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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

How many activities does your Year 2 child do after school?

133 replies

AtheneNoctua · 07/09/2009 10:29

I just want to make sure I don't push her too hard. But I also don't want her to miss out on things she might benfit from learning. Please tell me what you think of the schedule.

School (obviously) 8:50 - 3:15 M-F

Mon lunchtime - free play
Tues lunchtime - choir*
Wed lunchtime - book club*
Thurs lunchtime - school council*
Fri lunchtime - free play

Mon after school - 30 min violin lesson* followed by Kumon Math (also about 30 min)
Tues - tennis
Wed - nothing after school
Thurs - nothing after school
Fri - dance (ballet, modern, and tap - 3 classes back to back)

Items marked with "*" we are considering but have not yet committed.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

ingles2 · 08/09/2009 14:37

Very late to this
Athene when my ds was in yr 2, there was loads of options for clubs and he wanted to do them all being a sporty boy. I said no, because looking ahead I thought it would be impossible to maintain long term.
He's now year 5 and has concentrated on his karate, where he's a brown belt and football where he plays for the town team. Those 2 things alone involve
2 nights for karate,
training for football and
matches every weekend and that's not even starting on all the homework he has now and the 11+ tutor.
Don't start on too many things, because she just wont have the time as she gets older. If you do, bear in mind she might give them all up as she just can't dedicate enough time to them.

slyandgobbo · 08/09/2009 14:38

Roffle at smee. On a more serious note I actually do think that children gain a lot from play activities - making Lego, reading, playing cards and chess and monopoly etc etc and it does seem to me that some of these timetables don't allow enough free play.

Smithagain · 08/09/2009 15:59

"If it was left to her she'd play with ponies and go to the Barbie Princess Castle lunchtime club. Neither of these things is going to happen."

Sorry, but that makes me feel . Some of my fondest memories of childhood involve dollies, ponies and messing about in my bedroom. I honestly can't remember what clubs I did. Brownies, certainly, and I learned piano at your daughter's age, and violin later. But I don't ever remember doing anything else in primary school.

And for the record, I've achieved just as much as I want out of life, so far. Including Oxbridge education, good profession and two beautiful daughters.

I hope you find the right balance Athene.

Original poster

AtheneNoctua · 08/09/2009 16:05

I am a big fan of legos, actually. Especially the plain ones that require a bit of imagination rather the ones that are a specific kit you are supposed to build.

As for Barbie, what useful skill can one learn from playing with tiny waisted big titted doll that she can not learn from a doll with more realistic proportions?

Barbie and Bratz are the only things I have banned. Disney Princess, My Littl Pony, Polly Pockets have all been let in.

OP posts:

Original poster

AtheneNoctua · 08/09/2009 16:09

Just to clarify when I said "If it was left to her she'd play with ponies and go to the Barbie Princess Castle lunchtime club. Neither of these things is going to happen."
I was referring to real live ponies and the only reason that won't happen is because of the cost. Not because I dislike ponies.

OP posts:

MarshaBrady · 08/09/2009 17:03

Athene just out of interest, are these activities through the school or separate?

Original poster

AtheneNoctua · 08/09/2009 17:12

erm... which ones?

Lunchtime are all obviously through school.

Violin would be at school if I wasn't sitting on a blooming waiting list (which I am now comming to terms with).

Dance is at the church which is spitting distance from the school.

Kumon is not at the school.

Tennis is not at the school, but is at the gym/club and is coordinated with DS' swim lesson. It has comfortable place for DD/DS to play whilst other one is in his/her class. And nanny can sit down in comfort.

OP posts:

Smithagain · 08/09/2009 17:34

Ah - OK . I'm with you on the real, live ponies!!! (Have a pony-mad 7yo here who is having to make do with the fictional variety as well).

RortyDogOfTheRemove · 08/09/2009 17:35

Oh lordy, Barbie is banned. Believe me, Barbie teaches you a vast amount. If you can't see that, I'm not sure where to start. I think we live on different planets, and would never see eye to eye on this one.

Personally, I'd be quite happy for my DD to go to a Barbie Princess Castle club if that's what she wanted. As her great hobby is talking, I expect she would have plenty of opportunity to develop her conversational skills there.

I did piano and Brownies as a child. I spent the rest of my time riding my bike around the neighbourhood and playing with friends. I still managed to achieve top results in everything - though if only I'd played toddler tennis, I might now be playing for England. Damn.

Builde · 08/09/2009 17:37

Gosh! What a lot sciency mums there are out there.

I am glad that I'm not the only one depressed about the aspirations of girls.

As for banning barbie. My girls love talking to their barbies and brushing their hair. I don't ban them; just refuse to spend more than 99p in a charity shop.

I think that my girlie side has been repressed by always studying and working with men and I quite like to enjoy a bit of girliness with my daughters. (I can also draw a pretty mean fairy/cinderella.)

However, I wouldn't want their science/maths teaching to be poor because they are girls or any assumptions made about their talents. (until we know where they lie)

Original poster

AtheneNoctua · 08/09/2009 17:49

Enlighten me. What does Barbie teach that another doll does not? I have not banned dolls. I have banned Barbie (and Bratz because there is no appropriate place for sex appeal in my six year old's life).

