activity ideas please for nvq2 assessment

[julie w]

Hi I have just started my NVQ 2 and have been told my assessor will be coming for 2 hours next Friday to assess me doing an activity with my minded children. That day I have 2 mindees, one aged 13 months and one aged 23 months. I am finding it difficult to come up with a suitable activity to do with both children that will cover most of the areas of learning. The 23 month old has only just staeted with me and to be honest doesn't really know how to play yet. I cant hold her interest with anything. I know we will get over this eventually, but it doesn't help for next week. Any ideas would be gratefully received, thank you.

[Straws]

2 hours??? oh pants she never mentioned how long she will be here for, How the hell I can keep an activity going for 2 hours:( I best start planning next monday now.

Straws xx

[sarah707]

How about playdough? Or something messy in a small tray? Would they engage with that?

Do you have a treasure basket?

Or rolling balls to each other?

I'd do a few experiments between now and then, see what holds their interest. :D

[nannymcflea]

What about dressing up hats and a mirror, trying them on and looking at yourself?
Mark making, with a choice of utensils for the older one, hand painting for the younger?

These are good for all ages and covers a lot of areas.

Can I just be nosey and ask why level 2 when as a childminder you don't work for anyone and are actually working at a supervisory level.

Tell me to get stuffed if you like, was just wondering.:)

Hope it goes well.:thumbsup:

[whisper_1981]

how about glup (corn flour n water)? make it a colour to incurrage the sences we used all kinds of objects in there from spoons little cups dinosours anything really that can encourage sences, what part is she looking at covering? i finished my nvq level 2 july last year so can always back track on there if it helps?

[sarah32]

When my assessor came, she just told me to plan lots of little things and just move on when they get bored. You cant plan a activity for 2 hours.

Came last week and I had a bit of craft making, using stars and moon onto black paper, easy.

And we made pizza, using ready made base and let them spoon sauce on, helped them grate cheese with my hand over theirs and let them tear up bit to put on. Again easy, cant really go wrong.

Also had out a circus playset and some other bits ready to get out if needed.


Hope everything goes well.:)

[julie w]

What about dressing up hats and a mirror, trying them on and looking at yourself?
Mark making, with a choice of utensils for the older one, hand painting for the younger?

These are good for all ages and covers a lot of areas.

Can I just be nosey and ask why level 2 when as a childminder you don't work for anyone and are actually working at a supervisory level.

Tell me to get stuffed if you like, was just wondering.:)

Hope it goes well.:thumbsup:Hi I dont think you're nosey at all. Well with the NVQ 3 becoming compulsory (or Diploma as it will soon be called) I wanted to do it asap. We were told if we took the NVQ2 first it will ease us into it and also we wont have to do so much for the diploma as the NVQ2 will account for a percentage of the marks. 25 % I think.

[Heaven Scent]

Hi I dont think you're nosey at all. Well with the NVQ 3 becoming compulsory (or Diploma as it will soon be called) I wanted to do it asap. We were told if we took the NVQ2 first it will ease us into it and also we wont have to do so much for the diploma as the NVQ2 will account for a percentage of the marks. 25 % I think.

As an NVQ assessor I don't think this is right unless things have changed recently - I think what they meant was that you can cross reference 25% of level 2 over to level 3. I would also have encouraged someone who hadn't studied for years to do level 2 first Also because you can only expect to cross reference 25% of level 2 over to level 3 then I think its proof that each level covers different aspects of childcare and I always believed they should be called unit/year 1 & 2 - I think the fact that they are called level 1 & 2 leaves people to believe that one is easier than the other which it isn't except that in the aspects you cover on both courses you are expected to go into more depth in the second course. Which is why for the moment it is counted as acceptable for those who work at managerial level.

I'm a bit confused as to why you don't seem to have been given any direction as to what you should be doing with the children - which units is she hoping to cover - I appreciate that she may be intending doing a holistic observation but this is way too vague - is this your first visit? If not she should have given you some direction before she left last time. - You should have had a professional discussion where she would have completed some paperwork that she would have left with you so you would have some guidance what you were aiming at.

If this is her first visit then don't plan too much it will involve a lot of completing paperwork.

If she is doing her work properly then she should be making one X one hour visit per unit. 30 minutes of which should be spent observing and the rest would be spent in discussion and covering aspects of the course that she cant observe with a question and answer session - its not fair to expect a candidate to go through a 2 hour observation and discussion session unless they agree it in advance.

Get back onto her and ask for more details. As her which units she is hoping to observe and get back to me an I will give you some pointers.

Cheers,