It's Friday!

[sunnyday]

2 minutes ago, zigzag said:

It’s very disheartening, everything we have worked to change, develop and improve with continuous provision, natural resources and child choice all now gone.  When we go back if it’s June or September, we will have a plastic (😢) toys in boxes and the children will be able to choose a few boxes at a time, then these will be washed and rotated with other toys. With lots of new starters in September I just do not know how this is going to work! It literally makes me feel cold thinking about it.

This is it - I don't want to be part of any nationwide babysitting service and I don't want to subject 'my' children to such a restricted pre-school experience  I don't have answers and I feel that I am being terribly negative (or am I being realistic?)

As ever, I wish that our sector could band together and stand up for what we believe is right......never going to happen is it 

[sunnyday]

Too many questions and not enough answers

Why so many restrictions if this is deemed to be 'safe'

[louby loo]

14 minutes ago, Mouseketeer said:

 .....but I still don’t know if that means we can have sand 🤣 

Personally, I would think the risk is low on an outside sandpit.  Unless the child has sensory issues (and you would which children these are) sand is just about the one thing that they don't voluntarily put in the their mouths.  So as long as they can- and do actually wash hands straight after playing.

 

[sunnyday]

Stop!

Michael Gove has just told us it will all be fine - it's just about managing risk (Andrew Marr)

Well that's okay then!

[sunnyday]

Time for me to get out into my garden and stop turning this all over and over in my mind I'm getting on my own nerves now, never mind anyone elses 

[louby loo]

I'm sitting trying to write my letter saying we will not be opening 1st June regardless.  

My brain can't seem to word it- I think its worn out     I want to explain we may offer 1.5  hours sessions if things are going in the right direction. We have no outside area - well we have a very small 'take your skin off area' which with current guidelines 4/5 children could use at any one time.

Sunnyday- did you send a letter to each family ?  

[louby loo]

6 minutes ago, sunnyday said:

Time for me to get out into my garden and stop turning this all over and over in my mind I'm getting on my own nerves now, never mind anyone elses 

No.... I worry when you don't post!

[Mouseketeer]

18 minutes ago, louby loo said:

 

I'm sitting trying to write my letter saying we will not be opening 1st June regardless

 

I’m just going to prep as if we will for the few and work on we’ll know what the position is in 2 weeks, if the cases and ‘R’ rate are going down or up, if going up still I can’t see it’s going to happen anyway, I’ll add a ‘this is subject to a last minute decision on 28th May’.

[Cait]

17 hours ago, zigzag said:

😡😡Have these people even ever been in a room with children?  They seem to think they sit at desks all day so they will be safe! 
I went to work yesterday to deep clean and prep the room. I came away feeling completely demoralised. All soft furnishings, rugs removed, wooden toys gone. Now the guidance that we cannot have water play, sand play etc.  Gosh these poor children😢

I've sent that poem to my MP. I hope you all have as well as per someone's suggestion!  

[Panders]

2 hours ago, sunnyday said:

With sand - if a child is 'shedding virus' surely it will stay in the sand???

It seems to me that we would only be able to offer 'easy to clean' (plastic) items 

 

 

Apparently in some areas of Spain the local councils are removing the top layer of sand on the beaches to clean them!  Part of me is hoping this is a myth.

[Mouseketeer]

28 minutes ago, Panders said:

Apparently in some areas of Spain the local councils are removing the top layer of sand on the beaches to clean them!  Part of me is hoping this is a myth.

Do you think they’ll do that every night 🤣 

googling coronavirus and sand brings up some interesting reads, if this one is believed we will al have to donate our sand,  though not sure why they can’t just pop to the beach for a bit more 🧐 

Edited May 17, 2020 by Mouseketeer

[blondie]

On 15/05/2020 at 17:20, louby loo said:

If anyone here wants a basic pleated one I'm happy to make them one.  The other 'Olson' type are easy to make but sometimes you need to adjust for  a more personal fit- but I can make them if preferred. 

might be taking you up on this as I can't even sew a button on and make it stay on - think my youngest son was only one who had his swimming badges stuck with that hemming stuff you iron on when he was little - put them on his swimming bag as gave up trying to sew them  on his trunks, towel etc., 

[Mouseketeer]

16 minutes ago, blondie said:

might be taking you up on this as I can't even sew a button on and make it stay on - think my youngest son was only one who had his swimming badges stuck with that hemming stuff you iron on when he was little - put them on his swimming bag as gave up trying to sew them  on his trunks, towel etc., 

There are some useful diy face shields on Pinterest ...you just need a laminated sheet a bit of double sided masking tape and a ribbon, maybe you could give that a go Blondie 👍

[louby loo]

1 hour ago, Mouseketeer said:

There are some useful diy face shields on Pinterest ...you just need a laminated sheet a bit of double sided masking tape and a ribbon, maybe you could give that a go Blondie 👍

Or a plastic paper pocket using glasses arms threaded through the holes.  Actually I'm pretty sure with this method the children would think you were just being silly rather than using PPE 

[Mouseketeer]

3 minutes ago, louby loo said:

Or a plastic paper pocket using glasses arms threaded through the holes.  Actually I'm pretty sure with this method the children would think you were just being silly rather than using PPE 

Haha will give it a go...I was just going to tell them I’m on the TV if it ever comes to wearing one 😝 

[Cait]

   This is the one I'm using - you don't even need a sewing machine, but you will need to do a little hand stitching and ironing.  They look really neat and there's a pocket for a filter to go in.   Coffee filter, kitchen roll or j cloth are suggested as being fine for that extra layer. 

Edit to add that this is just a face mask though.   This with some good goggles maybe? 

