9 and 11 year old

[Giselle]

Hi

I have just registered and have started minding a brother and sister - the boy is 9 and the girl is 11. They are both very bright. She enjoys fashion design and he loves toyota cars.

I have asked them what they would like to do but they haven't come up with too many ideas. The mum is a single mother so can't afford to give extra outing money - and I am skint so need to keep my money. I don't want to have them sitting around doing nothing as I see it as my role to keep them active as possible.

I live opposite an emormous park if that helps with ideas

Do any of you have any suggestions on how to keep them amused for minimal cost. I have them 7 hours a day, 4 days a week.

I must say i am delighted at having got 2 children so quickly

Thank you
Giselle

[LOOPYLISA]

Well done :thumbsup:

My dd is 11 she loves arts and crafts
Dancing-music etc
Cooking
wii/ds/ps
pc
walks-park
Helping to do bits with me :thumbsup:

[Giselle]

what arts and crafts do you do with her? I have no experience with this age group

[Mouse]

Do you have a museum nearby? They're usually free to get into & often have activity sheets for the children to complete as they go round.

What about a digital camera? Let them take their own pictures (perhaps at the park), print them off and let the children make their own books or montages with the photos.

Or a visit to the library. You can get a childminder's card if you haven't already got one (no fine if the books are late!) Decide on a topic that interests them & go to the library to look for books related to it. Someone on here posted about a holiday passport where the children look at a country each week. Something like that would be good with the ages you've got.

Would the girl be able to sew? Get some cheap material & help her make something.

[Mouse]

http://childmindinghelp.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=37608&highlight=holiday+passport

This is the holiday passport thread.

[Giselle]

Brilliant!! Thank you

Any other ideas out there?

[angiemog]

I saw a nice idea, give each one a match box send them in the garden and they have to put as many things as they can in it. Whoever gets the most is the winner. x

[mushpea]

my own two daughter whos nearly 11 and son whos nearly 9 like the following
both like
lego
parks
walks in woods or nature reserves
wii
ds
chilling out with a dvd
swimming (its free)
the libary
cooking

my daugher loves any crafts and will do what evers on offer with the younger ones, today we made paper plate jelly fish, making jewlery, hamma beads, fimo or clay.
my son dosent like any crafs and generaly plays with any acttion figure toys.