A "Sleep Diary" as homework!

[SouthernShepherdess]

Just looked in my daughter's homework book as usual to see what her teacher has set for the week..only to be somewhat taken aback that there is a "sleep diary" for this week. It say's on the same piece of paper that "we have been learning in Science this week about the importance of sleep etc" and then it has a list of the days..Thursday through to next Wednesday (when the hw is usually collected). It asks them to put down for each night incl the weekend what time they went to bed and what time they woke the following morning..that's for a whole week. Then it asks her to list what day she slept the longest! On the otherside of the same sheet of paper she has to draw a plan of her bedroom and also it asks if she has a favourite toy she takes to bed and/or a favourite story. My dh did not like the idea of this hw at all..he says it is prying and overstepping the mark. She is in Yr2 btw..her other teacher never even set homeowrk hardly at all! So this has come as a surprise! Is this the norm for some teachers? Can't help but think she is being nosey..what are your thoughts please!

[sausagesandwich34]

my DDs have both done sleep diaries as HW and they both realised they are not as hard done to when it comes to bedtime as they think

yr 2 a drawing of a bedroom is a rectangle with a bed in it -not intrussive at all

I wouldn't worry about it really

[conorsrockers]

Sounds seriously out of sorts to me, however - if it helps one child in the class by raising an issue that would otherwise had not been addressed then its worth it I s'pose - after all, you've got nothing to hide or worry about!

[BeatTheClock]

It sounds like one of those bonkers homeworks that gets put aside forgotton until the last minute and try and fill in a weeks worth in one go the night before it's due in.

[roadkillbunny]

I can't see the issue at all! They have been talking and learning about the need and benefits of a good nights sleep, the diary will help them look at their own sleep patterns and work out things like 'I had brownies on Friday and got to bed a half hour later then normal and as a result I slept in for longer on Saturday' the working out of their longest and shortest nights sleep if a great maths exersize that could be expanded by also working out the total time spent sleeping or for the more able how many hours they sleep to how many hours they are awake. The questions about their own routine and drawings of their bedrooms are a great starting point for classroom discussions around their siance subject of sleep, talking about how each person has their own preferences and opening up operating ties to talk about how external factors can influence sleep for example did the people who share with a sibling have a difference to how long them slept in comparison to those with their own rooms or does having a tv in their room have any effect on how much sleep they had.
I don't know why people have this idea that teachers have nothing better to think about or do then snoop and interfere with their young students family life and home set up!
I would enjoy doing a sleep diary with my children (Y3 and YR) and in fact I think I may do this with them as a little project in half term week and can take it in to share with their respective classes when they go back, I know my children would enjoy sharing this with their friends and unit would really help them engage with the maths problems. Young children really do better when they can bring their school subjects into their own lives and can see how these subjects can be of use to them in 'real' life, not just a problem on the board or worksheet like - Jane goes to bed at 7pm and wakes at 8am, how many hours sleep has Jane had?

[treas]

Does sound prying - probably trying to find out who has tv / computers etc in their bedrooms as these are not conducive for sleep.

Remember back in the 70's when my sister was a kid she had to write about her weekend every Monday morning. She always wrote "We went to the pub". It was the shortest sentence she could think of!

[roadkillbunny]

Sorry for the many mistakes I am on my phone and failed to proof read.

[simpson]

Would not bother me tbh....I think it's quite a good idea as roadkillbunny said...

Makes a difference from endless worksheets.

[smellsabit]

yeah reminds of of 'my diary' we had to write on Monday at primary!
think it is benign and potentially useful as previously described!

[TheEnthusiasticTroll]

I think you and dh sound paranoid. they are talking about sleep hygine very sensible and tying it in with personal experience and numeracy. what is intrucive about that. waht will a pencil plan of the bedroom include, that is incriminating or over stepping the mark.

[HauntedLittleLunatic]

I think I would feel less 'inspected' by a sleep diary than a food diary tbh and god diaries come around every year or two.

