to think school should not be celebrating world book week by showing Dr Who?

[bellabelly]

AIBU? I had a bit of a moan to DT's teacher this morning about it and slightly got the impression she thought I was being a nutter rather over-protective. My boys (Reception class, 4 and a half years old) came home yesterday, telling me that they'd been put in groups with older kids to watch stories. So far so good, nice to mix the year groups up from time to time and I'm assuming some of the other stuff for World Book Week will involve looking at actual books, rather than watching dvds.

DT2 told me his group watched the Gruffalo's Child. DT1's group, however, watched Dr Who - not sure which episode but he said it involved sinking boat and people drowning, so am thinking probably that xmas special set aboard the Titanic - 'Voyage of teh Damned'. That's a guess though.

Teacher was v insistent that all the dvds were age appropriate and kids not shown anything too scary. But I do think it's just weird tat they think it's ok for 4-year olds and I also think that there are better ways to celebrate World Book Day than watching Dr Who? Am I being too precious? Am genuinely interested to hear opinions.

PS DT1 told me he found it "scary" and "spooky" but that he wouldn't have nightmares - and tbf, he didn't.

Watch stories??

Surely the clue is in the title - World Book Day, not World DVD day?

And I don't think you are being unreasonable. I'm no expert on Dr Who but I wouldn't say it was appropriate for 4 year olds. More like 7 year olds in my opinion.

Thanks Kat - that's reassuring. I don't want to be the over-protective loon mother but I did feel strongly that it just wasn't appropriate. I also thought 7 years old would be more like the right sort of age (although still think just watching dvd is a bit of a shame unless it leads to, you know, actually READING some BOOKS...)

So not sure now whether to just leave it or write note to HT. My instinct is to leave it but then I bet it'll happen again next year judging from what DS's teacher said this morning...

What time is dr who on? I havent seen it but I didnt think it was suitable for little ones. The gruffalo is much better choice!

I'd be steaming! I'd be the "insane frothy one" ranting and writing letters to the Head and the Chair of Governors and stuff. I'm a reader, always have been, hate it when people say "oh I never read, I watch the film/tv show" it pisses me off and makes me ranty in a big way. I want my DCs to have at least some of the same love of books and reading I have, and to appreciate the whole "reading experience" I sound precious now don't I rather than staring slack jawed at a screen for hours on end. The film is never as good as the book anyway!
Go for them bella stand up for the BOOKS Will nobody think of the boooooooookkkkkkkkssssssssssss

What has Doctor Who got to do with books? It's not even based on a book is it? (I know you get doctor who books as a spin off from the telly but that doesn't count IMO). I don't think YABU to think it is unsuitable for 4 year olds and I don't think YABU to think that watching DVDs has bugger all relevance to a week celebrating books. Lazy, lazy teaching IMO.

YANBU. I love Dr Who but the books are based on the TV show, not the other way around

Pombear , I hear you! Right, MN jury, I think you've convinced me to mention it in a very ranty letter to the HT. DH is on the governing body so I will have a bit more of a moan to him as well, poor man.

RW, yes - as a teacher that's what I thought too. The other DT who watched the Gruffalo's Child actually moaned that the teacher had talked too much and I thought oh good, at least the teacher was discussing it with them as they watched.

littleducks - I think it's on at about 7pm? Pre-watershed anyway. I always switch it off because the boys saw a bit of it once when I was busy mumsnetting, ahem, not paying attention to the tv and they were soooo upset and scared. Lots of crying. That was about 6 months ago and it's been banned in this house ever since!

It's not even about whether or not they will be scared. The programme is on at a time when it is "family viewing" but I would seriously wonder what 4 year olds are actually learning during the time they are watching this at school. Not much I imagine.

It's fine to have something for a jolly now and then (like last day of term or whatever) but if it's just for enjoyment, pick a story which will be more enjoyable for their age range.

I personally would have thought that WBD ought to be educational. Ask what the learning objectives and success criteria for the 4 year olds in this session were! That should be a good rant!

YANBU. I love Dr Who, and I know some people do watch it with their little ones but we don't let DD watch it and I wouldn't be happy with the school deciding for me that it's OK. Let alone the fact that it isn't based on a book.

I think a rant is justified, both on the Dr. Who is not a book and the age point.

Dr. Who may be well pre watershed, but it is scary. Not horror film scary, but creepy and unsettling. It's one thing to watch it with a parent, who can get offer reassurance. It's quite another to give a child nightmares and Mum not have the faintest idea what their child saw.

Even in years 3 and 4 my children were told that they could only watch stuff rated U. Most Dr Who is rated 12 - as my children discovered when they tried to buy DVDs in Poundland. So I'm very surprised that reception children were allowed to watch Dr Who.

And, as several people have pointed out, it has bugger-all to do with World Book Day.

Go bella Go

If my mum is to be believed, the original books are what the old series were based on, so it was books first.

But, the books were not aimed at 4 year olds and neither are the programmes! I would be furious. Plus there are much nicer activities they could have done than watch DVDs!

