Just a quick update to let you know how things have been going. Had a quite good summer of wildlife sessions, was only 2 days a week for 4 hours each of the days, but had between 4 and 10 children for each session, Had several children who came for complete summer holidays. A great time was had by all with lots of fun activities.We had a small teething snag with the cabin as well as the computors wouldn't connect to the school server leaving the children unable to use the computors. We did lots of bug hunting, insect, flower & tree identification. We did some art work making collages and pictures with things the children found in and around the woods and field. They made their own log piles in small containers (recycled from my home) to take home and put in their gardens, so they could carry on studying and looking for bugs. They made bird cake which they put into yoghurt pots to hang up in their gardens, and they got to try their hand at some nature photography.
I have also done my first two wildlife birthday parties for 2 six year olds. We did a bug hunt, made bird cake for them to take home, then did a letter hunt, where I printed and laminated letters which spelt a word related to wildlife, while children were eating I hung them around the large school field. The children then had to find them (not knowing how many there were) when they had found them all ( this gave them a good chance to run around) Two older siblings had to work out what the word was (each child held a letter) and arrange the children in right order to spell the word. I then took a photo of them. We finished with them sat in a circle where they could hold my giant millipede (if they wanted to) and have their photo taken. Then a game of Pass the parcel, all little gifts were a plastic wildlife bug. I have had brilliant feed back from parents whose children came and a few more possible bookings.
This saturday I am doing a mothing birthday party for a 9 year old.
Only downside of it all is the school moving goal posts again!! they said I could only charge £2.50 per hr each session. I had to go into see them last Monday when school returned after holidays, where they gave me a contract to sign in which they say I have to pay them half of what I got paid for each party and half what I got paid during the summer!towards the electric and wear and tear of the cabin.We didn't actually use the cabin at all as weather was so nice, we even ate out in the woods or on the decking. I am not a happy bunny as it means I only got £1.50 for each hour I worked after I took away all my expenses and petrol and paid the school.
So I am now looking into what to do next. I have a meeting to get legal and business advice on Wednesday Morning, then a meeting with the school in the afternoon.