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View Full Version : Silly comment at toddler group - RANT



buzzy bee
17-04-2012, 10:34 AM
I always let children do what they want when it comes to art, because through training and previous advice on here, I think that:

a) there is no "right" and "wrong" in art
b) it shows a more accurate reflection of child's ability
c) it's THEIR's not mine.

Today at toddlers they were doing sticking where there was a picture of a man on the paper and they had to stick his cut out bits of clothes on top in the "right" places.

I would say to child "put his trousers on" and point to the legs, and then let him/her stick them where they wanted.

The lady running it picked one of the pictures up and... LAUGHED!! In front of the child. I said "It's brilliant" and she said "Well, you're the one who's got to give it to her mother". I said "at least her mum will know that SHE did it".

What a silly silly lady.

I swear all the other mums/minders must think I'm awful though because their children all come away with pristine pictures which their mums/minders have actually done for them, and mine come away with their own beautiful artwork!!

Rant over!!

Bridey
17-04-2012, 10:37 AM
I agree .... what a stupid woman!! :doh:

Mouse
17-04-2012, 10:41 AM
I've known childminders/parents/grandparents who will sit at the craft table at groups and do all the work...without the child even being anywhere near :eek:

I let my mindees get on with it. Sometimes they make something that vaguely resembles what it's supposed to. More often than not it's just a random creation :clapping:

lauraj
17-04-2012, 11:01 AM
good for you buzzybee.:)

what a stupid woman :( and how dare she laugh at a child's work.

~Grasshopper~
17-04-2012, 11:06 AM
awwww what a:angry: stupid women.

as a mum i love my childrens art work because they did it and not because it looks like it was supposed to do.

x

ziggy
17-04-2012, 11:21 AM
I stopped going to a toddler group run by surestart because all the mummies were at the table doing the art work and children were playing with toys.....what is the point of that???????

I think what annoyed me most is girl running group was friend of mine, recently qualified but being paid a lot more than most childminders but heyho, thats life

Chatterbox Childcare
17-04-2012, 11:30 AM
Totally agree with you. Obviously the lady who was running the group knows nothing about child development :)

BucksCM
17-04-2012, 11:30 AM
I'm in agreement with all of you:thumbsup::D
I won't send it home if I've had to help too much (lo is 18m) as it isn't his work. And i tell mum why. Or the other way is I tell her exactly what lo had help with ie needed help with the gluestick or my peeling the backs off the stickers.
He went home before Easter with a 3 eyed, 2 beaked chick that had wings(feathers) coming out if it all over! Looked a right mess...but it was HIS mess and mum loved it!:D

Twinkles
17-04-2012, 11:37 AM
I couldn't agree more.

I said to one helper who wouldn't even let the child get a look in 'Are you taking it home to show your mummy :blush:'

It annoys me so much that I have taken over the craft in one toddler group so I can make sure it doesn't happen.

buzzy bee
17-04-2012, 11:57 AM
So glad it's not just me! I told a friend about it there and she said she helps her DS (does it for him) because otherwise "there's no point him doing it because he's not learning anything" but from my point of view, they're learning to use glue, self control, you can still talk about colours etc, too many things to list really but mostly they are having fun and then having their esteem boosted by me telling them how wonderful it looks (and I mean it!!)

sillysausage
17-04-2012, 12:18 PM
I love the fact that my mindees are Van Goghs and Picassos in the making lol! Their artwork is very abstract and when it comes to faces you will find eyes and ears all over the place etc etc. For several years now I have let them do their own thing as art (most of the time)
I felt a bit guilty this easter because I provided materials for them to make cards and let them get on with it. One child stuck lots of things to a card then proceeded to chop his card up into lots of tiny pieces....that's what he likes doing. We placed all the bits in a box to send home and I told mum how he talked about the flowers he was giving to mummy whilst he chopped them up and how mummy likes dark chocolate but he likes milk whilst he was sticking and removing easter egg stickers.
We also made easter baskets that ended up with that much tape on them they were stuck flat lol!
I used to buy lots of the art kits but found that most kids were not interested in them at all, they would hold their attention for hardly any time and really they have very little learning value. Now I give them lots of random things (often junk) to create with and we get some amazing stuff. One child got lots of small boxes all joined in a line with loads of tape and with bits of paper attached. He spent over an hour and I left him to it, occasionally asking him if he needed anything else. When he said he'd finished I asked him what he'd made and he told me about his train and how it was full of passengers and some had to stand up etc etc etc. He played with it off and on during the rest of the day and took it home proudly.
Parents are usually quite accepting if you explain how the child made something and what they gained form their experience.

