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My mindee finishes school some days with lots of kit/instrument/cushions etc (from various clubs) which get chucked at me as I'm told to "hold this"! (That's another story, I digress...). This is fine at the moment but as I take on more mindees it might be that I am unable to hold all the stuff (we do the school run on foot) as I may need hands free etc for other mindees but what should I do? Any tips welcomed :-)
My pet hate is the PE bag which DD has to bring home every Thursday - it either falls off my shoulder constantly or twists itself around constantly cutting off my circulation!
Anyway, your priority will ALWAYS be keeping the mindees safe and if that means holding their hands then you just cannot carry all the stuff. If I have a pushchair then I hook the bookbags on the handles and put as much as I can in the basket underneath. I try and fit as much as I can in the bookbags - so cardigans, pictures, snack boxes etc. It might be safer for you to take a rucksack of your own to school to carry things belonging to several children. The children might just have to carry their own instruments - teamwork- as you cannot have the safety of your children compromised.
I think most of us do try to carry as much as we can so that the children can stop to pick up stones etc. but some days that just wont be possible. I know I have got a great big beanstalk plant coming home soon. Hope hubby is around that day as we have to get the bus if it's just me and it's crammed more often than not!
I had one of these a couple of years ago; reception-age. I let him pile the stuff onto the roof of the buggy, and made it his job to pick up each bit that fell off and put it into a big flowery bag that he got to carry - well, it gave him a free hand to hold the buggy, didn't it? :D He soon got the message that it was safer for him to carry the stuff and to only bring to school the bare essentials, so all of the superfluous, huge toys got left at home.Quote:
Originally Posted by mumofone
L
All schoolies carry their own belongings! I don't always have a buggy and sometimes my hands are holding some little hands!
As most of my schoolies have parents who do at least 1 or 2 school drop offs/pick ups I encourage them to leave stuff till then!
Obviously if I need to help I do, but I don't volunteer!
My rule is that all school age children carry at least one bag.
BUT they have to carry and be responsible for any musical instruments.
Schoolies carry everything and they do so from day 1 :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by mumofone
Really discourages them from bringing nothing other than what they need
I've also found these helpful. I have one attached to my buggy for those extra bags etc (PE, swimming, misc. plastic bags of 'stuff'). I just hang them off the clip and we're good to go.
Mummy Clip - Double Pack - Binxie.com
L
Oh nice one LK, I've not seen this before they look good :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by lollipop kid
My view - all reception and key stage 1 children carry at least one bag...developing the expectation that they have to carry their own things.....KS2 + carry everything.
It is difficult though if they haven't got a suitable bag, so that all things except musical instrument goes in it....my children all had a ruck sack of cavernous size, so took most things a primary age child has - including the PE bag - worn on back properly so no H&S issues ...which leaves hands free to explore etc...
But I am quite hard really in this area, we are a family of walkers and campers, everyone carries their own things in my world...my children also, when out walking in the hills carried their own water bottle, lunch and kagoul in their rucksacks from a very young age ......great prep for their later life where they went on to get a gold DOfE awards and oldest has just carried his life in a huge rucksack, as has his girlfriend, around South America for a year!
I would never pile a buggy up with bags, not designed for this and will easily topple backwards if left...you might think you wouldn't leave , but what if you have to to help another child? I remember warnings all over mothercare at one point telling you not to put things over the handles etc... ( I think it was in the 80's) of course buggies can be sturdy now and some look like they are gold DofE class in luggage carrying.....but the manufacturers would not agree with this practise.
When small, hands have to be held but on smaller roads, if they are close to you and have good road sense then their hands can carry a violin.
It's all about developing their independence and strenghth for life....a regular moan from children on visiting me back in primary after moving on to high school was the bag carrying issue - it was always a real shock that they had to carry the bag all day around school when they never carried it far before.
Of course , I realise that I am living an ideal world where children don't have to walk miles to school or catch public transport....therefore ...each situation has to be assessed.
I would have my own bags to carry on picking up spoilt 6 year old next time mumofone.....therefore have a reason why she has to carry her bag/ instrument!
My expectation is you carry your own, unless it's a very large homework project. I am happy to provide rucksacks so children are hands free and weight is properly distributed. I have had the child that drops everything at my feet but when I start to leave without picking it up they soon get the message.
It always amazes me the number of parents/granny's who dutifully pick it all up and carry it then comment to me "don't know how you do it" point being I don't.
Good point about buggies tipping, FloraDora!
