Looking for a sounding board for playgroup ideas

[CharlotteandCharlie]

Evening ladies.

My gf and I have taken over a playgroup I feel in love with last year.  The original lady was having a baby in the fall and didn't think she wanted to handle three kids and playgroup organization.  Don't blame her.  These days I've been thinking that we need a little bit more than free play.  Although I love free play and watching the kids, snack then more free play I'm wondering about organized craft time for the 2.5 plus age group.  I know they'd love it and the parents would enjoy their kids doing craft time too. 

My problem: the idea of trying to organize anywhere from 4 to 10 children and teaching/supervising their crafts scares me.  Its a confidence thing.

Questions: 

do you think I should try to impliment something like this or leave it be (play group runs from 10 - 11.30).
should I send an email to the moms to inquire if one of them has any experience (ie, playschool teacher, elementry) and wants the responsibilty
can you suggest some things that we can do that can be cleaned easily (ie, no painting) We have plenty of little person tables and chairs.

TIA

[Katet]

Fairly simple glueing & even cutting goes well for 2.5yo+
just glue sticks & lots of coloured bits either cut up paper, or we use stuff from our $2 shop, foam shapes, coloured cotton balls even glitter in little jars that they shake.
It really doesn't have to be difficult infact our Library does craft after story time & the kids have the most fun with the least structured stuff. Just let their imagination run & they will do as they feel best & those that want more "structure" maybe have some shapes they have to fill in & make a picture.

Adults are the ones who think the craft has to be structured, children get heaps more fun out of it being left up to their imagination, my 4yo ended up sticking foam shapes on the end of ice cream sticks (popsicle sticks) has also had great fun decorating paper plates. So I'd seriously consider giving the older ones children's scissors & letting them cut up coloured paper, collect all the bits & then the next week use it to make "pictures"

[shelliz]

Hi there!

  I meet with a similar play group at that exact same time as a matter of fact!  We do the same thing you do and as the kids get older I we are just beginning to do some crafts and more structured things.  I think an email would be a great thing. You could run your ideas by them and see if they have more input or see if someone wants to volunteer.  You could even try a rotation. Like one week you will do the activity and move on to a different mom the next week. Each mom would be responsible for thinking of the activity and bringing the supplies.   You would be great at doing it! Once you get your craft idea and supplies all together you will feel better about it.  Usually when you put a craft down in front of toddlers they just take off with it!  They will love it even if you are nervous about the presentation!    One of the last little crafts we did were using the little sponge cut outs that you can get at wal-mart and the mom got puff paints. Each child made two different painted cut outs. It was fun, simple and could be finished quickly if need be. Not too much clean up. The mom just taped brown paper over the little tables. Very easy, fun and artistic

good luck!
Shelby

[CharlotteandCharlie]

Thank you ladies.  I got reved up and confident, got some great ideas and called gf to let her in on my thoughts ... she poo pooed everything.  Her glass isn't always full or optomistic about children's behaviours (that's another post).  The wind in my sails has died down a bit.  I will canvass some other moms to see what they think on Friday. 

Thank you for your encouragement.

[mum101]

You could start with an organised task, perhaps after the kids snack time, so they've had time to run around like crazy and then wind down during eating. If you keep them to simple and quick things I think it would be good. Perhaps one week you can organise blowing bubbles (see if you can find the special bubble wands that are like straws where any kid of any skill can create bubbles).  A small simple craft, like pasting as pp mentioned would be good.  Or you could have a tub of low water with sea creatures and sand in it for them to play in.

The more simple the better, as quite frankly the kids might just be not interested at all. 

But I wouldn't let the other mums come up with ideas, as it could lead to the idea being disliked. I say this because one mum will decide to do painting or something too complex for the age group or too messy and half the kids will wreak havoc and all the mums will stress about cleaning up, or you'll have one ultra clean mum upset that her expensive kids clothes are covered in paint!  Your dilemma reminds me of mother's group where meeting up at family homes was outlawed after one mum (who was a cook) had an afternoon tea spread that rivalled 'high-tea'!  As we'd all brought something as well, the food was overwhelming and some mums thought the host was trying to show off.

I would control the crafts, but perhaps get a mum each week to set up and clean up as part of their task. 

[Katet]

Charlotte, being a negative first raction type person, I can see why the gf might be like that. We are hard people to bounce ideas off, as my dh often finds. Don't be dishartened.

Like Charmaine said, start off simple have a really thing that they can do for the first week & then ask if anyone else has anything they want to do if the first week is successful
We just had Library story time & the carft was OK more aimed at 5yo, yet the average age is about 3yo, but the thing all the children liked best was sticking the "feathers" (brown squares of paper) on the emu & stuffing the bag (body) with cut up paper, doing the legs & arms bit was a bit much. I seriously don't think you could go wrong with glue sticks & shapes they glue on paper... both my eldest's preschool & the drop in daycare for my youngest have that & even the least "crafty" (my eldest) likes the fact he can just glue & do... the best craft ever we've done was with a big sheet of paper & a bit of string & they have to make a "super hero" or "princess" cape & they decorate with coloured paper & crayons etc, kids did it for ages & then roll played afterwards & it was so easy to plan too.

