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Dancing frogs

website@engagetoday.org.uk (Andy Hurley) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

You will need:

1 paper plate
1 sheet of green card
1 sheet of red card or paper
Green tissue paper
Googly eyes (or something similar to use for eyes)
Glue and/or Sellotape
Piece of elastic or string

How to make dancing frogs:

Take the paper plate and fold it in half to make your frog’s mouth.
Cover the outside of the plate in green tissue paper to make it green and frog- like. You can overlap the green tissue inside of the plate as well to cover the inner rim of the plate
Cut a circle of red card/paper about the size of the inner rim of the plate. Stick this circle inside the plate to hide the edges of the green tissue paper and make your frog’s mouth.
Using the green card cut out 2 long strips to make legs, 2 pieces for the feet and 2 pieces for the eyes.
Fold up the strips of card that you are using for the legs to make a concertina. This will make your frog’s legs extra bouncy for dancing.
Attach one foot to the end of each leg and then attach the two legs to the body of your frog (the decorated plate).
Attach the green eye shapes to the top of the frog’s body (the decorated plate) and then place your googly eyes in the centre of each eye.
Finally, add some elastic to your frog at the back of his/her head to hang it up from.
Watch your frog dance for you.

Butterfly handprints

website@engagetoday.org.uk (Andy Hurley) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

I love these butterfly handprints! Not only are they easy to make, they look really effective and provide a chance to get the children's hands full of paint!

You will need:

Sheets of paper
A selection of coloured paints
Paper plates to put the paint on
Large paint brushes
Black marker pen
Scissors
Baby wipes or a bowl of soapy water for those messy hands!

How to make butterfly handprints:

Using a marker pen, draw in the middle of the body and head of the butterfly.
Paint the child’s hand with whichever colour they choose, and press their hands down onto the paper to make the butterfly wings.
Clean the child’s hands with soapy water or baby wipes.
Once dried, cut around the edge of the butterfly. Why not use them as a greeting card for someone?

Health and Safety in Toddler Groups

website@engagetoday.org.uk (Andy Hurley) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:40:09 +0000

If you are running a toddler group, you will want to do so in a safe way – in fact, ensuring good health and safety practices for your group is essential. It can seem a little bit daunting at first, but it is not difficult, though it does require a bit of thought and planning. To help you do that, we’ve highlighted the following five areas for you to look at.

Getting set up

Your church should have a child protection policy which will cover your toddler group, so make sure that you have a copy of that. It is very important that everyone has a current Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) clearance as this is a legal requirement for everyone who works with children and families, whether paid or voluntarily. Make sure, too, that you are kept updated on any future changes in child protection guidelines.

As parents or carers stay with their children in toddler group, you do not need to have a certain number of adults on your team, just a number that makes the workload acceptable for everyone. But you do need to make sure that your venue is not over-crowded. Current guidelines (The Statutory Framework for Early Years Foundation Stage May 2008, p35) which suggest that you allow 1m2 for each adult and 3.5m2 for each 0-2 year old. This allows for sufficient space for movement and for everyone to exit safely in case of an emergency.

When you arrive to set up for your group, check that the floor is clean and completely free of anything left by other groups. Old food, rubbish, drawing pins etc. are all potential hazards and it may be necessary to sweep or vacuum before getting toys out. Make sure that any electric sockets have child covers on them. Sitting on the floor and taking a look at your surroundings from a toddler’s point of view is a good way to help you see what hazards need to be covered up or removed.

Toys

It is important to make sure that all your toys (bought or donated) are in good condition with no dangerous cracks or sharp edges and that they are cleaned regularly. They should be appropriate for young children coming with no small swallow-able parts. Watch out for small bits in your craft activities! If you use only toys that have these quality assurance marks, you can be confident that they are not dangerous.

The Lion Mark identifies toys that are safe for children to use.

The CE Mark indicates that the product meets all the relevant consumer safety, environmental or health requirements of the European Directive.

The British Standards Kitemark is a sign of reliability and safety.

This sign is an age warning showing that the toy is unsuitable for children that are younger than three years old.

When setting out your toys, ensure that there is enough space for the toddlers to run around and use ride-on toys away from the babies. Once your toys are out, close cupboard doors – be aware that some may need to be locked (e.g. the cleaning cupboard). Child gates also need to be available to stop children entering kitchens, climbing stairs, or leaving the building, especially if you have doors open in hot weather.

Food and Drink

Children should be seated when eating and drinking during snack time. Check with each child’s parent for any food allergies and be sensitive to these, making sure that you provide suitable alternatives. Wheat and dairy allergies are fairly common in children, so ask their parents what snacks their children can have. Do not bring anything with nuts into the group as nut allergy can be very serious.

Use toddler cups that are easy to clean and ensure that they are thoroughly washed after each use. The kitchen should be a child-free zone, especially if you are making hot drinks. As a team you should consider how to balance the children’s safety with the wish for parents to have a hot drink. Perhaps you could serve the adults their drinks during the children’s snack time, or ask the parents to put drinks down whilst walking around the room.

