If you have kids, a sandpit and a sand-free house....

[jojo76]

please tell me HOW!!!!! I feel like I'm living in some kind of holiday beach home at the moment, the kids seem to be shedding sand. I have even started to find it on the dining table, and on the work tops, its driving me crazy!!! Any advice greatly received......

Ooooh...are you living in my house......will watch with interest..

oh bugger, deeeja, looks like no one has the answer. May install sheep dip style bath for the dc's at the back door...

Our sand pit isn't big enough for the two of them to get in so they play from the edge. Shoes off when they come in the house. Usually have to sleep the kitchen floor a couple of times a day.
After a day at the beach we strip them on the front doorstep and stick them straight in bath/shower. (Front door not very overlooked and DCs 5 and under)

Last time I brought in the most sand as I foolishly wore trousers with turn ups and needless to say I did not strip on the doorstep.

I know, Califrau, I really really really regret getting the sandpit, and moving it up the garden closer to the back door wasnt my smartest move either.....
Ha! Turnups, they do collect the sand, I always fall foul of that when I lift up ds2's legs to change his nappy, cue sand shower.
Ok, so the answer is shoes off and possibly strip them at the door. Sweeping the kitchen floor many times a day here too, Othersideofthe channel!

As a childminder with sandtable in the house the only advice is to keep it wet, cover it as soon as it starts to dry out so they can't get into it until you wet it again.

Also, have a matting type door mat in the doorway of the room it is in - i find this stops it travelling through the house as does only allowing the children to play in the sand with short sleeved tops

nightly hoovering

dusting off in doorways

not allowing upstairs until stripped

doesn't work perfectly, i still find the odd bit lurking in a corner but it doesn't get too bad and the sandpit is a huge sit in one right outside the dining room french doors

Have sand pit as far away from the house as possible, ideally with LARGE lawn to cross first before entering the house .

Also all of the above: shoes off on door step, strip off trousers if v sandy, oh, and yes sweeping/hoovering several times a day when sand pit in use.

But: I have had the most superb mud pies offered to me .

Sheep dip and towel by the door I'm afraid!

Anyone caught not using sheep dip severly punished...

My cousin gave me a tip this weekend, she said use talc to get the sand off you. Not tried it yet.

Ok, so, position sandpit at foot of garden, wet sand, strip and hoover kids at door, dunk in sheepdip, talc them, transfer to next room, hoover kitchen! Im sorted, thanks ladies

seriously, thank you for all the advice, looks like i have to be more vigilant with shoes off and brushing them down rather than letting them aimlessly wander in caked in the stuff!!

That made me chuckle jojo

Minding mum, im a childminder too, you are uber brave having sand in the house Im in awe!!!

Oh. that should be in italics LOL im so crap!

Did you know that EYFS are suggesting that mindees have access to sand daily all year round - this is just another example of how they forget that this is our home. Where the hell are we supposed to put a sandpit that has to be there all year!

Access to sand daily? No problem in my house, will just roll them around on the dining table! ! Do you think it would be acceptible to put a sheet of sandpaper in the treasure basket, minding mum? LOL eyfs is so practical. I liked spending a whole saturday learning level two food hygeine for catering managers, I thought that was worthwile....

yes jojo, that;s a good idea for the treasure basket - seriously

Don't even mention the courses please. I minded 4 children under 3 years full time until recently (when i saw sense and went part time) and as a result i'm so far behind with my courses.

I'll just be glad when the EYFS starts coming apart at the seams and we can do away with it all together

I know, I minded through two pregnancies with 3 under 3's both time, it was hell!! and since ds2 has been about a year, ive cut right down. I now have one child, three days a week, five hours a day! It's so much better, not earning wise, but it just got too much. Four under 3 sounds really tough, bet you were shattered!
I will probably take on another again when ds1 starts school.....but I'm going to be choosy about the hours though!

Good for you jojo, I'm totally skint at the moment but it has been so worth it, it has meant that i can really concentrate on the 3 children that i now mind on a part time basis.

Also 2 out of the 3 children, I am not their primary early years care provider which means observations on them are the nursery's responsibility.

I am now offering emergency, ad hoc and temporary minding to avoid EYFS even further

I couldn't even imagine minding while i was preggers though - you must have been knackered! I didn't start minding til my youngest was 3.

It was pure torture, during the sickness part and towards the end, the middle wasn't too bad! So if a child is at nursery, we dont have to do the observations? That's useful to know...don't we have to liase with the nursery to continue what they are doing there in our own setting? I thought that sounded a bit ott as well, as the younger ones just want to chill/nap/potter when they come back don't they, I don't think it's really that necessary. I think it is worth going part time, I think I was heading for burn out before I cut down my hours!! Do you find that a lot of the childminders you meet are really fed up lately, a lot on these courses that I went on recently have just felt very stretched and worried about the eyfs, it does seem to be turning a lot of people off of a job that they previously loved, I think. I really hope that once it's up and running, it isn't as bad as we think!!!