Overview

Pyrmont Playgroup sessions are focused around the opportunity for:

• children to play freely in a safe environment
• carers (parents, grandparents, other family members, nannies, etc) to engage with other adults

Please note: All adults are expected to talk and play with all children at our playgroup but each carer is ultimately responsible for the safety and behaviour of their own child(ren)

What Happens in a typical Pyrmont Playgroup Session?

Please Note: It is an insurance requirement that ALL families (members _and_ visitors) who attend our playgroup must sign-in EVERY time they attend.

Our sessions primarily provide a period of free play for the children and a chance for carers to enjoy some regular adult interaction. However, we found that two hours of solid playtime was too long for many children so at about 11:00am children are offered Morning Tea (currently in the form of buttered raisin bread). We also found that many children did not want playgroup to end - it is obviously a lot of fun! - so we now start packing up at about 11:30am and encourage everyone to join us on the Pyrmont Parachute to sing songs and read stories from about 11:40am. This ending routine has proven very successful in assisting the children's transition from free group play to the rest of their day, and allows the adults to work together to pack up the hall and get ready to go.

In other words:

9:50am	Rostered set-up/pack-up coordinator arrives and checks that the cupboards are open and the sign-in table is ready
10:00am	Set-up: Everyone helps set-up the hall for FREE PLAY
10:30am	If a CRAFT ACTIVITY is offered, it would generally be ready to go by about now (free play continues)
11:00am	Morning Tea offered to children (free play continues)
11:15am	If a craft activity is offered, it would generally be packed up from about now (last chance for free play)
11:30am	Pack-up: Everyone helps pack-up the hall
11:40am	Stories & Songs on the Pyrmont Playgroup Parachute
12noon	Rostered set-up/pack-up coordinator is the last to leave, checking that everything is ready for next week

Free Play

Free Play is the most important function of Pyrmont Playgroup and so every week we strive to give our children time, playmate(s) and a safe place to play. Play is guided rather than directed and our children are encouraged to seek the activities they like. Sometimes a carer will lead a game or suggest some new activities for children who are interested. The best sessions tend to happen when carers join in and observe the children at play, providing the toys and equipment relevant to each stage of the child's development. For example:

• soft climbing apparatus and mats,
• ride-on toys
• toy pushers/barrows
• blocks and bricks
• items for Pretend Play (corner shop/kitchen and shed/workshop)
• animal figures and play-barns
• instruments such as glockenspiels/xylophones and maracas/shakers
• balls
• baby toys

Our playgroup session fee of $2 per family helps us to maintain our toys and equipment.

Craft Activities

As Pyrmont Playgroup is entirely run by volunteers, sometimes someone suggests or runs a craft activity. With enough prior notice, the playgroup committee can help source (inexpensive) supplies and liaise with the venue staff in preparation for the activity. Committee members also try to help out whoever is running the activity where possible. The best craft activities are often fairly straightforward, allowing lots of imagination and interpretation by a broad range of age groups. For example:

• bubbles
• threading
• construction (cutting, pasting, folding, assembling)
• collage
• playdough
• tracing, colouring, drawing
• filling (eg shakers to accompany the singing later)

Our playgroup session fee of $2 per family also helps us to purchase craft supplies.

Special Pyrmont Playgroup Sessions

Every now and again we host or participate in a special activity or event.Some of these events are open to all-comers, some need more specific numbers in advance and so are restricted to members who have RSVP'd in advance.Details about any particular event is distributed to members in the weeks beforehand. Our past events have included:

• spending the last half-hour of our regular session time in the courtyard downstairs from our usual hall for a sausage sizzle
• a whole-group outing to the World's Biggest Playgroup
  
• arranging a presentation in our regular hall by visiting performers, local services (eg firefighters), animal handlers and the like
• sending a group of playgroup carers to the Playgroup Parents Conference
  
• a Christmas party designed & run by our regular members as a celebration of their year
  

Of course, we can only hold special playgroup sessions if we have enough money to fund them so we tend to do some low-key fundraising throughout the year.

Playgroup Birthdays

It is great fun to celebrate a birthday at playgroup.We ask parents to contact the Coordinator to check that there is nothing going on that might prevent such a celebration (eg another special event) and to confirm Pyrmont Playgroup's food requirements beforehand. Typically, parents then bring some birthday food for everyone to share and - at a prearranged time - this is placed on a low table while we all sing Happy Birthday to the birthday child. Some families have also chosen to bring an extra child (friend or relative) with them to playgroup to make that session extra special. Please note that on such an occasion, parents are responsible for all children in their care.