Changing

Provide changing facilities with wet wipes and anti-bacterial cleaner and cloths. There must be a hand basin and hand-wash for the adult. Providing nappy bags is a help, but nappies must be disposed of in outside bins or in specialist disposal bins.

Worst-case scenario

Be prepared for the worst to happen. It is very important that your fire exits are well-signed and that access is clear at all times (no buggies in front of these doors!) A sign-in list means that you know who is in the building in case you need to evacuate. A first-aid kit should be easily accessible and contain small and large size items for both children and adults. It is a very good idea for one of your team to be trained in first aid on a course that covers infants. Such courses are available from St John Ambulance or Red Cross.

Health and safety issues are important and we hope the list above will be a help. For further information go to www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DCSF-00261-2008.

Alison Dayer
Scripture Union, Under 5s consultant
alisond@scriptureunion.org.uk

Dadz Hoppers

website@engagetoday.org.uk (Andy Hurley) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:29:07 +0000

“Why should the mums have all the fun?”

“Because I’m at work all week, I felt I was missing out on seeing my children socialize with others their own age.”

“I love the bacon rolls!”

These are some of the comments from dads who come to Dadz Hoppers, a toddler group especially for fathers and their children. It is run by The Hub Community Project which is linked to Hope Community Church in Wymondham, Norfolk. Andy Latham tells us about this popular group.

It all began when my wife, Sue, attended the first Playtime conference and heard a speaker talking about groups that were accessible for dads to attend with their children. She was really challenged by the idea, and it wasn’t too long before she got a small team together – including myself – to see if we could get something going.

Unlike the Parent/Toddler Group that runs during the week, Dadz Hoppers is open to children of all ages. This means that all fathers – including those who may only have their children at the weekend – can come to an inexpensive, fun place.

The speaker at the Playtime conference suggested that the way to reach men was through food. How right he was! The bacon rolls and coffee that we offer the dads is hugely popular. There are similarities to the midweek toddler groups with toys and crafts available, but the group is run by male volunteers (who even make the tea and coffee) – no ladies allowed. We found that it took a while for the group to establish itself, but our town centre location was of benefit, because mums could go shopping and drop dad off to play.

We had to change venue for about a year and the numbers dropped off, so location is important. However we kept going for the few regulars and since relocating back to the town centre, numbers have escalated again. Some months up to 25 dads come along, many with more than one child.
The group meets on the first Saturday morning of each month and we charge £1.50 to cover the cost of bacon rolls and the children’s toast and drinks. We have an agreement with the cafe next door which provides the bacon rolls for us (it’s a great way to build up our relationships with the community!).

Dadz Hoppers is open to all dads, regardless of religion, race or marital status. We make sure that there’s information available to the men about Church activities and we have a regular calendar of events as part of our Men’s Ministry, which they are invited to attend.

Apart from that vital tip about food (!), our main piece of advice is to make sure that the group is strongly linked to the midweek toddler group, as you can give each other valuable insights, behind the scenes support and opportunities to contact the families you serve.

If you are considering starting a men’s group ... go for it! The men love having that special time to spend with their children and relax with other dads. We’ve been amazed to hear them chatting away about their child’s achievements and milestones as this is something that men can often feel awkward about at work. Dadz Hoppers is now an important part of our service to the families in our community and it’s a great privilege to be involved.

Paper plate snowman

website@engagetoday.org.uk (Andy Hurley) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:46:29 +0000

This fun, yet easy-to-make snowman, is also made out of paper plates.

You will need:

2 paper plates (1 large and 1 small)
Twigs or folded strips of paper for the arms
Cut-out paper hat in black
Sticky dots for the eyes, mouth and buttons
Blue paint or pieces of coloured felt for the scarf
Orange pen for the nose
Glue or sellotape

How to make a paper plate snowman:

Staple two plates together to make a snowman shape and stick on the cut-out hat, scarf and arms. Then either stick or paint on dots for the eyes, mouth and buttons. To finish your snowman, paint or colour a bright orange nose.

Christmas wreath

website@engagetoday.org.uk (Andy Hurley) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:35:02 +0000

Paper plates are so versatile and cheap to use, and you can get them in different sizes too.

You will need:

Paper plates
Green holly shapes or green tissue paper
Red tissue paper or red pom poms
Green glitter
Red ribbon
Glue

How to make a Christmas wreath:

Cut out the middle of the paper plates and stick the green holly leaves or scrunched up pieces of green tissue paper onto the plate. Then stick on the red pom poms or scrunched up red tissue paper for the berries.

To finish off, sprinkle green glitter all over the wreath, and tie some ribbon to the top so that you can hang it up.

Christmas card collages

website@engagetoday.org.uk (Andy Hurley) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:24:55 +0000

This is a very simple way of using old Christmas cards.

You will need:

Plain sheets of A4 coloured or white paper
A selection of old Christmas cards
A pot of glue
Scissors (safety scissors so the children can use them)
Glitter (optional)

How to make a Christmas card collage:

Cut out some pictures from your old Christmas cards into all sorts of different shapes and sizes and let the children can choose them and glue them onto the paper. If you’re brave enough let them stick some glitter on too! And there you have it – a simple Christmas collage.

