The kids need to be outside even when it’s wet, they complain but once they are out there there are less arguments, less getting hurt.

It’s not just the two restless animals I look after on a Tuesday, who mostly sort themselves out by just going out, it’s everyone. I really notice this at the holiday programme, how could you not with 30 children… I never use to kick them outside as I felt that it’s important to let them make their own choices, something to do with human rights maybe, partly due to worry that they were cold and always with those quiet children that like to read and make stuff, the ones somewhat like myself, in mind. But it really is awful inside, even with a designated “rough” room of flailing noisy bodies. There are always arguments and even the odd tear which is very rare outside. The kids do know this. Sometimes the kids go all out and start a petition to go inside and write names on a clipboard but that usually morphs into some other game. We had two kids arrive one day and straight away they wanted to go inside and I was a bit flippant about how I thought we had enough stuff for to make a shelter so off they went to give it a go… eventually I caved as it really was wet, cold and windy yet these two refused as they were well into constructing their uber shelter.

Once you are wet, you are wet, and once you are wet you might as well be properly wet… I think that’s Helena’s philosophy. It’s probably why the hose came out when it was raining.

There were several outside that rainy day doing some rain enabled learning – they were trying to move objects across the tarmac with the hose, a race at one point… then they were jumping the hose which seemed to have a life of it’s own.. then there was the band, listening to the hose on metal shields. Some kids ended up wetter than others but as we insist they bring a change of clothes to the holiday programme we might as well use them! There were two kids filling their gumboots with water and tipping them over their own heads…

They spun that wheel using the hose then they painted it and spun it. They painted and watched the rain change their paintings. Such mind expanding stuff… sometimes it’s hard not to participate but I know I accidentally take over with my own ideas, plus I didn’t have a change of clothes.

I think it was Billy Connelly who said “There is no such thing as bad weather it’s just the wrong clothes.” Of course he’s Scottish and well Scotland is known for it’s dreich weather. Imagine what would happen in Scotland if people only went out on nice days…..