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  1. #1
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    Default Good morning Thursday

    I'm running a bit late today, but have grabbed 5 minutes to do a quick good morning post!

    So, what's everyone up to today? Are you doing anything special for World Book Day?

    I'm not a big fan of dress up on World Book Day as it causes some parents so much stress and expense if the feel they have to go out and buy a ready made costume. I asked parents to send in a teddy or toy related to a book they read with their child or to just send in the book for us to share. The children have all turned up with teddies - Tigger, Kipper and a Gruffalo so far. Luckily I've got books to go with all the teddies so we'll read those throughout the day.

    Once the children have finished their toast we're going for a walk to the library to join in their activities and then home for a teddy bears picnic

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    I have just posted about world book day.

    My mindee today loves books so im going to introduce some poetry today. Thanks Maza we may have to download it but its a start.

    It looks like being a nice dry day. Got to wait for a parcel. More rugby boots only had 3 pairs delivered this week ready.
    When someone tells you nothing is impossible, tell them to go slam a revolving door

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    Good afternoon.

    I went to the woods with a fellow childminder and we shared stories together as part of 'tell a million stories' for world book day.

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    Feeling rough today so it has been a lovely excuse to snuggle up with the littlest ones and read stories. Must admit we have also watched the gruffalo and the gruffalos child on tv too. I’ve never taken time off sick , honestly sometimes it’s easier to plough through than to try and contact everybody before 7am! I do sometimes fantasise about jobs where I could ring in and still get sick pay too! Having said that I also fantasise about lunch hours and toilet breaks.......

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    Oh gosh, hope you get better soon Mama2three. x

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    Get better soon Mama2three.

    I too occasionally fantasise about lunch hours, visiting the toilet on my own and just being able to take a day off sick ( and still getting paid ) and then it's a lovely sunny day like today and I love being able to spend most of it in the woods!

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    Quote Originally Posted by loocyloo View Post
    Get better soon Mama2three.

    I too occasionally fantasise about lunch hours, visiting the toilet on my own and just being able to take a day off sick ( and still getting paid ) and then it's a lovely sunny day like today and I love being able to spend most of it in the woods!
    No sun here , it seems like forever since we had a nice day. Usually we just wrap up and get on with it ...but I’m definitely a summer person

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    Get well soon mama2three.

    Its been the first real nice day here in ages. I felt cheated that i hadnt hung my washing out. All i thought when we were at the park was the rugby kit would be dry now
    When someone tells you nothing is impossible, tell them to go slam a revolving door

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    I asked everyone to bring in a favourite book from home which they all did, was funny reading them all with a disappearing voice I feel fine just not much of a voice when I talk which is a bit tricky in this job, the children thought it was funny.
    Pixie Dust

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    Only school children here today so not doing world book day as they have been doing it all day at school. Yesterday was a bad day; lost a child's mitten, had the side of my car covered in a sticky drink in the supermarket carpark, then my buggy, that is a year old this month and has broken 3 times already, refused to collapse at the afternoon school run. With 6 kids in the car I had to abandon it and go back later to retrieve it.(shame nobody had nicked it) And today it has rained heavily since 6 this morning and is still going. I have been soaked through 6 times and now have to go out again to my pilates class. ROLL ON SUMMER!!!! (rant over)

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    Quote Originally Posted by SYLVIA View Post
    Only school children here today so not doing world book day as they have been doing it all day at school. Yesterday was a bad day; lost a child's mitten, had the side of my car covered in a sticky drink in the supermarket carpark, then my buggy, that is a year old this month and has broken 3 times already, refused to collapse at the afternoon school run. With 6 kids in the car I had to abandon it and go back later to retrieve it.(shame nobody had nicked it) And today it has rained heavily since 6 this morning and is still going. I have been soaked through 6 times and now have to go out again to my pilates class. ROLL ON SUMMER!!!! (rant over)
    oh dear, hope tomorrow is better for you xxx

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    I hope those of you feeling ill or stressed start to feel better soon xx

    In February I took a day off sick. It was the first day I've had off in about 6 years. All the parents were great except one who complained about how inconvenient it was. Guess which parent I won't be doing any favours for in the future!

