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Actually: play money is the root of all evil!
So every now and then we'll get in this gigantic order from our art and craft supplier. Usually it'll be stuff like paper, paint, brushes etc. In one of the orders was play money. Sounds completely innocent right?
Well, we found it good when the kids were setting up little shops and playing with it correctly-that is, trading it for goods and services.
Then things got out of hand.
The issues? The little ones not quite grasping the concept of money and the big kids grasping the concept of money quite easily and using it to bully the little ones.
Examples:
-One of the little ones (who's normally one of the WORST offenders for behaviour!) actually threw a tantrum when it was time to pack up. He was also under the belief that the money in the "till" was his and his alone, rather than the stores.
-Among the play money were a few "debit" cards. Correction: credit cards. Someone tried to use them as debit cards however and it turned into this fight with the little kids trying to hoard the money and the big kids trying to "rightfully" withdraw it.
-Another shop (one this time) attempted to be made. Except that the person in charge of running said shop kept stealing stuff from the activity room. Then refused to share. Scary thing was, this was a "big kid." He only attended morning shifts though. He also sulked big time when the money was confiscated.
The last two incidents were pretty much what has since resulted in the play money being BANNED for now. I'm actually tempted to pull it out again and teach the little kids about how to use money appropriately and in a controlled environment, rather than having it turn into the chaos it became last week.
But I'll do that on a day when there's me and "less experienced" staff around
(we're getting a new bossperson in a few weeks, but during the summer holidays, the coordinator for a nearby service takes split shift with the bossman here. The coordinator there trusts me to work on my own. Part of me secretly wants her over here 
)
So every now and then we'll get in this gigantic order from our art and craft supplier. Usually it'll be stuff like paper, paint, brushes etc. In one of the orders was play money. Sounds completely innocent right?
Well, we found it good when the kids were setting up little shops and playing with it correctly-that is, trading it for goods and services.
Then things got out of hand.
The issues? The little ones not quite grasping the concept of money and the big kids grasping the concept of money quite easily and using it to bully the little ones.
Examples:
-One of the little ones (who's normally one of the WORST offenders for behaviour!) actually threw a tantrum when it was time to pack up. He was also under the belief that the money in the "till" was his and his alone, rather than the stores.
-Among the play money were a few "debit" cards. Correction: credit cards. Someone tried to use them as debit cards however and it turned into this fight with the little kids trying to hoard the money and the big kids trying to "rightfully" withdraw it.
-Another shop (one this time) attempted to be made. Except that the person in charge of running said shop kept stealing stuff from the activity room. Then refused to share. Scary thing was, this was a "big kid." He only attended morning shifts though. He also sulked big time when the money was confiscated.
The last two incidents were pretty much what has since resulted in the play money being BANNED for now. I'm actually tempted to pull it out again and teach the little kids about how to use money appropriately and in a controlled environment, rather than having it turn into the chaos it became last week.
But I'll do that on a day when there's me and "less experienced" staff around
(we're getting a new bossperson in a few weeks, but during the summer holidays, the coordinator for a nearby service takes split shift with the bossman here. The coordinator there trusts me to work on my own. Part of me secretly wants her over here )
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