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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be pissed off that DDs nursery stole my ideas?

184 replies

harrietflies · 16/12/2015 23:04

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?

OP posts:
mrsglowglow · 16/12/2015 23:59

I'm bored so shall we play guess the activities?

  1. Pasta art.
  2. Messy play with corn flour.
  3. Coloured water play.
Marzipanface · 17/12/2015 00:00

I would feel pleased that my craft suggestions were considered sufficiently engaging and educational to be used within the nursery for the benefit of all the children.

I would also be very pleased that the nursery were looking for new and stimulating projects for the children and that the Ofsted report had improved.

I'm afraid it is unlikely your ideas were entirely original, also people share craft and projects ideas all the time via Pinterest, blogs and social media. You can't claim copyright. The staff wouldn't even consider your feelings on the matter, they see a good idea, they roll it out in the nursery. The Ofsted report is based on far more detail and paperwork than a bunch of projects.

MargotLovedTom · 17/12/2015 00:01

Cross post with the big reveal and nobody probably knew what the hell I was on about anyway.

PenelopePitstops · 17/12/2015 00:01

If you do all that shit at home, why bother sending her to nursery.

Honestly you sound so smug and self satisfied. Who the fuck actually makes a santa workshop at home.

duckbilled · 17/12/2015 00:02

Everything you mentioned I have done with my preschool class in the past. Sorry OP but time to build that bridge and get over it. Xmas Grin

mrsglowglow · 17/12/2015 00:02

cross post from me too! Way off here!

SantasLittleMonkeyButler · 17/12/2015 00:02

Where did you get the ideas from? Are you saying all of these things are your intellectual property?

The phrase that springs to mind is "you've got tickets on yourself."

Quite apart from that, no nursery has ever been awarded an Outstanding based solely on their Christmas activities.

BitchPeas · 17/12/2015 00:02

Well according to my Facebook feed over the last couple of Christmas' that's pretty standard Christmas enforced fun.

Don't worry, I won't tell them you've poached their ideas Wink

HPsauciness · 17/12/2015 00:03

I guess the question here is what did you want from posting all these very detailed descriptions of the activities you do at home? What type of conversation were you hoping to start- one where they said 'wow' or did more activities with your dd or where they might get ideas from them.

I don't think they were necessarily wholesale in the right to use these activities when they were clearly suggested by you without asking, although the teacher did say 'I might steal that', I guess the onus was, if you didn't want them to use them, then to stop detailing them from that point on (and of course you can do that from now on).

I just can't imagine detailing such activities in a learning journal/online place about my children's daily activities, but that doesn't mean they were right to nick them all and use them this week, it would have been polite to say harrietflies, you have some great ideas there, would you mind if I tried a few with the children?

If they had asked, would you have minded?

Or are you pissed off more with how they don't do enough normally and suddenly are doing lots of activities?

I think it's probably more the latter, in which case, are you trying to shame them a little into doing more by posting about this stuff?

ColdTeaAgain · 17/12/2015 00:05

Alan Partridge Margot Grin

BackforGood · 17/12/2015 00:06

I'm with PenelopePitstops, tbh.

although, have used more than one of your ideas in classrooms LONG before anybody even had the internet - so nowadays, with all the millions of ways to share things via the internet, I can't see any of them being copyrighted as original ideas by you I'm afraid.

JoanFerguson · 17/12/2015 00:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Marzipanface · 17/12/2015 00:07

margotlovedTom I got it.

I cross posted as well. Can I just say, these are all wonderful ideas, so no wonder the nursery were eager to try them out. Sadly, Ofsted don't personally name-check parents, but as someone up above said, the fact they've taken on board your ideas is surely a positive?

mrsglowglow · 17/12/2015 00:10

Also when was this ofsted inspection as normally it's at least three weeks before their report is published and shared with parents unless this has changed?

SilverdaleGlen · 17/12/2015 00:24

Well they sound like great ideas. I can tell because no way on earth could I be arsed to do those at home.

