Nursery is absolutely obsessed with mud and mess

[ineedaninstructionmanuel]

AIBU to think there's a limit between encouraging children to play freely and encouraging them to make a mess?

I don't mind a bit of mud but today he is absolutely encrusted in it. He was apparently rolling in a puddle. His jacket is soaking wet and completely filthy. I don't mind a bit of natural mess (most of his nursery clothes are paint stained handmedowns anyway) but this is over the top.

Since he started they have started to send out more and more tweets about creativity and mess being linked. They also tweeted this week a photo of one of the play areas which was totally trashed- lentils and beans poured on the floor, sticks everywhere, things trodden on and mashed in.

My older DS went there and they were much more sensible and realistic... AIBU to have a word?

A mum at toddler group was allowing her son to put his hands in the paint and smear it all over the table and himself. The group leader said that was sensory exploration or something.

All it meant was no other sod could use the paints.

Definitely sounds excessive. Do they not use protective clothing?

When my 2 were at nursery they had a mud kitchen which my 2 were always on. I always expected to pick them up covered. The school was good tho and made the children were made to wear all in one waterproofs so they didn't get their clothes filthy. My 2 always managed it tho...lol x

I personally think the learning your child gets from this type of play is of much greater value to you than clean clothes that are already ‘paint stained hand me downs’

My son would have hated this. He objected to any kind of mess. His choice- I did try and encourage him, but he wouldn't have it.

Not all children like mess.

I'm with you OP, and the others who say it's fine if being caked in mud is a by product of having fun and is occasional. If it's every day it's just annoying and seems a bit forced.

I have two small boys who hate, and have always hated, being dirty. I think having messy kids at the moment is somehow seen as cool and arty. A Facebook friend recently posted this picture. I had to sit on my hands not to comment on it...

When the children move to starting school it's not going to be well received if they lie down in puddles at playtime and throw mud.

I think it can be used as an activity but not enthusiastically encouraged all the time. There need to be some limits.

Messy play seems to have become yet another stick to beat parents with.

When the children move to starting school it's not going to be well received if they lie down in puddles at playtime and throw mud.

of course it won't, but my primary school kids always come back home full of mud at the moment. It's quite soggy outside, the fields are muddy, they are allowed to play outside, so their trousers get quite dirty. I haven't heard anyone complaining.

Their classrooms always look really clean, which I find quite surprising!

DeleteOrDecay messy play has always been around, it just never had the buzz word before. A lot of what goes on in nurseries is just the kinds of things children would do if they were at home playing in the garden or whatever.

As much as I think it's good to get muddy and play in puddles, I think the whole hands in jelly thing is misguided. It's creating a fake environment usually indoors just to tick a box or show ofsted. It's so much better when children do this kind of thing naturally by actually making and eating jelly or playing outside with naturally messy things like mud, leaves, stones, tree bark etc.

Some children do hate messy play and may have sensory issues. My (almost) 3 year old DD has ASD and enjoys certain textures but not others. There's shouldn't be any need for them to take part if they don't want to. Nursery shouldn't be about tickboxes but about setting an environment then allowing children to do what they want to do.

This book explained everything to me.
https://www.amazon.com/Balanced-Barefoot-Unrestricted-Confident-Children/dp/1626253730#productDescriptionsecondaryyviewdivv1511461929027

Have cut and pasted this from the link:

'Today’s kids have adopted sedentary lifestyles filled with television, video games, and computer screens. But more and more, studies show that children need “rough and tumble” outdoor play in order to develop their sensory, motor, and executive functions. Disturbingly, a lack of movement has been shown to lead to a number of health and cognitive difficulties, such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), emotion regulation and sensory processing issues, and aggressiveness at school recess break. So, how can you ensure your child is fully engaging their body, mind, and all of their senses?

Today it is rare to find children rolling down hills, climbing trees, or spinning in circles just for fun. We’ve taken away merry-go-rounds, shortened the length of swings, and done away with teeter-totters to keep children safe. Children have fewer opportunities for unstructured outdoor play than ever before, and recess times at school are shrinking due to demanding educational environments.'

