to have expected at least 1 or two things for mummy to have come home from nursery after a year of being there???

[tryingtobemarypoppins]

Perhaps a painting or a card, Christmas decoration????? DS is 17 months now. AIBU??? I am about to fill in nursery questionnaire and want to add this.

Also despite getting an outstanding OFSTED all their desplays are soooooooo dull, just a few photos of babies slepping, or eating. Where are the exciting giant nusery rhyme characters or hundreds of colourful handprints????

AIBU about that too???

I can sympathise - I was so pleased when my first "two bits of macaroni stuck on a piece of paper" picture came back.

Then the torrents starts and you have to find ways of getting rid of the artwork without anyone noticing ...

I wouldn't worry about the lack of display on the walls - far better it's a good place in other ways. However, I would be concerned if I thought they weren't doing any painting.

Although, 17 months is quite young still

< goes for a lie-down. I am exhausted through all the contradicting-myself I have done >

My DS has been at a school nusery 3 days a week for about 4 weeks now. (He's 3.2). So far they have sent home 2 drawings (well I use the word loosely ) and a swirly thing on a stick. They were really nice - it's all on the kitchen wall now.

Thanks ladies, crocky your little one is older I guess, maybe IABU. Your right it is about him being happy. Can you tell I'm a teacher?!

How old is your LO shineoncrazydiamond??

shiney

Oh, and I forgot to add, that not being of an artistic bent myself, I was quite glad they did all that messy stuff at playgroup.

But then they were over the age of 2

YANBU

I know how you feel, DS was in a branded day nursery 2days a week for 6 months and the only things that ever came home were things we had to pay for
He now goes to a local playgroup for 3 hours a day 5 days a week and brings home something EVERY single day (im running out of walls and so is my mum!)

DPs Mum works for the same brand of nursery that DS went to and she said that by the time they have finished with snacks, naps, bum changes and lunch etc they just dont have the time to do anything arty with them!

I am now 25 weeks pg with twins and will definately not send them to branded nurseries and will just send them to this local playgroup instead

readyfornumber2and3

Yay, big up to playgroups. Both my DSs went to a little ones on my road and it was great.

ds...well that's it then. My dss were never paper merchants...didn't go to montessori until they were 2.5 and even then they did as much in 2 years as dd does in a week!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks ready... its not a branded nursery but it is large about 20 aged 0-3 in one large open plan space.

I would definately mention it in the questionaire.
I love that DS does all this artwork because

1. I dont have to have the mess at home
2. He really enjoys doing it and
3. He is so proud of them and loves to show them to everyone.

You are paying for their services and I think you have every right to know what they do all day and why nothing comes home.

Message withdrawn

dilemma456 how old is your LO?

tryingtobe... DD's nursery had things done by all the children everywhere- even in the baby room- when they were under 1, they did hand and foot prints, printing with foam, or leaves etc etc. Even the youngest child can 'make' a footprint...
The walls were bursting with colour, and there was never a spare inch-even in the porch, entrance hall, kitchen area etc. She brought things home every week by the time she was 17 mo

Its important that children are given creative opportunities from a young age, particularly when the parents are not at all particularly creative themselves.

OH GOD - How did they get OUTSTANDING???!!!

DS has been at his (school attached) nursery for 15 months. In all that time I've had ONE picture home - it was a family 'portrait' involving daddy with a very large penis. I'm pretty sure they just didn't want it on their wall!

Apparently we'll be getting all their work home at the end of term before they go up to reception class.

mylifemykids!

I was wondering if they had a portfolio or something, but the displays speek for themselves.

When ds1 was at a private nursey, we had things home on special occasions (birthdays, Christmas, Easter, Diwali, Chinese New Year etc!)

Now he's at a school nursery we get loads of crap models, "drawings" and sticking sent home on just about a daily basis!

Hah, when my DS just started nursery I went to pick him up and they said "oh we've been baking today, here's a biscuit to take home for DH". So I proudly took it and was just wrapping it in a napkin when a little hand shot out... next thing I know there was no biscuit and DS had crumbs all round his mouth so DH never did get to admire it!

Dont we just feel like evil buggers when we chuck out, quietly dispose of all the artwork

I remember my son bringing home something he had made with an empty muller corner pot which was stuck to a piece of paper.

Having a clear out one day it dawned on me that i had binned it while muttering "bloody children, that pot was so sticky it was stuck to a bit of paper, would it kill them to throw away their rubbish!!!!"

It's not about the end product, it is everything else they are getting out of the experience.

I know nurseries and playgroups that have been sending the same old stuff home for 20 years now, I can't recall how many times I have seen the same hickory dickory clock etc!

They have a list and make sure that each child 'does' something to take home, half the time it is the helper doing it, I know I have been there and seen it. The child is asked to come and 'do' something for mummy or daddy and they have to leave what they happily engaged in, just to be a tick on a list.

It is more important to learn other skills, socialising, sharing,etc, babies and young children need a variety of experiences, with repetition before they should be painting etc. Rolling, crawling, stretching, under and over, pushing, pulling to develop muscles and motor skills.

THERE'S NOTHING IN MY BAG TODAY

Today I did my maths and science,

I toasted bread.

I halved and quartered.

I counted, measured, used my eyes,

and ears and head.

I added and subtracted on the way,

I used a magnet, blocks and memory tray.

I learnt about a rainbow and how to weigh.

So please don't say, anything in your bag today?

You see I'm sharing as I play.

I learned to listen and

speak clearly when I talk,

to wait my turn, and when inside to walk.

To put my thoughts into a phrase,

to guide a crayon through a maze.

To find my name and write it down,

to do it with a smile and not a frown.

To put my pasting brush away,

So please don't say, what, nothing in your bag today?

I've learnt about a snail and a worm,

remembering how to take my turn.

Helped a friend when he was stuck,

learnt that water runs off a duck.

I looked at words from left to right,

agreed to differ, not to fight.

So please don't say, did you only play today?