Childminders Club - SUMMER HOLIDAYS ARE LOOMING!!!! and....

[lunavix]

What are you all doing? This is more aimed at those with over 5s as they are always the ones that stress me out...lol

I'm only having the kids four weeks (when I'm 36 - 40 weeks pg!) and I'm pondering how best to entertain them.

Normally I arrange a craft, a cooking, and some other bits each day, but to be quite honest it's too hot inside! I do have a problem in that I have no garden toys suitable for them either. One goes out to play football with his friends, the other is ps2-mad, so I need a bit of inspiration.

How does everyone finance holiday-time visits? Do you pay, do parents pay?

When I took the kids on, I agreed with parents to pay half each. My plan for this holidays was two days at home (one of which having another childminder +kids over, the other just doing cooking and paddling pool etc) one day at local park with picnic, one day at further away park (bus ride) with football picnic/mcdonalds, and a day at soft play. This is going to work out - for my spending - around £30 a week... which is obviously more when I add on any craft or cooking stuff! This is with parents contributing £5 per child, but obviously I have to pay for myself and ds.

Does this sound too much? I don't want them to get bored so going out three times a week will help fill the time outside my home, however it does seem a lot ofmoney (especially as after this week my income drops by a huge amount a year)

Any thoughts appreciated!

Hi lunavix

I am 37 weeks pg atm and finishing up on the 14th July when i'll be almost 39wks(if lo doesn't arrive before then lol).

I told my parents that if i had to work up till the 14th(i would rather have finished on the 23rd June when school term ended) that i would not be doing any big trips.I am only doing trips out to local park,heritage centre etc.

I honestly don't think i could cope with my own kids plus mindees in this heat.The parents were ok and i'm happier sticking close to home tbh.

I take my hat off to youyou are doing a great job!!!It does sound like you will have a lot of money to pay out when your money is going to drop soon and if you feel it's too much do one big trip 2x instead of 4x.

xx

My main problem with cost and everything is I don't drive! So big trips (the softplay and further afield park) are bus rides away... lol

I'm loathing the heat!

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I think if you don't drive then lugging picnics/kids stuff on and off a bus will be a nightmare for you tbh.Do the parents expect you to do all the outings?If not i really would reconsider and do things only within walking distance.

I can drive but once i get there it's getting the double buggy/picnic/bags and the kids out of the car that kills me.

The trouble is we live in a cultural wasteland and there's nothing to do!

There's the park we're walking to (right near my house) and then a couple more but they cater more for under 5s and I have three over 5s.

Then there's a library I couldn't actually fit four kids in... then the town with ur, co-op and some banks!

To do anything else is a drive/bus away, and as my garden isn't big enough to entertain three biggish lads, I'm worried they're going to feel cooped up....

i havent got a clue but at the moment im only going to have 9mth old, 3yr old and 7yr old. think we will get the paddling pool out and have one trip a week but i need to start planning them and also i will be asking for mindee's mum to contribute as with only having 1 mindee at 2.50 per hour i can hardly afford to pay for his trips as well.

im thinking things like

strawberry picking
soft play
sea life centre
water park
picnics

erm any ideas anyone?

There's plenty you can do on a budget. We tend to go out every morning either down the road to play football/cricket/rounders or in the car to various parks, libraries and museums. One year we went to the fire station, that was great. Some childminders have also been to police stations. Kids love it, very educational and its FREE.

After lunch while little ones are napping we do crafts, cooking or science and then paddling pools outside.

We do the reading challenge as well.

If i do any day trips I provide parents with a permission form which also doubles up as a request for payment. Parents usually pay their child's entrance fee/bus fare & I provide a picnic.

The only things we have locally are:

soft play
shops (which kids hate)
parks
one rubbish local museum lol my lounge is bigger!

and that's it for what you can get to by bus

If I could drive there's a castle, a better soft play area and fruit picking (although it's a tad hot for that lol!)

I have also thought swimming, but would it be safe me, a 2yo, an 8yo and a 9yo going swimming? Me around 38 weeks pg and can't swim anyways? I suppose that's what lifeguards are for lol although sadly the local pool is an 80s school/roman baths type horror.