I work with preschoolers and their parents, and I see so many parents who don't** spend more than a few minutes a day outside, who stop their kids get messy, or interrupt their play. The art of play has become lost and replaced with plastic toys, screens and adult led games, where the priority is the washing pile. It makes me want to scream!

I really have to work with encouraging parents to sit back and leave the kids to it.

My four kids all have differing levels of tolerance and they all explore according to their own interests. It all comes together in the end. We don't have our own washing machine.

YABVVVU.

My ds is 2 and every single report we get back from nursery says that his language is amazing, his counting is great etc. etc. but we really must encourage him to enjoy messy play. He just hates getting dirty! What am I meant to do about that?! Roll him in a puddle until he finds it fun?!

I know it's always been around. It just seems to have become a buzzword at the moment. There's pressure to engage in it and then If you don't do it enough or at all then you're failing as a parent.

Our nursery is great with lots of messy play indoors and out. They do provide cosy puddlesuits and wellies though. They also wear aprons for painting. The baby/toddler mud kitchen has sand it in - so it's not quite so bad.

People must complain about kids getting messy as there is a tshirt on the wall inside the entrance explaining the importance of getting messy!

I don't care about my dds getting messy. Dd1 is 4 is learning as she gets older that there is a time and a place.

A lot of ds's messy play involves food because he puts everything in his mouth. The staff can give him more space than they can when paint or mud is involved.

I have never seen a kid forced to do it.

This is a good blog
happinessishereblog.com/2016/10/free-range-baby-why-freedom-starts-from-birth/

Rainbow brilliant post and so true!

I work in early years and i love a bit of messy play and we have sensory activities out daily. but these are linked in to a child's current interest and learning goals. e.g. a child who spends lots of time in the sand could be encouraged to count sandcastles or draw with a stick in the sand when they otherwise might not do those things. messy play is great but should have a purpose other that just being messy day in day out and children should definitely be encouraged to clean up after themselves.

It sounds utterly ridiculous, we have a bit of land and my kids are always outside and obviously get dirty, but this fake playtime they do at nursery is just annoying for parents. Especially if they are so caked in mud is ruining clothes and the car seat.

I wouldn’t expect my life to be more difficult by using a nursery. Why on earth aren’t they in suits?

Messy play is great but should have a purpose other than just being messy day in day out and children encouraged to clean up

I agree. It has its place but lets not over egg it as the height of toddler learning. There's so much more to explore- light and shadows, colours, animals, insects, plants, magnets, jumping, making camps, music, shapes, sound, dancing. All great fun and not a bit of mud or jelly involved!

No, play shouldn't have a purpose!
That's the whole point
It's play!
It should be free from adult interference and child led

1. So are there instances where a child is sat in dirty/wet clothes for some of the school day? Eg if parents weren’t prepared with puddle suits?

1. This sounds a lot like non-teaching /caregiving, through not-being-arsed-ness. It takes effort and thought to keep kids thinking and learning while having fun, day in day out. I wonder if this is just nursery workers standing around with hot cups of coffee while the kids just do their own thing and inevitably make a messed themselves.

1. That said, I think one day/week out in the forest in all weathers is a great idea. Parents prepared, children prepared, a whole day is a long time to keep occupied mentally and nursery workers will have to have some proper input. I think my two would love this!

1. This also skirts very close to the Boden, tutu-and-cat-headband-wearing-child-on-a-scooter archetype. Maybe that’s just local to me, but there’s an awful lot of kids who are contrived to look cute and free and adorable, but who are actually very expensively dressed and ill mannered, the antithesis of what they look like! To come home from school repeatedly caked in mud is actually a bit weird imo.

I don't think there's anything wrong with gently leading their play by leaving out other objects or activities to explore? What about dressing up, role playing, that sort of thing. It all fosters creativity.

Chucking a load of spaghetti and beans on the floor and encouraging them to dive in could be described as "adult interference".

Ilostit. There's always one who has to take it too far...

Of course the adults arrange the setting, do the groundwork, gather the parts and cast an eye over everything to make sure everyone is safe.

But the play that then occurs isn't adult led.