sandie Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 hi, whilst generally observing the children in our setting we have noted that boys in particular are put off painting/messy activities when they have to wear aprons. for example, today when we went into the garden lots of children ran straight to the fence where we had attached paper for spray painting. when told they must put on an apron first, all of the boys (except the very young ones) disappeared! my supervisor asked me to put it to the forum and see if this is common. we use the tie up at the back red and blue aprons. we are wondering if we should purchase some boy-friendly tabards? sandie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicki-k Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 Its the same for us too! Its always the boys who don't like the aprons. We have the plastic sleeveless ones which tie at the back. Our philosophy is simple - we let them paint anyway . We always stress to parents when they enrol that children will get messy - that's what they come to pre-school for! If they don't want their child to get paint on their Gap t-shirts or playdough stuck in the soles of their Kicker boots then buy a cheap pair of plimsoles and a t-shirt from tesco's! We have had no complaints so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 We have the thick plastic sleeveless ones that slip over their heads. They do get their sleeves messy but the parents are asked to dress them for messy play, and we rarely get any complaints. None of the boys mind wearing them at all. They can take them on and off independently themselves, and just do it automatically, even the under 3s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 we have tabard type aprons that go over the children's heads (used for painting) and long sleeved aprons for water. Both boys and girls are happy enough to wear them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inge Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 (edited) we use cheap disney aprons for painting and the tabards for water play, easy to put on unaided, and dont have a problem with it, they started wearing them when they started and dont see any reason not to. but as others we always stress to wear old clothes and if they want to we do allow them to paint without, but they dont. (today they went home covered in brown, black and green paint for a wall display and mud and water, outdoor water play got a bit exciting when drain pipes were added to work out how to water the plants from the water tray and soil ended up in the water tray, we all stayed cool if dirty!.......our garden has a large tree and is safe to use all day as 90% is in the shade.) Not one parent has complained as it is stressed when they start that this happens. Most parents have said/commented they would worry more if they went home clean!! Inge Edited July 4, 2006 by Inge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 in our unit we have different coloured aprons for different areas and even the sand has four yellow aprons the children know they have to wear one and there has never been a problem for the boys. it also limits each area eg the children know four in the sand =four aprons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hali Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 i have to say have not noticed this being a problem, but will take notice to observe tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 Interesting observation, I've not previously noticed it as a gender issue, although over the years I have had children who just point blankly refuse to wear aprons. we have the same ethos as others re: messy clothes. Today a new boy started, he is 3 in September, never been to preschool before. We have red, over the head, tie at back, aprons and some odd ones left by parents over the years. When he wanted to paint he was encouraged to put on an apron, he walked away and he went off to another activity. Then he returned to the paint table and I actioned the fact that aprons are worn, putting it on for him, he stopped me half way through and said, "I want the spider one", he had seen a spider tabard hanging on the hook. He was happy to wear this one, so , maybe, in some cases, it is down to design. Peggy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hali Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 very true peggy, maybe if settings are having problems if they had a variety of different ones that may help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 It's not the aprons we have problems with but the colour. The boys do not like wearing red aprons!! We've had the same problem with chairs. Some boys refuse to sit on red chairs and will go to any lengths to get a blue chair, even getting their parents to find them a blue chair when they first come in and join their keyworker group. Anita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandie Posted July 5, 2006 Author Share Posted July 5, 2006 thank you for all your comments. We will be replacing some aprons soon so we will think carefully an d maybe have a good selection available sandie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 We have some children that don't like to wear an apron too. But I have found that shirts used back to front work best for us. We got a lot of really cheap school shirts (age 4years) and we roll the sleeves up. Completely covered! But to be honest, if they didn't want to wear an apron, I wouldn't stop them from painting. I do constantly remind parents that old clothes are best, but still some persist in sending their children in top designer clothes but I have to say, they haven't complained once about the state of them when they leave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 Hi, we use the same kind of aprons for sand, water, messy play, art etc. and all the boys and girls use all areas without complaint apart from the Art where boys are less inclined to use the activity freely without a little adult encouragement. As the year goes on and the children develop I have found that the boys increase their use of painting, paper, collage (art) activities. I feel that this could be a developmental thing between some boys and girls. What do you all think? I also believe it depends on the amount of structure and for children to be creative takes an adult who knows when to offer support. I have observed that when children who are less inclined to take part in art activities are offered art where they work independently (or so they think, planning has to be excellent for complete independence when pouring paint, collecting brushes etc.) they are more inclined to use it. “The origins of creativity come from the word ‘create’ or creare, which means literally ‘to make a thing which has not been made before; to bring into being.’” (Barnhart and Barnhart cited in Willen et al, 2004) “As they express their creativity, they draw upon their imagination and originality. They make decisions, take risks and play with ideas. Children’s creativity develops over time and takes time. It is best facilitated by adults who sensitively support this process and do not dominate it. If they are to be truly creative, children need the freedom to develop their own ideas and the support of adults who can help them gain the skills that enable their creativity to have expression.” (QCA 2000) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 That was a really nice quote and piece of text to read - always good to be inspired and reminded of these things! It is so hard to retain all the information although we all strive to achieve the best provision, we all need reminding of the basics, thankyou. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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