Edited May 17, 2020 by Cait

[Froglet]

Peppermint chocolate slice recipe. I have a feeling there is something missing from the instructions which I work out when I make it. My mum typed the recipe out from a book she had. If you read it and ask me about where it doesn’t make sense that should fix it. I just can’t see it at the moment!

[sunnyday]

5 hours ago, Panders said:

Apparently in some areas of Spain the local councils are removing the top layer of sand on the beaches to clean them!  Part of me is hoping this is a myth.

I told Mr S about this - he said "it's not 1st April is it" 

[sunnyday]

According to my eldest son - the reception class mums have a WhatsApp group - so far only two children will be back out of their class of 31 - this could all change of course

[Panders]

I do feel it will be parent led in the end.    Schools may have to open, but children don't have to attend.    There may be a few parents who will trail blaze and send their little ones back, and then there maybe a dribble of people copying,  not a great analogy, but a little like the panic buying scenario - a few at first, then others watch and copy until most think well we must do something, it seems ok to do it.

[sunnyday]

Yes, I think you are probably right

I do know that the school don't want them back at all - this from the HT

[sunnyday]

I'm still thinking that this won't happen at all - we will see

[louby loo]

5 hours ago, Panders said:

Apparently in some areas of Spain the local councils are removing the top layer of sand on the beaches to clean them!  Part of me is hoping this is a myth.

I have just seen[on BBC news] tractors on a Spanish beach removing the top layer ... I guess they may just push it into the sea to get washed through?

 

[sunnyday]

6 minutes ago, louby loo said:

I have just seen[on BBC news] tractors on a Spanish beach removing the top layer ... I guess they may just push it into the sea to get washed through?

 

Oh wow! 

[sunnyday]

22 hours ago, sunnyday said:

According to my eldest son - the reception class mums have a WhatsApp group - so far only two children will be back out of their class of 31 - this could all change of course

Have spoken to HT this morning - she says that she is 'stunned' by the amount of Reception children with parents who have answered 'yes' to returning - they obviously 'speak with forked-tongue' on their WhatsApp group

[sunnyday]

I really need to up my time management skills - it is almost 3pm and I have not achieved very much at all today - as above I had a long conversation with our primary school HT

I have emailed my staff team - have updated re replies from parents, have asked what online training they have achieved (not holding my breath here), sounded them out about some sort of return just for 'leavers' early July (?) quite honestly I don't want them sitting back thinking 'right that's it we are off until September now' that is not the case at all, if I can find some suitable, safe way to return before end of summer I fully intend to do so.....

Have printed off some 'stuff' that I need....

Other than a few bits of routine housework that is about the sum total of my efforts for the day

I need to sort some links for online training - that might spur them on a bit

I need to contact current parents again - share some ideas with them

I need to contact the prospective new children for September parents

[zigzag]

All I have done is collected our click and collect order and sorted and delivered relevant shopping and worked out bills to my parents and my neighbour. This seems to take quite a chunk of my morning. I have made a bread pudding (with bread that was substituted on my order), pasta salad, coleslaw, marinaded and cooked chicken breasts and gammon ham. Just looked at the time in horror to see that it’s 3:30! Joining a webinar run by LA at 4 aimed at early years returning.  Will let you know if anything helpful occurs. 😀. Quite honestly I don’t know where the day goes, how did I ever have time to go to work!🤣

[louby loo]

Well we had our outdoor meeting- it was a bit like pulling teeth getting staff input..... all accept my 73 yr old staff member who is raring to go 

All staff said they would be prepared to start 1 June (but did't really think it was a good idea) - which surprised me to be honest. No one wanted to add anything to plans or ask any questions though!

Anyway, all 'by the by'  as our Landlords to do not want us using the hall for hygiene reasons (More the lack of- the place is awaiting a full kitchen and toilet refit)  We have agreed the we will revisit the situation mid June, with the possible aim to open for the last 3/4 weeks of term.

I've told staff they need to either email, or phone their key children weekly. No-one wanted to phone .... but to be honest it is difficult when the parents put the child on the phone.  Emails were agreed.

I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders, the landlord is more than happy to write an official letter to LA too.   Added to that- a garden visit from my daughter and granddaughter 

 

[zigzag]

Gosh you are lucky to have a plan in place. I am still waiting for further info before I approach the committee. With only 3 children it seems daft (not working Mums) and two of them are siblings.  Hoping I may get some answers in this webinar in a minute!

[sunnyday]

58 minutes ago, louby loo said:

Well we had our outdoor meeting- it was a bit like pulling teeth getting staff input..... all accept my 73 yr old staff member who is raring to go 

All staff said they would be prepared to start 1 June (but did't really think it was a good idea) - which surprised me to be honest. No one wanted to add anything to plans or ask any questions though!

Anyway, all 'by the by'  as our Landlords to do not want us using the hall for hygiene reasons (More the lack of- the place is awaiting a full kitchen and toilet refit)  We have agreed the we will revisit the situation mid June, with the possible aim to open for the last 3/4 weeks of term.

I've told staff they need to either email, or phone their key children weekly. No-one wanted to phone .... but to be honest it is difficult when the parents put the child on the phone.  Emails were agreed.

I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders, the landlord is more than happy to write an official letter to LA too.   Added to that- a garden visit from my daughter and granddaughter 

 

73 - wow good on her!

louby - I am relieved that your landlords have made the decision there

Contact with parents has all been down to me - but honestly, I don't mind and at least that way I can ensure consistent contact and accurate info sharing

Shhhh - I might have had a garden visit with eldest son and youngest grandson - the really good news is he hasn't forgotten who I am  - he is 2.5 and obviously very much on the move so I had to 'dodge' him a few times - but wonderful, wonderful, wonderful he has brightened my day no end!