Today I received a note from school - apologising for MUDDY CHILDREN

very good for the immune system, getting muddy. And muddy clothes really aren't much work when you have a washing machine

i remember DS slipping over on the way home from reception and going full tilt into a huge muddy puddle. i had to hold my coat around him to get him undressed before he got in the car he was soaked. so there is muddy , and there is muddy

playing in the mud? do they not have a tarmac playground?

i am all for messy play BTW, but playing in wet slippy mud not always a good idea.

Ooh, I was all set to post "But young children surely should go out to play and might get dirty in the process?" but come to find we're in agreement. Always feel sad for children at playground who are admonished not to get dirty. Why go to the playground at all then?

Think they were pre-empting the outraged howls from the Boden brigade personally....!!

Kids & clothes are made to be washed IMHO if you can't hack it don't buy/have'em

DDs nursery try to get the kids outside every day regardless of the weather and dd always comes home covered in mud and abit soggy, even when playing indoors manages to end up covered in glue/paint/glitter from head to toe. At home time, guaranteed there's always a few parents that moan about the state of their kids and their clothes etc, it drives me mad and really feel for the teachers. Yesterday, once we got home, I had to put DDs coat/gloves/hat even wellies all into the washing machine for a quick wash as they were caked in mud, that's what kids do, I think it's brill for her to be able to play without worrying about getting messy. Don't understand some of those parents, wanting to keep their kids pristine, it's not possible!

Good grief. Mud on kids. How shocking.

There have been times I have had children come in from the garden...I suspect they are mine...they are the right height...but it takes 10 minutes with a flannel before I am able to confirm with certainty.

It's because they are children. Kids are muck magnets and should remain so!

Unfortunately we get complaints about this at the nursery where I work. We have written several times to explain to parents the importance of playing outside, including digging in the muddy pit we have! We explained that the children choose whether they want to play outside or not, no matter what the weather.

We have spare wellies and macs, but we've suggested that if they are concerned, they should send in a spare set of old clothes which we will change the children in to before they go outside. In spite of all of this, we still get complaints. I really want to put up a big sign which says DON'T SEND YOUR CHILD TO NURSERY IN CLOTHES WHICH MATTER - IT'S NOT A FASHION SHOW . But of course I'm much too professional for that

It makes me so sad that children are not able to get muddy or dirty in the course of play without parents complaining. I would be really sad if my daughter came home from nursery with clothes as clean as when she went.

littlefish - I think you should put up that sign!

Good on the school for letting them get muddy!

Now there's a tragedy! I would be appalled if any of my kids got dirty!

I would be more upset if my dcs came home clean!

DS2's nursery actually says in all the stuff you get before they start "don't send them in their best clothes as they're almst certainly going to get dirty" (or words to that effect)......still it doesn't stop those whose PFB is going to nursery sending their children in their "best" clothes for the first term........mind you by the summer term (from experience with DS1 at same nursery) all parents are just sending their children in whatever they pick off the shelf first LOL.

If you send your children out in Boden clothes then what do you expect? Ds1 goes to nursery in Tesco/Asda/whatever tops. Have also discovered Next Clearance place and got him a whole load of tops for £2.00 each.

We were given the oppertunity to purchase tee shirts and sweatshirts with nursery logo but it was £6 for tee shirt and £8 for sweatshirt. Ds1 would have needed more than one of each and would still have wrecked them.

Let children be children, and getting messy is all part of that!

BTW, a lot of the nurseries up here have bought waterproof overalls for the children. Not sure ho this works, whether each child has his/her own set or whether they share and would also imagine it is a lot more work getting them ready to go out but it does avoid muddy/damp clothes.

PTA - it is a bit of a faff getting children into or out of those all in ones, but if that's what needs to be done to make sure they get the same opportunities as all the other children, then that's what we would do! (At the same time as doing everything we could to encourage the parents to send them in in old clothes!)

Contentiouscat - does your Reception class have a policy on outdoor play?

Belgo - I'd love to do it!

Do any of your schools use "Forest Schools"?

A great phrase which I heard at another nursery....

There's no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.

I understand completely about the faffing about but some places are trying to floow the Scandanavian model where the majority of the learning in the early years is done in an outdoor setting, come all weathers.

Love that phrase about the inappropriate clothing!

Wonder if there is something similar for the adults who go out in the middle of winter in just a short sleeved, usually football, top?

Or the youngsters, and not so young, out with very little on on winter evenings on nights out.

I have seen snow thick on the ground an girls in high-heeled sandels and no tights.

I'm always relieved when my dc's come home messy/muddy etc as at least the mess they made was done at school at not at home just throw them in bath and clothes in washing machine, job done!!!

I totally agree that children need to get messy and have fun outside, no matter what the time of year. I don't care about their clothes as such but the only thing I would say is that it is a pain if you have to wash a coat overnight as they are so thick and heavy this time of year that they are difficult to get dry and our tumble dryer is broken. That said, a few splashes of mud will rub off when dry so I am talking a major dunking here.

DS2 always comes home from nursery damp and dirty and that is fine. Last week they had ice cubes outside and were breaking them up to see what was frozen inside. He was damp, dirty and a bit chilly but he had a lovely time.

I can't believe the school were apologising about them getting muddy during Forest School. Have the parents been invited to come and spend some time at the Forest School? Do they understand what happens there and how much learning takes place?

DS1 comnes hom from pre scool everry time covered in snad, mud, glitter, glue, paint, snot (his and other children - boak) etc etc etc.

To me iot shows he's had a grand auld time.

Such a shame that parents hate thier kids getting dirty. I find them a bit

just skimmed the thread, but ds's nursery does have a sign telling us not to send the children in clothes that matter! Seems perfectly sensible (and professional) to me!

That's so sad.

I love it when my lot come home covered in mess, it means they've had a ball, learnt masses and I don't have to do it at home in my tiny house.

In my son's profile at pre-school there is a lovely picture of him and his friend covered in mud making a home for a toad they'd found in the pre-school garden. That pre-school has just been graded as outstanding by OFSTED-says it all really.

So where are the Mums who dont like their kids to get dirty, and complain to school ? Obviously not MNs