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The life lessons of being a childminder

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Countdown to Easter open day!

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making progress..

I have begun to put in place the foundation stones for beginning to mind again,  insurance, certificates, rejoining Childminding Ireland, garda vetting applications, etc.

I have been approved for the childminding development grant which will provide some much needed new toys. I have chosen to go as much as possible with natural materials which are nice for the children.

I have some questions as I return to minding so I will be attending the annual AGM and conference for childminders this weekend so I will hopefully come back better informed from that.

Work begins on the grounds

Today we began to work on preparing our garden for a new year and to make it a safe and enjoyable place to play. We  have a large old building which will make a very useful workshop/tool shed so today we set about clearing that out.

This is a priority as it is important to have some where to store tools and equipment as we work. We also began to stack wood which can be used for the stove in one spot for chopping and stacked chopped logs in the porch neatly for use – even the children took part. We raked the stones and picked up rubbish.

It felt great to get a positive start on the task ahead no matter how small a start. It was also wonderful to have the whole family working together on it.

We moved obstacles and raked away from the side gate in order to provide a circular route for pick ups and drop off’s. It will also enable us to have a path to the far field across the lane where work can begin on a vegetable garden and tree planting.

Springtime renewal

As I write this the spring sunlight is leaving streaks of pale light on the frost coated grass as birds hop about looking for food. I am planning a little open morning for parents on bank holiday Easter Monday and I am beginning the preparations for this.

Last night as I fell asleep I asked the question what would be a meaningful story and theme for the children? When I woke I was filled with images of butterflies and thought of the story of the caterpillar who wanted to be a flower.

We will have craft activities, a story and ring time, it will be loads of fun!

The rhythm of a home

At An Feirm beag we have a large garden, some apple trees, an elder tree, gardening beds, and hope soon to have chickens, and possibly rabbits.

We also heat with wood stoves, so for daily life to function adequately a great amount of work must be done.

The children play side by side while I work, doing laundry, washing up, ironing and mending, that the children take it all in. The experience of how the basics of life happen strengthens the child’s own development and understanding of the world.

It is interesting to look at the traditional chores for days of the week:

• Monday – Washing
• Tuesday – Ironing
• Wednesday – Mending
• Thursday – Marketing
• Friday – Baking
• Saturday – Cleaning
• Sunday – Day of Rest

I find though that in a modern house, most of these chores need to be done a lot more than once a week! In Steiner practices the days of the week are assigned grains and though I don’t stick strictly to this, it does help for coming up with variety in the grains we eat, menu planning etc, so I use it as a guide.

Our day at An Feirm Beag

The children are welcomed as they arrive and given breakfast if needed then helped to get into suitable outdoor clothes  if they are not in them.

We go out in the garden in the morning. The children play freely on the grass, in the trees, and around the bushes. I will either work on a handwork projects, prepare vegetables or garden and stay in one place so the children know where I am. I try not to interfere too much with their activities.

We are back inside by 11, and we are very hungry by then!. The children can get washed up in the children’s bathroom and prepare to share their meal.

The younger children, aged one to two, for whom eating is highly concentrated work, are cleaned up, changed and then helped to eat at the kitchen table.  Eating together is an important social activity.

I make very simple food from biodynamic products: like barley and soup on Tuesdays, millet on Wednesdays, We have rye bread on Thursdays.

After eating, the small children may take a nap or just lie down until about midday.

At about 12.30/1pm we have lunch.

After this comes free play either indoors or out.  The children play with dolls, dress up, or rest on the couch. Then they play in the garden until its time to make dinner. Some children like to help with dinner or just watch. After we eat together we tidy up and have a story before home time.

Inspiration from afar…

The description that this facility gives of the services they offer sounds very like what I would invision for us.

The Garden of Enchantment is a home-based, Waldorf-inspired pre-school and kindergarten, which also offers Parent-Toddler classes. We also offer crafing workshops which include Walodrf doll making, dry felting, wet felting and many more. We will have regular meetups that are not part of the school just for parents that want to meet other like minded people.