to think "the playground smells" isn't reason to stay off school?

[WordsAreNoUseAtAll]

Now, I'm the last to be forcing an unhappy child to school, but I'm pretty sure this is morning cba rather than an actual smelly playground. If it was so smelly they would have stopped kids going out. Yeah?

If it was "the playground is cold" or "the children are noisy" then, well I wouldn't keep her off, but I would at least agree with her and give her warmer clothes/ideas for staying away from the noise. But smelly playground?

She's 4, btw.

Are stupid excuses a thing that every child does? Are playgrounds smelly? Am I over thinking this?

I don't know about playgrounds but all schools stink.

Of school dinners, cleaning fluid and farts.

The playground, unless running with raw sewage, can't smell any worse than that!

YANBU. The school playground at my infant school stank. It was the smell coming through from the extractors for the school canteen, so if that's what she can smell then it's something she'll have to get used to - if I'd stayed off because it was smelly there then I'd have missed 3 years of school!

Lol! At least she's honest! I went to a very rural school and the smells that came off the surrounding fields at certain times of year were unbelievable. And inevitably led to everyone blaming each other

She might genuinely not like the smell. But a reason to stay off school? No. Wish I could stay off work with that excuse!

Aren't they funny at that age. Of course she can't stay off due to playground being "smell". Are you sure nothing else is bothering her?

Well, I do think other stuff is bothering her, but it is all being looked into. She insists it is that the playground is smelly though.

She's a funny 'un :)

Children with sensory-processing difficulties tend to find schools utterly unbearable for many reasons.

Is it just the playground?

I once wouldn't go to school for a week due to being chased by a girl who "turned her eyes round". It was awful

(she didn't actually turn her eyes round, she folded her lids over - still yucky though)

When ds comes in from school he does have a particular 'school' smell...blerk!

We're pretty sure she does have various issues tbh. We're in the process of looking into it because of other things she does.

Still, she is in reception, so has free access to outside, and her teacher says she spends an unusual amount of time outside when everyone else is inside, so it can't be all that smelly, can it?

Maybe she means that the children are smelly - in which case I agree, but only because all children, including my own, are smelly :)

Imagine the phonecall - "DD1 will not be coming in today, because the playground is smelly. Also, the children are noisy. She will come back when these things have stopped." Sigh, I would if I could, but HE isn't an option.

Bless her :) I told her that, if things are smelly, she should smell something nice instead, or go away from the smelly thing, so lets see what that turns into in her head :)

I can't even think now, what do people do if things smell? I'm curious now. Do you reckon, if I asked the school, they would tell me if the playground smells to most people? Or will they think I've gone mad?

Mojito - urgh. I've seen people do that. It's horrible!

my school was up the road from an abbatoir and it stank! especially in the warm weather

ds1 is asd and has a variety of sensory issues...I'm quite sure that he could have complained of a smelly playground. I know it's far too cold atm, but ds1 is really not fond of the the smell of tarmac...he refused to go down one street on the way to school for weeks after the road had been resurfaced! Could it be that?

I doubt it is tarmac, due to the extreme cold. I'm trying to think what it could be. We used to live practically next door to the school and I can't remember any smells in the area. They have a veg patch, but that won't be smelling this time of year will it? Or is this when they put manure down?

Why not spray a little scent on a pretty hanky for her to smell in the playground?

Ds is 5 and has spd also struggles with the smells at school. We put a squirt of dh aftershave on ds school jumper to try to balance good and bad smells.

I STILL remember school smells 35 years on! The smell of school dinners, the smell of the hall floor after it had been varnished,the smell of the carpet at story time ( fusty/stale wee, strangely comforting!) the smell of one particular teacher's perfume - the list is endless!

Valium - and the smell of powder paint.

The smell of schools is overpowering and does stay with you.

I think the idea of a nice smell to counter it sounds like a good idea.

folk yes! I can smell it now!

Good idea mojito

I can get annoyed by smells, so much that I can feel nauseous.

BUT, EVERY ONE SMELLS, SOMEPEOPLE SMELL OF 2 MUCH SOAP > MISS

School reeks. I can smell it on kids who come to my house for piano lessons when they are still in uniforms. Make her a pomander?

I once wouldn't go to school for a week due to being chased by a girl who "turned her eyes round". It was awful (she didn't actually turn her eyes round, she folded her lids over - still yucky though)

Priceless.

My daughter complains her music teacher smells and it's too noisy in music and P.E. The noise I found a solution-cotton wool in the ears. Smell- I haven't dealt with yet. Perfume on a hanky might be a good idea. Her classmates do not seem to notice any smells or noise. She complains of smells even at my inlaw's house where I don't smell anything. I've found she has many of the 'highly sensitive child' characteristics (Elaine Aron -The highly sensitive child). The smells and noise are just a few of her issues. Now I try not to think she's just being silly and take her seriously and help to make the situations easier. Just an idea- maybe she's got sensory processing difficulties or she's highly sensitive?

Imagine the phonecall - "DD1 will not be coming in today, because the playground is smelly. Also, the children are noisy. She will come back when these things have stopped." Sigh, I would if I could, but HE isn't an option.

^ That made me properly giggle. I'm not laughing at your DD, I promise but the way you put it made me laugh!

It could be an excuse but she could be genuinely not liking the smell. As a child, my sister was funny about certain smells. My mum used to give her a hanky sprayed with nice perfume which she held to her nose when something smelt 'bad'.