Playcentre Mums
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Category: General Chat
Forum Name: General Chat
Forum Description: For mums, dads, parents-to-be, grandparents, friends -- you name it! And you name the topic you want to chat about!
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=34273
Printed Date: 17 June 2024 at 2:53pm
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Topic: Playcentre Mums
Posted By: _SMS_
Subject: Playcentre Mums
Date Posted: 24 June 2010 at 7:51pm
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Who here is a playcentre mum?
Do you like playcentre? Do your children? I take DD to playcentre each week sometimes twice a week. She loves it. Im so glad i take her 
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Replies:
Posted By: anon
Date Posted: 24 June 2010 at 7:56pm
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I'm interested in hearing the replies. I didn't think I was a "playcentre mum" because when I went as a nanny, the mothers seemed so into their kids playing and learning and that was the focus rather than having some time out while their kids played and having a coffee and a chat (my preference - haha!)
However, I have been going to SPACE at playcentre once a week and I love it. It's a mixture of everything and I feel at home at playcentre and if the mums stay on at playcentre, I'll enjoy catching up with them. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 24 June 2010 at 8:12pm
Lily starts space on the 19th July, I can't wait!  ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: M2K
Date Posted: 24 June 2010 at 8:19pm
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I take Keira to playgroup to get out of the house, she loves playing with other kids. It took me a while to actually go there as Im so shy at first and hadn't met any other army wives out here (we used to live in town) so I was glad to have somewhere to take Keira and meet other people in the same boat as me ------------- 
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Posted By: palomino
Date Posted: 24 June 2010 at 8:20pm
| Iv just enrolled, something i have always been interested in, so exciting now we can really get into it. DS loves it too, as soon as we get out of the car hes running to start painting. Plus its fun letting him get messy and not having to worry about the house getting trashed. |
Posted By: _SMS_
Date Posted: 24 June 2010 at 8:28pm
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I agree HUNTD. Thats a bonus not having the mess!!
Wow Brennan is good painting. Taylah just eats the paint lol -------------
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Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 24 June 2010 at 8:45pm
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We have been at PC for just over a year now and I love it and so do the boys. I have just started co-leading a session this term. Our PC is great as there is no pressure to attend a certain number of sessions, and there is a nice balance of Mum-time for gssiping, talking, discussioning issues etc and spending time with your kids.
And it is great they can get messy there, so don't have to worry about lpaydough, clay, paint etc at home ------------- Lindsey 
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Posted By: anon
Date Posted: 25 June 2010 at 9:37am
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Linzy is there any structure or the kids just play and mums just help etc? Sounds like when you say you co-lead it that there may be certain blocks of time you do certain things? ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: shadowfeet
Date Posted: 25 June 2010 at 11:24am
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What age do kids start to get benefit out of playcentre? I couldn't get to SPACE because of the time it ran but am considering playcentre. I was a playcentre kid, and my Mum was a playcentre educator (paid) til my youngest brother was in the middle of high school. ------------- 
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Posted By: E&L+1
Date Posted: 25 June 2010 at 12:33pm
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Hey shadowfeet I'm a playcentre mum and have been for 1 term so far.
I started taking E when she was 5.5 months and I got more out of it but now she is a bit older she loves watching the older kids and because she has been going for a while it is a comfortable place for her to be. I enjoy it as it gives us time out of the house and conversation with other adults. E loves it because they have different toys there and kids to watch. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Lulu
Date Posted: 25 June 2010 at 2:22pm
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I tried the whole playcentre thing but it didn't really work out for me. I have to take my Daughter somewhere that I can attend with her as she is extremely shy and needs me there as her confidence builds (hopefully by kindy age!), but the whole concept of having to do courses and go to meetings etc wasn't what I wanted - I am busy enough in my own life between running a home business and being a full time Mother and any spare time I have is for me and DH to enjoy! I would rather have somewhere that you paid extra but they had employed people to take care of the 'nitty gritty'. Basically daycare, but one that I could attend too! I found the facilities good in one way, heaps to do - painting, waterplay, sandpit, climbing apparatus, toys, books, etc, but I also found everything to be quite filthy and dirty - I think this is partly because it is a parent co-operative and relies mostly on the parents cleaning up after each session which is done rather half heartedly. I found that the long term parents were in quite a tight group and I were quite different to me so I didn't really fit in as such. I can totally see the value for some people though and think that it is a great community service. For me though in the end it was better to take my Daughter to other activities such as Mainly Music, jumping beans, rhythm & rhyme etc as there is no obligation other than turning up and paying the fee! ------------- Lou http://www.babysfirstsite.com"> 
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Posted By: Nikki
Date Posted: 25 June 2010 at 10:22pm
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I'm a playcentre mum. We also go to one in west ak (like Linzy, but a different centre) a nd there seems to be alot less pressure than some other areas. There is still some work with course, meetings, fundraising etc though.
