On Thursday November 8th 2012 15 pre-five groups came together In the OLI area for the Pre-five Mini Movers & Parachute Festival as part of the biennial Oban & Lorn Sports Festival at Atlantis Leisure. The event which was established in 2008 ran for the 5th consecutive year and was organised and delivered by a partnership between Active Schools, Early Years, Community Learning, and Atlantis Leisure. The event was once again supported by ABCD – Argyll Beats Cardiovascular Disease.
On the day 212, 3 – 5 year olds were given an opportunity to experience parachute games including cat and mouse, blast off, rollerball, and twister. Mini movers – mini kickers games were led by the Atlantis team. The parachute games were ably supervised by SVQ students studying CCLD from Argyll College who recently attended TOP Start TOP Tots / Parachute Games training delivered by Active Schools and Early Years.
It gave the students the opportunity to put into practice the new skills they have learned in a live environment and will better prepare them for their placements in their pre-five units and beyond when they gain employment.
Lyndsay Wilson the course tutor from Argyll College noted, “From my observations of the event it was well run and efficiently organised. My students worked very well in the teams and took on their role with confidence. Some students performed as expected due to their experience and confidence other excelled. I also received comments on individual students from a few of the placements; on how well individuals have contributed to the event.
Both the training and the event allowed the students to develop better relationships in the classroom. They are more encouraging and supportive to each other with in the class situation, discussing issues that have arisen and shared planning ideas for their nurseries.”
Feedback from the students included, “It has helped us to build our confidence, improve our team work and communication. Some of us felt it was much easier doing the activities with children we already knew as we knew their names and personalities. We all plan on implementing the activities in our placements; some of us have already discussed these with our practitioners.”
The pre-five practitioners and children who attended all enthusiastically participated in the games and activities on the day. Some feedback from the units included:
“We always look forward to this event and it is always well organised and a stress free and fun event one never to be missed.”
“It is a great opportunity for the small rural units to take part in a large event involving lots of other children and participate in games that are difficult to do with small numbers.”
“A fantastic day overall and the children loved it.”
“Please pass on our sincere thanks to all involved in organising the parachute festival. Our children (and staff!!) had a great time. It was really well organised and seemed to run smoothly, We look forward to next year!”
The annual event has been well attended over the years and is a highlight for many who have taken part. The event would not be possible without the excellent partnership working at local level between 3rd sector, further education, volunteers and statutory services.