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    I don’t like taking a day off ill but if you ask poorly children to stay away we have to do the same I’m afraid.Had 1 day off I’ll last year which was a Thursday so not back to work till the Monday as I don’t work Fridays.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mouse View Post
    I'm running a bit late today, but have grabbed 5 minutes to do a quick good morning post!

    So, what's everyone up to today? Are you doing anything special for World Book Day?
    The parents at the toddler group that I help out at now were really thankful that the local school were not dressing up this year, the discussion was around costumes getting more bought in than an odd patch or a stripey jumper that it used to be and they were glad they didn’t need to afford the time or money this year. I did see lots of ads on the internet about how to make your own though.
    I chose a fav book about snowy animals ( topical as we had snow these last few weeks) and used this to link shaving foam small play with cold place animals and a polar bear themed paint activity. No matter how much I try to convert, the enthusiasm the parents have for adult led art rather than free painting saddens me. I suppose they like something that looks like something on their fridge doors rather than a wonderful splodgy mess.

    Anyway, in case you are interested:
    polar bear art consisted of the children dabbing through a template ( just a bear outline cut out the middle of a piece of card) with a cotton ball on a peg and white paint. They then took off the template and added snow by painting with the peg and ball. Finished off with corks and other circle shapes printed in white and shades of blue paint that got all mixed up into a lovely shade eventually for falling snow. All done on pale blue paper.
    I put a sorting tray in the middle with anything sparkly or snow related I had in my collage box and some blue glitter to finish with ( I am just using up glitter, not buying anymore once it’s gone) so the pictures did look different, some were just a lovely mix of blue and white with sparkly bits others were very precise and the parents did a grand job!

    The small world was white catering trays , I encouraged the parents to spray the shaving foam on and just let LO’s play and experience it before adding the polar bears, seals and penguins. The older children added some blue paint and swirled the colour in. I provided old tea towels ( one per child- CV in mind) to wipe off the foam after.

    I read the story before and talked about whether we saw any of the snowy animals in the book where we lived. Talked about the birds and animals we see in the snow . Did a little activity after story with animals - sorting them into where we live ( rabbits, sheep, cows, pheasant, grouse, partridge, chickens, dogs, cats,badger,deer,stoats,weasels - no foxes as it’s shooting countryside and the game keepers keep them culled!) and snowy places in the book, polar bears, penguins, arctic fox, snowleopard, seal, walrus, arctic hare, beluga whale, reindeer and caribou. Bit of a give away on most of their colouring really! I left the book and animals on the sofa where we had sat and it was lovely to watch from a distance how many of our LO’s played the sorting game on their own and with parents after.
    Big problem at the end as I tried to find all my animals in amongst the toys that had been spread all round the hall by the end of the session though!
    I think I will direct my craft activity to book linked about once a month now as it went down well. If only because I have loads of past ideas I can use...I do find planning one little activity every week to do in a hall with no resources quite hard work in thinking out of the box in being creative ....however did I do it day in and day out ?!!!!
    Any ideas for futures sessions in a toddler group would be great fully received!!

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  26. #15
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    AWWW, Flora, that sounds like so much fun. I wish your toddler group was closer! ( i think a 3 -3 1/2 hr round trip just for toddlers is abit too far !!! )


    I go to a couple of toddlers groups, and at one of them I provide a craft/activity every other week ( i only go every other week ), but try as i might, the parents just don't get involved, so everything ends up everywhere, and as I usually take my own resources, I'm getting weary of it now.
    At the other group we have playdough every week; usually with cutters/rolling pins etc, but sometimes I ring the changes with playdough mats, or extrusion tools, or making creatures with googly eyes and assorted bits. but I find the parents just want to roll it out and cut shapes! We then have a craft; painting with feathers was popular, and sand art, but they need an adult overview, and again, alot of parents just leave their children to it. ( or to those of us that DO engage with the children ! ) we too find that parents like a finished article to take home that looks like something. I've sort of got round that by cutting the paper into shapes or animals etc, so they can 'freestyle' but it looks like something! We've tried sensory play - but not very successful!