My kids love it. Morgan is such a "playcentre kid" - you know the one covered in paint, sand, water and eating play dough! I've found it hard with her not wanting to nap there anymore, but she is coping alot better now that shes close to going down to one nap anyway. Jake is a little more shy, so probably took a term to settle in (we've been going for about 10months) but loves it now and is way more independant. I think Morgan did get some benefit out of it while younger, but basically I think they mainly benefit once they are old enough to really play and not get too tired being awak all morning, so about 10/12 months and older probably (just my opinion). Newlywed - theres no structure - its all free play. the only "structure" we have is they all have fruit together while the parents have a meeting at the end, before we all clean up. ------------- DS (5yrs) and DD (3yrs) |
Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 26 June 2010 at 8:30am
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Newlywed - the only structure to our sessions is that morning tea is at 10am (ish), the kids all sit down together and eat, at our centre you put you name down and take turns bringing a few nibbles for the parents for morning tea (one of my favourite parts!). Oh and we do a session evaluation at the end which takes about 10mins
I share the lead responsibilities with a friend which makes it easier. It isn't very hard. We have to read the notices at morning tea time, make sure we haven't got too many people as we are only licensed for a certain number of kids per session, organise a trip per term (could be just down to the local park), organise a fire drill. But some of that can be delegated anyway. Not really too hard. Lulu - I suppose alot of that depends on the centre you go to. Our PC is very clean. We do a full clean at the end of each term e.g. every single block is cleaned, plus we all clean up at the end of the session and it is done really well. Our PC isn't too strict on the training, I didn't complete Course 1 till the end of my 3rd term and it was really easy as the workshops were all during session times so they had extra parents in to help look after your kids while you did the workshop, and of course I could step away if the boys needed me. I think that every PC is different and if you really want to go to one it may pay to check out a few different ones to see which one fits you best (if at all) ------------- Lindsey
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Posted By: rorylex
Date Posted: 26 June 2010 at 11:18am
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im a playcentre mum and i love it. i take all 4 boys with me though next term ds1 is off to school and ds2 is at daycare on wed mornings while im at playcentre. i have been going since my oldest was 9mths though at first it was on and off as i found a playcentre that i liked.
when ds3 was 6mths i finally found a playcentre i loved, i dont mind doing the courses c1 is soo simple. i dont mind meetings as it means i get a say in what happens at playcentre. i prefer my kids to be in my care until 3.5yrs+, but i love them being able to have all the things avalible to them that, children in daycare/kindy have. also i love that it gives me time to interact with other mothers, fathers and granparents. and i can chill out more their than i can at home. ------------- Mummy to 4 boys Samuel - 18.6.05 Rory - 15.7.06 Mason - 13.06.08 Emmett - 24.01.10 Baby #5 - cooking |
Posted By: freckle
Date Posted: 26 June 2010 at 12:01pm
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I took DD2 to playcentre for 9 months and she did really enjoy it... we moved areas so was too far to attend the old PC and I'm still deciding whether I can be bothered going to the one near us now... I was a bit over the pressure to attend meetings, fundraisers, all the cleaning up in the holidays, working bees and courses... but in other ways it was great as my DD is rather shy too and was nice for her to have me there....
------------- mum to 3 lovely girls :D |
Posted By: LJsmum
Date Posted: 26 June 2010 at 7:28pm
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i took both boys to playcentre for a few terms. Depends on the playcentre and the people there really. DS1 loved it though, lots of freeedom to play and explore and get messy!
have a look it is fun and worth checking out go to a few and find one you like. -------------  
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Posted By: rorylex
Date Posted: 26 June 2010 at 7:39pm
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remember that there are different people on different days so check out all sessions that suit your week and see what group you get on with better. ------------- Mummy to 4 boys Samuel - 18.6.05 Rory - 15.7.06 Mason - 13.06.08 Emmett - 24.01.10 Baby #5 - cooking |
Posted By: mrsturtle
Date Posted: 26 June 2010 at 7:42pm
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excuse my ignorance, can you start at playcenter at any age? Emily is almost 16months and i would love for her to go to something, she did go to a space programme when we lived in central otago but since we moved to dunedin i havent got her into anything i know there is a playcenter about 5 min away.
