ok two questions really! all about toys, am about to start cming

[eleanorsmum]

Ok here goes.

What do you do with your own children's toys? DD is 3 and has a toy box in the lounge and bookcase in dining area. She's good at sharing and we've agreed some special toys are to go upstairs. but how do you stop babies getting at toys that are not suitable for them? She also has a dolls house which she loves but i thnik i'll have to fix a board across it to stop others using it. I have got space for cm toys which will be stored in baskets with labels on for self selection. Any new toys i'm currently buying i've told her are mummy's toys and she's ok with that. its just what to do about suitability of toys for the mindees and their accessibility to her toys?

And secondly, i want to collect some people sets to play with and have looked at fisher price little people, elc's happyland and little tikes small world. any thoughts on the best for multicultural equal ops sets? happy land have some as do little people. little tikes seem more expensive. have been looking at sets on e-bay! don't wnat to start collecting one only to find they don't do wheelcahir people, coloured ones etc. any thoughts?

Sorry for the waffle, thanks in advance!

Littletikes school bus has coloured figures and a wheelchir, couldn't find any in the shops so got mine from e-bay paid about £13 iirc.

As for the toy business I can't really help as my own DDs are old enough to keep theirs upstairs now. I do encourage the older children to play at the table if I've got a baby/toddler around at the same time. I also twigged on very quickly to ask them what they would like to play with and then only get a couple of boxes out at a time otherwise they have a free-for-all where you couldn't see the carpet, which wasn't really very safe. HTH

Oh and welcome by the way! (Where are my manners?), join us in the staff room I don't go there very often but it has some very frequent visitors, you'll get loads of advise and can have a moan too and nobody will critisise (sp) you.

Car boot sales - I'm completely addicted!

As for age-appropriateness.. I'm not too strict on that. My own ds is 18 months and plays with all sorts of unsuitable toys that my 4 year old mindees play with (don't tell Ofsted). I guess when inspection time comes round I'll have them all boxed according to age!

Hello and welcome, little people do a bus with 3 people and a wheelchair.
My DD is 7 and keeps her toys upstairs in her room then the ones downstairs are mummys for work.

little people bus £10 here, but better picture here.

Hi,

I was recommended to buy beeps the school bus by ofsted for the wheelchair, glasses, etc. I also keep the little tikes wheelchair and person that I keep aside for the ofsted visits. I know they like you to know and be able to show these type of toys.

We use Knex and Magnetix, Lego etc for the older children and tend to get it out when I can sit and supervise whilst younger children/toddlers are around. Arts and crafts, sticker making, and colouring in etc can all be done at the table which keeps it out of reach, you can then put a younger child in a booster seat with age appropriate crayons etc so they can all join in.

Dressing up costumes can be great with the multi-cultural side of things.

As far as my childrens toys I would keep their favourites in their bedrooms whilst childminding and they shared the rest. As all christmas and birthday presents were deducted off my tax. This way the children got more and they were more likely to play with them when they had the mindees with them.

Hope this helps. Good Luck.

ELC Happyland are what we have at ours every ehnic origin, disability and even old people!!!! They even sell a people of the world set. OFSTED were really happy with them when they came to visit