Need a bit of help, any ideas please?

[eeniemeenie]

Hi, I HE my 5 year old DS and have done after a very short and disasterous start at school last year. I work from home for a couple of hours in the morning and up to now he has sat next to me drawing or looking at books. However I feel he would benefit from having someone in for a few of those mornings a week to play with him/help him with his reading or sums. I think it would be a good use of time and would free up my afternoons to do other things with him rather than having to do the 3 r's. Does anyone else do anything like this and can anyone give me any ideas on where to find such a person, I really need a mix of a childminder and a tutor I suppose and someone quite resilient as he is quite 'lively' and will talk the hind legs off a donkey

[lolapoppins]

Ds has an amazing tutor who we found locally. She started comming two mornings a week when he was 5 and stayed for about 2 and a half hours at a time (she was only supposed to stay for one hour, and only charged us for one despite staying all morning!) and she was a godsend, especially when we first started out after a bad reception experience ourselves. It was great to have someone who could just tell me I was on track with his early Reading etc. She used to play work games, number games, cards, dominoes and do some really simple workbooks with him.

Now he is 7 and she only comes one morning every two weeks. He is so busy with other activities everyday and I am so confident with what I teach him now. He doesn't really need her at all, but they both became so fond of each other I can't bear to stop it! Plus, they are into the same sort of books, things like Terry Pratchet and the Hobbit/LOTR books which I cant abide, so now they spend hours Reading those together and talking about them! She also does a bit of maths, which is ds weakest subject and the only one I worry about, which makes me feel better. It's always nice to have someone with so much experience of teaching children to say it's ok, he is doing fine.

Sorry, long reply, but if you find the right person it can be wonderful. Our tutor is a lovely, pateint elderly lady and ds adores her like a grandmother figure. Before her, we briefly tried another tutor and it was a disaster. He tried to impliment a curriculum for ds, and kept trying to tell me what I should and shouldn't be doing, even going as far as writing me a timetable! it was like school, we soon got shot of him, and really landed on our feet when we found the one we use now.

[lolapoppins]

Oh, and I found her by typing tutors into google! We got so, so lucky though, so I think it would be a case of talking to and meeting quite a few.

[eeniemeenie]

lolapoppins thanks for the reply, she sounds like just what we are after (don't suppose she lives in the North Lancashire/South Cumbria area does she?)

[lolapoppins]

Am afraid we are alot further south than that!

Just have a look on the net and speak to as many as possible, I am sure you will find someone suitable.

[ommmward]

I think what you might need is a student from Lancaster university I'd find a way of advertising through them for someone suitable, or through your local FE college for someone training to be an early years practitioner or something.

[eeniemeenie]

Thanks for the ommmward!

[ommmward]

we have a student from our local university who comes round once every couple of weeks for a small fee and does pretty much exactly what you are looking for. I also have the daughter of a friend - she's 12 - who comes and plays while I get on with other things (again, with a small financial thank you), and that works really well with the older child modelling expertise in all sorts of areas

[itsstillgood]

St Martin's College or Ambleside might be better bets for a student. Predominantly teacher training or nursing there.

[Mum2totandteen]

Hi eeniemeenie

I also have a lively 5yr old DS and I think we live in the same area. Your DS is more than welcome here a couple of mornings a week to play,read do sums etc. I have never posted before so I am not sure how to leave my details .

[eeniemeenie]

Hi Mum2totandteen, I am intrigued but guess not a good idea to post our details on here, I'll see if MNHQ will pass my email address on to you and we'll see if we do live near each other. Don't know how long this will take, not sure my DS would concentrate on sums if another child was there but maybe we could arrange to meet up for a play in a local park or something & they could perhaps tire each other out!! . Does your DS attend school yet? Thanks for the offer and hope to contact you soon

[eeniemeenie]

Hi Mum2totandteen again, apparently MNHQ won't pass a message on and on your profile you have said you don't want MNers to contact you so I don't know what to do? Can you give me a slight clue as to whereabouts you are without giving too much away and if we are near each other, maybe you can alter your MN profile temporarily? Hope to hear from you soon.

[Mum2totandteen]

Hi eeniemeenie

We live about 20 mins from Lancaster on the Lancashire,Cumbria, North Yorkshire border . I also HE my DS after a disastrous start to school and we love it!!
If we are near one another I will alter my profile asap

[eeniemeenie]

Hi Mum2totandteen, yes although geography isn't my best subject I think we are fairly near to each other, if you alter your profile then hopefully I'll send you an email with more details and we can take it from there!!

[Mum2totandteen]

Hi eeniemeenie, all changed this end

[eeniemeenie]

Hi Mum2totandteen, I have sent my details to you so you should have them soon, if not, post on here and I'll try again.

[Mum2totandteen]

Hi eeniemeenie, your details are still not through, could you try again please.

[eeniemeenie]

Hi M2TAT, I have sent them again just now so fingers crossed

[Mum2totandteen]

eenieemeenie, Woohoo it worked, you should have mail