boxtree7
17-04-2012, 12:39 PM
Surly parents can tell that you it wasn't done by the little ones. I never interfere with the little ones work of art.

rickysmiths
17-04-2012, 01:44 PM
I always let children do what they want when it comes to art, because through training and previous advice on here, I think that:

a) there is no "right" and "wrong" in art
b) it shows a more accurate reflection of child's ability
c) it's THEIR's not mine.

Today at toddlers they were doing sticking where there was a picture of a man on the paper and they had to stick his cut out bits of clothes on top in the "right" places.

I would say to child "put his trousers on" and point to the legs, and then let him/her stick them where they wanted.

The lady running it picked one of the pictures up and... LAUGHED!! In front of the child. I said "It's brilliant" and she said "Well, you're the one who's got to give it to her mother". I said "at least her mum will know that SHE did it".

What a silly silly lady.

I swear all the other mums/minders must think I'm awful though because their children all come away with pristine pictures which their mums/minders have actually done for them, and mine come away with their own beautiful artwork!!

Rant over!!

I absolutely agree with you.

I had a disagreement with my Ofsted inspector over art and craft and why wasn't I doing any with mindees when she was here? I had an 18mth and 13mth both boys who at that stage were not the slightest bit interested in sitting at a table doing adult lead craft the way the inspector wanted to see planned and executed :rolleyes:

Bridey
17-04-2012, 01:49 PM
I said to one helper who wouldn't even let the child get a look in 'Are you taking it home to show your mummy :blush:'



:laughing::laughing::laughing:

miffy
17-04-2012, 01:53 PM
I have a theory that all these "helpers" had a deprived childhood themselves and never got to do anything like it! :laughing:

Me, I always cut myself a spare shape out so I can make my own too! :D

Miffy xx

loocyloo
17-04-2012, 02:51 PM
DD went on an 'art day' last week ... she made 2 stained glass windows ( drawing with pens on clear acetate ), a humpty dumpty with folded paper arms & legs and a '3d' underwater scene with the shark standing out...

i was quite impressed, she is just 7, then i saw my friends boys art work, (they had gone together) and he had made exactly the same things! lots of tracing involved! the only difference was the colouring and cutting out ability of a 7 yr old and 5 yr old! :angry: dd said they just had paper, pens, scissors and pritt stick!

i could have done that at home with her! i have written a complaint, but apparently everyone else was happy! she enjoyed it, but at no point was any creativity needed!

francinejayne
17-04-2012, 03:11 PM
I am completely in agreement with everyone. Occasionally I will make whatever it is we are making with the children, 1 - because I want to and I enjoy being creative, and 2, (being completely honest) so that they can see what it should look like (and I don't like typing that as I'm afraid people might get the wrong idea! However, I always allow the children to make their own just as they wish to!

Last week we made butterflies, I got out lots of lovely spring colours and 1 boy insisted he paint his all black - so he did!

I have a childminder friend who helps all her little ones do the crafts as she doesn't want them on her wall if they don't look like they are supposed to!!! I have pointed out to her that it might be better if she allows the children to do their own craft, but she insists that she wants it looking nice!

missymood
17-04-2012, 05:12 PM
Silly wonan. What a shame these people cant enjoy their little ones creations:(

What a sad little world they must live in:D

HomefromHome
17-04-2012, 05:18 PM
this is my biggest bugbear at the old minding group - most of the minders did the work for the children in their care. Either that or not let them anywhere near it for fear of getting paint/glue/mess on them! Hence a couple of us no longer go - we go create mud pictures over the fields instead!!!!!:eek: