My youngest child started in a private preschool this week. I registered her before I decided to homeschool and I like this preschool. The director has taught all four of my other children and is a supporter of homeschooling. Anyway, on the first day parents were supposed to stay and one mother commented about the play-doh that was out. She said, "This is a rare treat for my daughter. I rarely let her use clay, markers, crayons, scissors or any other art supply except a few times and only if she'll do it in the basement. I don't want a mess." OK, I can understand if it's paint or something that needs very direct supervision to prevent a mess, but how can a child learn to draw, write, color or show any creativity if art supplies are always off limits? My own 3 year old dd can spend an hour cutting paper into smaller and smaller pieces. Sure it makes a mess, but she has great cutting skills and good dexterity! I just felt sad for that little girl that a clean house was more important than learning new skills.
When I worked at a preschool/daycare center I saw parents who wouldn't let their kids participate in certain fieldtrips, school activitied b/c they may get messy and they didn't want a messy kid to clean up when they got home (IE, like taking them to a farm and having muddy shoes, grass stain, etc.) I agree, where is the experince in that? Personally, I could care less if my kid comes walking in the house looking like Pig Pen from Charlie Brown, as long as he had fun and learned something!! On the other hand, I have seen parents who could care less if their kid gets messy (which they DO get messy) and come to school the next couple days with the same dirt and grime on their little faces from an activity a few days before. Some parents just. dont. care. However, It is very refreshing to visit with a parent who "knows what they are doing" by caring for their child (we call these the "cool parents" lol) and they have often given us ideas about activities, and we banter back and forth about certain school related things, and they end up working ALONGSIDE the teachers. This was always a great feeling when you knew the parents were happy and involved, the kids were happy, and all of that smoooooooooshed together makes a happy teacher!
LOL!!! When we first started hs'ing, Carl came home one day to find me getting dinner at the sink, and a 2yo Faythe sitting in the corner of the kitchen, behind the table in a pile of little cut-up pieces of cereal box and a rounded pair of scissors in her hands. He exclaims, "FAYTHE NICOLE!!!" and my poor little baby looks up at Daddy confused, aware of the disapproval but not sure why. Then he looks at me and asks, "Are you aware of what your youngest daughter is doing?" Without batting an eyelash, I replied, "Sure! She's sitting in the corner, developing her fine motor skills. Why?" LOL!!! I think that was the day he figured out that homeschooling wasn't QUITE what he envisioned!!!
Sigh... sounds like my sister. She is a clean freak and won't let her daughter play in sand even! I think it's awful to be so stringent. Of course on the flip side she thinks it's awful when the kids are running barefoot or playing in the dirt. My response water and soap takes care of it all. And they are so happy
I can set the art box out and not hear a word from my kids for hours! When Grace was little she could spend all afternoon cutting pieces of paper and glueing them onto another paper. The same thing with foam shapes. Yes that is sad.
To this day, Ems loves to cut, draw, glue, or simply be creative. My mom can't believe that I allow Ems to decorate her room the way she does. I told my mom that as long as Emma's room isn't vulgar or ungodly, she can do what she wants, minus putting holes in the walls or drawing on the walls. LOL (holes do not include push pins or staples or nails) So as of now, Ems room has Christmas lights around the ceiling, a gallery of posters, drawings, her favorite cereal boxes on the walls(don't ask!LOL), string hanging across the ceiling that has pipe cleaner chandeliers hanging from it, along with stuffed animals, beads, and crafts she makes. She has pictures of her friends and pen pals on a foam board, and whatever she can possibly hang up. My mom was so restrictive due to her need for perfection that she wouldn't allow us to be children.:?
I love it!!!!!! Sam and Grace both had Christmas lights in their rooms until we moved. I'm sure when we dig them out of boxes this year they will be put up in their rooms for good. Samantha has drawn and cut out letters in her school colors and they are all over her room. She also has her critique sheets from each weeks dance tryouts posted everywhere. After football season they will come down and go into a scrap book. Kids have got to be kids! Individuals! Creative! Don't stifffle them!
This reminds me of a daycare provider I once worked for...she was honestly so afraid of a mess that she hired me to 'teach' arts and crafts and to clean up the 'mess' before she came back in the room. She was great with children, and did a great job running the business side and the writing and coloring parts of her preschool program. She just couldn't handle the artsy stuff, so I came in each day as her assistand and when it was craft time she'd go out back and have her devotions while I took care of art.
I was reading through old posts and found this one. That story you told about the mother not letting the child use art supplies is so sad. One thing I heard alot over the years is from my kids' ps friends about the library. I can't tell you how many times I've heard "I've never been to the library"! or "You must have alot of extra time. I'm too busy doing my homework". Many times we would go pick up their friends and on the way to our house, stop in at the library just for fun. Goodness, I can't imagine never going to the library!