[kernowmissvyghen]

Well, I wouldn't let my DC take in a map of their bedroom. But then, someone I knew at school was molested in her bed by a total stranger- he broke in to her room through the window. Very unlikely to ever happen to your DC, but it happened to this girl. So one person's ridiculous paranoia is another person's sensible precaution- I would never allow details such as bedroom plan to go into public circulation, I'm afraid the thought of it makes me feel sick. But the rest of the homework seems reasonable enough.

[TheEnthusiasticTroll]

that is terrible and a horrific story, but a plan of the bredroom isnt going to infiltrate a break of security to the home is it? it will consist of a bed, a wardrobe, a door, a radiator, or a window. if someone was going to break in and molest someone in thier bed, then sadly they will manage to without gaining a childs plan of their room.

[janji]

My ds was doing a topic about houses/homes when in y2 and was asked to take in pics of house frontage and then to draw an overhead plan of our living room listing the materials things were made of. Never crossed my mind as being intrusive.

[HauntedLittleLunatic]

My DCs had to do a whole house brochure similar to that done by an estate agent. They had to do a plan and description. They also chose to include photos.

[MrsTruper]

If you don't like the homework, don't do it. Just add a brief note to the blank page saying you didn't agree with the HW and that you gave your daughter permission not to do it. Then hand it in.

I am doing this method, much better than going in to talk to the teacher about it which normally makes no difference, they just think you are over reacting.

[adeucalione]

Not intrusive at all - I have never heard of the sleep diary before, but all of my DC have had to keep a food diary and draw a plan of their bedroom; the personalisation makes the homework relevant and more interesting to the child surely?

[adeucalione]

And agree that a bedroom plan isn't going to aid a potential abductor in any way - unless your DC's bedroom is the size of a football pitch, then the position of the bed would be immediately obvious upon entering the bedroom and having a plan of the room in advance wouldn't help at all.

[Sirzy]

I don't think a year 2 child's picture is going to put them at any harm. It someone managed to get into a bedroom I doubt they would need much of a plan to see what was where!

[HSMM]

If you don't want a plan of the bedroom, then it could be a 'plan of my ideal bedroom' instead?

[BigWitchLegsInWailyTights]

It sounds fine but also like the teacher is poking into how much sleep they get! Our DC had a questionnaire all about how big their house was and what their parents did for a living, where they went on holiday etc!

I threw it away and told the teacher that I saw no need for sharing information like that.

[MaryZed]

How old is year 2? Six or seven is it?

I think it's a good idea to have children think about how much they sleep, just as they sometimes talk about healthy eating and road safety.

Surely drawing a picture of her bedroom isn't an issue?

And anyone who thinks that a child's drawing of her bedroom would lead to a potential abductor knowing the layout of the house enough to encourage them to break in and molest her in her bed is a serious loon .

ffs, teachers can't do right for doing wrong these days.

[CailinDana]

It is a practical science investigation, not an information request from the CIA. You can make the whole lot up, including the plan of the bedroom - why would the teacher be any the wiser? This sort of homework makes far more sense than some pointless fill in the blanks question - it gets the children talking about what they're learning and gives you solid and child-relevant data to use for maths, which again helps to keep their interest. It's also more likely to get the idea of sleeping a healthy number of hours across far better than just reading about it.

The teacher has made an effort to make the homework relevant to a topic they're learning about, interesting, and relatively easy. What is there to complain about?

[boredandrestless]

I think it sounds fine. A very short bit of writing each day, numeracy in the working out which sleep was the longest, and a picture. I don't see what the problem is really?

Are you worried your dc doesn't get enough sleep?

[happyhorse]

I think it sounds fine. I'm sure it would interest my DS. Do you think the teacher is planning a raid?

Poor teachers can do no right it seems.

[Beanbagz]

I think it sounds ok, quite fun in fact and would have no problems with my DCs doing it (though my DS's teacher would probably say that he goes to bed too late).

If it really makes you uncomfortable, then send a note in explaining why you don't want your child to do it.

Last year my DD had to do a food diary for a entire week - now that was interesting. I know of a few families who completely changed what they usually ate for the week!