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Memories from Speel Mee!
by Veronica Stavila Pruim
Are you a stay home parent with a child between 1.5 and 4 years? Join “Speel Mee” every week for only € 0.50 and meet new mothers and children in the area. That is how I would advertize for this weekly playgroup if I were organizing it. However, I am writing this article not as a staff member but as a mother who had a very positive experience with Speel Mee. In the following lines, I would like to share this experience with others.
We have recently moved from America with the whole family. Our two children are very young: Nico is two years old and Anna is eight months. My husband jokes about our kids being born in cities starting with a “B”. Nico was born in Boston, USA and Anna was born in Brasov, Romania. So, if we want another child, we need to move to Breda, also starting with a “B”. When we moved to Breda, we did not know anybody here and we saw the ad for Surplus activities at the doctor’s office (consultatiebureau). That is how we have found out about “Speel Mee” that is organized by the nonprofit Surplus in seven locations throughout Breda for parents and children who are not going to a playgroup (peuterspeezaal) yet.
We have loved it from the very beginning. Nico has met his first play pals here and I have met other mothers or grandmothers in the area. The majority of the kids are between 1.5 and 2 years but kids can join until 4 years. I have also been grateful to come with our daughter who was only a few months at the time. Not only did I find out about things to do with kids in the area but I have also met other Dutch and non-Dutch mothers. When I first joined, there were about 50% Dutch mothers and 50% from other countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Morocco, Turkey, Congo and others. This international flavor is one of my favorite things at Speel Mee. I found out about other cultures and languages. It also forced me to speak more Dutch, which I found very helpful.
Futhermore, Speel Mee is a preparation for the so-called peuterspeelzaal or even for school. The friendly staff who come from the Netherlands and Brazil are showing us how a peuterspeelzaal looks like and how to play in a more disciplined way. This is how a typical Wednesday session looks from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. The first hour is spent coloring or gluing different things on paper (we have a wall at home full of things that we did at “Speel Mee”). Then we try to devote 5 minutes to one play or another. After that we have fruit and the kids get to know each other’s names. In the second hour, parents are usually gathering without the kids to have some coffee or tea and to talk about different subjects: how to keep our house kid safe, do parents get enough time for themselves etc.
As a newcomer to the Netherlands, I had no idea what a peuterspeelzaal is. So, it was very nice to experience this with my son. Also, Nico could gradually get used to these activities and to playing with other kids in my absence. Last but not least, it was a very welcome break from home. Life at home with the kids is beautiful but it can sometimes get monotonous and exhausting at the same time. Speel mee was a nice break from this in the middle of the week.
Nico is now going to a peuterspeezaal in the area and he can join Speel Mee three more times. We would like to thank the Speel Mee team for all their efforts and for offering us many bright Wednesdays together with other kids and parents. Keep up the good work and I hope more kids and parents join “Speel Mee”!
For more information, please contact Yvonne de Gouw at (076) 5481337 or 06-13727014. Yvonne’s e-mail is Yvonne.de.gouw@surpluswelzijn.nl. You can also check out the nice website with blogs at http://speelmeeproject.blogspot.com/. Rosana is doing a great job in posting up to date pictures and information about Speel Mee
