SMILES CHILDMINDING GROUP

BY LAURA BARRETT, CHILDMINDER

Who am I?

I am Laura Barrett and I have been a childminder for 5 years. 4½ years ago I got involved with the Smiles childminding group. I started attending the weekly activity morning that has been running for over 10 years in a room in Holgate Methodist Church. In September 2009 I began my Early Years Professional Pathway and this encouraged me to take a leading role in developing the group.

What did I want to achieve?

I could see the potential for the activity morning to be a really positive resource for childminders to gain confidence with creating a child led environment where children could develop their creativity. Through sharing ideas childminders could then take these back to their own settings.

From my own experience I had noticed in my own setting how boys particularly became more interested in arts and crafts activities when the materials were made easily accessible for them to use without too much adult direction. Also they enjoyed being able to explore different materials and equipment without the concern for a fixed end result. I noticed developments in the children’s creative development, independence, use of tools and equipment and gross and fine motor skills. I wanted to use the activity morning to model this for other childminders. I hoped that this child led approach to arts and crafts would encourage children who had previously been reluctant to mark make. I wanted to then encourage the childminders in the group to take on a sense of shared ownership for the group.

Who and what helped?

I think the thing that has helped the most has been my enthusiasm for change inspired by my Early Years Professional pathway and the determination and enthusiasm of a number of other childminders to make the group work.

The regular use of the church room and storage space for a large amount of equipment has been essential in running the group effectively. Also we received capital grant funding to widen our range of equipment for the group and this has enabled us to widen the range of activities we were able to provide for the children.

I also ran a weekly group in the woods alongside the activity morning and this inspired the adults and children to use of more natural resources within the group.

What was getting in the way?

The weekly activity mornings were beginning to struggle from a lack of enthusiasm. Many childminders felt daunted by the introduction of the Early Years Foundation Stage and how to put it into practice. Some had left to go to Toddler Groups where a less active role was required of them. The art and craft activities were previously mostly adult led and other provision limited and many childminders had little training or experience in child led activities. Some children, particularly girls, were nervous about messy play. There was also concern from some childminders about the amount of clearing up and setting up involved with a wider range of choice and more exploratory and messy play.

How did we go about overcoming the obstacles?

We increased the amount and variety of exploratory and sensory play at the sessions. I provided baskets of fruit for exploring and hay to play in at harvest time, trays of crunchy leaves and baskets of pine cones and conkers in the autumn, messy play trays such as foam, jelly and gloop, baskets of similar objects such as different shaped wooden objects or muslin bags filled with different herbs and spices, dark dens and light boxes, tactile and musical stepping stones and other opportunities for exploring using different senses. These were very popular for all the children but particularly those in the toddler age group. Many of the children were involved in collecting the materials for us to use in the Autumn baskets and spring pictures in the park.

Most weeks we still plan an adult initiated craft activity but tried to focus it on the children’s interests as much as possible. For example the children’s interest in playing with cars led to mark making using cars in paint, children’s enjoyment of the leaves in the wood has led to leaf printing. The activities were flexible for children to use their own ideas and imagination. When we made spoon puppets one child added 5 eyes and called it his alien lady. This inspired him to use it with the puppet theatre to make up stories about her. Another week we provided inflatable tubs of cooked rice and noodles for Chinese New Year for the children to explore. One girl decided to mix this with the Chinese restaurant resources, which led to several children spending a long time role playing restaurants. Examples like these have allowed childminders to see the benefits of children directing their own play.

We encouraged the children to help with the initial stages of tidying up and ensured that the tidying up was shared out. Also as the benefits of the activities became clear the concern about the clearing up they created became less. The children became more confident with the messy play as they observed other children enjoying it and felt reassured that it was being encouraged by the adults.

What is the outcome?

I have noticed a marked increase in the enthusiasm of both the children and the childminders during the sessions. There have also been more childminders attending the sessions.

I have noticed that younger toddlers who are still developing the motor control required for many art and craft activities are able to participate freely and easily in the exploratory play. I particularly enjoyed supporting 2 children who were revelling in the feel of the jelly, squishing it and watching it fall from their fingers.

The continuous provision art and craft resources took a while to be used by the children. However, over time the children became more confident in initiating their own ideas. I have noticed that a number of children who used to show little interest in craft activities at the session have started to show an interest. Children come up with their own ideas through exploration such as the effects of drizzling glue or creating sculptures by combining clay with other materials. The children are becoming more competent in their use of tools such as scissors and blunt knives, which in turn enables them to participate independently.

The children I have taken to the sessions have become much more independent at the sessions than they had been previously. They have also enjoyed the sessions much more and are now excited and keen to attend. One boy (27mths) who had previously refused to participate in art and craft at the sessions now spends large amounts of time creating pictures and models and exploring different media. This has been true of the toddlers generally during the session, who are now much more involved in the creative activities.

The children have recently enjoyed creating on a larger scale with the introduction of group creations, which have encouraged co-operation, and sharing of ideas.

The childminders in the group now share the leadership of the group and are full of ideas for the following week, inspired by things they have seen the children enjoying. There is a real sense of ownership of the group. At a recent group meeting several childminders were keen to lead activities and we discussed ways of using a flip chart or a board to jot ideas down during the session so that everyone can participate in planning for the following week.

Have a look at my ‘top tips’ and some feedback from childminders and children.

Story told by Laura Barrett, Childminder and member of Smiles Childminding Group

Storycatch supported by City of York Council (Inclusive Arts, Arts & Culture) - July 2010