include the effect on the environment.

Designed for use in our nursery school. A single page page profile that includes the four broad areas of need and support : Communication and interaction; cognition and learning; social, emotional and mental health, and sensory and/or physical needs. For information a detailed explanation of these is given in Chapter 6, Schools, in the 0-25 SEND Code of Practice, from paragraph 6.28.

We share this on our sharepoint so that all members of the staff team can collaborate and contribute to planning.

To support children who are at an early developmental stage with their communication skills - in particular understanding (one/two information carrying words), I will differentiate my speech. This is a tip sheet that I give to parents/guardians so that they can use the same strategy at home. For information, we use EKLAN EYBIC to assess understanding, this assessment is used to determine how many information carrying words a child can follow in a message.

Tracking the animals from Handa’s surpise using droppings. This was done using actual models of the poo, but the photographs can be used instead. We used them in the local woods too for added realism and created a film using FX Guru (Zoo Escape special effect). The poo discussion could use size of dropping and size of animal. Why is there a difference in colour? Similarities between your own poo and another animal (monkey) - why? Identifying bird poop from prior knowledge of bird poop in the UK. Stimulates children’s interest and is very entertaining. We also wore gloves for added realism when handling the model droppings. Droppings were made from clay and painted where appropriate with a mix of PVA and ready mixed paint. The bird poop is cornflour and water with a drop of black read mixed paint.

In celebration of Science Week and in conjunction with our current theme of ‘Down on the Farm’ I have created a series of ten experiments which can be done in nursery school as an adult led activity.

This is the form I created for use in my setting’s ‘Child of concern’ meetings. It enables us to record why we are concerned, the potential implications and the quality teaching strategies we will use as a class team to support that child’s development. Linked to the 3 prime areas of the EYFS.

Explore numbers, developing an understanding that they represent quantities and use them to count, create sequences and describe order. Skill development supported by this resource include: Match numeral and quantity. Recognition of numerals 1-5. Make comparisons between quantities. Use some language of quantities, such as ‘more’ and ‘a lot’. Develop subitising skills. Number order. Use some number names accurately in play.

An easy resource to learn and play with to develop early numeracy skills. Numbers whose height is proportional to their value. For example, two ‘fives’ are the height of one ‘ten’. Can be used to develop understanding of size and amount as well as being a tool to develop understanding of number bonds. The figures also have dots on which are equivalent to their value, so support development of understanding of value and amount. Also helps to develop the skill of subitising. How to use: Print out (on plain or coloured paper/card) Cut around the rectangular shape Use like this - Can be used to create matching patterns, can be coloured in or drawn on. Alternatively laminate for longevity. When laminated can also be used as a wipe clean writing tool. Create challenges eg Can you choose numbers which when added together are the same height as the number 10?

Help develop understanding of size and amount by using these proportionally sized ladybirds. The more spots (1-10) they have, the bigger they are. Idea: Hide around the room to be discovered. Once found, the children can be encourage to line them up in size order and/or using the number of spots. Print our a couple of sets and have a race, who can organise them the quickest. Is it quicker to do it by size or by counting the spots?

This year we are unable to make the traditional take home, end of year gifts to share with families, as the majority of my nursery class is at home. I still wanted them to have something special to celebrate the end of the academic year. So, I have created a template for an activity for them to do at home with support from parents/guardians. We have heard so much about curves during the ongoing pandemic that I thought it would be nice to take control of one for ourselves! There are two versions, one is to be completed using a pencil and ruler, and there is a second version which is to be completed using a needle and thread. We sent this version home to all of the children with a plastic needle and thread. Linked to the EYFS it is also a learning activity, helping to develop those all important numeracy skills and fine motor skills.

Certificate of Achievement, created for my nursery school leavers. Can be edited.

The theorist Piaget was the first person to define the term subitising as the ability to instantly recognise the number of objects in a small group without needing to count them. This simple game helps children to learn this key skill. Take the pattern for the number three on a dice, children can recognise that this represents the value of three even if they can’t read the number ‘3’. Children can also see numbers within numbers using dot patters. For example, they can see the numbers two and one within three. When we played this game, children took turns to choose a counter and match it to the number pattern. It proved to be very popular!

Repair broken hearts by matching the number on each half. Written in two different fonts, it helps children to recognise and read numbers when written in different ways. Can be printed on a different colour for each page for differentiation, print on the same colour paper for greater challenge. This resource is linked to https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/subitising-valentine-s-style-12251562

Created for Valentine’s day, but can be used any time. Match the two halves of a broken heart using the written number and a dot (heart) pattern. Differentiate by printing on different coloured piece of paper for each page or the same coloured paper for more challenge.

LO 3 Evaluate a Forest School programme 3.2 Carry out a summative evaluation at the end of the six Forest School sessions and explain how this will inform future sessions Template form to evaluate a block of six session for use as part of a Forest School Leader portfolio

Template form to evaluate each of six sessions making up a block for assessment as part of a Forest School Leader Portfolio. LO 3 Evaluate a Forest School programme 3.1 Evaluate each Forest School session and make amendments to the next session plan as appropriate

Created for the Forest School’s Leadership Qualification (Level 3). Specifically for Unit 5: 2 – Be able to assess the impact of Forest School on participants. 2.1 – Observe 3 individuals and assess the impact of Forest School on their behaviour and learning References British Association of Early Childhood Education (BAECE) (2012) Early Years Foundation Stage. Development Matters. London: Early Education. Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. Bantam Books, Inc. Laevers, F. (1994) The Leuven Involvement Scale for Young Children. Experiential Education Series, No 1. Leuven: Centre for Experiential Education. Laevers, F. (Ed.) (2008). Well-being and Involvement in Care Settings. A Process-oriented Self-evaluation Instrument (SiCs). Brussel: Kind & Gezin. VanDellen, M. R. (2008). Social, personal and environmental influences on self-control. [Online] Available at: https://dukespace.lib.duke.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/10161/612/D_VanDellen_Michelle_a_200805.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y (last accessed 05.01.2020).