Kubb (Viking Chess)

I want to tell you all about a great game I discovered this summer. It’s great fun for adults and kids, very simple to play and you can play it almost anywhere there’s a patch of grass. My charges love the grisly origins of the game and it’s inspired us to learn about the Vikings.

 

The idea is simple. You throw sticks of wood at your opponents’ blocks of wood and try to knock them down so you can knock down the big block of wood – the king – in the middle. Originally the sticks of wood were leg bones and the blocks of wood were skulls, but don’t let that put you off! Each team starts with a line of 5 ‘skulls’ and 6 ‘bones’ and you have to throw your bones at your opponents skulls and try to knock them over. If you knock over a skull then next turn your opponents throw the skulls into your half and then have to knock all those skulls down before they can hit any skulls left on your line. Occasionally you knock over a skull on the line before you’ve knocked down the ones you’re supposed to have first but that’s okay because you have one more throw to get the remaining skull(s). If you don’t knock down all the skulls in the middle then on your opponents’ next go they can throw from any of the skulls left standing, which means they can be a lot closer to your line. When all the skulls on the line have been knocked down you can throw your bones at the king in the middle, which is bigger and heavier than the normal skulls, and try to knock it over. First to get all their opponents’ skulls and the king wins, but if you knock over the king before you’ve got all the other skulls you lose! There are a couple of other rules but that’s the basic idea, and games last between 15 minutes and an hour, depending on how good you are at aiming!

 

It’s a great game for improving throwing skills and you can adapt the size of the pitch to suit smaller players because it’s just marked out by pegs. Adults and older children can play on a full size pitch which is about 5 paces by 10 paces, but the exact size isn’t important. We’re playing with a 3 year old in tow so our pitch is about half the size. You only need 2 players but teams can be up to 6 on each side and we always attract a couple of children we’ve never met before each time we play it at the park.

 

The only downside to the game is that the wooden pieces are quite heavy to carry about, but don’t let that stop you trying this great game.

Surviving emergency childcare

It happens to everyone at some point. Sick child, sick childminder or nanny, unexpected business trip, one child in hospital and siblings not allowed in or your carefully prepared backup plan for nursery closure has fallen through. You need emergency childcare. Apart from the logistics of sourcing a temporary nanny, emergency childminder or last minute nursery place there are a few things to consider. You want to make the handover as smooth and stressfree as possible for you, your temporary childcare and above all your child.

 

It happens to everyone at some point. Sick child, sick childminder or nanny, unexpected business trip, one child in hospital and siblings not allowed in or your carefully prepared backup plan for nursery closure has fallen through. You need emergency childcare. Apart from the logistics of sourcing a temporary nanny, emergency childminder or last minute nursery place there are a few things to consider. You want to make the handover as smooth and stress-free as possible for you, your temporary childcare and above all your child

 

There are many ways to find emergency childcare, via an agency or searching for temporary nannies with availability. It’s best to maximise your chances by following as many leads as possible. Once you’ve found someone don’t be tempted to skip steps – ask for at least 2 references and either request scans of their checks and qualifications or get them to bring them along so you can see for yourself before they start work.

Prepare your child as much as possible for the change to his routine by talking about the new childcare and highlighting the advantages and similarities. Reassure them that this isn’t a permanent change to their routine and they will be able to return to normal afterwards. A special comforter, blanket or cuddly toy, even if usually reserved for bedtimes, may help your child deal with the transition.

Leave a much detail as possible for your new nanny or childminder concerning your child’s routine and favourite foods and activities and, if you have chosen an emergency nanny, your house.An experienced temporary nanny will be used to parachuting in and getting on with it but it’s better to have too much detail than none at all. After all if everything is going well they may not need to refer to your speedily put together manual but should they need to know something it will make their life, and yours, a lot easier if they can just scan through to find what they need to know.

Where possible ensure sufficient time for a handover but don’t drag it out for too long. It’s hard leaving your child with someone she and you don’t know but it can be very confusing if you’ve explained that the emergency nanny or childminder is going to look after her and then you don’t leave. Tell the emergency childcarer to call you if there are any problems or your child doesn’t settle, and leave as many numbers as possible for you and your partner so you can be reached easily.

Discuss payment beforehand. There’s nothing worse than turning up at the end of the day with an empty purse to find that they are expecting cash. There’s nothing illegal about paying in cash, in fact many childcarers who take short-notice, short-term jobs prefer it as it means they know they’ve been paid. Be aware that paying in cash doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have to deduct tax and National Insurance or a temporary nanny; some are self-employed but if they’re there for more than a few days they may be expecting you to act as their employer. If you already employ a nanny and use a payroll agency then they should be able to help you.

Prepare for emergencies by leaving a letter of consent for medical treatment. It would be exceptionally bad luck to face a trip to A&E on top of your childcare crisis but these things can happen and it’s safer to be prepared.

Finally, give yourself permission to make the day as easy as possible. The housework can wait, dinner can be the freezer’s finest or a takeaway, take a taxi – surviving emergency childcare is tough enough without extra work.

Hopefully you and your child will come through smiling, and even asking for your temporary nanny to come back!