WHat's everyone doing at home with the older ones?

I pay for the activities I do with the children if they are coming for a whole week. The cost of me paying for the trips isn't much when I consider how much the parents are paying me for a whole week.

However, I have some children that specifically come on a day that I have planned a trip out (safari park type of thing), and the parents pay the entrance for this because that is the sole reason for sending their child on that day.

One favourite dirt-cheap day out is Stratford . We also go for long walks in the woods, to local parks, picnics wherever we feel like going; and then the more expensive trips such as safari parks, theme parks, model villages, big soft-play barns, theatre etc.

I've got lots of indoor and garden games and activities for older children, but they are often just as happy painting with the toddlers!

i am very organised sent activity sheets of what we would be doing for the 6 wks home with the children 2 wks ago.
in the hols i will have 6 boys age 10,9,8,7,6,and 5 so i have to keep them busy.
i phoned the fire station and have organised a trip there, the local musuem has lots on at 50p per child, we are going on a train (family railcard), leisure centre roller staking, beach, farm, wacky warehouse
i tend to arrange the weeks by cost and average a weeks budget at £50 including transport.
the children are asked to bring money on certain days ie beach ice-cream money.
the thing i cant stand is bored children so by getting out each day it makes my life easier.
as we only have a small car in the hoildays i borrow the schools mini bus and give a donation to school in september which helps me loads.

50 a week????? just on entertaining them???? Crikey!

yes but if i have 6 children at £20 per day and i spend an avarge of £10 per day entertaning i'm still quids in and have happy children

true!

that's a good point....

I suppose my problem is it doesn't work out far off your amount for the kids I look after, I have half the amount of kids now plus I have to pay for me and ds so it bumps it up a lot....

hmm!

i also have to pay for my two sons aged 8 and 10 plus myself but as i see it its their hols aswel and i dont want them to hate me or my job cause i look after other children so i try to do what i would normally do with my own.
i'm lucky as my mums took a week off to have my boys for a change of sceenery

bump for LMGs

thats alright for you dmo, I'm only earning £90 a week over the summer and dh is between jobs. Think we'll be sticking to the libraries & parks this year.

ayla99, I'm in the same boat, my income drops right down too,I also have 3 children of my own and will be making good use of the library and the parks too, last year we went to a free play forum which was a great success-however will miss it this yer as we're away.

I haven't got a car and so rely heavily on public transport which over a week adds up!

heres hoping the weather stays nice for you all
so much to do outside for free when its sunny

anymore ideas anyone?

so far i have

soft play
strawberry picking
water park
museum
farm
sea life centre
park

thanks

were going to:
leisure centre roller booting
wacky
park
museum (lots of diff activitys each week)
painting t-shirts
botantic gardens in southport
swimming
train ride
fire station
football grounds tour
beacon fell (woody walk)
farm
beach
cheeky monkeys play area

going to take lots of photos and each morning when children come we are going to do a diary of what we did the day before then when photos printed a photo can be added to each page

I am so pleaed I am not working over the holidays and I am really not meaning to gloat.
I have the same problems as you all just entertaining my 2 if I don't want to do lots of big days out.
TBH we often have at least one day a week of just taking it easy at home and seeing what we feel like doing.
If its nice we paint and do other creative things outdoors. Oftern the older ones like to do this as they don't get a chance at school as it is more work work and little creative activities at all.
I will be doing
Parks - lots around me so I can vary it.
Kew gardens as I have a season ticket.
Swmming - possible with only 2
Possilby a big zoo trip
Local museums
Meeting up with other friends in parks etc for picnics so they see their school friends over the hols.
Gardening
Trips to the garden centre for above

oh my! just read on parenting thread about large familys (take a look) and one lady was saying how she has 5 children and fancys another one,
then on her next post disscusses how she has been trying to get a disabled badge for her car as she finds it hard to get around with 5 children and should get help.
got onto the disscussion and explained i was a childminder with between 7 and 9 children and would not expect special treatment when ferring the children around
what do u lot think?

That we all need certifying!