If your child loves video games, apps and interactive activities but you’d like the focus to be more educational, we’ve put together a list of 3 fantastic apps, games and online resources to give every child the learning bug! The best part? They’re all free!
Here at nannyjob.co.uk, we’ll never stop talking about how important books and stories are for children. That’s why we’ve put together a list of 5 books, perfect for young readers.
Remember that books aren’t just for children who can already read, it’s just as important that you read to your children, no matter how old they are!
Does your toddler still enjoy an afternoon nap? Afternoon naps are wonderful, giving you and your toddler some well-needed rest from all of that energy they’ve been using throughout the day. Unfortunately, those naps won’t last forever and eventually, your toddler will grow out of their need for an afternoon doze.
However, that doesn’t mean that the quiet time you both enjoy, and need has to be replaced with noisy, energy-filled activities. Quiet-time activities can help to occupy young children whilst building their skills and giving you a little time to relax.
It’s never too early to begin teaching children about nutrition and healthy eating. Parents are typically the ones to begin establishing healthy eating habits for the whole family but whilst parents are at work, it’s nanny who can help to build upon this foundation and encourage children to continue eating healthily.
It’s normal for everyone, children included, to develop the occasional craving for something sweet, junk food and fast food. Think about it, how many times have you taken your child for a happy meal because it’s cheap and easy?
There’s nothing wrong with it, in moderation. But it’s also important to teach children how to moderate their cravings and why they should.
Continue reading “How Nannies Can Help Teach Children About Nutrition”
At some point during your career as a nanny you’ll probably be asked by one of the children in your care for help, whether it’s with homework, a school project or a personal interest or hobby.
We’ve put together a list of online resources that you and your children might find useful and are perfect for helping children and teenagers to learn online either with help or independently.
Continue reading “Online Learning Resources for Older Children and Teenagers”
When you find a great product you want to share it with everyone. The Gonge river stones are one such product.
What are they?
A set of river stones includes 6 raised triangles of different coloured solid plastic, inspired by the shape of stepping stones across a river. You get 3 large stone and 3 small ones in each set. Each stone has a non-slip coating on the bottom and they stack for easy storage. They are part of a range of balancing equipment which includes hilltops, the mountain and the river which can be combined to create more challenging play situations.
Welcome to our #9nifty series. We’re starting with 9 Easter activities for kids of all ages…
1. Eggs inside eggs
How to : Put little foil wrapped chocolate eggs into a ballon and blow it up, cover with the outside of the balloon with glue then wrap string/wool/embroidery thread around it (leaving enough space to take the balloon pieces out but not so much that the eggs can escape) and glue again. Hang them up to dry and when they’re ready pop the balloon and take the pieces out carefully ! Experiment with blowing the balloon up to different sizes or different types of string.
Focus on : Fine motor skills
2. Chocolate easter nests
How to : Melt chocolate, mix with shredded wheat, shape into nests and allow to cool!
Focus on : Numeracy/science – pouring and measuring, melting and solidifying
3. Silhouette bunnies
How to : trace around the bunny, or make a stencil to paint over and make a fluffy cotton tail to stick on!
Focus on : Understanding the world/The World and Traditions in other countries. Talk about the Easter bunny who bring the eggs. Some other countries have the same tradition although in Sweden, Austria and Germany it’s a hare and in France it’s the bells who bring the chocolate ! What’s the tradition in their family ?
4. Easter egg scavenger hunt
How to : Hide your Easter eggs around the house or the garden and write clues. Read the clues together and find where the eggs have been hidden !
Focus on : Problem solving and memory skills
5. Collage Easter egg cards
How to : Fold A4 paper/card into half and then half again. With a craft knife cut out a shape of an egg from one qurter, this will be the front of your card. Make a collage onto thenow exposed quarter (you might want to mark it while it’s folded) and wait for it to dry. Refold and admire the colourful egg !
Focus on : Colour recognition and decision making.
6. Hand and footprint bunny
How to : Make handprints and footprints in pink paint and cut them out, leaving a reasonable margin. Take 2 paper plates and cover them in cotton wool. Join them together to create the head and body of the bunny. Stick on some googly eyes, black pipe cleaner or strips of felt for whiskers , a pink heart for a nose, the hand prints for ears and the foot prints for feet.
Focus on : Talking about textures. This is a sensory rich activity with sloppy, sticky paint and fluffy cotton wool.
7. Easter bonnet
How to : Buy a cheap wide brimmed hat, or improvise ! Decorate the hat by painting it or covering it with fabric, cut egg cartons open and paint them to make flowers, attach ribbons and feathers, let your imagination run wild !
Focus on : Understanding the World/ People and communities.Talk about the tradition of Easter bonnets. In the past people put flowers on a hat to celebrate spring and wore new clothes at Easter. In America there were big Easter bonnet parades. In the past, people used to wear hats to church.
