INSPECTION TOMORROW! What do i do with the 2year old mindee?

[mrspitt]

I only have him one day a week and he never wants to play with anything!

My inspection is at 1.30pm, just when he is very tired and starts to annoy other kids just for the sake ofit.

My dilema is what activities can i try and do with him while the inspector is here? He loves to play outside but i can't do that while she is here. He still puts EVERYTHING in his mouth so playdough etc is out of the question.
Just need a few suggestions really?

We usually go out for a walk because he can fall asleep in the pushchair if he needs to but parent doesn't like or want him to be put down for a nap.
Last week at 1.30 he was screaming his head off and now i'm worried the same will happen this week!

I know i sound like a drama queen but i usually end up running round after him telling him off and REALLY don't want to be doing that!
Will also have my 3 year old and 16 month aswell, so any ideas that we can all do would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks x

how about water play? its messy i know, but great fun and that way if he pops things in his mouth it wont matter.

if that seems like a nightmae idea, how about a large roll or lots of paper put together on the floor and large chunky crayons.

how about a story with puppets? am i being mental and making it worse?

a great attention keeper is muscial instruments.....do you have any? ELC have loads that are cheap, oyu could pop a tape on of childrens music and play along.

Tape big pieces of paper on the floor and give him coloured pencils or big fat crayons like fifilou suggested. We did that this am, and it's always massive amounts of fun. When I told my inspector that we do that, she was most impressed about the "creativity" and allowing them to express themselves.

Little did she know, I enjoy it as much as they do.

Like the idea of water play, that could work? !

He still chews crayons, pencils, pens so i try to avoid, poor we soul.

I don't have musical instruments but could always get them?
Thanks Fifilou! A few things there definately we could certainly try out.

I like the big paper fun too, i do it with my own kids. Maybe give mindee another chance with crayons again.
Thanks crace x

Put some beans in a cardboard tube (toilet roll, or kitchen towel) if you have some laying around.

1. Have them colour the outside with crayons, stickers etc

1. crumple up a bit of newspaper and stuff a small amount in one end and tape it up (so the beans don't fall out)

1. put in beans (or rice) and do the same with newspaper on the other end, you just want to leave enough room for it to rattle

1. Let them have at it. They absolutely love it, and it so easy to do

go for a walk and get inspector to follow you with the laptop
i would have said i was busy that day

Dmo- don't think my inspector walks anywhere, kinda takes all her puff just to get up my stairs!
(god i hope she doesn't use MN)

I already had to cancel last week cos my kids had sick bug!
Could always say i've got it now to get out of it!
Thanks crace what a lot of great ideas you have!

Could you get hold of any big cardboard boxes? My inspector was over the moon to see that we made a car and a house out of a box! She said she didn't see it very often anymore and such a simple but wonderful idea.

I stole that tube idea off Doodle Do on Cbeebies, I meant to give credit when I posted it, sorry.

Easy peasy - another one off Doodle Do was drawing on dark card (or cardboard) with chalk and then rubbing gently with cotton wool. Maybe that would be a good one since he is likes putting things in his mouth?

Use squirty cream on a tray (doesn't matter if he eats it)

Make shortbread dough(with no egg) and use that instead of playdoh

Make very runny coloured icing add hundreds & thousands pour a bit on a white tray & make pattens

how about making foody things?, pizzas decorating cakes etc, then if he eats them he wont keel over and shell see you inteact with them??

hi.
have you looked on childmindersrus.co.uk website as i have found their download area really helpful.

I am feeling very humble right now!
You all have fab ideas!

It's good to have some fresh input!
I am off to plan exactly what we are going to do tomorrow!
Then check everything else is as it should be, then pray for a better day than today!

Thanks to all of you.

good luck, fingers crosssed for you

You will do great, good luck!

SOoooooooo...........

After all my sweating and worrying and thinking Oh My God..............

Mindees mum phoned last night, late ish to say mindee has sick bug and wouldn,t be coming!

Now, i am obviously very concerned for mindee but i did give a huge sigh of relief

Sooooo..........
My inspection went very well!
Gave dd1 some paint and paper then she went on to use the fabric paint and decorated an apron.

Fab! Well done

Glad it went well, I've heard of inspectors giving crap grade just because no mindees were there which I think is VERY unfair so I'm glad yours went well

Great!, although not so for poorly LO!, so what grade did you get?

I'm in Scotland so different type of inspection to you, i think?

We're not graded, at least i don't think so

She did say it was fine that mindee wasn't there. This happened to me las time aswell because she was late and mindee had just left.

Does seem to be more and more about paperwork than actual minding now though! She was talking about all the changes taking place and even more recorded evidence we will have to provide.
At least that's it over till next year now!

you get inspected every year!!
i had my inspection in Jan 07 and next inspection is due Jan 10