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Dear
Mother
The
purpose of Mothers and Miracles workshops is to enhance the special bond between
mother and child and to assist in the development of the child.
Therefore is it crucial that you give attention to the following aspects
to achieve optimum results. The
routine of the class is important to make the child feel secure because they
know what happens in a class and what is going to happen next. Firstly,
be on time and please don’t park on the neighbour’s grass.
Park in our driveway or on our pavement.
(Early birds will catch a parking space under the carport!)
Everybody leaves approximately at the same time, but if you are in a
hurry, park on the pavement for a fast getaway. Please leave all administrative matters for teatime.
Put nappy bags, handbags and keys out of our way, so no keys will get
lost, and bottles are left out of sight of other children and won’t draw
attention during activities. Choose
a book to read when you get to the class, to help your child calm down and relax
before the start of the activities. It
is very important that you talk to your child during class.
Explain what we are doing, why we are doing it, name the things we use,
name and describe what they feel/hear/see/smell/taste.
This will aid in their development of language and speech. Please
listen to explanations of activities to avoid unnecessary repetitions, and ask
immediately if you don’t understand how or why we are doing an activity.
Take only what is necessary for a specific activity out of the box, put
the lid back on and hide the box behind you so that your child’s attention
won’t wander to the box. Do this consistently every week to teach your child that this
is the way it is done. The contents
of the boxes are always washed before the next class so please put everything
back in the box after using and take care to avoid unnecessary destruction to
cards/pictures which will be used again. The
amount of enthusiasm you put into the activity will determine your child’s
co-operation. Focus on your child
and do your best to get his/her co-operation.
This means that you may have to make a clever plan/use humour/dramatise
to get him/her interested. If all
your effort still don’t pay off, try again later or at home when your child is
calm, relaxed and secure. We never
force a child to do anything, because we want the learning experience to be fun.
Do take care that your child doesn’t wander around and disturb other
children who are busy with the activity. It
is essential that you get up and play along during gross-motor activities.
Your child will never learn to kick, jump or play ball if you just sit
and give directions. Conflict
can easily arise during toy time. Let’s
all follow the rule that the child who had the toy first, may play with it until
he looses interest or are willing to give it to somebody else.
If your child wants somebody else’s toy,
take him/her away to the toy cupboard and select a similar or different
toy to distract his/her attention from the other child’s toy. Show
your child how to use a certain toy, investigate into all possibilities and then
leave him/her to play in his/her own way. If
he/she plays differently than what you showed, see it as creative thoughts and
exploration which is good for development.
Remember to put anything that was mouthed or dirty in the green basket,
especially during winter time. At
music time it is important to focus on your child and to dance and play along
with the instruments. Listen to the
description of the movements so you can follow it and enjoy the dance. We
all want our children to be creative and have creative thoughts.
Therefore you should not skip creative activities just because of the
mess. To be able to explore and
create their own artworks, is an important part of
your child’s development Different
activities are suggested each week, but it is more important to let your child
explore the art materials, than to make a specific picture to take home.
Guide your child through the activity, but leave enough room for
exploring and experimentation. Use
the aprons and soapy water, and put on clothes that may get dirty. Show
your child the week’s texture , let him/her feel it and describe to him/her
what it is and how it feels. Avoid
unnecessary spilling of textures because most textures will be used for other
classes as well. After
creativity and experiencing the textures, you may leave your child to play
freely on the toys/equipment available. You
should however keep an eye on your child to avoid injuries and to handle
conflict over toys as fast as possible. If your child take another child’s toy, or are hurting
another child, it is your responsibility to remove your child from the situation
and give him/her something else to distract his/her attention. Help
yourselves to some cookies, coffee, tea or juice during tea time and enjoy the
time for socialisation with other moms and children. CLASS FEES AND
ATTENDANCE
When
you join a class, you are paying for your place in that class, whether you are
there or not. It is your
responsibility to attend classes regularly to get value for your money.
Please notify me in good time if you cannot make a class, to allow
someone else the opportunity to make up a class.
I cannot guarantee the making up of classes, but I will try to
accommodate you if at all possible. We don’t allow more than 10 moms per class, to ensure
personal attention and enough space for each child.
It also makes preparations and purchases easier.
So please phone first to hear if a
place is available when you want to make up a class.
No refunds for missed classes or credit for coming months.
No classes are held on public holidays, but are worked in with other
classes, if possible. Give a
month’s notice when you want to cancel your place in a class, to enable me to
plan for new moms, or moms who have to move to the next age group. Thank
you for your co-operation. May we
have a long and prosperous relationship from which our children and us may reap
the benefits.
Tania |
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