starting a new job at a preschool - give me some moral support/advice/tips etc!

[fullmoonfish]

I start at sparrowfart tomorrow, as a non-qualified assistant at a preschool where my children went to.
I know most of the children, and the staff as I have been helping out on a regular basis for a long time, so it doesn't feel like a new job. But I want to do my best, and I feel a teensyout of practice with toddlers so top tips from everybody please on everything from: 101 uses for empty yoghurt pots, new songs to wow them with at singing time, ideas for activities, how to boost my immune system so as to avoid all the bugs etc etc.
Or just come and wish me luck :)

Ccan I be the first to wish you good luck? No tips though I'm afraid!

No advice, but just to say Good Luck :)

Good luck

I started as an unqualified Pre-school Asst last May and am still there I work p/time and am getting qualified - Cache Certificate in Pre-school Practice which has been 50% paid for by my employer. I am now a keyworker and do observations on my group. I really am enjoying it though the money is poor What I like about my pre-school is that all the staff regardless of qualifications or experience are committed to the children and work together as a team. We all muck in!! I have had quite a few colds over the winter and think my immune system needs boosting so any tips given to you I'm going to pinch as well. Hope you don't mind. My advice is firstly enjoy it and secondly it you want more involvement let them know as ideas for activities based around the learning intentions are always welcome. Good luck!

Oh forgot to say tht sometimes the most simple activity has the most enjoyment for the children. One of my assignments for college required me to plan and implement an activity. The end result was that it was too adult led and although a nice keepsake was produced for parent/carer the child hadn't really benefitted from the task. Spaghetti painting or making pasta necklaces would have been as good and with more child rather than adult involvement. You do learn quickly though what works for what age grp and what doesn't

Thanks for the all the luck-vibes - and to you Pinotmum - nice to find someone in a similar role. The plan is to do some training in September!
(PS, have you tried giving them a bowl of coloured, cooked spaghetti to play with? Totally absorbing and amazing how long it keeps them occupied. Very good on a tactile level for the littlies and some of the older ones started making shapes and even letters out of it)

Spaghetti is difinitely under-rated

Take echinacea at the first sign of a snuffle - it gets me through the winter, and I have the immune system of a Bernard Matthews turkey.
DD made a great weather chart at preschool the other week.
Paper plate, piece of round paper with 4 weather pictures on coloured in, then another round bit of paper with a quarter cut out. Everything held together with a push-through-fold-out-thing.
Dd rushes down everyday to set the weather on it. A Bad Mother would think that she wants to be like Miss Hoolie on Balamory, but I like to think I have a budding meteorologist on my hands.

Oh, and good luck (although I'm sure you wont need it!)

ooooh Betty (been dying to do that :) )
Hello! Was just going to give you a named thread to say 'thank you' for the lovely clothes, my friend is thrilled pink, and it was lovely to meet you. Speak to you soon.

Ahhh lentils, marvellous idea HF (and I can teach the young ones to weave them too :) )

Glad your friend liked the stuff. We must do coffee again daahling...

When I was training I worked in a huge pre school place where at christmas, mothers day etc, nursry nurses were seen feverishly trying to "help" finish 120 identical cards. Go for more child involved activities where thay can do it at their pace rather than producing what is expected ie perfect lego house, card, painting or nursery rhyme.

I don't know how long it has been since your kids were at preschool but child centred was very much the buzz word whenI trained but that was 10+ years ago. There were some very strange interpritaions of what that actually ment .

My DD is 3.5 and the things she enjoys the most are:

Threading cheerios onto uncooked spaghetti stuck
into blobs of clay/playdough

The lift game - we put mats or scarves on the floor, step into the 'lift', press the buttons and come out onto a swimming floor, or a jumping floor, or hopping, or crazy dancing etc.

Fizzing - white vinegar in bowls with drops of food colouring in, drop bicarb of soda in and it fizzes madly. Add more vinegar to re-fizz.

She loves paper plates too - if I put a stack out she'll always find something to do with them - picnics, cookies with playdough etc.

Good luck with your new job, it sounds fun .

well, first day was lovely, though I need to grow more knees as too many little girls at one time wanted to be on them

Am going to be doing tropical fruit tasting with them on friday, (part of foods from around the world and linked in with healthy eating) so I'll be there going ''oooh this is yummy, oh sorry amelia, there's none left...'' heh heh heh.

Plus I had forgotton how slllloooowwww they are at eating; we can only give them 30 mins for lunch to allow time for some activity before pick-up and I swear some of them took 40 mins to eat 1 grape. (must remember to bring extra Patience on Friday!)

Arfishymeau - you are a goddess! Love the cheerios thing.

Skribble, yes child-centred is still the buzzword, plus we pride ourselves on 'learning through play', not regimented activities :)

Thought it might be, Some of the students on my course had great dificulty on some placements as the idea of child centred had been taken off to a strange tangent. No coloured playdo only natural coloured unless requested, how would a child know they can get coloured playdo if they have never experienced it? No displays on the wall unless child ask for something to be put up. No toys put out all must be asked for.

I think there is a middle ground hated the opposite where everything was regimanted and the nursery teacher decided exactly which toys were to be used for the week to match the theme. God forbid the child wanted to do a car jigsaw in nature week .

I am out of all that now.