Wearing coats outside in winter...

My son is 13 now and has coped with chronic eczema all his life. He has never willingly worn a coat, even in the depths of winter – coats make him hot and heat makes him uncomfortable and itchy. We do not heat his bedroom and he uses a summer weight quilt in the winter, which he takes out of the cover as soon as the weather gets a little warmer.

My son is not alone... lots of children, for medical or choice reasons, refuse to wear coats or take them off as soon as they think we are not looking in their direction.

Yet we are all aware that we have a duty of care to ensure children’s well being... not just because we follow the EYFS, but also because we are adults in charge of other people’s children.

Strategies to support children

· Maybe we should look at what children are being asked to wear... is that why they are refusing? Big thick coats might look nice in the shop, but if they restrict the child’s movements it may make him uncomfortable when playing. Similarly, coats with tricky fastenings might make children reluctant to keep putting them on and taking them off, especially if they restrict the flow of their play.

The solution here might be to have a stock of spare thick fleeces and raincoats. You could build them up over the years. Teach children how to be independent with their zips and don’t worry if coats get put on inside out, so long as they are being worn.

· Parents sometimes tell me that their child doesn’t get cold... well I ought to understand that one, having a hot bod in the family. Sometimes however it’s not that they don’t get cold ... more that they do not notice when they are cold because they are busy playing. Remember that hypothermia is a creeping condition which takes time to affect the body.

I think we have to talk to parents and remind them that young children are vulnerable and must be protected by adults. Also we take care of children who are different ages and come from different homes who parent in different ways. It would not be right for us to allow one child to remove his coat and insist with the rest (unless of course it’s for medical reasons)... that would lead to upset and resentment.

· We are told that we must teach children to be independent and to carry out their own risk assessments. The EYFS also suggests that we are supposed to let children come and go, between inside and out, which would leave them in charge of putting on coats, hats, wellingtons etc. What do we do with the 2 boys who are constantly running in and out, totally engaged in their game, not thinking about being cold?

This one depends on your own feelings on the subject. As a friend of mine said the other day ... surely sometimes we have to assert our authority and tell children that we know best. Children are not always able to make the best decisions for their health and wellbeing. After all, we wouldn’t let them outside in the hot sun if they threw a tantrum and refused to apply sun cream or wear a hat, would we?

So if you have a coat policy for outside, then you need to apply it, firmly and calmly, every time they go out. It will hopefully only take a few days until they get used to the idea.

· I live in hope of all children arriving in clothing they can comfortably wear through the day in all play situations – inside, outside, when out on walks, in the car etc. However, even working closely with parents and asking for their support, it does not always happen. Children arrive by car in just a jumper, mum telling them it’s not cold enough to wear coats today... they do not take kindly to me insisting they put on one of my spares later. Another child might arrive wearing a dress and sandals in the depths of winter... because dad says that’s what she wanted to put on that morning etc.

A compromise here might be to use an outdoor thermometer – when the temperature goes below a certain agreed level, warm clothing including coats must be worn, no argument. This does not, of course, take into account the wind chill factor but it is a start.

· Certain medical conditions such as asthma require children to be warmly wrapped up outside. In these situations children might feel resentful. I have known children with medical conditions who are told to wear coats refuse to the point where we have tantrums every time we go out – which is tricky when we have 3 school runs a day.

Here, we need to have clear behaviour expectations and go with medically caring for the child. No compromise.

Just don’t get me on the subject of hats!!

Talk soon

Sarah xx

:)

Happy Christmas!

I would like to say Happy Christmas and send best wishes for a peaceful New Year to each one of my customers.

Thank you to each of you for your support throughout 2008.

xx

Eyfs - mini e-books

My mini e-books have proven to be very popular with customers who want specific information on a wide range of subjects. So... I have added some new ones to my range.

Mini 10 – Working with parents

There are many subjects covered in this e-book, which includes the 3 key areas involved in working with parents – communication, respect and sharing information. I have looked at working with parents in detail, including how to write your Welcome Booklet, ideas for what to put in Newsletters, how to share information about the child... etc.

Mini 11 – Nappy changing, hand washing and toileting

Our responsibilities to parents and children are huge. We must support parents, protect children and work within the requirements of the EYFS. I have talked about routines, health and safety and much more.

Mini 12 – Teaching safety

Supporting children to be safe is a huge area and I have looked at some of the ways you can teach safety to children. This includes rail track, road, internet, animal and fire safety; teaching about personal safety such as stranger danger and people who help us and a section thinking about how to support children to risk assess their own play.

Mini 13 – Allergies

Hopefully this mini e-book covers nearly everything you ever wanted to know about allergies, anaphylaxis, Epipens etc. It also includes information on how to support the child and work with parents. There are sample forms etc...

Mini e-books are £1.45 each and for sale on my website. A customer called them my 'credit crunch e-books'... yes, I suppose they are.

I hope you find them useful.

:)

Continuous Provision e-book

What is continuous provision?

Continuous provision is a fairly new term, invented to describe the activities you have out every day... the resources that make your setting great... the things children look forward to playing with when they come to you... the essential equipment which helps children learn and develop and achieve...

It is different from your planned activities because, to set up a planned activity you will make a plan based around a specific set of resources which you have chosen for the theme / topic / role play / area of learning etc you are following with the children... whereas the continuous provision will always be there.

You might use continuous provision as part of your planned activities. For example, you could add some fish to the water if you are following a child’s interests in the book ‘Rainbow Fish’ by Martin Pfister; you could put some cinnamon in the playdough if a child enjoys the sensory experience of Christmas smells and you want to enhance his learning; you could add some glittery shoes to the dressing up if a child wants to be a ballet dancer...

Your continuous provision will always be changing, as you adapt it to suit each child’s individual needs. For example, John enjoys playing with the paints but you have also noticed he is spending more time in the sand recently – you could suggest he puts some sand in the paint and makes a sensory picture; Jane has shown an interest in your range of ‘feelings’ books, so you add your emotions hand puppets to the book box to see if Jane wants to use them to express herself in a different way; Kate has started to take an interest in using the mark making equipment, so you put together a shoe box of paper, pencils, crayons, note pads and other stationery for her to explore with her friends.

I have included 17 fully written continuous provision plans in this e-book and a chapter explaining exactly what continuous provision is all about.

Hope you find it useful!

:)