Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

to object to my 4 year old's class watching tv at nursery 'holiday club'

63 replies

toodamnfreaky · 28/07/2009 22:26

Last week my 4 year old went to holiday club twice - the first time she started playing Beauty and the Beast when she got home, the second time it was Aristocats. On both occassions she said it was because she'd watched the movies at holiday club. When I called the holiday club check this out I was told that the kids watch '50 minutes or so' of tv after lunch during quiet time(the movies are each 70+ minutes long). When I pushed and asked how long was it, was it 50 minutes or was it the whole movie, and did they stop the movie in the middle then?, the teacher back-pedalled and said it was 30 minutes...(this was only after I told her 50 minutes was over govt recommended screen time for the kids' age as she had no idea what it was). I think 50 is far too long for 4 year olds to be watching tv in the middle of the day, everyday (she wouldn't do that at home). I also think it reeks of laziness on the part of the teachers (can't they read a story or two?). What does everyone else think?

OP posts:

raffyandted · 28/07/2009 22:38

I don't think there's anything wrong with them watching one disney film, but then I don't know the govt guidelines either. I am probably a Very Bad Mum.

As long as the children are getting plenty of other stimulating things to do and a good variety & choice of activities I think it's fine.

raffyandted · 28/07/2009 22:43

I forgot so say at my son's previous nursery, they sometime used to put disney films or Cbeebies DVDs on for the older children after lunch while the younger ones were having naps & it was never an issue with parents. It was a lovely nursery, too, always got very good inspection reports. But the children didn't 'have' to watch if they didn't want to, the Tv was in their little 'den' room & they could go off and look at books or do quiet-ish activities if they wanted to.

lilackaty · 28/07/2009 23:09

I think it is awful - you are paying for this service and they should be entertaining them, not putting films on to watch. But I do have a bit of a thing about this.

random · 28/07/2009 23:14

I dont see a problem with them watching a film at a holiday club ...or at home

Original poster

toodamnfreaky · 29/07/2009 10:17

I don't see a problem with them watching A film either, but if she went to hoiday club everyday, that would be 30 films in the space of 6 weeks, at age four (I would think this excessive for a teenager)...which is ridiculous!

OP posts:

nybom · 29/07/2009 10:20

YANBU! i hate it if they have tv on at creches/nurseries/holiday clubs! the children could watch that at home, that is not what those people are paid for! plus, it's not good for the kids. i'd be furious.

rasputin · 29/07/2009 10:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

notsoteenagemum · 29/07/2009 10:49

At the day nursery I used to work in the children had about 20mins of television time everyday, while we put the younger ones down for naps, cleared up after lunch, and prepared the afternoon activities. No-one ever complained.
It was a way of keeping them all occupied in the same place whilst on bare minimum staff levels due to lunchbreaks and clearing up etc.

For what it is worth nybom any of the activities in a holiday club could be done at home as well, play dough and paint etc are not exclusive to childcare settings.

Another point to consider is that when your children start school the chances are they will watch films etc when it is wet break, and in the run up to Christmas and end of term situations so I would get used to it.

hocuspontas · 29/07/2009 10:59

Staff need to eat/clear up previous activities/set up new activities. They're not robots. What's wrong with watching a film? When I was a kid we were forced to sit for an hour after a meal 'to let it go down'.
If the club is multi-aged then a book is going to be harder to pitch right than a film. Not necessarily aimed at the op but whate is this mentality that just because you are paying for childcare it needs to be 8 hours of non-stop educational activity.

wannaBe · 29/07/2009 11:02

I think yabu.

If your children are being looked after by someone else then you have to accept that they will do things which you might not allow at home.

And who on earth takes the time to find out what the government recommended guidelines are for watching television?

Clayhead · 29/07/2009 11:02

'that is not what those people are paid for'. Ouch.

At the Holiday Club at dc's school the emphasis is on replicating the home environment as much as possible. Some of the children attend every day and so they need to have down time between doing crafty stuff and outdoor play.

I wouldn't hesitate to watch a DVD with my dc during a wet holiday day so would have no problem with childcare professionals doing so either.

EyeballsintheSky · 29/07/2009 11:06

I don't get the problem with television tbh. There is a difference between watching a Disney film or whatever during quiet time after a day of activity and turning it on at 6am and being glued to CBeebies till it goes off at 7pm.

I know you think that the staff should be going all out to entertain the children at all times but maybe the children need a bit of a rest? They are still little at 4.

