The Spring Chat part 2

[sfxmum]

new thread keep on chatting

kewC have you received your tickets yet? I think mine arrived yesterday when I was out so must go to post office and collect them
do you still want to meet? only a week to go

Why not teach if they want to learn? Our "rule" is that we do not "learn" anything unless everyone is happy and not busy and we've had enough sleep, and we must stop while everyone is still happy. Certainly restricts it a bit but it works for us.

The thing that puzzles me is, how do you teach perseverance?

Do I sound pushy enough?

I think that is the point slng they want to learn, perseverance I suppose has to do with encouragement and how to deal with failure

no tickets yet (bites nails)

You can encourage perseverance by modelling it yourself - I recall watching one of the robert winston programmes. Those who played games with they children or building puzzles etc who coaxed them to finish by encourage them to keep trying until it works with a helping hand if necessary. INterestingly the children who learnt to persevere had higher self esteem than those who struggled with it - even if they weren't actually better at putting the puzzle together. (can you tell I thought it was really interesting - it was at around 4-5 year age)

I have just bought 4 hours at a spa with facial for £10 on lastminute.com!

DS's first ever concert on Friday

tissues and camera? or can't you take camera?

about tickets they are not late yet should arrive before Saturday I think
I saw that programme funny dd sometimes says 'never mind you can try again go on you can do it' which is what she hears from us I am not usually aware of what I say until she parrots it back

hoping I can take camera - they haven't said no at any rate. But case of swine flu may scupper it - not because shcool is closing but becasue paretns are starting to take their children out.

there is swine flu at nursery too I suppose it is hitting home that it is a pandemic and not just confined to Mexico and Scotland

yes but so far cases are turning out to be milder than they expected. I suspect down to better health and nutrition here than the average Mexican

I hope it carries on being mild I have heard from a colleague of dh whose child had it and it was hard for them to watch still serious, she is only 3yrs old

I have day school Saturday not really looking forward to it but I suppose I should go
my last very bad essay got me 68% somehow

Have just gone and got DS2 back from nursery because he was running a mild temperature and is upset ... Paranoid about swine flu ... But now he is happily sitting on the floor and playing with his jigsaw puzzles and muttering to himself and my thermometer shows 36.2 for him and 36.5 for me...

Hello

Slng - I hope your DS2 feels better soon. I had a heavy cold a few weeks ago and was feeling achey, it did cross my mind that it could be swine flu, equally paranoid

Sfx - glad you had good time and rain didn't spoil your fun. Finally up to date on TW, I'm gripped

not much going on here, gearing up for hols DS1 is quite whingey today I think all the excitement of past few days and wkend away is now catching up with him. Friend came over, has quit his job and now wants to be a property developer (he's an acocuntant) or he said he might go travelling

dd is the incredible non napping child, unless she is poorly and even then

vbus - 2 of my friends made big changes in their mid/ late 30's as I suppose, I did
another my age is on a career break and contemplating a complete change of life
someone else in his 50's took a career break and drove across the USA mostly by himself for a few months - whatever makes you happy I guess

slng hope ds is still ok

DS2 still OK, lying on the floor playing with little cars and making ghostly "oooooooo" noises.

Actually contemplating reducing his days in nursery. 4 days a week and 1 day at home with me while I attempt to work. Will it work?

SFX picnic description is making my starving ...cld hear it last night, sounded great

After school activities: our approach is yes if they:

1 fit in with everyone else's schedules
2 are affordable
3 don't tire them out too much

Realistically you have to limit extra curricular activities due to time/budget/cost/child's energy levels.

DD is coming up to 6 and only does swimming once a week

DS1 is 9 and does swimming, spanish and basketball (also saxophone but that is within school hours so doesn't count). Apart from swimming they are all on site at school. Oh he has tutor too

IMHO parents who stuff their kids evenings and weekends full of activies are doing it for two reasons:

A to proove they have a super extraordinary child/show how rich and clever they are
B to puff up the child's CV for when they apply to a fee paying 2ndry school. There are certain things you "must have" e.g. be captain of Rugby team, grade 4 musical instrument blah blah, yawn yawn

I think if a child really wants to do something and you can afford it, fine, but am reluctant to force them to do an activity just 'cos it will make them look like an "all rounder".