8. Peekaboo chicks
How to : Cut a small egg shape out of card and then cut it in half horizontally (or if you’ve made collage cards just use your pre-cut egg shapes). Attach the two halves one side of a clothes peg, one at the top and one at the bottom. Draw a small chick and cut it out. Attach it to the other side of the clothes peg behind the egg top so when you pinch the peg together to the open it you’ll see the chick!
Focus on : Object permanence for babies and Knowledge of the World (eggs hatching)
9. Bunny whiskers mask
How to : Take some pipe cleaners and attach them to a lollipop stick (or two or three taped together for stability). Add a pompom for a nose and create some adorable bunny whiskers
Focus on : Role play – make bunny faces and hop like bunnies !
In our first blog post on the changes proposed by Liz Truss we focused on the changes to ratios. This second part is about the changes which relate to qualifications. To understand this one must first understand that Professor Cathy Nutbrown undertook a review, culminating last year in the report Foundations for Quality which made a number of recommendations. More Great Childcare is, amongst other things, the Governments response to that.
Early Years Educators
Liz Truss proposes a new standard ‘Early Years Educator’ badge for qualifications. As anyone who has looked into gaining a qualification over the last decade, or looked at employing someone, there is a huge array of qualifications, some of which are simply a rebranded NNEB and some of which are barely worth the paper they’re written on. These were all slimmed down the the Diploma for the Children and Young People’s Workforce, which was criticised by Nutbrown’s review for being, amongst other things, too broad. Clarity here would probably be welcomed by everyone.
Early years teachers
More Great Childcare proposes a new status and training course for Early Years Teachers, a postgraduate qualification that will focus on teaching in the early years and have the same entry requirements (including the skills tests) as school teachers, but crucially stops shorts of giving Early Years Teachers the same Qualified Teacher Status that their primary and secondary colleagues have. Given that there is already Early Years Professional Status, which can be taken by professionals working in registered settings, the proposed change doesn’t seem to go much further and is likely to be a source of discontent.
GCSE Maths and English
Nutbrown recommended that all entrants onto an early years qualification hold a level 2, with the reasoning that learners should be ‘confident and capable in their literacy and numeracy’. The Government has interpreted this as a grade C in Maths and English GCSE.
This has been of particular interest to many on our Facebook page. It used to be a requirement of many colleges before entry, and some people seemed unaware that this policy had changed. Others appreciated the need for English to develop children’s communication skills but questioned the need for maths. Still others placed a higher value on aptitude for working with children.
Nannies in particular, who are not obliged to hold any qualifications, are uniquely affected by this recommendation. Parents can order their own priorities when hiring a nanny, but particularly for those with school aged children GCSEs and further educational qualifications are increasingly important. A quick random poll revealed that parents felt academic qualifications combined with a natural affinity for children actually outweighed the need for formal childcare training. What would Nutbrown or Liz Truss say to that?
So how does this link back to ratios?
Professor Nutbrown herself suggested that the Government explore whether qualified teachers could work with more three and four year olds. The Government re-examined ratios in a larger sense and suggested increased ratios possibly based upon:
– Setting based criteria e.g. 70% of staff qualified to level 3; 100% of staff qualified to level 3; 100% of staff to have a C in Maths and English; at least one graduate plus 70% of staff qualified to level 3
– Practitioner based criteria e.g. only staff with a C in English and Maths to operate the higher ratio
There is some sense in the second requirement, although we don’t recall our GCSE (or O-level) certificates giving us extra eyes or arms, in that the paperwork is going to increase by 50% and strong literacy and numeracy skills will be essential to cope with that in a timely manner.
What does this mean for people already working in early years?
If you already have a qualification rest assured, that will be assessed against the criteria in place when they were awarded. If you are working, or wish to work, in a nursery and you don’t meet the literacy and numeracy requirements you may find your prospects limited. If you don’t have a qualification you may find that you need to brush up on your maths or English first.
You’ll have noticed that THE present for children this year was…. a tablet.
From LeapFrog’s LeapPad and VTech’s Innotab to Asus’ Nexus 7 and Apple’s iPad mini, tablets are everywhere, loaded with educational apps and games to keep children amused. So what are the pros and cons of tablets for tots?
+1 They’re ultra portable
Books, DVDs, CDs, card games, pens and paper. Leave them all at home, there’s an app that will so it for you. You can also access media content legally for much less than the book or DVD would cost and easily pop on something for you too.
+1 They’re intuitive
Even children as young as 1 can get their heads around touch screen technology. Unlike traditional PC based educational games tablet apps are easy to get to grips with.
+ They promote hand eye coordination and fine motor skills, literacy and mathematical ability
Children have to learn to control their hands and fingers to use a tablet, and some games encourage matching, sorting and counting skills, shape, number and letter recognition, and phonics, as well as making a variety of e-books easily accessible.
