To take my daughter out of nursery because of balloons

[Theharvestwidow]

My husband is a farmer and today came home with a balloon with long ribbon attached, which he rescued from a calf trying to eat it in the field. We have realised it is from DDs local nursery as part of a mass balloon release (this is the second such event in the space of a few months). It seems this time each balloon had a child’s name and what they want to be when they grow up and were released as part of class ‘graduating’. The previous event last month was I think to raise money for local firefighters, they wanted us to donate £1 for a balloon but I refused to take part. It’s a big chain nursery.

Husband and I are obviously lovers of the countryside (and the planet in general!) and I feel really strongly about cutting down on the use of plastics and littering/rubbish etc. I’m going to take the balloon in to nursery and write a strongly worded email to head office as I wonder if this kind of activity is dictated by some central policy, but I do feel in this day and age with so much more focus and understanding on environmental issues, that it’s a bit nuts to still be encouraging our next generation to do this and want to consider looking for a different nursery which acts more responsibly...AIBU?

“It's pretty well known that balloon releases are a bad thing.”

People still leave dogs and babies in hot cars even though it’s pretty well known they can die. Never underestimate the stupidity of people.

Definitely voice your concerns and suggest alternatives such as planting a tree instead.

Never underestimate the stupidity of people

What a scary, yet truthful thought

YADNBU

Releasing ballons like these is so irresponsible. Please complain to the nursery but give them chance to realise the error of their ways before you remove your child

Actually think @steppemum 's approach is a good one. You can be secretly outraged (as they are so ridiculously stupid, seriously) but then lay it on thick with the nursery so the kids understand what balloons can do to calves. That way you get your own way but you're still the nice guy. And will save the disturbance of moving nursery.

Shut up stupid woman so silly

I didn’t think anyone did balloon releases any more. Surely they must realise it’s just mass littering?

You are not unreasonable. The nursery is ridiculous.

Make your point. But not at the expense of losing a good nursery.

Read today the government are going to ban them as part of a drive to reduce plastic waste...

Explain your concern re balloons. Yanbu.

This is horrific. They should be introducing the idea of environmental issues and responsibility from an early age.

I’m an ex nursery teacher and most nurseries I know of now ban balloons foe a) environmental reasons and b) because a popped balloon represents a significant choking hazard for young children.

If they want an alternative, we get a kit from Insectlore every year. They send us some live caterpillars and, when they become butterflies, we release them.

YANBU at all.

I hate balloon releases, and my children now know that balloons are no longer an acceptable thing to ask for. Easy to eliminate.

Always infuriates me to see people doing balloon release events, especially for funerals. Can't imagine the desire to celebrate a life by sending polluting plastic out into the world to kill wildlife.

How awful. And how ignorant of them. I’d be concerned that they this this is an acceptable way to educate the next generation

Hi,
As well as educating the nursery about the dangers of a balloon release it might be nice to give them a list of meaningful ideas that they could do instead.

Someone has already suggested writing their dream on a chalk board and taking a photo of the child with it. This could make a display and the parents have a photo of their child.

Someone else has suggested a time capsule which the children could make (even if it’s not actually buried) but just symbolic.

If the nursery had a tree they could hang their wishes on the wishing tree to be taken down later - and perhaps taken home....

When my girls were little I read about children choking on burst balloons so never let them near balloons. Tbey are now 33 and 37 and don't let their children take the free balloons at fast food restaurants and tell the staff why, of course it makes no difference

Definitely NBU. I have a foil ‘2’ balloon with a long ribbon wrapped around the top branches of the tree in my garden. Been there about 3 years now...bright pink and flapping around making a horrible noise. Impossible to reach and hasn’t degraded! Apart from all the negatives above, there is also an extreme shortage of helium and a danger of running out!
It’s a totally irresponsible, ridiculous thing for a nursery to do. I assume you pay for your child to attend? If so, I think you have a big say in what you think is inappropriate behaviour.

I would take a picture of the balloon and put it on social media. It's the most effective way of getting word out at the damage balloons can cause.

Choking hazard, oh please .... almost anything can be a choking hazard. This new paranoia is sick - children being hardly allowed to play with anything apart from tablets and being forbidden to eat lots of types of food, because of "choking hazards". If you are afraid of your children choking from a popped balloon, simply put away the pieces after it popped. You can tell when it popped, by the sound it makes ... "pop!"

And I do hope that the 99% of people here who find balloons so horrible, because they are such a desaster for the environment, are at least consistent and do not harm the environment themselves.

This outrage is ridiculous and blown WAY out of proportion!

If it lands in a field and is eaten by cattle it’s a choking hazard, Smart. Do you think op is making it up??

@HeadintheiClouds
No, I don't think she is making it up and in a previous post I also mentioned that I'd simply make the nursery aware of the dangers to the environment and wildlife.
My comment now was directed towards the people who don't let their children have balloons at all, because they are so bad for the environment and a choking hazard when popped.

I love balloons

You have the perfect opportunity to educate the nursery. They probably have no idea of the impact of such an unnecessary ceremony and would love a child to educate them. My kids' school would love that kind of interaction and would definitely change their ways. Perhaps your child could even talk about it (if not too young) at show and tell.
I don't agree with going to papers and social media until people have been given a chance to correct things, very anti-community, but each to their own.
Why write what they want to be when they grow up - at age four most kids won't have a clue of any professions aside from teacher and fireman, and will just copy what the other kids say... Sounds ridiculous to me. Imagine little four year old Johnny: 'I want to be a Cyber Security Engineer when I grow up'