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?

Fear not OP. Your DS will get better plenty of opportunities to create freely - which you will lovingly put on the wall, and plenty of adult led stuff in preparation for school. Which you will also lovingly put on the wall.

By the end of reception you'll be saying "that's nice dear" and adding it to a pile on a table which will remain unmoved 'til halfway through yr5.

Jesus the whole #firstworldproblem thing is getting so tiresome.

Yes it was funny about a year ago to describe some really silly frivolous concerns. But using it as a flippant dismissal of an entire conversation is not really very witty, or helpful.

Ffs if we're not allowed to discuss anything other than world peace and the end of hunger we may as well just close the Internet.

Op, obviously this isn't a massive deal, but you're not claiming it is so god knows why some people are getting so uppity. I'm with you that I would be a teeny little bit dispirited by it too.

Bloody heck I was reading this and waiting for the worrying bit to come.

You are being completely unreasonable! Sorry, I think this might be the most unreasonable thread I've read.

OP I know what you mean and YANBU.

But they will teach the kids to make pictures which are recognisable. You can encourage free expression at home. I have always done that.

Well let's just say, you aren't going to be impressed with school either. As often the children copy or make similar images that will be put up on display throughout the school relating to a subject they are learning.

I also remember when my DC were at nursery they often had themes and tailored each area within the nursery to accommodate it (wherever possible). They didn't inform us of these themes everytime as we as parents didn't need to do anything other than deliver our offspring to nursery. How do you know that's not the case? It is summer after all, and what's a great British summers day out, the beach

IMO, free creativity is nigh on impossible to do in a meaningful way unless you've learnt to copy first. Learning that putting the sun at the top creates a 'scene' that other people can recognise is a skill.

It is teaching him about other people and their perceptions - that other people can't see inside his head, so in order to create a picture of the seaside, he has to follow universal 'rules' outside of his (or the teachers) imagination.

Also there's the impact on other areas - using art as a way to teach him about the sun being in the sky could be seen as a science/nature lesson in a way.

IKWYM, I always hated a prescriptive approach to crafts with small dc. However, if the nursery is otherwise good it would appear a bit nit picky to raise this. Just make sure he has other opportunities to take a more open ended approach.

Howay man unclench a bit!

Actually, I do understand what you mean, but I don't think this is anything to worry about whatsoever. He'll get loads of chances to be creative I'm sure.

YABU! if a parent brought this up with me I would be astounded.

YABU, I really don't see what's wrong with children being gently encouraged to copy a picture? It's certainly not 'stifling' as mentioned by a pp

I'm sure he will get plenty of opportunities to do 'free play' with art materials. I show my nearly 4 yo dd how to draw things all the time, I draw the object for her then she tries to copy, its the same thing isn't it? I certainly don't think I'm damaging her by doing this

gamerchick

I totally thought this was going to end with her shouting at him or something.

It sounds like it was a set copying project rather than creative. Maybe the nursery version of still life. If you're worried your child is not creative then maybe do extra stuff at home but I reckon the nursery do too... Defo first world problem

Your son is part of 'the system' now and must learn to become a mindless drone compliant citizen.

Self expression is all very well, but the ongoing functioning of the state is more important 😬

Yab-a-tiny-bit-u I'd probably ask if the do free-form too, but if not you can do that at home.
Copying pictures is the very basic beginning of learning to write and is super necessary.
I'm not sure why everyone is being so mean, but I hope you're OK.

Maybe they usually let him make a big old mess, but she felt she had to perform a little bit as you were standing there?

I'd let it go.

I sort of know what you mean actually op and have sometimes mused about this myself - do I allow ds to be creative and use his imagination or do I gently correct him? At age 3 I probably would have just let him get on with it. At age 5 as he is now (almost 6) I'd probably take a different approach. Agree the nursery sounds lovely though and I certainly wouldn't let the incident keep me awake at night

Yabu.

I get what you're saying OP.

YABU, yes.

It's fine for the children to have a guideline to work towards - they don't HAVE to copy it slavishly! She suggested, he agreed. If he had said "NO! I don't WANT to put it there, it goes HERE!" (like my 3yo might have, for e.g.) then I expect she would have just let him get on with it.

Nurseries have a range of different activities, some more child led than others. Not every creative activity is left to the child's imagination and those which aren't tell them different things about your child and teach your child different things. This particular activity, if looked at in isolation, could tell them about your DS's verbal comprehension, ability to follow instruction, his fine motor skills, whether or not he understands that some things can represent others (yellow circle of paper = sun).

Try to loosen up a bit. They know the EYFS inside out and sound very good at what they do.

I work in a nursery and it's actually quite bad practice to try and direct a child's work like that, we'd get pulled up on it where I work.
And to the folks that call everything a first world problem, if you have access to the Internet, a device to use it on and time to post on a forum, anything you say is by definition a first world problem so piss off!

She sounds a bit weird. Does it matter if the sun goes in the sea? It's art.

Bit like telling that Pollock chap to stay inside the lines.

I get your point, our education system moulds kids into a certain way and it's sad to see it happening so early. If it concerns you maybe you could say you thought the activity was great and the teacher very encouraging then ask what opportunities there are for free creative play on other days?

My SIL does this with her kids - eg sticker books "the duck goes in the pond not the sky!" - her kids are only preschool age and it makes me so sad to watch them have to peel off a wrongly placed sticker and do it right. I love my SIL but this is her hang up and I do think we should encourage creativity in young children as there's plenty of time for copying and following "rules" later.

Blame the people that set the curriculum not the poor nuggets who have to try to follow it.

He will get plenty of time to make an unholly mess be creative.