Guest Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 hi guys- help! my NA won't let the children take one toy from an area and use it in another- we have a small room with 14 children- e.g. child wanted to take a train and run it in the cornflour to see the tracks it has made. i think this was a fantastic opportunity and praised/joined in. NA went a bit off the deep end and shouted 'who has got cornflour on the trains????' 'no more trains in here!' they get washed every night and sterilised every week- where is the harm and how do i prevent this/pull her up on it in a calm and understanding way so she won't get offended??? i'm new to the room and her superior but it is not hierarchical - help!!! thanks! Tammi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 Well, if you are her superior - how about deliberately planning an activity running the trains through paint or something, and the cars, and dolls feet and stuff, and then giving children a wet wipe to wipe them over - do it towards the end of the week, and you can say 'well you are going to wash them tonight anyway' or something. You could take to opportunity to point out to her the marvellous learning that has gone on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alison Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 has that member of staff always been like that or is she stressed? shouting at the children is unacceptable and it needs addressing promptly but sencitively i'd try a informally chatting to her about the way she speaks to the children and ask her why it is so important for the toys not to get mixed up? if the informal doesnt work than take a more official approach maybe suggest some training behaviour management can be very effective in teaching staff better ways to address children and also in managing their own feelings when children arent doing what they should. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 Hi Tammi Show her this website. Perhaps that will help. There was also an item on the BBC morning news either last week or the week before. You could perhaps search the archives to find it. Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rea Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 You'd be surprised at how many people dont allow equipment to be moved so you're not battling with this alone. I'd do as Cait suggests, plan an activity which includes trains, cars, duplo, and anything else you can think of in the paint. Do a mini topic on patterns, write up the activity, the goals linked to the EYFS and leave a space for the evaluation. You could make your own wrapping paper for christmas or decorate the home corner. Then save all the messy toys for use in the cornflour the next day or the water tray. Get the children washing everything afterwards. You could always keep a box of equipment especially to use in these ways an leave her to polish the rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 I have found the same attitudes where I work, but from my superiors - which is even more difficult. How about finding out if your LA does any training on creative development and seeing if you can get your NA to attend, or failing that introduce a focus on creative development at a planning meeting and get her to come up with some ideas for encouraging the children to think independently and how adults can support children to make new connections etc - so that she has to think about this herself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 She'd have had kittens in our Preschool today! Children using duplo bricks (both ways up) and bobbins and anything they could find (we drew the line at pieces of jigsaw) to dip in pva and print onto a cut out stocking to sprinkle glitter on! Fabulous - you wouldn't believe the mess they made (er, well you probably will) - we'll be vacuuming glitter out of the carpet till June I expect! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 after hearing two of my staff tell children for the umpteenth time not to take sand into the home corner one day.. i went into work the next day extra early and moved the whole home corner next to the sand pit knowing that it wouldn't work there...they moaned and grumbled and complained for 2 days and i told them they could either....leave it where it was so the children could play with the sand in the home corner ...or move it back and let the children take the sand to the cooker it was moved and the children quite happily took the sand to the home corner for a few days then forgot all about it when they discovered the next interesting thing to do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 some people are just very anal, we had a christmas art morning with the parents this morning and this mum turned up wearing a long cream coat, you should have seen her face when I mentioned that we were doing handpainted angels and christmas wreaths. I work on my own and my classroom is made up of two small rooms with very little storage. I spent all afternoon cleaning up the mess. I seem to spend so much time cleaning up so she probably would die in my classroom. Could I borrow her just up until christmas as I want to have a good sort out, chuck out and clean ha ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 I agree with others suggestions to use 'role modelling' techniques to show the benefits. I would also suggest that it's a good idea to get a culture of 'challenging' (for want of a less aggresive word) incidents of inappropriatte practice AT THE TIME, in a construtive manner. This removes the need for 'chats' at a later time. To 'address' unwanted practice at the time is a 'management skill' which takes practice, but with sensitivity but also assertiveness in a constructive manner will become the 'norm' if done consistently and staff will eventually take it as a 'learning curve' rather than a 'telling off'. This is a 'cultural' change that won't happen over night, but if consistent will evoke a sense of a staff team who can improve practice through 'peer' support, advice, suggestion and role modelling. Good luck. Peggy Ger, your response made me laugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 HANDS UP-I'm anal retentive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SazzJ Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Karen Routledge (training provider) are busy putting together a messy play qualifaction I can't wait to get on and to be honest the courses aren't that expensive. My work only paid £20 for us to do a level 2 in face painting, i love my job I used to work with people who wouldn't even let me get paint out or make chocolate playdough, boring fa*ts. I'll come and show her how it should be done lol, i used to ignore the remarks the other staff made and let the children enjoy themselves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 (edited) all of this made me laugh- myself and a colleague are great believers in messy play as long as the children are learning and enjoying themselves- unfortunately we also work with some people who are 'cleaning daft'... we decided to use tyres and roll them in paint on the tuff spot then roll them down a length of paper outside-the children had a fantastic time and then decided to stand in the paint and made shoe prints then one person decided to walk down the paper on hands and feet and more followed- they were wearing protective trousers and jackets-the 'cleaning fanatics' then appeared(having been tidying up indoors) and we were told in no uncertain terms that the paint on the hands would take alot of washing off and were not happy at all that we had allowed such a messy activity to take place !!! We even dared to get the paint on the playground -Shock horror!!! At home time parents were not bothered about their hands (and splashed faces) and most felt it was fine as long as the children had enjoyed themselves. Since then my colleague and I feel like naughty rebels when we plan anything like this ... but we still do! I can recommend using the tyres and paint in the tuff spot to anyone who doesnt mind a mess. Edited December 8, 2008 by heidiho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Sorry but i think its different in a home setting if i found sand in my "home corner" think id go nuts lol i dont have tiled floors etc it a new carpet and paint, glue, glitter and sand etc is banned from the lounge, so i try and have such activities out in the garden or kitchen, glue does not come out of carpet i know!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyMaz Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Karen Routledge (training provider) are busy putting together a messy play qualifaction Ooh can I come and play too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 One of our children's Mums always sounds disappointed if her daughter goes home clean 'oh, what have you been doing today then?' She says she knows her daughter's had a good time if she's a bit dishevelled at the end of the day1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 part of my first day speech to new staff and students is 'if you go home as clean as you came in you haven't been working with the children' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 14, 2008 Share Posted December 14, 2008 THANKS guys!!!!!! will plan a messy play......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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