The Mummy Clip (that I suggested earlier) works for me, as I use it on a really long front to back double buggy, and more often than not, there's even a child on a buggyboard at the back as well, so there is no way this thing is ever going to tip.
I also clip mine to the side of the buggy, quite far down, so it doesn't interfere with children holding the buggy.
However, if anyone is thinking of getting the above clip, just make sure it doesn't give you a tipping hazard!
All the best,
L
Interesting thread! I actually don't mind carrying all the stuff at all (but I would mind if it was just dropped at my feet by a child who takes everything for granted). To be fair, I only have my daughter to collect. I'm sure I would feel differently if I had more children!
I thought I was quite 'big' on encouraging independence in all contexts but I may have overlooked this one! I'm going to watch at the school gates today to see how many parents carry the stuff for their children.
I honestly don't think my buggy would tip with a bookbag hooked onto it (famous last words...hope not) but I will bear it in mind.
All mine carry their own school/book bag and lunch box if they can. I will help with PE bags if I can and I'll have coats on the pushchair.
A child that needs to hold onto the buggy (foundation stage) will have a free hand. Everyone else walks in front or next to me.
Our school bags have a strap so are easy to put over their body. Most days I have 6 school children as well as 2-3 little ones so can't physically carry bags.
Its a known fact that Mums carry bags :D I used to. But now with 6 school children I couldn't carry everyone's bags.Quote:
Originally Posted by Maza
I will carry some of the schoolies stuff if they ask nicely, but expect them to do what they reasonably can, and I'd certainly walk away from anything dropped in a heap at my feet. I'm also amazed when I see parents and grandparents patiently picking it all up and walking home laden like mules sometimes. But then I also get appalled by the number of lanky four year olds sitting in buggies and half the time with a dummy stuffed in their faces.
I had a real issue with a little one I picked up from nursery. The staff would send her out with mountains of rubbish, I mean crafts!, for me to carry home, more than she could possibly have done in the morning, but equally sometimes covered in wet paint or glue. In the end I had to say please keep all this stuff for a day when Mum is picking up as it is daft me trying to balance it all on a buggy (especially when Mum worked there herself albeit in a different room, and drove in!)
Start as you mean to go on! I don't tolerate the behaviour 'you carry this' then I definitley don't! I will help but they have to carry at least one thing e.g book bag as why should i be the donkey and they have hands free!!lol
Mine have always had to carry their own things! Even the 3 yr old wear her rucksack!
(It pains me to see kids throw their bags at parents!!)
Q: What is an adult for?
A: To hang things on. :rolleyes:
I've been known to take an empty double pushchair to school to use as a handcart.
I can't believe my reception class mindee has to take more to school than I take on holiday (maybe a Man Thing :rolleyes: )
I picked up mindee and grandchildren from school the Friday before 1/2 term, and mindee had:-
- 1 backpack
- 1 huge PE kit
- 1 of those stupid reading folders which contain 1 book, 20 party invitations and a whole heap of waste paper
- 3 (1?!?!) lunch boxes
- 1 water bottle (full - as if I don't have water in my taps)
- 1 junk model
- 8 assorted, creased (but unidentifiable) art works
- 1 hand-held rock cake
I should like to make the following observations:-
- If school are planning to do baking, can't they supply little plastic bags or ask us to provide a suitable food container in which to take the end product home?
- Did they know it was National 'Walk to school Week'?
The latter observation is ironic, not sarcastic (I know the difference. ;) )
I'm another cruel cm who doesn't carry the little darlings belongings. I did have 3 siblings one day as mum was let down by nanny. they walked out and threw their things at me. I think they realised their mistake when I let their stuff fall and laughed at them too.
I'm not a donkey and I usually have a double or triple buggy to manoeuvre. so expect all mindees to carry their own. Oh and DS doesn't even ask even on fridays when it's only us ;-)
I'm the same. My nursery 3 year olds have their own rucksacks and they carry them to and from nursery too. I am always saying to the children "Do I look like a donkey". I refuse to carry all the childrens school / nursery things. I have enough to do pushing a double buggy, sometimes with a buggy board too and supervising everyone. I do think they need to learn a little bit of independence. Mind you as soon as the parents arrive they all literally throw their bags at mum or dads feet and they duly pick it all up and carry it to the car. That's after they have put the childrens shoes / coats on. I'm always saying in these situations "How come you can't put your own shoes on for mummy, you do it during the day for me", but the parents don't seem to take the hint :panic:Quote:
Originally Posted by Rubybubbles
xx