4. Leaving the room
It’s necessary to occasionally (once or twice a day) go on a walk or exploration to get out of the room and for the children to have some exercise and change of air. Put a note on the door where you are going, with the time and contact phone number. Take it down when you come back.
Try to put any nearby playground or outside/inside walk time on the schedule so everyone will know ahead of time. However sometime, you just need to outside, and it can’t always be scheduled exactly. As we do not go far away we have never had any problem with this, but you should trust your own intuition and comfort level.
In certain situations (for instance, if you have a lot of children or if a group is breaking away to go to another activity) you may want a volunteer to write the names of all the children who are going somewhere together on a piece of paper to leave inside the childcare room before you leave the room.
Count how many children you have before you go somewhere. And then, of course, make sure you have the same number coming back.
Anytime you leave the room you should use the Buddy System.
The Buddy System
The Buddy System is Great! Everyone lines up with a buddy and helps watch over and takes care of each other. Let's say your buddy falls down. You help them up or call for help if you need it. You always stick with your buddy. There should also be a Childcare volunteer leading and bringing up the rear. You may also want to divide up adults to children in small groups so that each group of kids has an adult to watch them.
Bathroom
You can all go to the restroom as a group and those who don’t have to go can wait for those who do. Try, as much as possible, to visit the bathroom with three or more folks.
Anarchist Tactics in the Field
If there is a conflict of needs or wants, and some want to/need to go one way and others, another way – you may want to stop and discuss as a group. Then divide up, if there are enough volunteers for each group of children to have two childcare volunteers with, and do two separate things. Discuss issues and needs as a group. Explain why you are doing what you do. Try to come up with group solutions to individual problems. Suggest different options. Consult with the other volunteers and discuss option. Stop and think. Work it out. Ask everyone to raise their hand if they are happy with any new plan of action, where for example: some will go back to the room to rest and others will keep playing outside.
Sometimes it gets complicated to mobilize as a radical childcare mass but successful anarchist tactics in the field create a feeling of happiness, working it out, and working it togetherness.
Checking Out
Children have to be checked out to leave childcare. They need to be signed in and out by their caregivers or others who have permission to do so (there should be space on the form for guardians to write in the names of others who also have permission).
Remind caregivers to please always sign in and out.
Try to put any nearby playground or outside/inside walk time on the schedule so everyone will know ahead of time. However sometime, you just need to outside, and it can’t always be scheduled exactly. As we do not go far away we have never had any problem with this, but you should trust your own intuition and comfort level.
In certain situations (for instance, if you have a lot of children or if a group is breaking away to go to another activity) you may want a volunteer to write the names of all the children who are going somewhere together on a piece of paper to leave inside the childcare room before you leave the room.
Count how many children you have before you go somewhere. And then, of course, make sure you have the same number coming back.
Anytime you leave the room you should use the Buddy System.
The Buddy System
The Buddy System is Great! Everyone lines up with a buddy and helps watch over and takes care of each other. Let's say your buddy falls down. You help them up or call for help if you need it. You always stick with your buddy. There should also be a Childcare volunteer leading and bringing up the rear. You may also want to divide up adults to children in small groups so that each group of kids has an adult to watch them.
Bathroom
You can all go to the restroom as a group and those who don’t have to go can wait for those who do. Try, as much as possible, to visit the bathroom with three or more folks.
Anarchist Tactics in the Field
If there is a conflict of needs or wants, and some want to/need to go one way and others, another way – you may want to stop and discuss as a group. Then divide up, if there are enough volunteers for each group of children to have two childcare volunteers with, and do two separate things. Discuss issues and needs as a group. Explain why you are doing what you do. Try to come up with group solutions to individual problems. Suggest different options. Consult with the other volunteers and discuss option. Stop and think. Work it out. Ask everyone to raise their hand if they are happy with any new plan of action, where for example: some will go back to the room to rest and others will keep playing outside.
Sometimes it gets complicated to mobilize as a radical childcare mass but successful anarchist tactics in the field create a feeling of happiness, working it out, and working it togetherness.
Checking Out
Children have to be checked out to leave childcare. They need to be signed in and out by their caregivers or others who have permission to do so (there should be space on the form for guardians to write in the names of others who also have permission).
Remind caregivers to please always sign in and out.
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