Real-Life Communication
For nannies, communication on all levels is essential -- and not
just with the children in their care, but with the children's parents,
too.
Nanny Nick Mitchell says communication takes a lot of different
forms, both written and verbal. "[There are] notes between me and the parents,
pager messages, greeting cards, letters from school, letters to school, such
as return slips and forms."
But written communication doesn't
end there, says Mitchell. Nannies also have to contend with making charts
and logs, planning meal menus and planning a routine. "Some children have
very busy social lives -- ballet, drama, and in my case, this involves a lot
of planning to make sure the children are in the right place at the right
time, with the right uniform or equipment," he says.
"There are also
other forms of communication, too, including verbal [talking to children and
parents] and non-verbal communication, which involves using gestures and expressions
to indicate to children if you are happy with them [or] cross with them,"
Mitchell says.
Ready to put on your nanny hat? Let's test your
skills at planning and writing out a real menu plan for the children in your
care. You'll need to take the basic information below and work each item
into a list that includes items for breakfast, lunch, dinner and two small
snacks throughout the day. This exercise will help you research, plan and
organize -- very important skills you'll need to sharpen if you decide
to be a nanny!
Here is the information you'll need to map out
your menu plan for the day. Make sure you include the minimum of these nutritional
needs in your daily plan:
- Breads, cereals, rice and pasta (six to 11 servings per day)
- Vegetable group (three to five servings per day)
- Fruit group (two to four servings per day)
- Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts group (two to three servings
per day)
- Milk, yogurt and cheese group (two to three servings per day)
- Fats, oils and sweets group (use sparingly)