to be pissed off that DDs nursery stole my ideas?

[harrietflies]

DD attends a local nursery school which uses an online learning journey app to communicate between nursery and home. DD hasn't yet spoken there (she started in September) so, after discussion with her teacher, I started adding regular updates of what we'd been doing at home as a conversation starting point.

Within the first week of doing this, DDs teacher said what a good idea something I'd done was and laughed as she said 'I might have to steal that.' Since then, several things we've done at home (that aren't your standard activities or ones that pop up online) happen to appear in nursery a day or two later. To be honest I didn't mind too much, as I thought it might help DD to be more comfortable if activities were familiar.

However, a fortnight ago nursery got the call from Ofsted and on the day they inspected the nursery they had four activities I'd done that week with DD out - exact copies . Today they announced they received an 'outstanding' grade and the report specifically mentions the 'imagination of the staff' to come up with such 'unique and original ideas to thoroughly engage and inspire the children.' AIBU to feel pissed off and a bit used?

Yabu and very precious! I would love to know what your ideas were that they poached.
I presume that it may have been an activity that they had probably done before and you just jogged their memory. I have been working in early years for a long time now and welcome ideas, especially from parents. It is very rare that they suggest something I haven't either carried out myself or read about.

You are going to be a teachers dream when your DC start school OP.

I didn't say no one had ever done the activities before, I'm sure they probably have but they aren't your standard 'make a handprint card' activities so the fact that four of them were copied precisely certainty wasn't a coincidence.

Oh christ, if your DD is only in nursery, I can't even begin to imagine the nightmares her future teachers have to come.

Mind you, the thought of a school hearing of ideas they think are beneficial to use for the children and then having the audacity to use them. The utter bastards.
I'd complain if I was you.

Actually it's less than 24 hours. You get the call at midday the day before.

I have three other dc, thanks Cold Tea.

Yes but ideas. What were "your" ideas?

backintherealworld

I am so bloody intrigued as to what unique activities you do with your child. So unique you feel you deserve kudos because a governebt agency was sooooooo impressed.

Just tell us the ideas so we can all poach them too

I didn't say no one had ever done the activities before, I'm sure they probably have

So.... You probably got the activities from someone/somewhere and are now bitching and moaning that the nursery did the same?

Get. A. Grip.

I need to know what the activities were too!

It does sound a bit fake if they normally do two activities per week, but laid out eight in one day when the inspectors were in.

Tbf, that's par for the course and simply human nature. You find me any individual, group, or business that wouldn't put extra effort in when they were being assessed. This nursery is not unique in that sense.

As a childcarer of many years I am always on the lookout for new ideas - please share

YABU. Were you expecting a name check in the OFSTED report?

Do share op. Have been teaching 18 years would love to find an idea like yours ...

...you've got to spill now op

I need to know what the ideas are before I provide judgement.

I'm also struggling to see where the upset is.

Well I'm sure their school is very grateful to you for their ofsted report too OP

Unique was a quote from the report, not from me.

We made an elfs workshop/grotto/ post office with an inventors box and tools so the dc could 'make' toys, boxes and wrapping paper so they could package them with tags for mark making, scales for weighing at the post office, stamps before sending etc. Had elves and Santa costumes for role play.

We made 'Christmas soup' with peppermint scent, jingle bells for sound, coloured water ingredients and so on.

We had a scavenger hunt with lists of certain numbers of certain Christmas items.

We used photos of family members and made them into santa/elves/angels/donkeys etc using whiteboard pens on photo frames

We had a Christmas cutting station where we had ribbon/tinsel/beads etc to cut

Maybe they chose your child to demonstrate how they are working in partnership with parents and supporting to meet their individual learning goals? Ofsted will normally expect to be able to pick up a child's learning journal and track progress from initial observation, activities, evaluation and next steps. This has to include parents input, even if you just mentioned in passing what you were doing at home they could have used it as evidence.
I think you should be happy your child is lucky enough to attend such a high quality provision.

All sounds common Christmas crap fun.

Monkey tennis?

Perhaps one of the teachers has a Pinterest account?