Parents asked to come in and do an activity

[Allimaskingforisalittlerespect]

Received a letter today from dds school, asking parents if they’d like to schedule a time to do an activity for the class next week as part of an emphasis on family. Natural reaction was ‘God no’ but now I think about it, I think Dd would enjoy it and be proud of us, but what sort of activity does it generally mean?
Dd is 5

@VanTullek Ooh that’s nice, it’s just buying spoons for twenty odd kids 😂are spoons expensive

It's a bit mad isn't it?!

Last time DDs school had a parents session it was unexpectedly baking and we all had to get involved, it was absolute chaos. Can't even imagine what it would have been like if a parent had been in charge!

Usually we just watch them doing maths or something 😂

About 50p from Tescos

About your DDs age I was given an origami set (basically a pile of coloured paper in a posh box, but hey, it was the 60s!) and I loved it.

So materials would be simple. Just pick a couple of simple ones with not to many folds.

They expect YOU to choose the activity? Why the fuck would you do their job. That's so incredibly lazy.

DD enjoyed making bird feeders at that age at a National Trust place that were basically just cheerios threaded onto pipe cleaners.

I can't believe school are expecting me you to organise and pay for the activity. What about the risk assessment? What will you do for the gluten free kids? Vegans? Dairy intolerant? Who's the trained first aider incase a kid chokes? Etc.

We go in and do activities with the kids but it's whole class and school organises

I think it sounds fun! At age 5, it doesn't need to be anything complicated. And at this time of year going forward, would be nice to be outside?
My suggestion - take a packet of sunflower seeds and some wooden lolly sticks (great excuse to eat a load of lollies!). Each child thinks of a wish or nice message to have written on the stick, then plants a sunflower seed and puts the stick in the ground in front of it.
Education aspect = gardening, how things grow (sun, water, soil), watching something as it grows rather than instant reward, thinking of others with wish/message.

@SleepingStandingUp We have to take the suggestion to the teacher, so I’m guessing it would be all planned out by them, it’s just to get families involved.

Yeah it's awful. The parents aren't all trained teachers they could come in and make any shit up.

Lollipop stick puppets based on their topic?

No, you're still coming up with the ideas for them. So lazy

@HoHoHoliday Something to do with planting sounds fun 🤩 we could get mini pots and soil and seeds and perhaps plant something that they could then check on each day and water etc

They asked TODAY - Wednesday - if any parents would like to do an activity with a whole class NEXT week?

That sounds incredibly disorganised. And more than a tad risky.

Growing cress on cotton wool was a highlight of my primary years!

With a friend so you can both help with the folding, the class could make paper fortune tellers. The only requirements are sheets of A4 and crayons which the teacher will have. (Involves art, recognition of shapes, counting, imagination.)

Teach them to play French elastic? That thing with a loop of elastic where you jump over it, while chanting a rhyme.

That’s great but you don’t need to gloat over it. I happen to know of a parent who has pretty bad mental health and she doesn’t always make it to these events. You don’t always know what is going on behind the scenes so rather than gloat perhaps be a bit mindful

Take half a dozen coke bottles and a couple packets of mentos Teacher won't ask again

Teach them a clapping game.

Show them how to blow grass and make it squawk

Yogurt pot with labels on, make a face, plant its’ hair (eat a lot of yogurt)

Teach them to say a tongue twister

Make a sock snake

Play whispers

Play I went to the market and bought…

@bows101 The majority work long hours, I’d imagine it’s very hard to make it, Dh won’t be able to, it’s not because he can’t be bothered, he’d love to go, but we don’t get paid if he does. I can’t see many parents doing it

4 sheets of newspaper, 1 meter of tape and they have to make a den they can all lie under in teams of 3-4, you then go and Huff and Puff at each den like the big bad wolf and who ever lasts the longest wins.

Similarly you can use a limited length of tape, a polystyrene cup and a specific number of art straws and they have to build the tallest tower.

Marshmallows and spaghetti - same challenge.

Pieces of card/thin cardboard from packages, a marble for each table, tape and they have to use the tables as a base or a large piece of cardboard that makes a marble run for 5/10/15 or whatever seconds - test this first because they run faster than you think.

I’d do those rock painting things that were all the rage a couple of years ago. Decorate them, then hide them in the playground for other kids to find.

Cress in egg shells or pots
Sunflower seeds in pots
Fatballs on string
Make paper aeroplanes (with instructions) and fly them
Rock/pebble painting to put around the school.
Treasure hunt around the school/playground