The week of 61 fruit cakes!

This week in the Norland Diploma Food and Nutrition unit, Set 37 have been taking part in the Norland Bake Off. Each of the 61 students were tasked with making and decorating a fruit cake, from scratch, to be judged as part of the Bake Off style competition.

 

Paul and Mary were replaced by Norland’s Food and Nutrition lecturer, Sofie Aldiss, and a different guest judge for each of the 4 sessions. Guest judges were Principal, Liz Hunt; Vice Principal, Mandy Donaldson; Lecturer, Elizabeth Kerry and Placement Officer Sarah Dray.

The cakes were decorated in a variety of spring and Easter styles and were judged on their taste, texture and standard of decoration.

Winners were picked from each of the sessions giving 4 finalists. The overall winner, given the proud accolade of being this week’s star baker was Beth. Well done Beth!  

The 3 finalists, Gabriella, Tamzin and Poppy: 

* Star baker - Beth *

These essential nanny skills in cake baking will be used by the students when working with children to make celebration cakes, or when just have some fun baking and decorating bakes with their charges.  

To find out more about the training at Norland have a look here on our website.

Australian Training Week

Last week Norland hosted a group of students from Miss Pepper Australian Nanny School. The aim of the training was to give the students an introduction to Early Years training, care and education in the UK.

Before starting their training, the Australian students spent 2 evenings at College meeting Norland students including getting involved in the Norland Choir’s rehearsal, learning how Norland students make up carriage prams and meeting our reality babies.

Monday

Introduction day - On Monday morning the training began with a session about the Norland history, all 123 years of it, together with information about Norland’s approach and what training looks like today.  The afternoon covered an introduction to the Early Years curriculum (Early Years Foundation Stage) and a review of the placements the Norland students have experienced.

Tuesday

Today the students looked at the role of Early Years Practitioners - what are they are responsible for? What qualities would you expect them to have? In the afternoon they got to meet two of our qualified Norland Nannies, Chloe and Kate, and their charges. It was fantastic to have some little visitors and for the students to hear first-hand what it is like to work as a Norland Nanny in the UK.  

Wednesday

Today the students started the day with a visit to the Bristol Scrap Store. Andy, the manager, met the group and gave us a tour and a chat about how the Scrap Store works and its ethos. He talked through, and we got a backstage look at, how PlayPods work and the research around the benefits to children. The students were given time to explore and take some items back to the college for use later in the week.

The afternoon session  was taken by Norland Practical Skills Lecturer, and Norland graduate, Elizabeth Kerry (@PracticalSkills). The students explored making music without instruments and how this can link to different areas of children’s development such as mathematical development and confidence. Then it was time for some science experiments! We had exploding volcanos, chocolate painting, corn flour play and magic raisins. All giving a wealth of opportunities for children’s development and learning whilst being heaps of fun!  

Thursday

Forest School Day!  Despite the good old English weather we trundled off into the Hidden Woods forest school where the first task of the day was to get a roaring fire going. Our Forest School leader took us through the process of fire building whilst covering what the Forest School ethos is and how children benefit from spending time in the woods. We talked about risks and how to manage these with children whilst still giving them the opportunity to get involved and learn from their experiences.

When we got back (and warmed up!) we used some of the resources we had collected from the ScrapStore to explore Open Ended play. The students got the opportunity to see what they could make to give them first-hand experience of what it is like when you are not restricted by pre-defined outcomes and you can really let your creativity flow. We had some great creative results!   

Friday 

Final day - Today was the final day of the training which brought together all that the students had seen and learnt throughout the week. The students had some lectures on the UK key person approach and attachment theory, reflecting on what they thought an Early Years Practitioner responsibilities and skills were from earlier in the week.

The afternoon was a baby care workshop – including using a baby bump and reality babies to gain some understanding of what it is like for expectant and new parents. Treasure baskets and their use and content were also explored to sum up the week.

It was a fantastic week and thoroughly enjoyed by all. We look forward to welcoming the next group of students soon. 