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Posted By: SMoody
Date Posted: 26 June 2010 at 7:47pm
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I am a Playcentre Mum and I just really really love it. I had attended two different ones part of two different associations (we moved house and area) and can say it really differs from centre to centre as well as your session to session.
And it really depends on who is the parents and the kids involved. It is all centred around free play and child's free choice. So most of your activities is available on each session and it is the parents responsibilities to extend the kids on session. My old centre had an over 4 year old group so did more structured activities with the kids and it was a drop off session. My new centre have the same. Extended sessions for over 3's. It is two days a week and it is a lot more structured but still around child choice. I absolutely love it. Andrew has gone the first time in when he was 2 days old (just a quick visit though) and been a full time PC kid since 3 weeks. He absolutely lap every moment up. He definately gets to experience things that I would not normally do at home. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Caro07
Date Posted: 26 June 2010 at 8:13pm
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Another playcentre mum here Been going since DH just turned 1. It was mainly for my benefit at the start (moving to a new city and needing to meet new people) but now he loves it too.
I like doing the courses and even enjoy the meetings. I think it gives us a sense of ownership and responsibility for playcentre. I am also the centre treasurer and it certainly makes you appreciate the finer points of running a PC. Our PC has so much variety and choice of activities/toys and everything is very clean. We do a total pack away each session and the floors get swept and mopped everyday. ------------- Caroline, SAHM to 2 boys, S (4 years old) and J (2 years old) 
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Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 26 June 2010 at 8:19pm
Yes you can, well in saying that it is for children birth to 6yrs Check out the http://www.playcentre.org.nz/ - Playcentre website ------------- Lindsey
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shannon wrote:Posted By: mrsturtle
Date Posted: 26 June 2010 at 8:30pm
| Thanks Linzy |
Posted By: JadeC
Date Posted: 08 June 2012 at 8:27pm
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Bump!!
Would love to talk to some other Playcentre mums as we are in the visiting process looking to join at the moment! DS and I did a SPACE program and loved it, and loved our first session at Playcentre (but OMG - exhausting!!). I'm just nervous about the time commitment. I work 3 days, and we'd be in Playcentre for the other two. How do people find the meeting/training side of things? ------------- http://pregnancy.baby-gaga.com/" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: JoJames
Date Posted: 08 June 2012 at 10:28pm
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We only do one day a week, otherwise I would go crazy with that type of commitment.
I think when it comes to training it depends on your centre and how motivated your education officer is. I have heard stories where you can get guilted into do your courses as fast as possible in some centres but our is really easy going and I don't feel forced at all. In saying that I do think that it should be a requirement to get course 1 because it is really easy and it does help a lot with numbers. It is really up to you what kind of comittment you can make to playcentre, and I know that at ours we would understand that a working mum like you is unable to do that much. ------------- http://www.alterna-tickers.com"> 
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Posted By: JadeC
Date Posted: 09 June 2012 at 10:38am
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That's interesting Jo - both centres I've looked at here have a 2 day a week minimum policy. ------------- http://pregnancy.baby-gaga.com/" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 09 June 2012 at 3:20pm
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It's better for the kids to go 2 days a week its not compulsory. Every Playcentre is different and in Akl there are different Associations and they all do things differently as well.
I go to Greenhithe which is part of North Shore Association where Course 2 is compulsory that's not the case for West Auckland. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">   [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Posted By: _SMS_
Date Posted: 09 June 2012 at 3:51pm
We still go  although we do kindy to now.
