kids activities at meetings

[freshfishies]

Hey everyone!

I'm not sure if this has already been discussed or not, but I thought more folks might attend the meetings if they had available child care.
Sooooo...I am willing to set up or work with someone to set up an activity area for kids so that the parents can relax and get absorbed into the meetings instead of worrying about the kiddos

Questions, comments, suggestions

Thanks! 

[limmer]

I think we should see how many kids there are and how old?

[holachicka]

I think this is a wonderful idea

Maybe some sort of side table with coloring books, crayons and such.

We can even get "Junior" members to help out...?!

[Hookup]

this is pretty cool... great idea.

[alongfortheride]

I think I have a box of kids "fishy-themed" items I could bring to help keep everyone entertained

[Fishnut]

Perhaps more of a fish related craft would be a good use of meeting time.  It's something that can keep them more engaged plus it would be fish related!  

As an example, my son's teacher sent a completed fishy craft home over the summer.  Each kid was given some items to put into an empty water bottle, under watchful supervision.  It was a bunch of blue pebbles and a plastic cut-out of a fish.  When everything was put into the bottle, the teacher filled it up with blue coloured water and put the cap back on.  He still likes it because it's fun to watch the pebbles and the fish move around in the blue water as he manipulates it, not to mention the clear pockets of air moving around.

Obviously the older kids would need more than that, but I think a craft table would be much more satisfying.  A presentation at the end might be a special event for them...and super cute for the rest of us to watch .

[freshfishies]

I love where this is going!
Sylvia-what do you think the older crowd would enjoy? I'm stumped! The idea of a presentation is so much fun!

[mseguin]

Could also have the kids bring in their favorite fish or a pic of it, some kind of show and tell for the kids?

[Vincenzo.]

Good idea, but not good for legally.


What if my kid chokes under someones super vision who is watching 5 kids from 2-8yrs old..

Atleast the babysitter had st.johns training..


Not to be a negative nancy

[2075turner]

This is why I can't make more meetings.  My kiddies and no sitter.  Good idea , only if my two weren't such a hand full. They would drive the caretaker nuts within a few minutes

[holachicka]

I dont think the idea was to stick a few caretakers in a room with the kids and have the parents leave the room....I think this is supposed to be IN the same room as the meetings. I see Vince's point but if the table is situated near the back of the meeting room, I am not sure where it becomes a potential lagal problem?! And as for the "handful" coment, 2075turner, we are all either parents and/or have petience due to being in this hobby - I would not worry about them running around a bit If anything, I think it would be so refreshing to see children having a good time

I still think we should keep this as simle as posible - table, chairs, arts and crafts, kids will love that. And children have this uncanny ability to become friends with other children they have just met...This could be such a great thing

[Nerine]

we used to have kids run around during meetings...it was hard not laughing sometimes as they would slip across the gym floor

[Fishnut]

Good idea, but not good for legally.


What if my kid chokes under someones super vision who is watching 5 kids from 2-8yrs old..

Atleast the babysitter had st.johns training..


Not to be a negative nancy

That's an excellent point...and to add to it, what if one kid is picking on another kid?  Who's going to do something to resolve the situation?  I've seen enough parents both flip out if anyone corrects their kid and/or deny their kid is a brat.

@freshfishies, I'll have to think about that!

@2075turner, so if your kids were presented with an activity that kept them busy and mentally engaged, would they do the activity?

I've seen some places that have kids' activities...at the Nature Museum...there was one other but I can't remember where I saw it.  How are they run?  I'm still in the baby social circles so I haven't been to many kid friendly community events and such.

[Vincenzo.]

like i would totally love for my 2yr old to attend. but there is to much on the line """"""if"""""" anything ever happened.

because if we're going for a 'whole' group thing, we would have to include everyone. from new-born's to 8yr old's. (and older)

some 2 yrs old spends about 2minutes drawing before drawing on the walls, floor, face, arms..chewing on the marker...

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for me personally, it starts at home with the parents/guardians, with, watching fish, feeding fish, water changes, to their own tank..not with a single (or a few adults) being responsible looking after a group of youngens.



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i think we need to get the kinds involved in other ways. maybe once every 3-4months rent a room, to get a few fish bowls, bunch of gravels, drift wood, ext, and a Siamese fighting fish, and they can make their own bowl, Under The SUPERVISION of their OWN parents.

[Nerine]

I'm ok with someone else watching after my kid as long as they have done a CPR course...
Church does it, little nursery area...

but it doesn't have to include tiny tots! age limits could be put on it!

but I do like the idea of having more youngsters attend...not sure how some would like it though, as kids CAN be disruptive at times (this is how they learn to behave though...by attending these functions!)

Personally, i love the idea of having kiddies around this is our next generation of fish keepers!

at our christmas party, if there is enough children attending, I plan to bring a few things for them to play with...and would welcome any other items too


Vince - like the idea of the bowls! they would have so much fun
for our bowl contest, I'm going to let my son participate! he's only 2, but he decorated his 3 tanks already...he has marbles in one, rocks in another and sea glass in the 3rd! and he did it all by himself! he was very careful at sorting the items and picking which tanks they went into so I really like the idea of bowls and having some items set up for them to participate with!!

[robt18]

Maybe put an age limit/minimum age on kids allowed at the meetings? That way instead of catering from newborns to age 10, we could say ages 6 and up. That way they're more likely to have similar interests and could probably all do the same activity. I really don't think a 2 year old would get anything out of being at an OVAS meeting.

[Hookup]

Let's focus on what can be done and not what cannot be done.

Kids from 6-12 yrs old would be pretty easy to self-supervise with a craft at the back of the room.  If someone had the "kit" ready (like the one fishnut mentioned) for each meeting this would be easy to get running.  So why not start there?

At my office, we are instituting a new policy, i'll suggest it here as well.    We are moving away from the "department of NO" and becoming the "Department of YES".  There's always a handful of reasons not to do something.... focusing on the reasons to do something is what get's it done.

[2075turner]

To answer the question noted above.  My boys aged 4 have different personalities.  One would probably be entertained by the craft idea and behave himself for 1/2 hour or so and the other for 5 minutes.  I could pretty much guarantee mine would be those ones running around all over the place.  I am not sure I would enjoy continually running after them trying to get them to behave while trying to listen to someone doing a presentation.

As for the legality of it all.  Get the parents to sign a waiver indicating that they understand that it's not ovas's responsiblity should something happen to the kids under their care.  It is a volunteer run program and that they understand that not everyone will have CPR training, something like that??

I would have no problem with others taking care of my kids.  If something were to happen I would be there anyway.  I would also be able to help take care of the kids when it's on a topic that I don't really follow as well.  If you would need some craft items like beads I've got lots of those that I can bring for the kiddies to do crafts like that (not fishy related but it's an activity)

I would say give it a try and see how things work out.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained right?

[mseguin]

My personal opinion.
- having a kids activity at the back of the room could be difficult to keep it from disturbing the grownup meeting. If  kids aren't making noise, as a general rule they're not having fun :-)
- my personal suggestion would be to host a small children's meeting once a month or every 2 months, let's say a craft activity, and then a speaker for kids or a video about fish, the ocean, etc.

[2075turner]

NEMO!!!