cbeebies website/programmes in reception

[jimmyrussell]

DC has started in reception, it is a small school with R, Y1 and Y2 combined. I suspect that the way it is set up it is likely that the teacher is stretched quite thin, the children are in different rooms/areas of the school etc. I think that a lot of the time they are being supervised by the (very nice TAs) but not part of a class.
Today DC advised that they had been playing on the Cbeebies website and watched Topsy and Tim, they were able to tell me the plot line of one of the episodes available so i am comfortable that this is truthful but it may have just been a clip and not the whole episode. We are not mad on this at all, we don't watch much tv at home at all, 1-2hrs per week and that is usually chosen from iplayer and really don't do websites etc. I realize we may be over the top in our reaction so would be grateful for some other peoples thoughts on this? Not the right thread but AIBU!

My dd has just started reception & came home to tell me she'd watched Kate & mim mim & played cbeebies games on 2 separate days & also talked about the lego movie in front of teacher at our intro meeting which teacher played down but dd insisted that teacher (head of early years) had put it on!
I'm not sure what to do yet. Don't want to be "that parent" & some of cbeebies games are educational coz we play them at home but if this is a constant between now & half term I think I'll question it.

Thanks Twisted, glad to hear we are not the only ones, i too am wary of becoming 'that parent' but we noted that there was a lot of playing on the cbeebies website when we did the taster days which had already raised my eyebrows! I guess it may be a waitt and see thing.

Why don't you 'do' websites?

I wouldn't be thrilled about this on the face of it. If they are going to show the kids TV there's plenty of more educational programs shown on cbeebies than Topsy and Tim.
But there are educational games available on websites so you might want to check which games they've been playing as that might not be as bad as you think.

DD is in Year 1 and has watched a couple of Numberjacks episodes (and did last year too). It doesn't really bother me.

What's the weather been like where you are?

If it's been as awful as here, then there's going to be times when they can't get outside for break. Also, reception is a transition between the informality of nursery and the more formal setting of KS1, so there is still an element of play and less structured activity. Using the CBeebies site is an introduction to very early IT skills

Just had a thought - Topsy & Tim seems like a good choice if it's them starting school or one of the school based episodes as part of settling in. My dd loves t&t and thinks she's in year 1 at their school with them half of the time.
My dd's class played the Mr tumble goodbye song at the end of each of their days before they went full time this week.

there are plenty of educational games and activities on the Cbeebies site.

Technology will be an increasingly large part of their education; in the next few years (so primary) they will be expected to research topics online, cite sources such as website addresses, and will undoubtedly use tablets/laptops to play maths games, for example. It will be something you need to get used to.

That said, if they are watching hours of programming that's a concern, but the odd topsey and tim on wet play or when something else has to take the teacher or TA's attention for a few minutes really isn't the end of the world.

Thanks for the responses, if it is a one off then ok but I do think using CBeebies is a cop out, Cheryl your point is interesting re changing and that makes some sense but the year r s are not doing pe so no changing! As a family we are more books than websites and I feel there is time to develop online skills once reading, paper and pencil skills have been developed but I am not anti the web where appropriate. It was the most recent topsy and Tim about camping and only two of them watched it. Thanks for the level headed advice.

DS1 has just started reception, and we've had letters home about online websites for educational games and other educational resources. His school have sent home details of a username and password for DS1 for the websites they use for these things. We've also had a leaflet about internet safety and guidelines for helping children learn how to use the internet safely.

I don't know whether this is typical of all schools, but DS1's school starts them on computer skills, including online skills very early.

The Cbeebies website has some great stuff on it and leads into bitesize.

In my day we got a cassette recording of Listen with Mother if it was too rainy to do the planned activities
or a classical LP and the teacher droning on from a book she liked in the corner.