Let's put the Champion into Childminding

I am a childminder

I love my job

I put my heart and soul into my work and the children and families that come through my door.

There are many childminders just like me.

There are also many larger settings out there (and there are some wonderful ones, don't get me wrong), people drive or walk past them, they notice them, they are accessible, they are easy to contact, they have large colourful 'Free Childcare' banners adorning the outside that draw people in.

People also drive or walk past another type of childcare setting, a setting that is someone's home.  This setting has resources and activities just like the larger setting, where a caring adult/s welcomes children and families through their door every day, where children play, learn and have fun, yet people may walk or drive past every day and not even realise that this home could be the perfect childcare option for their child.

You see, childminders are not as accessible as the larger settings, we dont get noticed as much, a lot of people do not even consider a childminder as a childcare option, no fault of their own, they just aren't aware of what we can provide.  We are not championed enough, we don't have huge signs and 'Free Childcare' banners across our gates drawing people in, but behind those doors there may be an amazing childcare service that could be perfect for your child.

So I think it's about time childminders were championed for the wonderful work they do and the unique service they provide.

Here are some reasons that stand out for me, why a childminder should definitely be on your 'need to contact' childcare list ...

Here goes ..

We will always be your child's key person.  However many hours your child is in our care, we are always there.  We are the person that will give them cuddles when they are upset, pick them up when they fall, laugh with them when they are being silly, we are that all round consistent, safe and secure adult.

Being that 'always there' adult we can really connect and get to know your child.  We will know what they like and don't like, what upsets them and what makes them smile, this in turn fosters their wellbeing and confidence.

Research tells us that early relationships are one of the most important aspects of childhood.  Children thrive when they form strong emotional attachments, childminders are equipped to provide this bond over a number of years and beyond.

A stressful, noisy environment can be really detrimental to the wellbeing of a young child.  A childminder can provide a quiet, calm and relaxed environment where children can just be themselves.  We can just go with the flow ... if a child isn't feeling it, we can adapt what we are doing to help them with this.

Parents can get to know the childminder and their family really well and build a trusting relationship.  We do not need to arrange a 'parents evening' to let parents know how their child is doing as we are constantly talking, communicating, and most importantly connecting with parents (and grandparents!) about their children.  We provide a personal service, where you can really get to know the person that looks after your child.

A lot of childminders are parents themselves and have a wealth of parenting experience and knowledge.  They also totally understand the huge deal it is leaving your child with someone, childminders will help make this transition as easy as possible.  Childminders are always there for parents with help and support (door step hugs are common practice for many childminders).

We can easily focus on individual children and their interests, so they are always learning and doing something fun that they enjoy.

Children have the opportunity to mix with other children, both younger and older, whether at playgroups or in the childminders setting.  Children learn so much from other children, the younger learn from older, and the older children learn about empathy and how to be caring and nurturing towards the younger ones.  

Childminders provide a smaller more personable setting which is ideal for a young child who cannot yet communicate their needs.  A larger group setting where there are lots of other children can be overwhelming for a child who cannot yet speak.  

We are not refined to the same space, we are able to get the children out into the fresh air regularly, whether this is visiting parks, the library,  the woods, museums, special days out or just getting out in the garden.  Picnics in the park, splashing in puddles and feeding the ducks are a regular occurence with a childminder.  We provide real life experiences for children.

Children are made to feel like they belong, where they can just be and play at their own pace.

We follow children's progress and interests and provide wonderful learning opportunities which are recorded in a learning journey that parents are able to keep.

Childminders follow the same Statutory Framework as other childcare providers, we are inspected by Ofsted just the same as other childcare providers, we are all First Aid trained, have Safeguarding Training and are Insured, just the same as other childcare providers, we can also provide 2, 3 and 4 year old funding just the same as other childcare providers.

Childminders undertake regular training, we are committed to our own professional development.  We are qualified Childcare Practitioners, we are professionals who have a wealth of knowledge and are passionate about children and their learning and wellbeing.

Children start school very young and are there for many years to come, what better way for them to spend their early years playing, having fun and learning in a relaxed, caring, home environment, just how early childhood should be.

I am a childminder

I love my job

There are many childminders just like me.

If you are considering childcare for your little one, check out the childminders in your area, you might just strike gold.

Iggety, Ziggety, Zaggety, Zoom!! ... Halloween Fun

There are so many fun activities to do on Halloween, that sometimes I find it difficult to narrow it down to just a few quality activities that the little peeps can do.   

I love adding a bit of literacy in the mix, so decided to feature the book "Room on a Broom" by Julia Donaldson.  We have not read it for a while so decided this Halloween was time to dig it out of the book box. 

As the little peeps seem to be enjoying reading books with props at the moment, I thought it would be fun to put a few things together to help the little peeps interact with the story.

I really like putting together story props and this one in particular did not cost me anything, all the items I already had to hand.

In the basket we had a fab witch that my neighbour gave me for the children; a cute witches broom (bought at the local Poundshop); a plastic cauldron; a wand that I made by sticking a silver sparkly heart to a wooden spoon ; a piece of ribbon tied into a bow; and various beanie baby animals (cat, dog, frog). 

The children loved re-enacting the story, tapping the broom with the wand and WHOOSHING off.

It was lots of fun and the book is probably going to be chosen again and again over the following weeks.

As the little peeps were loving playing witches, I thought it was a ideal time to make use of a packet of Gellibaff to make a witches brew.  So, in the cauldron, we mixed together some of the Gelli powder and water, (I've never used this before and I accidentally added way to much powder and the gloop ended up abit lumpy and not the thick gloopy texture I wanted) the little peeps used some sticks to do lots of stirring, adding some creepy spiders and some glitter to the mix.

Oh my, they loved this so much and its definitely something we will re-visit!

Zesty Lemon Playdough

Zesty Lemon Playdough

We love playdough here, and as far a playdough goes, there is nothing better than one that smells really scrummy. 

There are many benefits of playing with playdough not only is it creative and really fun, it also helps with fine motor skills as the children roll, squeeze, knead, pinch, pull, building up those little muscles in their fingers and hands ready for writing when the time comes.

I decided to make a lemon playdough, as I recently bought a lemon balm plant for a sensory tub in the garden, so I thought it would be a good idea to make some zesty lemon dough and incorporate some of the lemon balm leaves into the play.  NB.  Please note that lemon balm plant can sometimes give an allergic reaction to the skin, so please keep an eye on this.

I usually make the 5 minute non cook playdough, but I haven't been happy with the last few batches, so I decided to try another recipe I have.  It is done on the hob but was really quick and not as messy to make and it seriously is the most softest and pliable playdough.

If you want to give it a try, this is the recipe:-

200g Plain Flour
100g Salt
300ml Water
2tsp Cooking Oil
2tsp Cream of Tartar
Yellow Food Colouring (I used around 2 cap fulls)
Lemon Food Flavouring (I used around 1 cap full)

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl to make a 'batter' mix (I used an electric hand whisk to do this but you can just hand whisk yourself).  Add the mixture to a pan and heat gently, stirring constantly until it comes away from the sides of the pan and forms a dough like ball.  Take out of the pan and knead, like you would when making bread and that's it ... .  a lovely ball of soft, pliable lemon smelling playdough. Keep in airtight container (I also wrap the playdough in clingfilm) and it should last for a while and remain really soft.

Once I had finished the kneading, I then passed it onto the little peeps to play with.  I added various items for them to use including rolling pins, silicone cake cases, lemon balm leaves, grated lemon rind, fabric daisies and small bamboo sticks.  One of the little peeps disappeared into the playroom and came back with a little microwave to use as an oven and then they set to work.

Look at these fab little cakes, each one was put individually into the microwave. Lemon rind was added as sprinkles (which made them smell even more delicious), abit of lemon balm leaf for decoration, a daisy and bamboo sticks as candles.  I'm sure we will revisit this activity at some point soon as it was enjoyed by all.  To extend this activity, I've promised the little peeps we will make some 'real' lemon cakes soon.

