WARNING,WARNING! A FROG PANDEMIC HAS SWEPT OUR CENTRE!

Riley lay on the floor and I asked him what was wrong. He very quietly whispered: “I am dead”. “OH dear” I said how did you die? He said: “I have a frog in my tummy!!!”
“Oh no, well if you are dead there is nothing I can do for you except bury you in the sandpit” I replied. He laughed and said: “Okay, I’m just sick, with a frog in my tummy”.
Now this conversation soon got a small group of children involved wanting to know what was wrong. Riley asked for the ambulance and Marcus kindly pulled the trolley closer. Riley hopped on, being extremely ill of course.
Marcus soon took over the ambulance first aider’s responsibilities. Open wide Riley!!!


Riley complied with the man in charge and opened his mouth very wide. “I can see the frog Helen” Marcus called out very excited. Isabelle saw the commotion and made her way across in a dash with her stethoscope in hand ready for her “job”. Very excited she said: “I see”. I quickly said: “hurry that frog is going to hop out soon”. Isabelle and Marcus both started to giggle. Riley then said: “oh no it’s back in my tummy”. Isabelle took the trolley and said: “you need a doctor”, with a big smile.



Raynelle came closer for an inspection geared as the doctor. She gave one look, put the stethoscope to his tummy and said very firmly: “You’re ok now, get up and just walk”. Riley complied with the “doctors” wishes got up and said I feel great now.


Now this is where the pandemic spread, our “specialist doctor” (Raynelle) came down with the viral infection, she held onto her tummy saying: “I got a frog in my tummy”. Sam saw this from where he was pretending to make coffee for everyone; he ran to the trolley and said: “I got a frog too”.
We had all staff on deck this time. Ella, Mimi (the hairdresser) Doctor Riley, who miraculously recovered from the illness and Specialist doctor Raynelle who put her own “health” to the side to help her fellow doctors.

This must have been a far more serious case of “Frog Flu”, because Sam had to be taken to the “hospital”. The nurse (Isabelle), Doctor Ella and Hair dresser Mimi were all involved trying to make our poor Sam well again. The miracle of recovery and love paid off and Sam stood up with no side effects of his terrible ordeal to the hospital. But we were not out of the woods just yet. Doctor Riley became ill once again, I think the Frog flu developed a new strain.


Again it was all hands on deck, Doctors and Hairdressers all involved in making Riley healthy again. Even grateful patient Sam changed careers and became a doctor in just a few minutes.

Finally our ordeal was over. Riley made a swift recovery but still has some amphibian withdrawal symptoms and grows a tail every now and again and growls: “I’m a T-Rex dinosaur”, Doctor Ella changed careers and saw her talents being used in the Hairdressing industry and Hairdresser Mimi decided she wanted to help, and took on the role of the doctor with a wardrobe to suit.
Teachers’ voice: The children enjoyed this experience and it was self initiated from a previous experience with Saira-Jaine. They have been role playing as well, Saira being our poor victim that has succumbed to the Frog Pandemic. They have tried to revive her, but to no avail. We will miss her terribly may she rest in peace.

This is an ongoing experience for the children and we will continue to support them in whatever role playing the children want to do next.
To provide them with more ways to be expressive in their interests, we decided to go on a trip to the Theatre and watch Goldilocks and the three bears.
We have also talked to the children about safety and what to do in an emergency. We explained to them to call the emergency number 111 and we have also made “mobile phones” out of wood. This will be ongoing throughout our program and the children’s ongoing interest in their environment. With the fire station so close to the centre we regularly provide the children with information about emergencies and how the firemen, police and ambulance staff are all there to help when someone’s in danger. The sirens mean that they need help immediately and the vehicles are in a hurry to go and help. These discussions are all linked throughout the children’s daily play and routines.

Observed by Helen van der Merwe
http://picasaweb.google.com/bayfieldeec/WARNINGWARNINGAFROGPANDEMICHASSWEPTOURCENTRE?authkey=Gv1sRgCPesk8mXh_CsPQ&feat=directlink