 

Preparing for interview

A lot rides on a nanny job interview so it’s worth taking the time to prepare it well. Here are ten tips to help you ace that all-important meeting before you even step in the door.

 

1. Plan your route – as soon as you have a place and a time work out how long it will take you to get there and the most reliable route. You don’t want to get lost on the big day so if it’s an area you don’t know it might be worth doing a dry run.

2. Prep your portfolio – make sure you have all the certificates and references you need in one place, as well as any example routines or activities you want to show the parents. Most parents will also ask to see proof of identity and address so have those handy too.

3. Scout out the area – if you don’t know the area then have a look on the internet for local activities and amenities. This will also give you a feel for whether you want to work there or not.

4. List your questions for them – our twenty questions to ask at interview are a good start but if there’s anything particular about the position you want to know be sure to write it down so you remember to ask.

5. Refresh your knowledge – it’s always a good idea to read up on the next developmental stages for your future charges before interview, especially if you haven’t worked with that age group for a while. If it’s an interview with a baby familiarise yourself with the latest weaning guidelines and for a toddler remind yourself about different behaviour management strategies and potty training.

6. Pick your outfit – what to wear for a nanny interview could be a whole separate blog post but your keywords should be comfortable yet smart. You want to create a good impression but still be able to get down on the floor and play if you meet the children.

7. Leave early -it’s better to arrive 20 minutes early and wait in the car or have a coffee than be in a big rush or, worse, late.

8. Go over the details – it creates a good impression if you have the information you’ve been given at your fingertips so you’re able to greet your future boss by names as they open the door and are prepared

9. Scrub up – just before you ring the bell check yourself in the mirror and get rid of any smudges, stains or stray hairs. Its worth keeping a pack of baby wipes in your bag to deal with any last minute emergencies.

10. Shake hands and smile – when the door is opened be smiling and friendly, shake hands confidently and step inside!

Expanding social circles

A common worry about nanny care is that children will end up socially isolated and stuck in the house with their nanny all day but one to one care doesn’t mean that your nanny and child will spend all day every in just each other’s company. A good nanny will work with you to develop and expand your child’s horizons.

 

Babies benefit from being in their own surroundings with a stable, consistent adult carer much more than they benefit from seeing other babies at nursery. Although they might find other babies intriguing for a short time, children don’t actually play together until they are about 2 years old. This doesn’t mean, of course, that it’s healthy for them to go without other social contact all day, no more than it’s healthy for a nanny, but you don’t need to send your child to nursery for them to see other children. Search out local toddler groups, classes and story times and trust your nanny to make judgements about the people she meets.

 

The friendships that develop between children who see each other with their nannies can be a lot more flexible than the friendships developed at nursery. They can have the experience of inviting their friends to their house, which involves sharing their toys and their space, as well as seeing where their friends live. They get the fun of spontaneous play dates and learn to be a good host as well as a good guest.

 

A benefit of encouraging your nanny to create a local circle of nanny friends is that if she is ever sick, or you have trouble covering her holiday, you can reach out to those contacts who will know your child and your nanny’s style of care, which is hopefully the same as yours, and create a short term nanny share, with the understanding that you are happy for your nanny to reciprocate and host another child at your house if their nanny is ever ill.

Sports day

Thank you, Louise for sending this to us. We’re delighted to share it.

It was my charge’s schools Sports Day today. I think times have changed and not necessarily for the better, and maybe you’ll agree, maybe you won’t but I’d like to share why I’m disappointed.

When I was younger our Sports Day was about friendly competition, about doing our best in races to go really fast and beat our friends. There were three races – the running race, the sack race and the egg and spoon race – for each and every year, with a long race and a short race for the older years, and no-one ever won all of them although we all tried. The best anyone managed was two and that was something to be marvelled at. Whoever was the winner won fair and square, no cheating allowed, and there were points for second and third place. We all tried our best to get points for our house. When you were in year 5 and 6 you got to go to the big athletics ground where we had Sports Day and try long jump, high jump, hurdles and very blunt javelin every fortnight in the summer term and there was a competition that everyone watched on the day itself.

Today there wasn’t a house system so there was no incentive to cheer on other classes. In fact I don’t think they were watching most of the time because each class was busy with their own event. It’s a shame that Sports Day is no longer a time for the whole school community to come together. Everyone got a prize for something, so the value of winning was lost, and the losers didn’t learn to lose gracefully or vow to do better next year because they got a medal for trying. I have nothing against trying but I worry about what children are learning when they get a medal for it!

There were so many events, some traditional and some not, and no consistency across the years, and that made me really think. We liked our simple races. The running races rewarded people who could run, but they often tried to go too fast in the egg and spoon. The sack race was down to luck on the day and not getting tangled in your sack and falling flat on your face. We were all desperate for it to be our turn to be in year 5 to do the Big Events and when we there we felt so special that it didn’t matter who won.

One thing I’m not sorry that they don’t have any more is the Parents Race. I think my charge would have made me run in it, and I like to think I would have lost with grace and shown her how to do that, but it was just too hot.