Planning the Pre-5 Setting: practical ideas and activities for the nursery. By Christine MacIntyre and Kim McVitty. (David Fulton, ISBN: 1843120585, Pounds 16, 020 8996 3618)
Reviewed by Helen Evans, childcare lecturer at Richmond-upon-Thames College
This book gives clear information about how to provide a nursery environment that promotes learning opportunities for children under five.
It will be helpful to anyone setting up a nursery from scratch but is also useful for reinforcing good practice in an established nursery and giving ideas for planning daily activities.
I found the book's colour photographs more effective than the black and white ones. It is unfortunate that on page 53 the photograph caption asks readers to note the stencils in the cupboard and they are barely visible.
This said, I did notice that all the photographs illustrate the text well and are a valuable addition to the narrative.
The layout of the book is good, with headings that help the reader to follow the planning methodically. It would also be useful to staff wanting to flick through and find advice on a specific activity such as cooking.
The examples of rotas, activity plans and general notices would be of great help to those who have not had to complete such paperwork before. I will certainly be drawing my childcare students' attention to the Guidelines for Students before they set off to their nursery placement next term.
