First attempt at pens in playroom

:D Well, after my inspection at the beginning of Oct where the inspector said she would have liked to have seen some felt tip pens 'readily available' .....I placed some at arms reach in the playroom, with some paper and notebooks. :thumbsup:

She wasn't happy that I already have aquadraw, magnasketchx2, we visit the sandpit 2mins away to draw with sticks and fingers, we draw with fingers in paint and cornflour, I have a chalk wall, pens, crayons, wax crayons, finger paints and all the children are practising to write their name etc so I thought i'd give it a go.

This was the outcome that I found this afternoon :rolleyes::rolleyes: So much for free mark making but now ..... a lovely shield that was part of a knights costume drawn on.

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Originally Posted by JCrakers

:D Well, after my inspection at the beginning of Oct where the inspector said she would have liked to have seen some felt tip pens 'readily available' .....I placed some at arms reach in the playroom, with some paper and notebooks. :thumbsup: She wasn't happy that I already have aquadraw, magnasketchx2, we visit the sandpit 2mins away to draw with sticks and fingers, we draw with fingers in paint and cornflour, I have a chalk wall, pens, crayons, wax crayons, finger paints and all the children are practising to write their name etc so I thought i'd give it a go. This was the outcome that I found this afternoon :rolleyes::rolleyes: So much for free mark making but now ..... a lovely shield that was part of a knights costume drawn on. <img src="http://www.childmindinghelp.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8795"/>

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Oh god EXACTLY why I refuse to do this! It's crazy they even suggest it and very unfair too.

I would like to see the inspectors allowing this sort of thing in their homes. I had an inspection in the middle of winter once and she asked if the children have water play to which I naively replied yes in the summer outside in the garden. Then she said oh they must have access all year round so why don't I put a bowl on the kitchen/dining room table and let them play there! she said if I sprinkle cornflour around the bowl it will soak up any spillage! Rather than get in an argument I just said that's a good idea but have I ever done it? NOT ON YOUR LIFE!!

Oh dear :panic:

I have little clipboards with pencils tied to them that the children have free access to. I then have pots with crayons, coloured pencils and pens that they get off the shelf and take to the table. But, they are only allowed to do that when I am confident they will only use the pens on the paper! They also have a pot with scissors in and even 3 year olds use them sensibly.

I'm afraid I don't go along with the idea of children having free access to everything. I believe it's good for them to learn that they can't always have what they want. Life isn't like that, so why not teach them that valuable lesson from an early age?

Agree Mouse. I was going to order some clipboards after Xmas but i'm in 2 minds now.

My pens and paints are usually available when the children need them but they usually have to ask for them as they are in a pull out drawer that can be transported to the table, and they sit at the dining table. They can write lists for the kitchen area but I prefer them to do it at the table. I usually don't say no to the pens if they ask for them. (only if we are going out) They are always available but not readily.

I didn't want the pens out and I told the inspector this, I explained it wasn't what I did and I knew what would happen. A 3yr old mindee had got hold of a pen at home and Mum told me that he'd drawn all over the side of her leather sofa and wallpaper when she had been answering the door to the postman, I explained to the inspector that I didn't want pens out. I have 2 teenagers myself and I do like my house to be nice...most of the time.

But I thought i'd give it a go as I wondered if I was being a bit closed/minded and a bit 'old skool'. But in just 1 afternoon I've had one thing drawn on already. :rolleyes:

Never been asked for children to have free access to pens etc. and neither will young children it's my home. Older ones fine.
I would put them felt pens up higher.

My 3 & 4 year olds have access to pens - they are quite capable at climbing up into booster seats at the table to use them - that's as much free access mine have, other than that they have the same as you do JCrackers plus sometimes clipboards with a biro tied onto it (on a shortish string).

I only have pencil crayons in my house, and paint when I get it out, never felt pens :panic:

All my pens makers pencils and paint etc is in a large cupboard in my back hall. Our inspectors not as strict for want of a better word.. .
Children know what I have and can ask to colour in if they want but none of this is readily.available. I would not trust any child not to scribble on a wall or something when my back is turned. It's my home. And as said by someone else children need to learn they can't have everything when they decide they want it. They have to ask me for most activities. Or I suggest them

I never have pens unsupervised now since one darling mindee draw a continuous circle all over a cushion of my cream leather sofa. Lucky it came off easily enough, but the poor mum was distraught (and 7 months pregnant) whilst the little boy couldn't see what all the fuss was about as he had drawn a cat for his mummy. By the sound of it you have more than enough resources for mark making in your setting as it is. This mindee has also gone on the draw on all the entire walls in his bedroom on numerous occasions at home since

Not only damage that can be done to your house with children let loose with pens. What about safety? I know a child that fell over with a pen in his mouth, you can guess what happened yuck cringe

This is ridiculous! You have mark making opportunities for the children that are appropriate and then provide extra items for certain things... That is good practice in my book and what she has suggested to you does not enhance the children's learning or outcomes in any way!

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Originally Posted by samb

This is ridiculous! You have mark making opportunities for the children that are appropriate and then provide extra items for certain things... That is good practice in my book and what she has suggested to you does not enhance the children's learning or outcomes in any way!

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It is ridiculous and it still makes me angry 2 months on...as you can tell, as I keep banging on about it :laughing: I just wanted to prove to myself that I was right I suppose, by going through with one of the inspectors 'ideas'.
She did make me doubt myself on what I do and when someone has been doing something for 21yrs and someone comes along to tell you your not doing it properly it made me feel incapable of what I've been doing since I was 19. If I was newly qualified I would take all the help and advice I could get but I can't stand Ofsted coming round to tell me how to do things when she didn't even have any experience of being a childminder.

I have that on my inspection report now for 3-4 years and I try not to let it get to me but I'm passionate about what I do. I wont be going through another inspection so I suppose it shouldn't matter as much as it does.

BTW...on further inspection of my playroom I found the same pen marks on my ikea tent roof and on an electronic laptop toy :rolleyes: Could have been done while I was making lunch, at the door or at the loo.

I have felt pens freely available to the kids. They've pushed all the nibs in so they don't actually work anymore, but they are freely available!
Some inspectors have less sense than the children we care for!

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Originally Posted by singingcactus

I have felt pens freely available to the kids. They've pushed all the nibs in so they don't actually work anymore, but they are freely available!
Some inspectors have less sense than the children we care for!

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:-) lol ... I must make my dried up pens with no lids freely available too

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Originally Posted by singingcactus

I have felt pens freely available to the kids. They've pushed all the nibs in so they don't actually work anymore, but they are freely available!
Some inspectors have less sense than the children we care for!

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What a great idea :laughing: