Just Add Water

The gorgeous summer weather has been a great time to involve h2o in our outside play.  The paddling pool came out the shed and got cleaned up.  Part of it had sprung a leak so it didn't fully inflate but Ethan was just as happy with it as last year and his play has become much more precise with detailed storytelling going on involving boats, shells, cars and london buses.  Quite often a toy will end up in there that is not really made for water but Ethan just wants to involve all his toys in whatever game he is playing!  Ethan remembers back to the sinking/floating experiments we all did at Belsize Bears whenever he is in water now and loves to predict what will happen with new objects and test it out.  I do hope he gains a love of science which I found very uninspiring at school as it is actually interesting when presented in the right way!

 
When Marley came to play I filled the tuff spot with water and the plastic food and tea set for them to play with.  This soon became a big muddy puddle! They splashed around and got the watering can and measuring jug to pour muddy water on each other.  They also both lay down in it.  It was one of those occasions I am glad I am not friends with people who are overly precious about their children getting mucky as both boys were covered in water and mud by the end of the picnic.  My theory is clothes and children can always be washed so let them go wild! Children can sense our inhibition in situations and it can stifle their creativity.  The beauty of childhood is living in the moment so if we can allow them to just be, then we should.

At Belsize Bears we filled the tuff spot with water again but this time it was set up outside on a concrete path with no mud around so it was an entirely different experience.  The invitation to play we set up was drinking straws, beakers and an early learning centre pour and play run.  I also filled an old washing up bottle with coloured water.  The beauty of the tuff spot (or builders tray which can be purchased at builders merchants or ebay) is that children of all ages can access the play.  This meant the whole group was engaged in an activity at once and it was lovely to see.  They did pouring, squirting, splashing, paddling, imaginative play and were able to practice social skills negotiating a play space involving lots of other children.

Time for Tea

My sister Jo gave us the tea set her girls have now outgrown so whilst Ethan was in bed last night I set up an invitation to play .  I used a muslin as a makeshift tablecloth on his small table and then set up the tea set.  I added coloured lolly sticks and pom poms from the craft supplies.  When I'd finished it looked so tempting I wanted to have a play myself!

When Ethan woke up and saw the table he was very excited. He ran straight over and began placing one pom pom in each teacup.  Then he took them out and filled the teapot with pom poms.  He used the lolly sticks to get the pom poms out from the bottom of the teapot when they got stuck.  Then he made me a cup of tea and some breakfast (filling a saucer with pom poms and giving me a lolly stick "spoon". Then Ethan made lots of dinners for me and gave me a lolly stick knife, spoon and fork to eat them with before placing the crockery and cutlery in the "washing up" on the sofa.  Ethan continued this game for two hours.  It was wonderful to see his imagination sparked and be included in his imaginative play.  

Behaviour

I finished the last part of a behaviour management course last night and we talked about how we promote positive behaviour and what attributes were essential in a childminder.  One of the key parts is being a good role model as the adult in your setting, we can't really expect behaviour from the children we aren't displaying ourselves.  Also taking each child as an individual and planning activities that will stimulate and move each child forwards is really important.  It can be a challenge with a variety of ages but younger children may just need more supervision to do activities the older children are doing or can be catered for my simply making items accessible that interest them (for example a treasure basket full of items made from different materials on the floor may hold a nine month old's attention whilst two three year olds play with a small world scene).  Also how we view behaviour does need to be reflected on sometimes...is it really "naughty" behaviour or a developmental phase (such as biting which we redirect with sensory activities or a crunchy snack), schema (such as throwing which can be directed into something positive) or simply a child being a child and living in the moment?  Do we always need to rush in and intervene in a hard way or can we take a step back sometimes and allow the behaviour or provide an activity that allows this to be used in a more acceptable way?  Are we expecting too much for the developmental stage (not chronological age) of a particular child or are we expecting our societies norms to be ingrained in a child for whom English is not a first language?  In some cultures children are not expected to make eye contact with adults and please and thank yous may not be so important.  We can battle every little thing but must decide what is truly important: how safe, nourished and loved the children in our care feel or how we look to other adults when we are out and about.  I am a firm believer that outdoor activities and socialization are also really important for children.  Even as an adult I can get cabin fever from being cooped up all day and often children's moods can change quite dramatically when given the space to run around and feel free.  If I was looking for a childminder for my son I would want someone who loves their job and feels passionate about it.  I would also want someone who is calm and even tempered, is able to form a close bond with my child and has a similar outlook on parenting to myself.  I would want someone who took delight in sharing new experiences with them and ensured they became part of the community by socializing with a wide variety of people from all walks of life.  Most of all I would want them to treasure and enjoy their time with my child.