I'll start with my favourite play schema - transporting. In a busy nursery setting this was the one I dreaded. Transporters like to gather up objects and take them elsewhere, so when a piece of jigsaw is suddenly missing, or another child's shoe (just one!), the transporter may need to be questioned, not that they'll remember because they will have been busy transporting things all morning, quietly creating mayhem. Sometimes they have impressive abilities to hold several unrelated objects in their hands. Their pockets bulge with their stash of bits and bobs. Often the object is of little importance although later on it can have symbolic meaning e.g. a wooden brick may be a loaf of bread (preferably in a...
Over the years I've come to the conclusion that teachers teach very little. Children have an innate ability and desire to learn and good educators develop the children's skills by providing the right opportunities at the right time.
Coping with a third pregnancy: We're expecting our third baby this autumn. This is my third pregnancy and we have a daughter who'll be 4 this autumn and a son who'll be two. We feel blessed to be having another baby but it must be said that pregnancy third time round is not quite the walk in the park I'd been hoping for! Energy levels As a person with a lot of energy usually I don't find pregnancy too tiring, once he first few weeks are done. But this time I am exhausted. Absolutely exhausted. I'm trying to turn off the guilt and let the kids indulge in a bit (sometimes a lot) more tv! Peoples perceptions: Most...
This will be a familiar scenario for some of you. Your baby has got the hang of feeding and sometimes sleeps for longer stretches, when teething strikes and it all goes pear-shaped. Here's a few tips that worked well for us: Keep sticks of cucumber in the fridge for your baby to chomp on. They're cool to chew on and as they consist mostly of water they're generally-considered ok before weaning. If your partially-weaned baby goes off solids, don't be afraid to up the milk feeds if they're hungry. They'll take more solids again once their gums stop hurting. There are several products available at chemists for teething. Anbesol teething gel worked well for us and we have friends who...
