what should my cm be doing?

[mankycat]

my son has been going to his cm since he was 8 months, he is now 2 & 4 months. I took on more hours when he turned 2 and because my cm didn't work 4 days I sent him to nursery for one day.

He is doing so much more at nursery craft, painting, drawing forming friendships very quickly considering he is only there one day. At his cm he has brought home so much as a scribble. My friend has 3 under 3 at a cm and I noticed that she had handmade calenders, xmas cards which where done at her cm's. Should she be following some sort of curriculum? I would love to send him to nursery 4 days it would be 100 a month more expensive im paying £4.40 per hour and I provide food nappies etc. Im starting to feel that im just paying for a baby sitter. On the other hand she has been reliable not been off sick once since he has been going never let me down. Im going to contact the nursery to see if they can fit him in an extra day.

Has anyone had simular experience or have any good advice?

Another teacher who would be interested in hearing more about your education research!!

ohhh dear. Maybe I will sometime soon :) I'm just getting over the headache from it all!

I teach in an environment it is helpful (I would say essential) to have an idea of different curricula in different countries in order to keep improving our own.

"If you're concerned ask to see the file but chances are your CM is following your child's lead and the nursery are getting your DS to join in pre-planned activities with a measurable output."

Frakk this is so true. This is one of the things I adore about my cm. It is very child led and he learns through materials and topics which interest him.

Star don't you teach in an International School? Is it an international national curriculum based school (like the British schools abroad) or an IB school?

We do have IB, also use some american stuff (no national US curriculum, so pieces from different states/districts) and some other/international/IB - not like "british" schools abroad because some of those follow national curriculum, if they are indeed british.

Don't want to go into too much detail as I don't want to give away exactly which school to out myself iyswim

Fairenoughskis. I'm just trying to work out whether you're working with the evil when done badly PYP, in which case doing the comparison with other NCs makes a lot of sense and I wish some of the international schools I've worked with had done that too rather than using the lack of guidance as an excuse for really sloppy teaching.

The British schools abroad are like indy prep schools in that they pick and choose which bits of the national curriculum they like but follow it broadly (hence being NC based, some more than others), unlike, say, the French international lycées which all stick to their national curriculum like glue.

I find the differences between different national curricula fascinating. Some countries have very high expectations in the early years, some have a hugely (overly?) broad curriculum at 18, all have their strengths and weaknesses but I definitely think Britain is one of the worst at demanding a lot early on.

If your child is not counting at 2.4 i wouldn't stress about it!! He is very young. My dd was 2 in august and can count to about 12 and knows what numbers actually represent (as Star said about the cookies) but i had a mindee who was exactly one year older than my DD and she couldn't count at all!! Not even to 5 or 3 or anything. I tried my best with her but had to remember that i'm not a teacher i am a childminder. She also couldn't hold a pencil properly but my DD could and try as i might i couldn't get her to hold it properly either. and i tried all the ways i knew how in order to help her (my mum and gran are both teachers so gave me lots of ideas!).

I think the activites that your cm does varies from one CM to the next. I do stuff like you have said your friends cm does, make xmas cards, painting, drawing etc but sometimes kids don't want to do it and i can't force them.

If you are not happy with the activites she is doing with your DS then maybe you should speak to her about it, explain that he has taken a great fondness to X Y and Z and ask if he can do it while at hers too! Failing that you may need to move your child if you are not happy, but if you don't give ur CM the chance to explain or fix it then she can't help you.

Every child is different and they all learn differently and at different rates.

I mind after schoolers
1 boy of 3 3/4 who is at Montessori 9am - 3pm, he has no intrest in crafts, drawing etc at all, even at school, I know this as they've told me, we have a good relationship.

Another boy tho is 6 on friday he doesnt mind arts and crafts.

and 2 girls of 8 3/4 and 4 3/4 who draw and make stuff from the minute they get here

My own 2 boys are 9 & 12 like drawing, but mostley prefer to watch T.V when they get home.

My children were minded by a wonderful CM who had all the qualifications, kept meticulous records of their every stage of development, always had them engaged in crafts and educational activities (when she was not walking them briskly around the neighbourhood). Only trouble was- as soon as they were old enough to voice an opinion, they asked to be moved She tired them out!

They needed time to just be, mooch around, think up their own things, slump even.

Some children just don't like to 'do' activities - and having worked in a pre-school last year, I can vouch that all the children 'had' to take the same arty crafty things home, and a lot of time they weren't done by the children but by the staff . Didnt agree with it but that was how it ran .

My own son was counting at 2 but mindee a year older than him couldn't grasp it, then one day it just clicked! Like others have said, children are individual, develop at their own rate and shouldn't be pressured into doing what their playmates can do.

Oh, and as a cm, I have more records/obs/assessments/files on the children I mind than the pre-school did - they didnt even know what EYFS was!

The relationship your dc has with your cm is more important than what he brings home - and that is from a cm who has used cms in the past

wow very informative!