Our centre has a policy well not policy but guidelines to do 1 session per age. So 1yr=1 session 2yr=2session etc We still like it. Its great going to kindy to because it makes me see how much better playcentre can be. I like the higher adult ratio. I also like how its not strict play activities etc its all child led, Training isnt compulsory but if you plan to stay at PC rather than kindy i dont see why you wouldnt want to train to help/earn money if need be :) I have done the first easy course (2hours) but that will be all i do. -------------
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Posted By: JadeC
Date Posted: 09 June 2012 at 4:02pm
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I'm quite keen to do some of the training, I like learning about the processed behind DS's play. ------------- http://pregnancy.baby-gaga.com/" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: JoJames
Date Posted: 09 June 2012 at 6:51pm
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The courses are really awesome, I'm doing the course 2 ones and am learning so much about how kids play and learn and giving me real convictions about how I want my kids to learn which is good. Its funny how every association is different. ------------- http://www.alterna-tickers.com">
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Posted By: Nikki
Date Posted: 09 June 2012 at 8:09pm
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To be honest I found it all too much time commitment and pressure when I went back to work 3 days a week. And that was with only one session of pc per week. So we ended up leaving, and it was such a relief not to have that pressure! It may be fine when you first start, but once you are one of the more long term members the pressure can really come on to do training and take on a "job" or more than one jobs. I found between monthly meetings, fundraising, term clean ups, courses and the odd other meeting or family evening it was just too much for me -- let alone them wanting me to have a position to do more work.
In saying that the kids loved it, and I did enjoy my time there. I was a bit sad to leave .... but I much prefer to do other things on my days off with the kids now (they spend enough time at daycare doing those sorts of activities anyway).  ------------- DS (5yrs) and DD (3yrs) |
Posted By: JadeC
Date Posted: 11 June 2012 at 12:07pm
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Nikki that is interesting to hear! It's so hard to know what level of commitment is too much, until you are there.
I've got our second visit on Wednesday, so that will be nice. I was so exhausted after the first one, just about took a nap with DS!! ------------- http://pregnancy.baby-gaga.com/" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: lisame
Date Posted: 11 June 2012 at 12:45pm
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We just go one day a week too. One thing I've really noticed is the variation between PCs. We did SPACE at one PC but attend another - because we already knew a lot of parents that went to that one - and they are quite different. I've visited another one in this area and it's different again.
We only go one day a week, which is my only day off work. I really like it as our daughter is really used to getting up and going out each morning, and so PC gives us the structure to do that each Friday. We started when she was about 14 months, only a few visits in the last term of last year, and started full time beginning of this year. I have a couple of jobs but both of them are really easy and/or enjoyable things to do - one is doing the shopping which I like as i can decide what gets bought! and the other is a longer term gardening project which is really fun. I don't find the time commitment huge at all. We still leave before session finishes quite often as she struggles to last till 12.30 and still get to sleep when we get home - otherwise is over-hyped and doesn't sleep at all which I don't enjoy on my ONE day off. Nobody minds. It's all swings and roundabouts; we are there for opening & set up and do a few tidying/cleaning jobs before we go. I did course 1 quite early but because we'd been through SPACE, I'd already done most of it. It's a pretty informal playcentre - no set times for food or anything, no meetings on session (except the odd occasion for something urgent), not much pressure to do the courses. A few of the mums are really good at setting up new art things each time, and we have something called REAP here which pays for various people to come in and do special activities sometimes - eg we've been doing spin art and stenciling things this term. She really enjoys it now. It took her a while to get used to the numbers of kids, and the noise (we have a few 3-4 yr old boys that hoon around the place) but she gets to play with so much stuff we don't have at home, and she has a few 'friends' now that she hangs about with. She's quite independent now so me, and most of the mums actually, get lots of time to sit around and chat while keeping half an eye on potential trouble areas. The sandpit often ends up being a nice warm sunny spot to chat and 'supervise'. |
Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 11 June 2012 at 1:00pm
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At North Shore association you are allowed to drop off your child once they're 2 1/2 and you've done Course 2, its a strong motivator for everyone to do the training.
I like the mixed ages my daughter is one of the youngest and takes great delight when one of the older kids takes an interest in her. Our PC has a sit down morning tea at 10am that has improved my daughters eating habits and she sits down when she has food in her hand. There is shared fruit at the end of session which is a nice way to wind down. I only have one Duty day each week where I'm responsible for an area of play and an area of cleaning at the end. We also roster whose responsible for bringing morning tea for the adults. I visited a couple of PCs before joining the one I'm at. They are all different and the parents are different. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Posted By: kelzie_rose
Date Posted: 12 June 2012 at 10:39am
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E and I are doing SPACE at the moment, I love it. It's more for me than her at this age. I think we probably will do the PC thing once she's a year old. -------------  Started TTC Apr 2008 With PCOS and a bicornuate uterus Our angel babies Jan 2010 <3 Oct 2010 <3 Apr 2011 <3 |