All about Playcentre

The kids and I have been attending our local Playcentre for most of their lives. I thought I'd snap lots of pictures of today's session to give a wee snapshot of a typical session, to persuade some of you nay-sayers (I know you're out there!) that it can be a really neat way of being a part of your child's preschool education. There are duties involved (forgot to do my holiday one - sorry to whoever had to scrub the tables. I owe you) and there are days when I'd rather just stay at home and turn the TV on than pack lunches, be sociable, clean up other kids' mess and nudge Sophie through that particular day's social etiquette lessons with her peers.

However...

• It's cheap. I guess it'd need to be, considering that you can't leave untoilet-trained children there, and you need to help on your rostered duty days.
• You get to spy on your kids in a different environment, which you feel a bit odd doing in a preschool situation. Though I have done it (**darty-eyed glance**) I like getting a broader picture of where my kids' social skills are at. It's not often good if I'm to be honest, but we're working on "Hello" as a starter, instead of a venomous glare. We will get there, they tell me...
• You get to make mess with cool stuff somewhere else. This is important if you dislike cleaning or share my repressed tidy gene.
  
• You children love it! Enough said.
• Good for kids / mums who aren't ready to do the preschool / kindy alone thing.
• Good support network for mums.
  
• There really is a huge potential for learning in this environment. We as parents know our preschoolers best, so we know what activities and topics interest them. And I know it varies vastly from minute to minute, but Playcentre is a great place to snatch those learning opportunities when they arise and make the mess somewhere else. Have I mentioned that before?

Anyway, my bullet points look untidy, so I'll stop rambling and post some pictures. This is the official Playcentre website, so that you can find your local ;)

Obstacle course

Getting some gas - Caleb's favourite Playcentre pastime



Lunch in a hidey-hole



Playing Ponies - the blimmin' things are at Playcentre too!



Baking soda volcanoes in the sand pit



Picasso in action
(Did I just spell his name wrong? Can't be bothered Googling...)



Mess, glorious mess!



The most cautious child in the world JUMPS!



Snack on the go. Why not?



The Lean Mean Running Biking Machine



And... Sophie at home, proudly wearing her pipe-cleaner glasses that she has been begging relentlessly to make for days, and her pink medal, earned for being the official Lego-picking-up champion of Tuesday, the 12th of October. Pick is even better than gold, ya know ;)