Today we took the traditional toys to Normanby Park where, in addition to the children playing with them, we also ran a workshop making peg dolls.
The first group was mainly girls whose dolls were traditionally dressed for 'Strictly Come Dancing' with plenty of feathers and sequins.
The second group was mainly boys who, surprisingly, all opted to make the dolls many selecting the more masculine plain black, brown and dark green fabrics, and in one case making a peg-alien rather than the more conventional dolly.
The rain more or less held off, so it was possible for them to play outside with the hoops, trikes, skipping ropes etc.
I think we have managed to convince Vicky about brightening up the Park Education Rooms without going for the elaborate and expensive schemes which have been proposed from time to time before being abandoned through lack of funds.
Question for Becky and Liz (and anyone else used to teaching the under fives):-
These activities are devised to cover a wide age range - how can we get the tinies to do their own craft work rather than watch while mummy does the work? To what extent must the preparation - cutting out especially - be done for them by an adult?
lizdavies
Depends what you want them to produce. If you want a set finished product, adult does most of it, because small children can't work to a pattern and aren't much interested. If they want what you are offering, they are well aware mummy will do it better, so they ask her to. If you want child to explore craft, set out the materials with a very simple and broad desired end - decorate a box, for example - and then children will do more, if their parents let them! Best way is to give parent and child their own base material (eg. a box) and ask both to decorate one, then they may let child get on with it, if child isn't in best clothes. I have to say that in nursery, the best is produced after we get rid of the mums...
Children's abilities vary enormously - you will get everything from a box just smeared with glue, to something Faberge wouldn't be ashamed of (well, nearly).