[Deb_in_oz]

at the playgroup i go to now (and the one we went to in sydney) we had a roster for craft time (and story time and morning teas) and each week a different mom organized the craft (idea, supplies and clean up) - it woudl range from simple to more involved depending on the mom and also on the timing (if close to xmas usualy do ornaments, if around easter do soemthing related).

we went to ours yesterday and it is a huge playgroup for us (estimate 25+ kids ranging in age from 13mo - 4 1/2yo, whereas in past used to average of 10-15). the craft yesterday was super simple: in music and story time we had sung "we're going on a bear hunt" and had a bear story so the craft was a photocopy of a teddy bear and the kids decorated them - toddlers had crayons and stampers (hand held paints with ball at the end / like for bingo) and the older kids (2yo+) had access to paste and fabric remnants to decorate with.  they had a ball and it was cheap, easy and little mess. at home we do the paper plate decorating thing (with craft feathers, foam shapes, jewels, pom poms) and the girls get creative in their own way. can also recycle stuff from home and have everyone bring in toilet paper (and paper towel) tubes to use in crafts, egg cartons, cereal boxes etc all make good bases for creating things and painting etc.

there are a ton of sites with craft ideas and recipes for things like finger paints... and you can find age appropriate ones, inexpensive ones, simple ideas etc to suit your group.  they average only 15 min for craft session at playgroup (often less) so i say talk to your GF and give it a go.  if the other moms are intimidated, maybe you guys do the first 2-4 times and then others will take on a role. i am not crafty but i sign up for 1 craft turn each term and hope for the best (even my disaster xmas ornaments one was still a hit with the kids - they don't know or care what it is SUPPOSED to be, like Kate said just let them at the supplies with SOME direction)

[CharlotteandCharlie]

Kate, you've given me perspective with gf.  That's exactly her.  Now my cup is fuller.

Too everyone else, where do you get the money for the materials for your playgroups?  We charge $1.00 per child and all the money goes to the church minus about 8.00 a month for snack.  If I took more money from the pot the church wouldn't get their donation. 

Just wondering what everyone else does.

[shelliz]

Awwww...i'm sorry you got discouraged. if it is something you think would really benefit your playgroup...don't give it up!  Just b/c your gf isn't keen on it, certainly doesn't mean it won't work!  Maybe she will warm up to the idea after she watches you lead a craft:D

  Shelby


Just saw your new post.  If it were my group and we were adding activities...we would all pitch in another dollar or two (or whatever was needed for the craft).

[Deb_in_oz]

in sydney we just sucked up the costs as individuals. you know - your kid gets craft every week and your cost for that is what it costs for the craft you do (so some moms with more money might do a flashier craft but no one cares really) at my current group we get reimbursed (woohoo) - the playgroup is at a church but part of the official playgroup organization for our state - the church does this rent free as long as church members are the leaders. i am not sure how much money the group gets from the playgroup association but our cost for that is $28 per family per year.

you could take contributions for basic suplies and buy them in bulk - like if everyone gives $10 year to crafts you woudl buy a ton of paper, embellishments, paints, craft sticks, pipe cleaners  etc that you keep on hand and then those who do a craft can supplement if they need somethign special like purpple ribbons or xmas leaf paper puncher...

[skatty]

We go to a mum run playgroup and sometimes one of the mums will bring in some cookie dough she has made and all the kids roll out and make cookies which they later get to cook, they love this  Also once every few weeks a lady comes around and does "movement" with the kids for a couple of pound each and then another comes the other week doing music and singing but both these things could be run by a mum.

[Katet]

The play group we used to go to everyone brought a contribution for the snack eg cheese cubes, crackers, cut up fruit, just what ever they had on hand & it then all got shared, some mums brought cupcakes others healthy things. Then the weekly money was used to play for hall hire & craft projects.

[mari]

I don't think that it needs to be organised.  At our playgroup we have a table with playdough, another with aprons paints, another with glue and things to stick.  The parents are there to help their own children and are encouraged to do crafts with the children.  There is warm water and hand soap for washing afterwards. 
Why don't you ask the parents to save things like egg cartons yoghurt pots and towell tolls etc.  Also, why don't you base your crafts on the ethnic calendar, for example we made chinese lanterns today to celebrate Chinese New year tomorrow.  Next week we will be making something for Valentines.

[CharlotteandCharlie]

Thank you very much everyone.  You've given me things to think about and great ideas.  Today was a great day.  We spontaniously had two separate sections going apart from free play.  It was nice and the older kids loved it.