Welcome to Playgroup!

Playgroups for preschoolers are a fantastic means of connecting with other people who are at a similar life-stage. St Jude's Playgroup is pretty casual: we meet in the 'crypt' - a big cheery space under the church (access from the corner of Palmerston and Lygon Streets, through the child-safe gate); there are a variety of activities for children to get into, to suit ages from about 9 months, to when they are ready to start school; parents can interact with the kids, chat with each other, and have a decent cup of plunger coffee!


Playgroup meets every Wednesday of school term - it starts at 10am, there are lots of games and crafts, songs and stories, then we all help pack up and head off at about 11.30am. There's a small per-family fee ($20 per term, or $60 for the full year) to help cover the cost of toys, equipment, books and morning tea; and parents are asked to bring a piece of fruit for their child to share.

Playgroup grows friendships that go beyond Wednesday mornings, so sometimes the Playgroup adults get together for a relaxed evening meal in gourmet Lygon Street or Rathdowne Village - while their partners mind the little ones at home! For more information, scroll down - or:

Contact Us e-mail office@stjudes.org.au, or ring the church office on 03 9347 5152.


Morning tea...yummmm

Term 3 Schedule

  • 20th July -
  • 27th July -
  • 3rd August
  • 10th August
  • 17th August
  • 24th August
  • 31st August
  • 7th September
  • 14th September

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Planning Ahead

I'm not a parent myself. But I do get to spend a lot of time with kids, of all ages. Something I've discovered is that having a plan - a flexible plan, but a plan - really helps. An hour of 'quality time' can seem like forever, when I spend that whole hour reacting to a small person's needs, and basically playing catch-up. It's true for older kids too - if I haven't worked out what we're going to do, well, I can depend on the kids to start doing something, and chances are good the time will end up being less than quality - you know, me sweeping up the bits of broken TV, or attempting to extract the wet pasta from the expensive rug, while the bored small person starts on yet another activity I didn't plan.
A plan can include asking, "What would you like to do now?" - but it's always a good idea to have some ideas on standby, so if the answer is vague "Play with me!" or more vague, "I don't know..." or totally impractical "Ride in a helicopter!" I'm ready with some choices of activities that we can actually do.
I've found a couple of books that are full of good ideas. Not having a small person at home to experiment with, I can't tell you if washing the car or setting up a colouring book exchange with friends are workable ideas, but I can vouch for the craft activities we've tried at Playgroup. On that basis, one of my favourites is "The Playskool Toddler's Busy Play Book: Over 500 Creative Games, Activities, Crafts and Recipes for Your Very Busy Toddler", by Robin McClure. I bought my copy at Borders in Carlton, for $32.99.
At Playgroup we tried out egg carton ants, crazy glasses and beautiful bouquets; super-hero masks and butterfly footprints; we made tambourines, and bees too - the book called for small flat rocks, but we used sturdy cardboard rolls from the centre of biodegradable plastic bags.
There's a section on planning activities for your baby sitter to use, so that your night out is peaceful; occupying toddler on trips; fun things to do at bath time; and even activities to help little ones stay calm and restful when they are sick.
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