To be just a tiny bit bothered by what I saw at my son's nursery this morning?

[KingofnightvisionKingofinsight]

My 3-year-old DS just started at a new nursery. The teachers are lovely and kind and DS seems happy, and obviously that's most important. But anyway...

This morning at dropoff DS wanted me to stay for a few minutes so I did. I watched him sit down at a craft table set with lovely materials including glue, glitter, scraps of fabric and cotton wool, and small yellow paper circles. My DS spent several minutes carefully applying dumping half a bottle of glue to a good portion of his paper, and then he asked the teacher to pass him some glitter. She very sweetly encouraged him to put more glue on other parts of the paper first, which he did, and then she gave him the glitter. A minute later she gave him a yellow circle. He started to glue it at the bottom of the paper, but she gently corrected him, saying that the sun belongs at the top. She then pointed to a sample project that had been made. It was a picture of the beach, with an ocean of blue fabric scraps and glitter, cotton clouds, and in the top right corner a yellow paper sun. My DS dutifully copied the sample picture and proudly showed me his beach.

AIBU to be a little sad that the nursery is giving the kids the idea of what to make and even showing them something to copy? Why can't they just put out the materials and let them create? I'm wondering if this is always the nursery's approach to art or if it's just this particular teacher. She is otherwise lovely so it's not like I would dislike her for this, but if this always how art and creativity are managed at the school it does give me a bit of pause. If it is I would still be happy with the school but I think I would like to engage them a bit (in a friendly, non-demanding way) about their reasons and figure out how it impacts other areas of the curriculum.

AIBU?

Ummm....

I don't see the issue, sorry. Copying is important for kids I thought.

#firstworldproblem

I think you're over thinking this a bit. Don't worry, sounds like a lovely place.

Good God! Call 101 immediately!

I'd love to have enough energy to worry about that

Are you honestly thinking of going in and talking to them about what you witnessed or did I misunderstand?

Yup, on this one you are being unreasonable.

As long as there are a good mix of free play and adult led activities then I don't see an issue. This sounds like an adult led activity

No of course you aren't being unreasonable, but those are deep issues you want to tentatively air in a gentle way with them!

I'd go to OFSTED about this personally. It's completely not on...

You are massively over thinking this

So they'd set up an activity, encouraged him to take part in a caring and loving manner, and you're upset?
I think you know YABU.

If you're really bothered ask them about it, if it's anything like my DS (2) nursery snd going off some if the masterpieces he brings home, it will be evenly weighted between specific guided activities (I. E. recognisable pictures) and more free play time (brown squiggle on a piece of a4)

Yes YABVU. She sounds encouraging. No problem at all there. If she was yelling at him that he was stupid and that the sun goes at the top of the paper yes. The scenario you described? No. She may even have been going the extra mile to show you that she pays attention to DS and tries to guide him. You are being silly.

I get what you mean OP! Not sure why everyone's being so sarky. This is the sort of thing I fight the urge not tto do with my ds, it's important to give them complete freedom in their creativity I think. Obviously not something I'd raise with the nursery but at the same time I would think it was a shame.

It's probably to check off an EYFS thing. We had to that stuff all the time. The kids were meant to try and create and actual 'thing' as part of an activity.

Sometimes they just went free range with the glitter and glue and paper. (Although we didn't display or send home that stuff )

Sorry but I'd be itching to roll my eyes at you if you had tried to 'engage' me about the 'impact' it was having. It's kind of patronising.

You will probably find that they have a theme every half term and some activities will be focused on that. If the theme this term is "at the seaside", the nursery will be encouraging the children to make/paint pictures of the beach.

Copying is important and it also gets the children thinking about what they see when they go to different places etc.

Your DS probably also gets to do plenty of art using his own creativity thoughout the day too.

YABU. Good grief find something else to worry about. If it bothers you he can copy at nursery and do his own creations at home. What utter tosh.

i was expecting some viscous and harrowing account of snide nursery teachers being mean to poor wee toddlers

but this

YANBU. Let them create their own stuff. This sounds stifling.

maybe they should let him form his own letters and words too. i mean just think of all the languages we would have if everyone could create their own and didn't have to learn

What's is your job op, would you like it if someone picked apart some aspects of that job.

Following instructions and copying is important skills to learn.

I sympathise with you too! I think though that this is indicative of quite a deeply embedded teaching and learning philosophy so you're unlikely to get very far by raising it. Maybe just make sure he gets plenty of opportunity for free creativity at home?

Also you said he 'proudly' showed you his picture. Just let it slide this time dear. If you feel they're purposely hindering DS creativity, maybe look into a different nursery. I'm sure they won't be doing it in a malicious way, it will just be the order in which they do things. In fact my kids nursery is the opposite and she comes home with some terrible work. I know she can do much better but she literally wastes a full piece of paper sticking down one sequin haha! I wish they would spend more showing her how to make a scene. It's ok to feel the way you did though, we all have unreasonable thoughts from time to time.