I don't know why the school chose dr who in particular but I don't think the fact that the books were based on the tv program rather then the other way around is relevent. It's still a book.

As for it being innaproriate. Well my 2dcs love dr who and they are 3 and 6 . . . yes that's right 3 and 6! (flame away!)

We check each episode first to make sure that it is not too scary as they vary quite hugely and some of the aliens can come across rather menacing while others as just silly, so they have to be judged on an episode by episode basis.

The reason we let them watch it is because dc1 watched a bit of one a while ago and loved it! It really triggered their imaginations and all the questions about time travel, space, how sonic screwdrivers would work, science stuff, other planets, evolution etc etc . . .

We watch together and talk about whats happening. Some of it goes over their heads as you would expect. We make sure they are not scared and would turn it off if they were naturally!

I can vaguely remember the episode you are talking about but not enough to say whether it is scary. So I am surprised the school chose it but seeing as I show it to my own children I'm a bit on the fence.

Poopoo (great name!) - I absolutely think that's your choice to make as a parent, with your individual DCs - like you say, you're watching it together so you'd soon notice if it was all too much for them/giving them nightmares etc. I suppose I just don't like the school making that choice for me...especially knowing that they've seen it before and been very upset although that was months ago now and maybe they were being wimps. I'm not normally a "wrap em in cotton wool"-type mum, honest I'm not.

I think if teachers can't be bothered/don't have enough time to read actual books with the DCs then don't bloody bother to celebrate World BOOK Day. Just do the normal ciricculum then! The clue is in the title... YANBU.

And I now have a tiny crush on pombear

Yanbu. Two out of my three dc were ok with DrWho but dd2 was terrified of it and had a couple of horrible nightmares. She only started watching it again when she was much older. It's very much something parents need to assess for themselves.

That aside (and that alone is worth a moan for sure) it's World Book Day they're observing for heavens sake. Chucking on a load of dvds doesn't really cut it. If they can't do it properly then why bother?

Whilst it's nice that some books have been made into dvds and are sometimes beautifully done too (ie Gruffalos Child is esp lovely) and worth watching, putting them on instead of reading the book isn't promoting the very different experience of reading the thing. All it demonstrates is that you don't need to bother with reading, just wait for the dvd to come out; which is surely going to result in the opposite desired outcome regarding fostering a love of books

I am highly unimpressed when I hear of schools relying too heavily on dvds; it's not really trying very hard is it?

Presumably, it was part of their 'visual literacy' planning.

But even then, there's no way I'd consider Dr Who to be suitable for other people's 4 year olds.

Both of mine love it and DD has watched it since being tiny, but as her parents that is our choice to make. And we can cover her eyes if necessary.

Reminds me of when DS watched HP and the Philosophers Stone in nursery. Some words were said then, I can tell you!!!

Gosh, I thought most films, or tv series were based on either a book, series of books, or a written script? I never thought Dr who had been filmed in a stand up comedy sort of way!

I would think it excellent that they use dvds to show children the joys of books, in their many shapes and forms, and that literature is more than Ibsen and Shakespeare, and that popular shows like Dr Who is somebodys written word, fantasy, like CS Lewis Narnia series, or Harry Potter, also are.

You would not mind the teacher showing a Romeo and Juliet dvd, would you? After all that is Shakespeare! Who are we to judge what is good literature? Shakespeare, or the writers behind dr who has capture millions of young viewers?

YANBU. What a waste of an opportunity to look at some of the thousands of other really good quality books for little children. If SCHOOLs don't champion literature who will? I share your annoyance.

To all those saying the school is lazy by showing dvds and should be looking at actual books . . . do we actually know how much of the book week has been taken up by dvds? Perhaps it was 1 dvd for each pupil/class, rather then 6 hours of dvds a day all week as some seem to be suggesting it is.

I really don't have a problem with my dcs watching the odd dvd at school, it's not like they are doing it morning til night.

And that's a good point QuintessentialyHollow about the dvds being based on script. It's all about story telling after all.

Quint I would mind them showing a Romeo and Juliet DVD actually - the my point is it's world book day, so should be about the experience of actually reading books, not watching DVDs. And while Dr Who the TV series is exceptionally well written, IMO the spin-off books and comics are not literature - they are tv spin offs.

exaspomum What a waste of an opportunity to look at some of the thousands of other really good quality books for little children.

But do we know they haven't? OP?

But watching something doesn't require much effort on the viewer's part. You are spoonfed the whole thing and not much, if any, of your own imagination is used. Not capitalising on an age-group whose imaginations are firing on all cylinders because they are so young and creative is a waste of an opportunity.

I think actually I would object to my dc watching Romeo and Juliet if they were supposed to be studying the book. Ok watch it as well as maybe, but not in place of it. Films are only an adaptation.

The Woman in Black is a case in point. It deviates enormously from the original story. There will be people who now won't bother reading the book because they feel they know the story, but the film hasn't even got the same ending and is quite different in parts.