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?

King I agree with you completely. I work in Reception and I believe children should be allowed to create, not just be told where to stick things. Who wants to see 30 identical 'beaches'?

Emmmm its not ideal fair enough show a sample picture but really its his interpretation of that picture. I work in nursery and this week is all about me. The art is having the children choose a card in a face shape. The cards are varying skin colours ie shades of peach, yellow and browns. Today I was doing the activity and I asked a little boy (who is white) to pick which one looks like him. He picked a dark brown face I didn't correct him because its his art and his interpretation of what he looks like.

They've just started at nursery.
I presume they haven't been in a classroom before and this is the first time they've spent time with a teacher type person.

This isn't an art lesson. This is an opportunity for the child to learn how to follow instructions, how to listen, how to change something and how to take direction from a teacher.

I presume he can't read and write yet so setting him to copy something down or trying dictation would be a bit taxing at that age.

So glue, paper and sticky things. Something he can work with and understand. A chance for the teacher to interact and see how well he can follow instructions, whether he gets anxious on being asked to do something, whether he is happy to do as he is told etc etc

He isn't there to leanr to be Picasso. He is learning to socialise, fit in and feel comfortable in the classroom environment.

It may look like he is doing art but he isn't doing art. He's learning how to fit in and be happy without causing disruption. Most of having a nice time in school is about that. I wouldn't say anything about it. One small moment you witnessed is not representative of a complete education. It may not fit with what you'd call an art lesson but as it wasn't an art lesson maybe that isn't so terrible.

I totally see what you mean. No, its not a big deal issue but still... Having examples is helpful, acting out/having photos/toy etc as inspiration is great but it would be better if it wasn't a copying exercise but an opportunity to be creative (creating something by its nature means not exactly copying). Other posters have given you a hard time but it's not like you're making a huge fuss or excusing the nursery member of being awful....

^accusing not excusing!

Oh OP you seem to be getting a bad time on here!

I'm an early years Teacher and I completly agree with you and would not be happy if my DC nursery was like this.

The activity should be all about the process and not the end project. (Damn Pinterest)

It is very clear in the EYFS framework. It's quite easy to find online if you want to have a look for yourself.

I would feel exactly the same OP.

I agree with you, let them run riot with the craft stuff BUT wait and see before you say anything, you may see them going free-style on other occasions.

YABU and ridiculous. It sounds like the teacher was just trying to offer a bit of help and guidance which perhaps your DC was actually happy to receive. You must have an easy life if this was worthy of you questioning this and a MN thread!

Op, you at least inspired us to do some late night art tonight after a day of nursery painting by numbers! Mine is the boring one, his is the lovely one!

Weirdly, his evokes the seaside a lot better than mine does!

The Hundred Languages of Children

The child is made of one hundred.
The child has
a hundred languages
a hundred hands
a hundred thoughts
a hundred ways of thinking
of playing, of speaking.

A hundred.

Always a hundred
ways of listening
of marveling, of loving
a hundred joys
for singing and understanding
a hundred worlds
to discover
a hundred worlds
to invent
a hundred worlds
to dream.

The child has
a hundred languages
(and a hundred hundred hundred more)
but they steal ninety-nine.
The school and the culture
separate the head from the body.
They tell the child:
to think without hands
to do without head
to listen and not to speak
to understand without joy
to love and to marvel
only at Easter and at Christmas.

They tell the child:
to discover the world already there
and of the hundred
they steal ninety-nine.

They tell the child:
that work and play
reality and fantasy
science and imagination
sky and earth
reason and dream
are things
that do not belong together.

And thus they tell the child
that the hundred is not there.
The child says:
No way. The hundred is there.

-Loris Malaguzzi
Founder of the Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Childhood Education

HI - I'm the manager of a nursery (Scotland) and I can say that this is (very!) bad practice here. We are encouraged to let the children make a picture how they want, it is the process of creating it that is important and not the product or picture created. That said, I don't know where you are, so our educational requirements may not be the same.

