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?

It may have just been a one off OP, but if your DC comes home with art work that frequently looks like it's been copied or there's been too much 'guidance' on how they've done it, I'd have a chat with the key person.

When it comes to writing later on, yes it's important that they copy. But art work is individual and should be expressive. As an example, we were making beach pictures last week (I'm a pre school teacher). The children were given blue and yellow paint, sand, glitter and glue. I painted one as an example, but not one child (aged between 18 months and 4 years) copied mine. They did their own thing, very few of them even painted a beach. But every child could tell you what they'd painted, and they were immensely proud of what they'd produced. Art in the early years is about the process, not the product. Open ended learning is hugely, hugely important. Far more important than being able to copy. And as a side note, Ofsted hate children being given too much direction (and sometimes any direction at all) when it comes to art. The section of the EYFS that covers art is called 'Exploring Media and Materials'. How are children supposed to explore when they're being told what to do?

You are totally NBU OP.

Rant over...

It would piss me off too

My daughter works as a nursery nurse and she has informed me many times of the sorts of activities a good nursery undertakes. As others have said this is obviously an adult led activity. The way each child responds to each type of activity, adult led or free play, is documented as part of their Ofsted. These sorts of activities are designed to see not only to how a child responds in different circumstances but also to highlight any difficulties a child may have, i.e. ADHD, dyslexia, co-ordination difficulties, learning difficulties, etc. I wouldn't be at all worried but if you wish to receive all of your child's work including the messy free play I am sure your nursery will accommodate you. My sons nursery only sent home the neat stuff until I asked for everything and I still have some wonderful messy master pieces and my son is now 14.

Charlotte4242 What the OP is describing is definitely not good practice!

DD goes to a Montessori nursery a couple of days a week and I kind of have the opposite 'worry'. Everything is guided by the child. Very little instruction. I deal with this by including some structured preschool classes on other days. That way she can also learn to pay attention, focus a bit and follow instruction.

This is really out of date practice. I have not heard this kind of thing for 10 years or so.
I would recommend that you get in touch with the school and raise your concerns

That's what Montessori is - child led.

Totally with you and others. Adult lead is totally adult result with EY children need space to learn - that's think, test, explore, examine and time. So the sun was to be at the top and the lad was going at the bottom why did she no ask why is your sun at the bottom? Creativity thinking it might well have a boat and he going to do sun next. I agree with others thou don't get overally bothered by it, you can do a similar activity home his way.

I know what you are saying.... My child's Creche does the same thing.... It's called organized play or something like that and it feels really creativity-crushing. I have just upped explorative play at home. We just splash paint around and see what happens. I haven't complained.... Don't see the point. As long as it's balanced I think it has its place. I don't do it at home so I'm just happy he's doing something...

I'm sure there's a mix of directed and non- directed activities.
First child?

I read the first 20 or so (terrible) replies and had to stop. How any parent can think that the numbing of our children's creative minds is trivial is shocking to me. You are not being unreasonable. This is human conditioning, and will stop our children potentially growing up to be designers, inventors, entrepreneurs and anything else related to creativity.
This may be a first world problem, but we ARE in the first world (and competing in the first world) so it is a problem. I would ask to speak to the head to see if they can explain their approaches and rationale. Shocked by the responses on here though. Here's hoping they get better as I read on!!!

My feeling is that as long as there is a good mix of freestyle creative art and more project/teacher led artwork I would not be concerned. It is not detrimental in project lead work for a child to be gently encouraged to place the sun in the sky. But I would also want to see plenty of lovely child only creations

I wouldn't worry chica. I would LOVE a pic of a beach brought home. Instead I get a3 sheets of REDDDDDDD PAIIIIINT! My son is two, and loves red paint. Everywhere. I do hope he's no Norman Bates.

It is not a superiority thing at all. It was meant as constructive advice. I AM too busy/have too many other much bigger things to worry about every tiny thing like as are many people or maybe it is a proportion/perspective thing. With my husband having left, my house having been repossessed, being forced to go bankrupt, my father having a heart attack, my mother dying of cancer and an inheritance battle to deal with, I tend to be a bit more philosophical about stuff like this is all. I think saying something is a 'wanky' thing to say says a hell of a lot more about you DameDiazapam than it does about me!

I'm an Ofsted registered childminder and it's certainly frowned upon to direct a child's art work in such a way. Nowadays it's all about the experience the child gets from creating, not about the finished result. Doesn't't sound good practice!

See now how prevalent the mindset is? So many people don't get why this is a problem. You probably won't get anywhere with this. Ds school is even worse. Teacher virtually does the art. If I had a choice I'd go fora Montessori school.

Each child completing a carbon copy of the same image is not great practise in EYFS. The focus should be on the process ie. learning to apply glue, developing cutting skills, experimenting with colour, not the finished product, so I can see why you are a little disappointed. However I agree with BH - as long as he is getting lots of opportunities to be freely creative in other areas and at home I'm sure it wont do too much harm.

Nightmonkey sorry if this sounds harsh, but your circumstances are exactly why funded early nursery exists, because people in your circumstances don't have the time to dedicate to this kind of educational question which is perfectly legitimate. But someone dies have to think about best didactic practice. Don't put someone down for doing that.

Your over reacting, I'd be more worried about a busy teacher not having enough pairs of eyes to keep an eye on 3 year olds playing with glue tbh!

I would add that teacher led learning via art is different from child led freestyle art. For example .. How many stars can you see on this picture .. 3.. Can you draw 3 stars on your picture? Where is the sun? In the sky, can you draw a sun at the top... Under, over, in between, on the left on the right... Can you use the yellow, green, white paint etc etc etc .., plausible?

Don't worry. Copying or being creative, it's all helpful.
Just wait till he starts school, you will have so many questions like this to ponder on.

I would not be happy with this. Children should be allowed to use their imagination. I remember the first time I came across The Little Boy by Helen E. Buckley. Well worth reading.