This training was designed specifically for the students from Miss Pepper Nanny School by Norland’s Early Years Consultants Claire Burgess (@Belles28) and Elspeth Pitman (@ElspethPitman). To find out more about the bespoke training and consultancy that Norland can offer have a look here.

My experience volunteering for TAMBA Helping Hands

Qualified Norland Nanny Ishbel has volunteered her time to support several families of multiples through the TAMBA Helping Hands Appeal. We asked Ishbel to talk us through her experience to find out exactly what it was like:

How many TAMBA families have you volunteered for and what were the family needs?
I first started volunteering for TAMBA in 2012. I have helped 4 families in need, 3 of which had triplets and one which had quadruplets. Each family had different needs, but every family has required support and knowledge to help them in coping with a very daunting situation.

How much time did you spend with each family? How has it fitted in around your job?
I have spent a varied amount of time with each family, ranging from 4 nights to 4 weeks. The first set of triplets required night nannying as they had help in the day, where as all the others needed daily help. I enjoyed both aspects as I had not done night nannying before.
The reason I have been able to do as much volunteering as I have because I have done it in between jobs, and have therefore been able to treat it as another working position. It is however something you could do over the weekend as any help is greatly received by all of these families.


How did you feel before going into the first family?  

The first family I went into, I was TERRIFIED! I hadn't worked with newborns since leaving college and I was nervous I had forgotten all I had learnt. I hadn't of course, as Norlanders we all know how much the Norland training is drummed in and it all soon came flooding back. I don't know why I was so scared! 

How did the family respond to having you come in to help?
All the families I have worked with have been sincerely grateful. Sometimes, as a nanny, when we have worked with families for a long time, even though we know that we are appreciated expressing that appreciation can easily be overlooked, but I can assure you that going in to help one of these families will remind you why you went to Norland and why we do what we do. I can't describe the bond between multiples, and the more there are, the more incredible it gets. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about how amazing these families are.
 
Were you faced with anything you couldn’t cope with?  
I have to say, when you have 3 babies crying all at the same time, it can sometimes be quite overwhelming. The more you do, the more you realise that you only have one set of hands and actually the babies do learn to wait. This is an important fact that you need to reassure the parents with as they often feel bad for not having enough time. With a 'get stuck in' attitude, there shouldn't be anything that a Norlander can't deal with.


Did TAMBA support you whilst volunteering?
TAMBA are fantastic. They are a wonderful team of friendly people and have been extremely supportive whenever I have been in place with one of their crisis families. They are very efficient in answering the phone and emails and I have always found it really easy to work with them.

What did you get out of the experience?
The main thing for me was understanding actually just how much of an impact you can have on these families lives. They rely on your knowledge and expertise to get them through what some would describe as 'dark days' and just having someone there to help and talk to can make the world's biggest difference. Not only have I furthered my own knowledge and experience but after being fortunate enough to be put through the Norland training, I now feel I have given something back.

Would you recommend volunteering to other Norlanders?
I would 100% recommend doing some volunteering. If you had told me 3 years ago I would have helped four multiples families I probably would have laughed. It really does get easier the more you do and you'll be amazed at what you can do and the difference you can make. It is extremely rewarding and you may just meet some life long friends...I have!
Even if you think you are not up to physically working with the babies, you can help in so many other ways. Raising money for the charity can then help some of these families to either pay for extra help, or buy equipment that they so desperately need. Any help is so much appreciated.

What advice would you give to a Norlander thinking of volunteering?
The advice I would give to any Norlander is to no
t think about it too much. You will be so hands on from the minute you walk in that you will not have time to worry. It really is fantastic and you won't experience anything like it. Go for it and see how much of a difference you can make!

If you are a Norland graduate and are interested in volunteering to support TAMBA Helping Hands Appeal and helping families with multiples in desperate need of some support please contact Norland Agency on 01225 90 40 30 or log onto the Jobshop to see the voluntary positions we have right now.