Slng just thinking about your comment about learning. Unfortunately once they get homework they have to do it whether they like it or not, even if they are exhausted and get far too much of it IMO

When I say "stuff" I mean parents who arrange 2-3 activities PER NIGHT after school !!! So they get rushed from one t'other each school night and then both Sat AND Sunday mornings

Parents' evening done. Teacher happy, us happy, DS1 happy, I think.

Auntie - know what you mean about homework . I want to immunise them against institutional "learning" and get them interested in knowledge for its own sake... That's the plan anyway ...

Didn't realise you have to do all these things to have the privilege to pay for your education!

I know a reception child who has swimming, a language class, drama and ballet. But she loves it ...

auntie at activities!

Slng, glad parent's evening went well

Not much to report here, ds1 defended ds2 in a play group when a little girl was trying to hit & bite ds2!

Slng I hate the homework TH. Projects are good, cos they are exploratory and creative but I think they get far too much homework - Its exhausting for them and me

Glad parents evening went well

Tilly the Fat Toddler is sick so am off work on Mumsnet Caring leave today

He has vomiting, deep cough, high temp, sticky eyes

have given ibuprof/calpo combi to try and get temp down but will phone GP is he stays hot. He's really grumpy but seems to be enjoying a bit of George Micheal

auntie - poor FT. Hope he gets better soon.

We get homework for Reception! DS1 likes them, but it is really only a repetition of what they do in school. We only do it when we feel like it ... This approach was condemned by my PP friend ...

tilly - well done ds1! It's so sweet, isn't it?

hello all

slng glad parents evening went well

auntie sorry FT not well hope he recovers soon

tilly well done big brother how sweet

we had the nursery graduation yesterday pic on profile for limited period, had a look at her book and the observations written really show dd has she is
also the report going to primary school seems to reflect her and her skills quite well

dd will still go until the end of August but some are leaving next week
hoping for a quiet day here, maybe pop to Richmond, one week from now will be in a field in Suffolk

Hello all

Sfx - DD looks sweet in her graduation pic

Slng/Auntie -I know someone who does pile on tons of activites for their kids, they are the definition of PP. I just feel sorry for their girls, all they want is some 'free time'

Auntie - hope FT gets better soon. Is George helping?!

DS1 has been asked to bring something in when he starts nursery that helps tell them about him and his family. He told me he wanted to bring in his orange bin lorry

Anyway, we'll be sailing off to hopefully sunny France (too) early on Sunday am. Journey probably will be hideous but we can relax once we get there, can't wait! Au revoir mes amis

LOL at the bin lorry, vbus!! He could at least have chosen a car with 3 circles! Hope you have a smooth journey, it may be better than you think - and as you say, worth it for what lies ahead

Auntie - poor little FT, hope he feels better very soon.

SFX, glad the graduation ceremony went well. We have less than 2 weeks to go until a 7 week break!

I agree, small children can do too many activities especially at such a young age. From Sept dd will just be doing school and that's it apart from a weekend family swimming sesh. There is plenty of time for the odd extra curricular activity as she gets bigger and more resilient to the long day.

Off to make macaroni cheese, probably not the most suitable dish for the time of year - but can't think of anything else today!

Nothing wrong with bin lorries, especially orange ones! You will hark back to these innocent days with longing when they start on superheroes and all the violent stuff ...

Off to get DS1, then for short visit at friend's, then to nursery, then DS1 to birthday party and DS2 to nursery party. Luckily we have leftover lemon and olive chicken for tea.

vbus hope you have a nice time on your hols
bin lorry indeed

about activities I can't see dd doing much while in Reception class I think she will be very tired on the first term and then the second she will need time to adjust to full days the thought of piling on the activities just seems pointless

we went to town to collect our ticket for Latitude from the post office dd had a long chat to the man there about festivals very amusing
can't say the outing was stress free waited for the bus for half hr
by then child was exhausted and bored a lot of carrying ensued should have taken the buggy but am trying to do wihtout