CM CLUB:So what do YOU do when your mindees are playing???

[PinkChick]

Im finding this a lot lately as i have quite a few older mindees, but my 1yr old mindee is asleep, my dd and 3yr old mindee are laid on the floor with huge pieces of backing paper colouring drawing etc, i was also drawing with them but you know when you get the 'look' that you are intruding?...and as i stood up, they played a lot differently(not being watched kind of nice playing).

So i've just put washing on radiators, had snacks and now........what???..they play so much more like children when im not sat over them(especially when i have all the girls here) so what do you/should i do????
I feel like im not doing my job properly but obv they dont want me hovering over them???

I do my daily diaries and any other paperwork that needs doing.

Sometimes pre do lunch or sort out tea etc.

well no diaries bought tonday and too early to do them right now...lunch prep'd this morn (chick and noodles..no not chicken pot noodle)

Paperwork all upstairs and nothing to do really, got SA about ready to fill in.............

Everytime i walk back in they .look..and stop...and play 'like theyre being watched'??..not watched like they darent do anything, just reservedly!

Oh god i have my tax return to do,i should be doing that really instead of being here. I am off till later today but dd1 ill so at her beck and call. Should do something constructive eh?

Sit and have a cuppa and ignore them? lol i would do that. They need/like to paly alone i find.

thats just it aGAl..its drummed into us on courses to be stimulating to their minds etc etc..but if they dont want you (me) interfering with their game etc, surely thats worse??

I know what you mean PC! mine have all been playing nicely! They did stop for a while to do sticking with me but as soon as it finished they all went off again to play! They are all playing really nicely today! They have been having a big tea party with EVERYTHING they can find

I thought I'd quickly pop on here and then I'm going to prep lunch!

Oh goodness, that reminds me. I need to finish my tax return! Only got my mileage to do, but it's the bit I have been putting off and REALLY don't want to do it!!

Well i end up spending so much time planning the activity/craft etc and they only want to do it for a wee while usually. Then they all scarper and do their own thing.

My dd1 (3.9) and oldest mindee (boy of nearly 6) do the same thing after school every day and have done it for weeks. Put on a video called "How to be a Ballerina" and they act out the dances and exercises. I sure as hell aint doing that so they do it alone every day while i do dinner for everyone. Dd2 and little mindee sit and draw or copy big dc's.

i know what you mean.

my charges will often play a game together, and if i ask to join in etc, they say no, they are happy playing with each other

or go off to garden and play camps/tea parties/jungles by theirselves

i think it means you are doing a good job of allowing children to learn to play and be sociable - you can do games and craft with them, when they want to play with you

children cant not be entertained 100% of the time, and as long as they are safe, its good to allow them to play by their self (if they want to)

enjoy the peace, make your self a cuppa and put your feet up and enjoy it while you can

This is when you are suppose to do observations get your post it notes out, curl up in the chair, so they dont realise you are doing it, I put a boook on my lap, so they think you are reading, then they dont feel like they are being watched.

All my time at the moment is spent refereeing mindees and DDs. Two 3 yr old mindees fight given half the chance and 20 month old has discovered smacking,biting,kicking etc.

Urgh, refereeing like mad today, got my variation so both sets of siblings here this week, the two preschoolers are fine together, but the toddler is Not Keen on the Baby, as she has usurped his position as Baby. Aww, i feel for him, bless.

So no obs done this week just diaries

BoysAreLikeDogs - You DID do an observation today... you just wrote it up here on Mumsnet instead of elsewhere
"toddler is Not Keen on the Baby, as she has usurped his position as Baby" - surely that is an observation, which could be noted.

hi guys well rest of day was taken up with me stressing out..mindee took to telling dd she is a naughty girl but doesnt have the knowledge toe xplain why he thought that(based upon nothing, he just wanted to say it!) so dd gets upset about it, then screams for an hour about a fly outside, so when we all go back out none of them will play and literally just stand there looking at ground???..BACK into house, sit down read a book..mum collects older mindee tell her we've all had cabin fever and bring sun hats and raincoats tomorrow cos im not sitting in with them again.
im sad to say ive taken my crappy day out on dd..who was 99% perfect and im such a shit mother i take advantage of that and take my stress out on her when i should be an adult and deal with things properly..crap crap day..made worse by the fact i was twiddling my thumbs for half of it, then rushed off my feet the rest..sigh..

Nick, I heart you