Saturday morning came and we turned up early to my friend's house where we were restarting a Mums and Toddler group for children aged 0-5 years. There had been a Mums and Toddlers group meeting at a Centre but it wasn't possible to continue using the centre so the group hadn't met for 9 months. We weren't sure how many mums would come and whether it would seem strange for Jordanians to meet in a home or not whilst we continue to search for a new venue!
We also hadn't decided on a name for the group, so just called it Playgroup! We had considered names such as "cheeky monkeys" but it is considered rude to call your child an animal name here (even a cheeky monkey!)!
Toys were laid out and there was an activity table with playdough and colouring. We prepared a kids' healthy snack and a (not so healthy) mums' snack! Then waited for people to arrive. Usually good time keeping is not a strength in this country but one of the mums arrived early and everyone was there within 20 minutes of the start time. This was quite impressive, especially as local mums don't often use maps, preferring to telephone and be told directions to the house.
We welcomed 7 mums and 11 children which was plenty to fill the living room and dining area. After a time of free play for the children whilst the mums relaxed with a cup of tea and chatted, we had circle time - welcoming each child by name with a song, then singing other songs both in Arabic and English. The children loved doing the actions and joining in.
Then we all helped out with the craft of sticking tissue paper onto a heart shape for Valentine's Day. Here Valentine's Day is seen as a day to tell your friends and family how much you appreciate and love them, so it is very common for children to give parents and all their classmates cards, and parents to give their children cards. Kira had asked me to check our PO Box in the hope that she might have received some Valentine's cards from friends in the UK!
We finished our time together with the children playing under a parachute and then catching bubbles. It was great fun to see everyone smiling and enjoying themselves. Many of the mums are working full time and don't get to spend a lot of time having fun with their children. Playgroup is also a wonderful opportunity for mums to meet other mums and share their joys and challenges of parenting.
We also hadn't decided on a name for the group, so just called it Playgroup! We had considered names such as "cheeky monkeys" but it is considered rude to call your child an animal name here (even a cheeky monkey!)!
We welcomed 7 mums and 11 children which was plenty to fill the living room and dining area. After a time of free play for the children whilst the mums relaxed with a cup of tea and chatted, we had circle time - welcoming each child by name with a song, then singing other songs both in Arabic and English. The children loved doing the actions and joining in.
Then we all helped out with the craft of sticking tissue paper onto a heart shape for Valentine's Day. Here Valentine's Day is seen as a day to tell your friends and family how much you appreciate and love them, so it is very common for children to give parents and all their classmates cards, and parents to give their children cards. Kira had asked me to check our PO Box in the hope that she might have received some Valentine's cards from friends in the UK!
We finished our time together with the children playing under a parachute and then catching bubbles. It was great fun to see everyone smiling and enjoying themselves. Many of the mums are working full time and don't get to spend a lot of time having fun with their children. Playgroup is also a wonderful opportunity for mums to meet other mums and share their joys and challenges of parenting.