Festive fun at toddler group

website@engagetoday.org.uk (Andy Hurley) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 09:41:33 +0000

I love organising our Christmas parties at toddler group. It’s a great way to finish the year with a bang (often literally, in fact, but hopefully not so loud that it frightens the babies!).

Setting the scene:

Send a note to parents/carers the week before the party to ask them to dress the children in a festive outfit. (You’ll be amazed how many ‘Marys’ there will be and everyone will really enjoy the babies looking so sweet wearing their Rudolph ears or Santa outfits.)
A well-decorated Christmas tree will instantly liven up your room. If you don’t have much space, opt for a small artificial tree – even a 12-inch table- top one will make an impact.
Hang lights and tinsel around the room, decorate the tables with Christmas tablecloths, and use Christmas plates and cups.
Get the team in a party mood by asking them to dress up – Santa hats, Reindeer antlers, Wise Men crowns – you-name-it, with Christmas ear-rings or sparkly badges.
Play Christmas music in the background while everyone is coming in.

Activities:

Craft-time – Choose a few different crafts this week if possible. You can see a selection of Christmas crafts on our website.
Story-time - There’s surely only one choice really for Storytime! Reading the story of Baby Jesus is the perfect opportunity to tell the parents, carers and children what Christmas is all about. Could your team do a small drama of the story or a puppet show to make it extra-special? Or why not ask your church leader or a member of your congregation to come as a ‘special guest’ to tell the story. This is a great way of introducing the church to toddler group.
Snack-time - Treat the children and adults by providing some special party food. You could give the children tiny sandwiches, crisps, a little sausage and mini Christmas cakes, while the adults could have salmon and cucumber or cheese and pickle sandwiches, Pringles, sausage rolls and Christmas cake. Make it extra special by giving the adults Schloer or non-alcoholic mulled wine to drink.
Song-time – Invite a guest musician to the party to play a few simple songs on the guitar or piano – perhaps a youth leader or someone from your church music group. Verse one of ‘Away in a Manger’ always works well, of course.
Present-time – Decide when it would be a good time to get everyone to quieten down to listen out for the jingle of bells outside the room (maybe at the end of song-time, for example). You may like to have a Father Christmas come to give out presents, but an alternative is to leave a Santa Sack outside the door. It’s certainly a good way to avoid the difficulty of Santa frightening some of the children.

A present of a book is always a good idea. The Book People at www.thebookpeople.co.uk have a great selection of books sold in packs relevant for 0 – 5’s for very reasonable prices.

Invitation to church services

Christmas is a fantastic opportunity to invite parents, carers and children to your church events, especially to children’s services such as the Christingle service or children’s nativity service. They are always hugely enjoyed, so invest some time in making and giving out special invitations.

However you decide to do your Christmas party this year, have lots of fun and please write to me to let me know how it went. I’ll share your stories so that we can give each other new ideas for next year.

Mum! I'm bored!

website@engagetoday.org.uk (Andy Hurley) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 09:12:04 +0000

Don't be scared – it’s only craft!

One of the mums in our toddler group piped up one morning, ‘Sandie, why don't you write all your ideas down in a book? I'd buy it.’ This was a challenge I couldn’t resist, so I set myself the task of gathering together the different things I’d done during 18 years or so of teaching art. Mum! I'm Bored! was the result. As a mother I'd heard this phrase so many times and it just stuck as the title of the book.

Over the last 4 years Mum! I'm Bored! has proved to be a really valuable resource for toddler groups, playgroups, primary school teachers and Sunday school teachers, parents, carers, childminders, grandparents and aunts and uncles. It has over 40 seasonal art activities with easy-to-use layout, colour photos, clear instructions and resource lists mean that anyone can use it – you don’t have to be an art expert.

Many playgroups can be a bit scared of doing art with the children; I frequently hear comments such as 'Help, its paint!' or 'What if it gets out of control?' or 'I don’t do craft, I can't think of the ideas.' However the benefits to children far outweigh the mess and stress. Art and craft promotes creativity, exploration and experience of using materials, and learning about colour, shape and texture. It also develops children’s confidence, social skills and self-expression.

When parents and children are working together it encourages them to communicate effectively with each other, and builds the relationship. I've seen many parents really grow in confidence whilst interacting with their child, and many children thrive at doing something creative with their parent.

My advice to playgroup leaders? Don’t be scared of art and craft – embrace it.

To order Mum! I'm Bored! please email: shop@cff.org.uk or ring (029) 2081 0800.

Tropical fish – paper plate style

website@engagetoday.org.uk (Andy Hurley) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 13:50:05 +0000

You will need:

Paper plates
Scissors
Glue or stapler
Crayons or paints
Googly eyes

How to make a tropical fish:

Cut a wedge out of a paper plate. The wedge will be the fish's tail; the hole will be the fish's mouth.
Glue (or staple) the tail to the end of the fish.
Glue a googly eye on the fish.
Colour in the fish, drawing on scales, lips, and so on.