Reception 'summer homework' - what 5 things would your 4YO pick?

[Primafacie]

DD is starting reception next week. A few weeks ago, her new teacher sent a letter asking her to decorate a shoe box and fill it with five special things. She is to take her box to school and keep it there.

DD picked five things, some of which appeared to be utterly random were carefully chosen :o. She then proceeded to change her mind daily, and still does. The box keeps getting emptied and refilled.

So if you have a 4YO, what would they pick? If you are a reception teacher, what sort of things would you find interesting?

We have a workbook to complete (it's very easy, lots of pictures).

But if we had a box DD would probably put in a feather, some random kinder egg toy, probably a drawing and a toy train.

we don't have anything - phew. she has done a summer holiday scrapbook like her sister which hopefully will do a few show and tell sessions.

no idea what she would put in a box. I hate things like that. my kids would be upset at having to leave it at school. preschool did something similar and they insisted on bringing them home, wouldn't leave their things there overnight.

My DD would've put her teddy in the box. And then paniced that he was going to get lost!

I think a lot of children would put in photos of their family and/or pets.

Leeds2- DD isn't putting her favourite doll (called Baby Jesus - we are atheists:)) in the box, oh no. That doll needs to stay home and sleep in her bed, next to Madame Giraffe.

She has vetoed any pictures of us or her DB .

At the moment the box has one fossilised shark tooth, a cardboard and glitter star, some rocks and a plastic dinosaur. Previously it had some hair clips she has never wanted to wear, and half a painted Easter egg.

DD1 (5) would put five pictures she had drawn, my friend's DS (5) would put 5 sticks in, DD2 (starting reception this year) would have difficulty choosing. So glad we don't have to do anything like this.

Probably a snail shell, dried flowers, a pine cone, a stone and a small plastic figure.

DS would probably have his favourite pine cone, his fake treasure, his catapult, a pair of pants and his multicoloured pencil!

I dread to think what my kids would have put in a box like that. Probably a slug, a stone, something fluffy and a couple of tacky party-bag gifts.

Quite honestly, I don't suppose it matters what they put in it. But it will be a brilliant conversation starter for her teacher. As long as you can resist the urge to try and impress the teacher by putting something "worthy" in it, which your DD doesn't actually know anything about .

How annoying! Glad we don't have to do this. I would play it one of two ways, 1) sit down together and decide on 5 "special" things that have memories of home, eg photo/teddy etc, 2) give 4 year old free reign to put random cr* in box. I would be tempted to do no. 2) DD would probably put 5 random toys in. I let her choose a few toys to take on holiday this year and it seemed like a lot of random cr* to me, but she played with them so I think there is method in the madness of the 4 year old brain .

A drawing, a shell, a photo of the family, a book, a hairband

Whatever she wants! It's not a competition, teachers won't judge, i.

We have to do this as well. I think it's probably quite telling for the teacher. Did the child decorate this, did the parent help or did the parent do it, did it get done at all... I only know that a pair of goggles and an old ballet shoe have been definitely chosen, other things have been chosen and discarded a thousand times. The box is not yet decorated.

Korma, don't worry, DD has stubbornly refused all my suggestions to put weird and wonderful stuff in her box (all GPs live abroad on two different continents, we have lots of trinkets;)). So it's all of her choosing, and she better be able to talk about it. :)

Judging from this thread DD seems entirely normal!

DD would choose her pet rock (it has googly eyes and everything), a drawing of her imaginary kitten, a 'wand' (which is what she calls every stick she finds), a feather and one of the hundreds of conkers she wont let me throw away (some of them have googly eyes too)

My DS would do one of the following:

1. refuse to put anything in the box all holiday and then have a screaming meltdown on the first day back to school when he realises that he has run out of time.

2. try to wedge everything he owns into the box plus supplementary plastic bags and then have a screaming meltdown when he realises that he can't carry it all.

3. select 5 very special objects and then have a creaming meltdown when he realises that they have to go into school and he can't have them at home and at school simultaneously.

It's been a long holiday. He has, for the most part, been a delight, but asking him to make decisions and choices never ends well.

A shell probably painted in glitter varnish
A photo of her siblings
A pressed coin souvenir : the most recent
A peacock feather even though they are unlucky
A bouncy ball with glittery water in it that lights up most annoying toy ever

She used to collect shells and still presses the coins.

I just asked ds ( also starting school next week) and he said his favourite giraffe teddy, roary the racing car toy, baby lion teddy, his I pad and Mummy. I'm glad he doesn't have to do one then!

Some "special" stones gravel off the drive
A sparkly necklace or ring (not good for street cred ds, but he is like a magpie atm and has had all my costume jewellery)
A moshi monster
Snow globe
Finger puppet

He wouldn't want to leave these things at school though!

Michael I am tempted to make the annoying tin whistle disappear in the box now..

DS keeps changing the content of the box but for the moment we have:
A small elephant figurine
A miniature boat
A stone
A drawing
A souvenir shot glass (!)
Not sure about the last one as conversation starter..

The box has already been decorated with pictures of him and us as well as sand and a sea star stuck on the box. He is supposed to do marine knots with me this afternoon, we will see if he wants to use them on/in t. Box after

LOL at the shotglass!

I'm now imagining what would the teacher's face be if she opened a box and found a pack of fags, mini bottle of gin, redbull, porn and jackknife :o

I wouldn't actually let mine take in "5 special things" as that's a recipe for disaster if things get lost/broken.

So there would be either 5 "interesting" pebbles and twigs. Or 5 photographs - maybe of a soft toy, bridesmaid shoes, a dog we met on holiday, a fairy snow globe and her paintbox.

Haha, Primafacie, he would think we definitely failed. Especially after my kleptomaniac DS brought last year the press book of an actress I had left on my desk after working with it. Which contained mild but still sexy pictures

The shotglass is an absolutely kitschy/ugly thing that my DB brought back from Russia and is DS' favourite toy at the moment.

Seeing that the porn box might have been ticked already, we may avoid the alcoholic one now.

I have ask ds 5 on Feb and we have;
3x cars
1x iron man toy
1x toy gun that shoots plastic balls

When I first asked him "if you had a box to take to school what 5 things what would you want in it"? we had one ham and chesses butty and a fruit bag. I had to tell him I didnt mean his lunch box but a box for toys and special things

As a few others have said, Yes, leave her to do it the way she wants. She is, no doubt, enjoying changing her mind each day; she if she can remember all the things she has chosen and rejected! I don't think there is any 'right' or 'wrong' answer, and teachers can invariably tell if any homework has had too much parental input.