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  28. #16
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    I was going to suggest playdough too, but come to think of it loocyloo, I have also seen so many parents just roll it out and cut shapes. It's like they find it therapeutic for themselves, yet I have heard so many parents ban it from their home because it gets messy - or moan because the children mix the colours!

    I have seen a few early years places who put written prompts in the middle of an activity/table with suggestions on how the parent could play more creatively with their child, so for example, with playdough and candles there could be a sign which says "How old are you? Can you find that number of candles and put them on a playdough cake?" - or words to that effect. I'm sure we have all seen it before. Then, if you see one parent do it, consider your effort a huge success and don't focus on the others who sat and cut shapes for their children. At my local surestart centre, there was an absolutely amazing teacher who ran the sessions. I used to hear her praise the parents who were doing something constructive with their child and then point out the great qualities/results which the parent had facilitated through their interactive play. She didn't do it in a condescending way at all - it made the parents feel good and hopefully enlightened some of the others. I also used to go to my local '1 o'clock club' (sadly no longer exist due to funding) and I heard lots of childminders there moaning because at another group the leader had taken away all the adult chairs so that the adults couldn't sit around and chat and instead had to get on the floor and play with the children. It's a battle that we have to keep fighting I think. We can't give up.

    It's St Patricks Day coming up Floradora - I know you have always enjoyed doing lovely activities for that. It would be lovely to hear what you are doing this year if you are with little ones.

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  30. #17
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    Lol ... the only chairs we have are round the activity tables ... supp parents congregate there and children don't get a look in!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Maza View Post
    I was going to suggest playdough too, but come to think of it loocyloo, I have also seen so many parents just roll it out and cut shapes. It's like they find it therapeutic for themselves, yet I have heard so many parents ban it from their home because it gets messy - or moan because the children mix the colours!

    I have seen a few early years places who put written prompts in the middle of an activity/table with suggestions on how the parent could play more creatively with their child, so for example, with playdough and candles there could be a sign which says "How old are you? Can you find that number of candles and put them on a playdough cake?" - or words to that effect. I'm sure we have all seen it before. Then, if you see one parent do it, consider your effort a huge success and don't focus on the others who sat and cut shapes for their children. At my local surestart centre, there was an absolutely amazing teacher who ran the sessions. I used to hear her praise the parents who were doing something constructive with their child and then point out the great qualities/results which the parent had facilitated through their interactive play. She didn't do it in a condescending way at all - it made the parents feel good and hopefully enlightened some of the others. I also used to go to my local '1 o'clock club' (sadly no longer exist due to funding) and I heard lots of childminders there moaning because at another group the leader had taken away all the adult chairs so that the adults couldn't sit around and chat and instead had to get on the floor and play with the children. It's a battle that we have to keep fighting I think. We can't give up.

    It's St Patricks Day coming up Floradora - I know you have always enjoyed doing lovely activities for that. It would be lovely to hear what you are doing this year if you are with little ones.
    Great ideas reprompts for parents. We do playdoh / chalk / white board alternative weeks....but like you say, the parents just like to use cutters...some parents ask for cutters if they are not out!
    Because we are rather remote, the parents meeting and chatting and forming friendships is a big part of our group, so I positively encourage chatter over coffee/ tea - we do activities first, then we have free, don’t need parent play/ vehicles, pram, kitchen etc... it’s important as there is a big lonely problem in remote country areas.
    The village is still enthusiastically painting and finding and rehiding rocks....so I have a dozen 4 leafed shamrocks ready to hide on St Patrick’s day.
    I haven’t yet planned for that week, but I am thinking rainbow rice and hidden gold, collage shamrocks and some Irish jig music ...but I’ll let you know.

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