As an early years practitioner I completely agree with you OP!! each child should be encouraged to produce their own ideas and their own work, someone said copying is important.....hmmmmm no not really, each child is unique and should be encouraged to be as such. Although it's not uncommon for practitioners to do this, it is however an 'old fashioned' way and is 'frowned upon'. Adult led activities are important but not really when it comes to the creative activities. It's like Mother's Day/Father's Day etc, and mass produced cards that all look like an adult has sat and made them. Much more special for it to be all their own work.

NightMonkey, I'm so sorry you've had so much difficulty in your life lately. I'm not gojnh to go into my own personal circumstances here because I NC for that because I don't see how it's relevant to the conversation but if I did I can promise you would feel very silly. But this isn't some kind of woe competition. I assure you, from experience, that you don't need a life of ease and leisure to think about "small" things. As you would know if you'd read my previous posts, my first child (yup I do have one, as I previously mentioned) went to a very different type of nursery, and I used to be a teacher myself. In fact I have an advanced degree in primary education. So despite the drama elsewhere in my life, I do still make observations about everyday things, especially those within my area of interest.

TL, DR: You did too mean it as insulting and we all know it.

LemonScented, I've been wondering if anyone recognized it! One of my favorite IG songs.

It's interesting the divide in the comments. All the practitioners (and a few others) agree with the OP, and the rest of the other replies seem to be coming from people with no experience of the EYFS at all. It shows the difference between people who see nursery/pre school for what it is, arguably the most important part of your child's education. It's not called the Foundation Stage for nothing, good quality early years education builds a secure foundation for children to learn and develop for the rest of their lives.

And then there are others who see nursery and pre-school as just daycare. Anyone who thinks that denying children freedom of expression and the opportunity to learn how to do things themselves is 'trivial' or not worth wasting time worrying about, will fall into the latter category. The people who see Early Years education as glorified babysitters. And there are plenty of parents like that around, believe me.

*Mangomay I wish at times like these there was a 'like' button!! You have put it perfectly. Sometimes I feel like it would be so much easier if we were babysitters, just think of how much paperwork we wouldn't have to worry about!!!

There's another divide.
Many parents of toddlers care very much either way. Many parents of older kids think it makes no difference whatsoever to their creativity. It really doesn't matter if he glues his trousers to the chair or a yellow circle in exactly the assigned place.

This thread shows all that's wrong with Mumsnet in my opinion (nb MrsDeVere) : Nursery teacher suggests a 3 year old child produces a piece of art work resembling a real beach scene, perhaps as a one-off, we don't know that the nursery routinely do this with all art-based activities, mum heads straight to Mumsnet to criticise the teacher for doing so. Cue lots of ranting posts citing EYFS, approved teaching methods etc etc. Can't we just let people do their jobs without criticising every little thing they do? This is pretty boring and trivial stuff so I'm off now. Cheerio.

It might just have been that particular day. I think both are just as important for their development, letting them do whatever and teaching them to copy something else.

I agree OP. I probably wouldn't say anything unless I knew if other balanced opportunities weren't on offer. Also I'm a wuss.

I read a great blog about this and ever since have tried to be hands off with my daughter (3). The blog was about how if parents or teachers sit with and 'do' the activity children get bored or disheartened. I wish I could find a link, it was quite powerful.

Ever since I have noticed that at craft sessions at toddler groups I am normally the only parent not basically doing the craft for her. As a result her craft looks terrible but she is proud and attached to the resulting creation! If she asks for help I try and encourage her to do it and see herself as capable. I don't flatly refuse though, obviously!

In our Nursery the children created some weird and wonderful offerings.l would always say " tell me about your picture" and then annotate the work so others knew too! Sounds a bit like it was over directed by the adult but see how it goes. He won't always have 1-1 staffing and there will hopefully be many more opportunities for creating!

paxillin In addition to be an EYT, I also have children of my own aged 9 & 7. I'm confident in the knowledge that the pre school I chose to send them to (after a lot of consideration) gave them the very best start to their education, and helped turn them into the children they are today, children who can think for themselves, don't always need an adults direction/approval, are creative, socially confident and all round awesome.

I like to think I had a hand in it too, being their mum but the practitioners picked up where I left off when I had to go back to sodding work