The Gingerbread Man

Run, run as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the Gingerbread Man!!

This month I decided to do a theme based on a traditional story.  I thought The Gingerbread Man would be a good one to start with and I could link in lots of activities.

I started by introducing the story and a box with related props.  In the box we have a very cute gingerbread man, a fox, a horse, a cow, a hen and a dog (my eldest daughter collected beanie babies in the 90's so we have a huge box full of beanie animals which has come in so useful since I started childminding).  I also added some lovely shimmery tactile blue fabric for the river,  a spoon for stirring and a rolling pin for rolling.  I also put in various Gingerbread Man books so the children would have a variety to read (in the end they did prefer to read the same one which was the good old Usborne one).

The children really loved the props and getting involved with the story.

We did some number activities, here I printed and laminated some numbered gingerbread men and the children had to add the correct amount of buttons.

We also practised pegging our Gingerbread Men in a number line, focussing on ordering but also building up those little finger muscles ready for writing by squeezing the pegs.

We looked at space, shape and measure, I laminated a large Gingerbread Man and cut it into quarters and then removed a piece each time we said 'SNAP! ... He was quarter gone, SNAP! ..... He was half gone' and so on.  They really loved this and it also gave them a visual as to what quarters, halves etc look like.

We made Gingerbread Men out of play dough, lots of rolling and cutting.  We used buttons to decorate, (although I had to watch the babies closely as some were small), we also made marks with our fingers for eyes, buttons etc. We also talked about size.

I managed to get hold of this Gingerbread Man jigsaw which is great for problem solving and fine motor skills, but it also has picture story prompts which is great for re-telling the story to development communication and language skills.

 

Last of all, we couldn't do the Gingerbread Man without making some yummy Gingerbread yum yum.  I forgot to get some smarties or jelly tots to decorate but will remember that for next time.

We also decorated some templates of the Gingerbread Man with stickers, ribbon, googly eyes etc.


All in all, I am really pleased with how this month went.  The children really enjoyed it and they now love the Gingerbread Man story and I think it will a firm favourite from now on.

Five Little Leaves All Bright and Gay ...

3 November 2013

'Five Little Leaves all Bright and Gay
Were dancing about on the tree one day
A wind came powering through the town
Wooo Wooo
And one little leaf came tumbling down'

We love nursery rhymes here and sing them most days. It intrigues me how nursery rhymes have stood the test of time and how they are handed down generation to generation ... I remember by nan singing me nursery rhymes as a child and I now sing the same ones to my children. 

Nursery rhymes should not be underestimated in terms of learning, they play an important role in early childhood development by helping children to master key skills such as language and communication, physical development, social and emotional development and also number skills. 

A particular favourite is the Autumn nursery rhyme .. 'Five Little Leaves all Bright and Gay'. As children love using props with nursery rhymes, I decided to try to make a little felt autumn tree and I was really pleased with how it turned out.  This is how I did it:

Firstly I drew a tree shape onto some thick cardboard ... believe me, I am not artistic at all but this was easy and I was pleased with the result.  I then cut it out ... this is how it looked ...

Next I spread strong glue over the tree and stuck a large piece of brown felt over it, flattened out any creases and left it to dry.  Once dried, I cut around the tree, and then I had my lovely tactile, felt autumn tree ...

 

For our five little leaves .. I cut out five leaf shapes from autumn coloured felt. I used, red, orange and yellow.  I then stuck sticky back velcro onto them (if you use the 'hook' side of the Velcro, that will stick to the felt without having to use the other side of the velcro). 

 

 

 

And here it is, our little Autumn Tree ... and I must say it is probably one of the most popular props we have.  The children love taking the leaves off one by one and counting how many are left ... cheap and cheerful good fun and just the best way to learn.

 

 

 

(I also made a little stand so the tree could stand up on its own by cutting a slit in the bottom of the tree trunk and then cutting a slit into an small oblong of card and then sliding them together to make a 'cross'.)