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  1. #1
    Euphoric !
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    Going Outside in Spring (ahhhh the mess!!)

    I would love some input on when you take your children outside to play.

    Currently I take my group outside in the morning from 10:30 - 11:30. Now that spring seems to finally be here I have been thinking about switching it. My home is currently for sale which means I could get notice at any given time that my house is going to be shown that evening. For the most part we haven't had much traffic come through yet and my realtor has given plenty of notice. Today when we came in the kids were covered with a mixture of snow, grass, water, mud . I got them to leave their boots outside but still there is a big mess at my back entrance. My thought it to maybe switch our outside time to 4-5 and then the kids would be picked up while outside and it would greatly reduce the mess in my house. My driveway is gravel so right now with the mornings being cold there isn't too much mud tracked in by kids and parents but at the end of the day will likely have parents with very muddy shoes coming in to pick up kids.

    Another nice thing about going out in the afternoon is the temperatures are warmer which would also reduce the amount of clothing I have to dress kids in.


    There are two reasons why I am hesitant to switch. One is because I find the kids nap better for me after having an hour of fresh air and second is because pickup time varies from 4-5 so some kids would only get 10 minutes outside, sometimes no time at all. I would feel guilty not giving them time to play but I don't want parents purposely leaving them here until the end of the day so that they get time outside.

    What do you think? What do you do this mucky time of year?
    Last edited by mickyc; 04-07-2014 at 11:33 AM.

  2. #2
    Euphoric ! bright sparks's Avatar
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    I have sold two houses during the time I have run my daycare so I feel your pain on the ridiculous amount of work that goes into keeping the house in a "showhome" state on top of running a daycare. Honestly I just sucked it up. Boots come off at the back door as you said and that should really fix up any problems unless the kids have fallen in mud etc in which case you'd just have to clean it up after. You can buy those rubber backed mats that are huge that you could put in your front porch/hallway to save your floors from parents dirty footwear and again at the back door for the kiddies post back garden playtime. I think the idea of moving outdoor play to coincide with pick up could backfire on the days that it rains which would still mean parents coming in to pick up. How about putting those mats down and speaking to the parents and asking them to just be aware that you are trying to sell your place so to give their shoes a good clean off outside prior to coming in. Aside from that you are just going to have to clean it up at nap times and after work. Hopefully this will be short lived and your house sells soon

  3. #3
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    If you do switch outdoor times, you could try a really high-energy activity inside before naptime if you have the space. Tag, dancing to music, relay races, etc, to have somewhat of the same effect as playing outside. Won't be the same, but might help...

  4. #4
    Euphoric !
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    It isn't like they won't nap for me. We have been inside most of the winter so it isn't a deal breaker. I also don't allow running in the house so that wouldn't be an option lol.

  5. #5
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    What I've been doing is a nice walk in the morning (kids stay clean and mud free) and then we do our outside play for the last 45-30 minutes of the day after picking up my son from the bus. The parents like outside pick-up too because it is faster and easier as they don't have to come in and wrestle their child into jackets, boots, etc. The kids still get some fresh air in the morning without the mess. Once things dry out, we will play outside morning and afternoon.

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  7. #6
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    today all my kids wore their slush pants and got quite muddy. Because it was pretty mild out, I had each child undress slush pants, coat, mitts and boots on the back deck. so this way none of it enters the house at all.
    love the fact that we can get them outside for longer than a few minutes now!!
    I have 8 sleeping kids right now!! Ahhh nap time!!

  8. #7
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    Thanks sunnydays but even a morning walk would result in muddy kids. Our driveway and road is gravel so it would still result in muddy kids

  9. #8
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    I do the same as sunny days. I put them all in the stroller for a morning walk and use it as my exercise because I can go faster and then play outside in the afternoon if there is time. Today I only had 2 though so we played in the backyard. Thankfully it wasn't too muddy back there yet because it wasn't warm enough yet.

    I would ask parents to clean shoes before coming in as well. Do you have one of those shoe cleaning statue things? Do you know what I mean lol

  10. #9
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    We added a wooden deck last year and that is where we play till the ground is clear and drier. They have the playhouse, ride ons, shovels for the snow, etc. so while stuff might get wet it doesn't get muddy.

  11. #10
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    We just went through this (have been in our new house nearly 3 weeks now) so I totally feel your pain. For myself, I would hate too much to give up morning play time now that it's so beautiful out. It's too important to me and makes our mornings run so much more smoothly when they can unleash the energy from being pent up all winter. I just would keep it as clean and tidy as possible, and use up part of my break time (nap) to clean up the tricky areas like the floors. Now that it's nice out we go out twice a day morning and end of day, we love it!
    So, that's what I did, but if giving up morning outside play is something that works for you and your schedule and if you think it will make life easier then by all means go for it!

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