OP posts:

stealthsquiggle · 08/09/2009 17:55

Is there seriously a Barbie Princess Castle lunchtime club ?

Original poster

AtheneNoctua · 08/09/2009 17:57

no. of course not. But, there would be if DD could have her way.

OP posts:

stealthsquiggle · 08/09/2009 18:02

[phew] - I was really getting worried about your DD's school there for a moment

luckylady74 · 08/09/2009 18:30

Perhaps your dd has improved her maths because of school or because if she's good she will keep improving. Kumon is a worksheet based system (so exactly what you could do at home with a maths text book) and the tutors do not need to be qualified maths teachers. Ds2 is very keen on maths so he has sudoku books and we do challenges when we're in the car.

I would have a good look at the choir before you decide it will help her music - a lot depends on the teacher.

They have to go to school and that's a lot of work.I think if they've got an interest like the book club then that's fair enough. I'd have a good think about my motives if I had to persuade my child to do an extra activity. I use my adult knowledge to influence their decisions, but I listen to them too.Playing with ponies would feature more if that's her interest-nothing wrong with imaginative games that expand her nurturing skills . My 3 (2 boys and a girl)play a hell of a lot of mummies and daddies at the moment - they do so much learning when they do it about communicating and caring it's great.

If she's got a natural talent for something it's not the same as her being interested. I'm good at netball, but have no interest in it. I'm really interested in baking although I'll never be great at it.

She will be alright you know if she doesn't do half this stuff.If your response to my saying that is well just 'alright' isn't good enough then why not? You don't have to react so strongly to your upbringing - can't you find a happy medium?

My ds1 is in yr3 and does chess club at lunch,piano within lesson time,we go swimming after school it's not a lesson though because his grandad taught him to swim and he does football on Saturday. Every single one of these he has asked to do himself.

I'm sure your dd will be fine whatever you do, but I go to a school brimming with alpha mummies and all I hear is kids moaning after school 'I don't want to go .... (insert after school activity)' and my kids never say that about the park/going home/seeing friends. If they say they don't want to go swimming then we have a chat about why and I point out that they usually enjoy it, but we wouldn't go if they really didn't want to. They get told what to do all day and I really don't blame them for moaning!

RortyDogOfTheRemove · 08/09/2009 18:53

Sorry - too busy doing extra curricular activities to say it for myself, but look here for ideas about Barbie!

Luckylady - I hear a lot of those moans in the playground, too!

Original poster

AtheneNoctua · 08/09/2009 19:31

She was in choir last year so it's really just continuing on. The infant choir teacher is also her year 2 teacher and she is fab.

It's official she will be in 2 lunchtime clubs.

As for violin, I have told her that if she wants to do it on Saturday that is an option, but it is up to her. And guess what she wanted to know? Yep, if DF is in then she is in. I'm thinking recorder kit to be honest (as you all have persuaded me that I am pushy alpha mum who should back off).

For those who don't know, Kumon is about 10 minutes of math on worksheets every day. The idea is to do a little often, but never sit down for a big math tutoring session that lasts for an hour. I'm sure her improvement is down to Kumon. 10 minutes a day after breakfast is not going to deprive her of her childhood.

OP posts:

Smithagain · 08/09/2009 19:32

Great article, RortyDog! (I used to ban Barbie, but she sneaked in via the birthday party route. And guess what? They never play any games involving her bimbo-eque characteristics, and we've had all sorts of interesting and useful discussions about fashion and body-image as a result of playing with Barbie, that I'd never have had the chance to have otherwise.)

Original poster

AtheneNoctua · 08/09/2009 20:09

I don't see what the article proves. It's just about role play which can be achieved with any doll. So, I revert back to my question about what Barbie offers that less titty doll does not offer?

Sex appeal has no place in the life of a six year old.

OP posts:

RortyDogOfTheRemove · 08/09/2009 20:48

Couldn't agree more with you regarding sex appeal and six-year-olds. However, I think my point was that Barbie is really not about sex appeal!

Original poster

AtheneNoctua · 08/09/2009 20:56

If Barbie is not about sex appeal she should be re-proportioned (again? I think Matel may have scaled her down once).

OP posts:

RortyDogOfTheRemove · 08/09/2009 21:15

I think you're right about Mattel scaling her down. However, I also think you're being a bit po-faced about Barbie/sex appeal. I wouldn't take it all so seriously. But this is a long way from wondering about violin lessons!

Original poster

AtheneNoctua · 08/09/2009 21:29

Yes, but I thought if kept this thread going we might make it into the DM column this week. I could be famous.

OP posts:

RortyDogOfTheRemove · 08/09/2009 21:40

Ooh - just what I always wanted!

Elibean · 08/09/2009 22:32

Disney Princesses are more realistically proportioned than Barbie?

Not that I'm a fan of either. But have learnt from bitter experience that banning (tried it with Bratz) leads to longing, whereas shrugging (Disney, Barbie, etc) leads to boredom and moving on a lot faster.

OT, I know.

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