Activities and time management
All the things we will do will be flexible to meet the individual needs of the children. It will encourage joint play, individual play, adult led learning and self-awareness through play – as well as having fun! We have weekly topics that cover a wide range of fun and interesting subjects and do activities based around these as well as visits and outside play.
The idea is that children learn while they play and have fun whilst learning. They are taught and encouraged to respect each other and discover through every day activities. These along with other skills they learn will be the building blocks that help them progress towards their future.
Meals
All the meals I provide your children with will be healthy and from fresh ingredients. We try to only have free range chicken and eggs and I check the sugar, salt and fat content in everything I provide!
I will encourage your child to explore different tastes and I will talk to you child regularly about healthy food and so hopefully promote a healthy diet and lifestyle. There will always be fresh fruit available and the children often compete to see who can eat the most portions of fruit!
Where possible I try to get the children evolved in making their snacks, even if it just buttering bread or pouring a drink!
Sometimes we do make cakes and biscuits as a treat or have parties for the children but I do not provide sweets, chocolate, crisps or fizzy drinks as part of the menu or snacks. I follow the government guidelines about children and healthy eating so would appreciate it if you would not send you children with these items as it would be unfair on the other children.
We always sit at the table to eat and drink so that we can enjoy the social element of eating as part of a group and also it gives a good opportunity to learn about table manners!
All the children have access to fresh clean drinking water. The younger ones each have a beaker that they can carry with them and the older ones can get a drink themselves or ask for a drink whenever they wish.
Pets
I feel that being around animals and caring for pets is a fundamental skill that needs to be learnt as a child to be able to respect animals as an adult. We often go to the country park to feed the ducks and have a magnifying glass and net so we can pond dip too!
We have 2 young pygmy goats, a nanny and a wether. They are both extremely tame and were bred at the Rookery open farm and come from a long line of children’s pygmy goats. During the winter they are housed in an enclosure in the garage and play in the back garden! During the summer they will be in the wendy house!
We are classed as a small holding and I am classed as a farmer! I have a licence that allows me to walk the goats and show them. The children will see the goats playing in the garden and will be able to stroke, play and also walk them.
We have guinea pigs and quails in the garden so the children will always be able to see them and can sit in the run with them, hold them and hand feed them. the children collect the eggs and we eat them as part of our menu.
We also go to the local pet shops to buy food and equipment so the children can learn how to keep the pets.
Tropical fish are not only beautiful to look at, they are fun to watch! It’s a great hobby that needs lots of observing and a bit of scientific knowledge for the chemical tests to keep the fish healthy. This is great for children because they get to learn whilst having fun. We also have 2 tankS and cages where we keep anything from newts, gerbils and newly hatched chicks!
We get the children involved in feeding, watering and handling the animals. I spend a lot of time talking to the children about the correct way to handle the animals, what food they need and why they live in certain conditions.
The children always wash their hands after handling the animals.
Swimming
Children love the water and when possible we go swimming either in the local pools or in the paddling pool we sometimes have set up in the garden.
When taking children swimming I make sure that the children are within the age and ability needed to keep everyone safe. I make sure that the children are aware of how dangerous water can be and give them direct instructions the entire time we are within the swimming pool environment.
Ultimately I want the children to have a great time whilst in the water, maybe teach them a better swimming technique and make sure they learn important lessons about water safety.
Playgroups, clubs and outings
As part of the activities I will do with your child I will take them on trips, playgroups and outings as well as doing art, craft and cooking. Sometimes during our day I will take the children out and about either on foot, by car or public transport. We also do a lot of out door activities and day trips. Some of these involve lots of planning and arrangements and can be extravagant and sometimes we can be rather spontaneous and tend to go off for the day on an adventure.
As part of being a childminder you are constantly risk assessing everything and this will always be a consideration.