But yes, does it matter? And what did you want nursery to do exactly? Credit you? YABU.

Homebird8 · 17/12/2015 00:32

After all that I should think your DC goes to nursery for a rest!

UkmmTheSecond · 17/12/2015 00:36

I don't think nursery stole the ideas off you OP. They are pretty standard stuff in most settings each year.

The role play corner is changed into elf grotto, post office etc at the start if December.

Cutting and gluing was a daily activity and we change the items available according to whatever topic. So again, this time of year, old Xmas cards,tinsel etc to make collages. (Old catalogues to make a Santa wishljst was a fave) also a snowman to shape to stick cotton wool on.

Scavenge hunts are great too. OP have a look at Pocket Scavenger by Keri Smith. It's a book that you have to stick certain items in and then decorate pages, each page has a section to write the date on and a little about the item. You end up with a lovely memento that's nice to flick through as your child gets older. And you can get really creative with the items you find. It's about five quid on ebay.

We do things similar to you with water, scents etc but didn't call it Christmas Soup. I might steal that name, will give you royalties :)

We don't do the drawing on photo frames, but do very similar and use the dc photos on stocking,Xmas pudding shales etc to make hanging baubles for them to take home and hang on tree at home.

Your activities are great fun and loved by children, your dd is lucky that she gets to do them twice, but I genuinely don't think the nursery poached them for you, they will have seen your description and thought "we must do that again" those thing. But even if they did pinch, you should feel good that other dc have had as much fun as dd. More activities will have been set as OFSTED were coming. I'm actually surprised OFSTED referred to them as unique as they are common. Are you sure they were referring to the Christmas activities and not activities throughout the whole year?

freespiritsbadattitude · 17/12/2015 00:40

I got it too Margot!
(see my username)

OP I would write to Ofsted and tell on the naughty nursery for copying your ideas. It's the only sensible course of action.

WoodenPegs · 17/12/2015 01:00

Sorry, my dc did 3 of those activities at nursery last week. Not original I'm afraid. Tis the Christmas season.

MultishirkingAgain · 17/12/2015 04:31

It's what's known by professionals as sharing best practice.

EasterRobin · 17/12/2015 04:54

They sound like jolly good fun OP. Can I send my child over to your house for a bit?

I'm not sure why everyone on here is so negative at you. I think I'd be a little put out in the same situation. I'd like to be acknowledged for my input, not in the OFSTED report obviously - but I'd expect the person who was inspired by my activity to take a minute to say "hey, that activity you did - it sounded fun so we did it here too; it was very popular/interesting/fun."

Is that too much to ask? I am used to having a job and when I use someone else's idea I make sure to thank them and also share credit where relevant. It's just good manners and I want them to feel valued (and continue to share their ideas with me).

christinarossetti · 17/12/2015 05:11

An outstanding Ofsted rating is related to overall quality of provision, leadership, Safeguarding, curriculum, development of children etc.

Early years providers devote hours and hours of time over years to improve their provision and outcomes for childre.

Your belief that a bit of extra tinsel influenced the outcome of the inspection is somewhere between extremely arrogant and deluded, imvho.

Masterpiece1 · 17/12/2015 05:20

Ignore the haters OP!

I am sure that you will be awarded an OBE for services to craft. That will show MN!

BitOutOfPractice · 17/12/2015 05:56

I only want to know how the bells jingled in the soup.

I never thought I would type that sentence

BlueSmarties76 · 17/12/2015 05:56

I think the biggest issue here is if the nursery usually have no imagination and do fuck all then put on a show to impress OFSTED. I am aware that OFSTED look at years worth of stuff, but they might view it through rose tinted glasses if there are tons of great activities when they inspect.

OP I think your activities sound good (though I'm not a teacher so wwik) and it does sound a bit like the nursery poached ideas from you, but I think perhaps this should be raining alarm bells over the quality of the nursery, not concern about ideas being poached.