Hannukah

Image courtesy of digitalart at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Right now it’s the Jewish festival of Hannukah (or Chanukah). Tonight is the 4th night, when some people give presents. Others give presents only on the 5th night or every night. Hannukah lasts for 8 days and the symbol is a menorah, an 8 branched candle holder. The festival celebrates a miracle that happened after a small army of Jews known as the Maccabees defeated a much larger Greek army over 2000 years ago. When the Jews reached the Temple in Jerusalem they found there was only one small container of special purified oil to light the seven-branched Menorah, which needed to lit as part of the service every day. New oil would take eight days to make but the people lit the Menorah anyway and the oil miraculously burned for eight days until they had new oil.

The Hannukah menorah has eight candles, one for each day that the oil burned, and a servant candle that is used to right the others. The candle furthest to the right is lit on the first night. On the next night the candle to the left of the first candle and the first candle are lit, and it continues one new candle each night until the last night when all candles are lit. The candles are left burning for half an hour, but because today is Friday – the Jewish Sabbath – the candles will burn for half an hour. The menorah is supposed to be visible from outside and in Jerusalem there are special glass or plastic cases outside houses for it. In other countries the menorah is put in a window.

Because the feast is associated with oil it’s traditional to eat fried foods such as latkes (potato cakes) and doughnuts. It’s also traditional to play a game with a special toy called a dreidl. Long ago Jewish children weren’t allowed to study their religion in the open so they hid in caves. When soldies came by they hid what they were studying and started to play with the dreidl. It’s a game that you can play too using the printable templated from Enchanted Learning and some raisins or pieces of chocolate.

The dreidl has four sides with different characters and a pointed bottom. You spin the dreidl on the bottom and when it falls over the Hebrew character that shows tell you what to do. The characters are ש, ׁ ה , ג , נ .

 

The first character is ‘Nun’. You do nothing.

The second is ‘Gimel’. You can take everything in the middle of the table, and all the plays put a raisin or piece of chocolate in to make a new pot.

The third is ‘Hey’. You get to take half the goodies. If it’s an uneven number you leave the left over one in the middle.

The fourth character is ‘Shin’. You give a raisin or piece of chocolate to the pot. Better luck next time!

 

Questions Nannies Should Ask Parents

Interviews can always be daunting! When nannies are preparing for an interview, the first thing they do is practise their answers. By now, they will be used to the crucial questions they will be asked. E.g.  “Why did you choose nannying as a career?” Or “What are your views on childcare.”

What nannies also need to consider is what they’re going to ask when the parent asks that on-the-spot question “Do you have any questions?” Of course a polite answer is to say that they have been very thorough and given all the details you need. Remember that this is a two way process… this is much about the nanny as it is about the family.

A good nanny interview tip would be to show interest in the position & ask well thought-out questions, it will give the opportunity to find out more about the family & their expectations….

Nannies Inc., a premium London nanny agency, recently placed an Ofsted registered, qualified nanny and the mother commented on not only was she polite and gave a good impression, but she was prepared. I asked the nanny to share some tips on how she prepared and she said she took a list of questions with her.
Some of these included:

  • Ask about the family’ routine – what they like doing, their interests, what activities the children enjoy, how they want the day to be structured.

 

  • Ask about expected duties e.g. babysitting, housework etc. This will give the nanny the opportunity to know what is expected of them and whether this is in line with their expectations.

 

  • What method of disciplining do the parents use?

 

  • Are there any house rules the nanny needs to know of – e.g. special diets, religious beliefs, no shoes etc.

 

  • Don’t be afraid to ask about working hours, holiday and the dreaded question about salary. There is no point in being shy about these things, it is best to be upfront.

 

  • Ask to see the home, look at the playroom or especially if the nanny is live-in, ask to see the accommodation & what is provided.

 

The nanny said that she also closed the interview by showing she was interested and asked when the decision would be made and expressed her interest. She also recommended following up with a text or emailing a few hours later to thank the parents for their time.

Now, with these interview tips in mind, it’s time for you to go get that dream job! Good luck!

 

This guest post was written for http://www.nannyjob.co.uk by a Recruitment Consultant at Nannies Incorporated. To find out more about or to view their nanny positions, visit their website here.

 

Creating a portfolio

More and more nannies are taking a portfolio with them to interviews, to present their qualifications and other paperwork and demonstrate their style of childcare to prospective employers. A good portfolio is well-organised, neat and relevant. A battered file stuffed with tatty pieces of paper won’t impress anyone – in fact it will probably do more harm than good – so you need to pay attention to what you choose and where you put it.

 

First impressions really count. Whether it’s a funky scrapbook or a sleek leather wallet the outside of your portfolio sets up expectations for what parents will find inside. You should present a coherent and authentic image, so if you are a creative person show that your personality carries over to your work with children. Everyone can put things in a folder, making yours different, even if it’s choosing blue leather rather than black, will make you memorable.

 

Parents will expect to see your qualifications ordered logically. You can order them chronologically or by area (general childcare, maternity specific, Montessori etc). You don’t need to present all of your First Aid certificates, just the most recent will do. It can really help parents to create a quick overview of what your course involved and what you learnt alongside the certificate. Many certificates don’t give any more information than the date and title of the course so giving additional detail will help prospective employers see how the study you have done makes you a better nanny.

 

Some nannies like to include sample menu plans or weekly activities for different ages. These can help parents see what they can expect if they employ you, especially for first time employers who may not really know what a nanny does on a day to day basis. By including a typical menu you can demonstrate your cooking skills and your understanding of nutrition. If you like to present food in new and interesting way then jazz up your menu with some photos (and if you don’t have any ideas hop over to our pinterest board to see what we like in the kitchen). Showing what you might do in a typical week also shows your understanding of appropriate activities for various ages and stages, and gives parents an idea of whether you’re a nanny who likes to get out and about to classes and on playdates, or one who likes crafting, or one who’s at the beach or in the forest in all weathers. Throughout your portfolio you can include photos of activities you’ve done with past charges to bring your experience to life. Do get permission from your previous employers before including them though!

 

Last, but certainly not least, you should include copies of all your references and testimonials. It’s unlikely that a future employer will want to contact a temp job you did 10 years ago but you probably got a glowing reference and you should be proud of it.

 

What else would you include in a portfolio? Let us know!