Of course, your child so your call I just think it's a bit much to expect every minute of the day to be filled with activity.

wannaBe · 29/07/2009 11:09

"Not necessarily aimed at the op but whate is this mentality that
just because you are paying for childcare it needs to be 8 hours of non-stop educational activity." Agree totally. As long as the children aren't sat in front of the television for the whole day I really can't see the issue.

And let's not forget that this is a holiday club, not an educational establishment.

Bramshott · 29/07/2009 11:09

How long are the children there for? I think if it's something like a 10-2.30 holiday club, I would be surprised if they are spending 1.5 hours of that watching a film, but if they're there for the whole day, then it sounds like some welcome down-time. It is the holidays after all!

nybom · 29/07/2009 11:14

notsoteenagemum et al:

maybe it's jsut me. i wasn't born in the UK and where i come from there was (and is) never any tv vor kids at nursery, or at primary school for that matter. the nusery (in the UK) where DSs go to, somehow manages without ever putting on any tv. there are alternatives, like someone reading a book, or if staff needs a break, lsitening to a cd which is way better than watching tv...

EyeballsintheSky · 29/07/2009 11:37

Why is listening to a cd better? What exactly is the problem with TV?

notsoteenagemum · 29/07/2009 11:39

That maybe so but I take offence as someone who works in childcare to being called 'those people'.
You would be surprised by the ammount of Parents who treat us like 'those people' even though the vast majority are working damn hard to do the important job of caring for their children. This is one of the main reasons I moved to state rather than private childcare.
For what it's worth I don't think vast ammounts of television are acceptable but I don't think a bit of television is harmful. As hocuspontas suggests cd's and books don't always span different age groups well.

nybom · 29/07/2009 12:09

notosteenagemum "those people" wasn't meant as an offence (english isn't my native tongue). we always treat nursery staff with respect.

also, i could take it as an offence being addressed as "mum" (i have a name!) by our nursery staff, but i don't. i accept that in that situation there are certain roles - we are the carers/parents, they are the staff. we pay a hell of a lot of money for the nursery's services so i personally wouldn't be happy with any tv.

cat64 · 29/07/2009 12:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster

toodamnfreaky · 29/07/2009 12:18

Rasputin - if I didn't have to work to pay the rent, I would keep her at home.

WannaBe - I assume you're are not running a childcare setting, but if you were then you should know, surely. I only know because of a connection with my work...

Eyeballsinthesky - research (here, in the US and in Australia) shows that if children spend a lot of time infront of a screen they are a lot more likely to suffer from asthma, obesity (and associated problems such as diabetes) and behavioural problems. I don't mind if my child watches tv for 30 mins a day but a whole film, everyday, is too much. And arguably a CD IS better because it engages their imagination. I'm not asking for an 'educational activity' (what does that mean anyway, is playing with dolls or cars or drawing educational just because it's not passive?).

Thanks for your responses anyway - it appears I'm in a minority!

OP posts:

EyeballsintheSky · 29/07/2009 12:31

But we're not talking about spending hours on end in front of it. We're talking about a bit of quiet time. I really don't see how a cd is better. Presumably they are sitting listening to it so the teeny tiny benefits of 'using their imagination' are not going to be health-wise, are they? If they are going to be sitting down but not watching tv I'd far rather dd reads a book. But, she's only 18 months so my experience of nurseries is limited to the one day a week that she goes

Asana · 29/07/2009 12:36

I really don't understand why people demonise watching TV. As a youngster (from approx 4 years old), I would be back from school at 2pm and would watch cartoons all afternoon till dinner if I wanted to. In fact, I would do my homework at school just so I could watch TV unabated. This was the same for my siblings. None of us had or developed any behavioural problems, nor did it stop us from varying things a bit by reading a book, playing outside etc if we wanted to. We all performed well academically, so excessive TV watching obviously didn't make us stupid.

So I do think the OP is BU. It's just one film/cartoon a day, not the end of the world.

moondog · 29/07/2009 12:36

Jesus Toodamnfreaky, do you entertain your kid with stories and glueing and fashioning dolls' houses out of cereal toys every minute of the day?
No.Thought not.

I'd like sources for your research.

I'm a SALT and let me tell you, if TV was detrimental to kids' development,95% of kids would have issues of the sort you describe and the sort I see in work. They don't.

I am staggered at the arrogance of people who expect poorly paid workers to be professional artists/child psychologists/top class athletes on fuck all an hour.

MissSunny · 29/07/2009 12:36

Message withdrawn

pointydog · 29/07/2009 12:37

ach, it's fine. yabu. Choose different childcare.

Flip

1 2 3

Swipe left for the next trending thread