What we have to offer you as a dayhome.
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Story Time
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Arts and Crafts
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Outdoor Play
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Indoor Play
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Baking
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Music/Dance
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Field Trips
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Birthday parties
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Holiday Parties
The dayhome is child friendly. We had done extensive childproofing to help provide the safest environment possible, so that we only need to focus on having FUN!.
The main floor is where most of the action takes place. The living is set up as the main play area, it's bright and spacious. In the kitchen is where lots of fun occurs. There is a TV and a wide variety of movies to chose from for an occasional movie "party". Popcorn and a little treat are great during this time, as it's usually the week of a snow storm or after several days of rain. Kids are permitted to watch some tv, such as when I'm prepping meals, or the last little while before pick up, but this is limited as we're much to busy to watch tv through the day. This room is where most of our indoor play occurs. We have a CD player with several kid cd's, we learn songs, dance, or play games with the music. We have books, and puzzles, blocks, dolls, cars, and many other things. Not all are available at all times, toys get rotated to keep it all novel. We also have a play tent, musical instruments, race car tracks, that come out for a defined period of time, but not all the time. We are always looking for new toys, or new used toys as the case might be to enhance the dayhome. We are currently looking for a train table for the dayhome as well.
Also on the main floor is the kitchen. This is where the messy, ooey, gooey fun happens, from painting, to drawing, and playing with goo and playdoh to baking cookies and muffins and having our meals. It's a very versatile space.
Upstairs we have designated for infant nap times. I set up playpens in the bedrooms so that the littlest ones in care have a nice quiet place to rest while not preventing the older ones from having fun too.
Down one level is a secondary play area. We use this area in the summer when it's really hot, as it's nice and refreshing. We also hang out there for afternoon naps when it's hot. We don't often use the space in the winter, as we do run a fireplace and don't wish to risk any one getting hurt.
We have a large fenced backyard that we use extensively whenever the weather permits. In the summer it means most of every morning. We have a swingset and slide, as well as several riding cars, small climbing toys. Depending on who's in care, we also have a few small bikes or tricycles that we play with on the driveway, with helmets of course. Also outside are numerous balls, a sand box, wading pool. We also play with bubbles, draw with sidewalk chalk, and have been known to pain 5x20' pictures by securing a roll of paper to the fence. Or doing "toe painting" with pans of paint and walking on the paper outside.
We also go for walks in the neighborhood. This is a wonderful learning tool for preschoolers, there are numbers and signs to identify letters and numbers, different types of trees to name, colors to pick out. We also walk to the neighborhood store for an occasional treat. The kids are always attended when outside, and are reminded about the safety rules in the dayhome, as well as reminding them out of 'off limits' areas.
Through the year we celebrate various special occasions. At Halloween we have a costume party after the afternoon nap, with a special treat. At Christmas, we take a fieldtrip to see Santa at the Bonnie Doon shopping Mall, he's the only real Santa out there. I am able to take pictures to send home via email for those who want. These are always done with mixed success, some kids LOVE Santa, others want NOTHING to do with Santa, so pictures are always a hoot. We also celebrate birthdays! We'll have a special snack of cupcakes and ice cream, and the birthday boy or girl, gets a special gift from me.
Our basic everyday, consists of games, stories, craft, and puzzling. Kids are also very imaginative and often make up their own 'games' or activities. While we try to structure the day loosely, we also allow for going off on a creative tangent when the whim catches.
I aim to bring the kids on a monthly field trip. We have gone to indoor play parks, museums, toured pet stores, watched shark feedings. In the summer, we go a little more frequently, the zoo, splash parks, parks, nature hikes.
With little ones age 3 and up, I will set up a baking time with them. We call this our "tea party". We'll make a simple cookie recipe or mini muffins and enjoy the fruits of their labour for 'afternoon tea'. Often the little ones will have a goodie bag to bring home to share with mommy and daddy.
Story time. This happens before afternoon nap to help the little ones settle down. After the kids get used to this, it works very well at getting them to change gears to relax mode and settle down for a little nap. When my kids get home from school, there is often a second story time as my kids enjoy reading out loud too.
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