+ They grow and evolve with the child
Leapfrog and Vtech etc aside adults can get as much use out of tablets as children and teens. The sheer number of apps is staggering and a new tablet now should, barring breakages, provide entertainment for years that can vary according the child’s tastes.
-1 They stifle the imagination
There are some good, creative drawing and music apps out there but it’s no substitute for the opportunities real art materials or musical instruments give you. There’s also no scope to put a lion on Old MacDonald’s farm or adapt what the wheels on the bus do if you’re just listening to a recorded version.
-1 They’re fragile
Most tablets aren’t hugely robust, even when they come encased in rubber, and older children will probably want a 7-inch adult tablet anyway. Young children can’t appreciate that their new toy is a complex electronic device to be treated with care and even with the best will in the world a older child may accidentally drop it.
-1 They’re sedentary activities
You don’t move much when you’re using a tablet and it’s certainly no substitute for running around outside. Repetitive use of one hand could also lead to RSI, especially as the way children use touch screen technology when they’re young will set them up for how they use it in later life and it’s not going away.
-1 Children can access the Internet unsupervised or run up a bill buying apps
Most tablets aimed at the children’s market incorporate parental control but if you accidentally leave that off and your iTunes or Android marketplace account logged it’s scarily easy and fast for a child to run up a bill. Most free apps include a quick link to the full version and an imprudent tap or two could be pricy.
-1 They’re addictive
You know those adults who always have some kind of electronic device in their hand? Chances are they’re addicted. The brain quickly becomes dependent on the instant gratification a smartphone can provide and this can also less to problems with concentration later on. Children are especially vulnerable because their brains are still very plastic, which means new habits can form easily.
Our verdict:
Handle with care, both literally and figuratively! While they might keep children occupied for hours, you should also make time for activities away from the tablet, even if you’re essentially doing the same thing. If you’re a childcarer make sure to communicate with the parents about appropriate usage and stick to their rules. Consider limiting use to specific locations or certain times of day to ensure that it isn’t overused and always double check the content and parental controls on a standard tablet. Finally, remember an interactive tablet is no substitute for an interactive adult!
Last year we posted what you needed for 2012 and we thought we’d revisit the topic again for 2013.
Instead of focusing on skills which will enhance your CV this time we’re going to take a look at some other qualities and areas of knowledge. In a competitive market it’s vital to be able to walk the walk as well as talk the talk so here are some things to think about.
1. Organisation
This goes for both jobseekers and nannies in work. Make sure you start with organising yourself – are all your qualifications and certificates up to date? Don’t wait until the month before your First Aid certificate expires to book a course! Get into the habit of keeping a diary where you can note important dates in advance as well as keeping on top of your day to day schedule. Employers are increasingly reliant on nannies to keep things ticking over so make sure you’re on top of important events for your charges and be proactive in getting things ready the night before for the following day or adding household essentials to the shopping list.
2. Thrift
Speaking of shopping lists we can’t ignore the fact that most of us are still in belt-tightening mode. A thrifty nanny makes use of free activities both at home and out and about. Walk instead of using the car, keep on top of whats in the fridge so you don’t waste food (try BBC Food for a nifty ingredients tool) and embrace the joys of junk modelling and other free crafts. Engage the children as well by setting a no-spend day each week. This will help them to appreciate activities which cost money even more. For those with older charges get them involved in budgeting, especially for holiday activities.
3. Nutrition
There’s been a big focus in recent years around child nutrition and establishing good habits for children early on. A basic knowledge of nutrition is a must for all nannies, as are basic cooking skills (although you’d be amazed how much can be eaten raw and how good it is for you). Gone are the days of Nanny’s Nursery Puds – the modern nanny is an expert on toddler friendly salad and ways to prefer with oily fish. If you don’t know your vitamins from your minerals in the kitchen consider going on a Nutrition for Nannies course.
4. The gift of the gab
Another focus area in the Early Years is on communication. Children need to have the opportunity to hear a wide range of words and phrases in context and the opportunity to interact with adults to try out their own developing skills. Providing a wide variety of activities is one way to do this but you must make sure you’re talking and describing reerything that you’re doing or seeing, remembering to leave time for the children to get a word in edgeways too! If you have a pre-verbal charge talking is still important because children are building up their understanding grammar and vocabulary right from the start, well before they have enough control over their throat and mouth to form words. You could even incorporate a few basic baby signs to encourage then to ‘talk back’ to you. Always remember to talk and sign, though, because baby sign is an aid to communication, not a complete method (unlike BSL or ASL).
5. Political awareness
It probably hasn’t escaped your notice that childcare has been hitting the headlines over the last few months. There are big changes coming for the sector and they may affect nannies. It’s well worth your while keeping up with these developments and assessing what impact they will have on you.
We would like to wish you a happy and successful 2013! Be sure to check back here regularly for updates and comment to let us know your thoughts.
