OT: Painting at Preschool??

[RMulieri]

I send DD to preschool in play clothes.If it isn't paint stains it is dirt or grass stains from outside, or food stains from snack or lunch.I would never send her in good clothes.Kids get messy, even with smocks on.

 

[mjkacmom]

I never send my kids to school in something I would be upset about them getting stained. They did wear smocks in preschool, but they didn't cover the arms, and it's been my experience that washable paint and marker isn't always washable.

 

[SharkyGoddess]

I have my 3rd in preschool, and so far all three of my experiences have been the same. When they know they are going to making something messy, they send home a note and let the parent know "this is a messy day, wear messy clothes". Maybe you could e-mail or find a moment to sit and chat with the teacher and suggest this in person? She may have just never thought of doing it that way.

 

[WantToGoNow]

We've lost a few outfits this year in preschool as well to stains. And no, I don't continue to use clothes that have stains - not even to wear again to preschool. In addition to the mess she gets into at school, she also has a bleeding disorder and has anywhere from 1 to 5-6 nosebleeds a day. Everyday when I dress her, I know that may be the last time she wears that outfit (and yes, I do by Gymboree, Children's Place, Carters (all from the Outlet Mall) along with Target and occassionally Walmart.

 

[bear_mom]

In addition to the mess she gets into at school, she also has a bleeding disorder and has anywhere from 1 to 5-6 nosebleeds a day.

I usually get nosebleed stains out with hydrogen peroxide. Works great, as long as you don't put anything else on the stain first.

Emily

 

[sashagiselle]

The messier my girls come from the school the more fun they've had, I figure. I know that when I look at pictures from my childhood, its like who cares what I'm wearing, I was having some fun!
Yes we've had many outfits ruined and I do take pride in their appearance so I know full well that what my girls wear to school that morning may not come back the same.

 

[summermac]

The most important thing for treating a blood stain is to NOT USE HOT WATER when you're pretreating. Use cold water. I swear to you, that's the secret.

I have an obsession with Lestoil. It gets nearly EVERYTHING out. But it stinks. Be warned.

 

[rt2dz]

Our preschool has smocks for when they are doing a painting project, but sometimes the kids grab the paints during open play (it's always out). They do use washable paint, but it doesn't always come out. I think that stuff is only washable 95% of the time.

I'd ask the teachers. It wouldn't hurt. Ask in a non-confrontational way--as I'm sure you would. Ask if she knows any tricks to get out the paint and should you just send in a smock or send him in old clothes.

Our preschool tells you at that meet the teacher meeting to send kids in play clothes because they will ruin them. They also send home a note the first day of classes and mention it in the monthly newsletter. Little kids learn by getting messy. Our preschool is a social based preschool.

 

[Erin1700]

You mean your child's hands and arms were not washed after painting? I would be upset if it looked like they did not bother to have them wash their hands.
I also understand that no matter what outfit I send my child to school in, I can not afford to replace play clothes every day either! I would ask about and then send in a smock.

 

[frtchr]

My DD2 gets stained at home! LOL Her Mom's Day Out program told us in the beginning of the year to send her in playclothes or things she cold get dirty. I don't mind at all. It's not a fashion show, and if something stains, she can wear it back to school again.

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

Preschool is messy. Heck, kindergarten and first grade are messy. Kids are messy. I know our preschool always had smocks, but sometimes they didn't help all that much ...

Ouch! on the Gymboree though ... hope it was on sale when you bought it!

 

[roscoepc1]

Send him in playclothes. It's not church, kwim? They're playing, eating, doing crafts etc...it's messy.

We also send in Daddy's old shirts for paintshirts, but they're not infallible either...cuffs etc can still end up with paint etc on them.

Even for my dd in Grade 1, if I send her in something fancy, I know I'm running the risk of it being ruined. That's just life.

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

We've lost a few outfits this year in preschool as well to stains. And no, I don't continue to use clothes that have stains - not even to wear again to preschool. In addition to the mess she gets into at school, she also has a bleeding disorder and has anywhere from 1 to 5-6 nosebleeds a day. Everyday when I dress her, I know that may be the last time she wears that outfit (and yes, I do by Gymboree, Children's Place, Carters (all from the Outlet Mall) along with Target and occassionally Walmart.

Why? Mess happens, no matter how hard we try(most of us do try). Not reuseing stained clothes for preschool seems like such a waste of money and natural resources. As I said before, I love when my kids come dressed for preschool and that includes clothing that is neat and clean, even if it has paint, dirt or grass stains. I guess I just don't understand, it's preschool, not a fashion show, I want my kids to have fun and not have to worry about being dirty(that takes the joy out of so many things for them).
In my state, art supplies must be available to the children "for a substantial portion of the day", so even when a messy project is not planned, paint and markers, and crayons are to be freely available to the kids for a big part of the day, making it very hard to keep a smock on everyone in the art area at all times. Art is about the process not the product, the process is messy(so is life).

I don't mean to offend, I just don't understand the thought process of not rewearing stained clothes to an environment where mess will likely happen again.

 

[natashag76]

I'm currently in our 5th year of preschool. I agree with the other posts to send in a smock. But I also recommend getting some Target or Walmart clothes for school. Inexpensive doesn't necessarily mean junkie appearance. And it hurts the wallet a lot less if they do get ruined at school.

 

[disfan07]

Another preschool/daycare teacher here. I agree with the past posts fo sending your kids in play clothes. and even if its play clothes....NOTHING WHITE!!! i cant beleive how many parents send their kids in white shirts adn expect them to come home completely clean.

Luckily this yr, all the paretns we have in my class are very understanding adn are always saying, the messier the better.

We have smocks, adn we do use them, sometimes. We really only use them i parents have specifically said they want them used. We painted today and only one of our kids wore a smock, th eother 11 just rolled up their sleeves and they all had fun, and actually none overly messy.

I am amazed at what some of these kids wear to preschool. I mean, i understand wanting your kid to look nice and all but very rarely can we tell the difference between the brands the kids are wearing unless we look at the tags. Some kids wear stuff from kohls, target, jcpennys, etc. and they all look just as cute as the kids wearing stuff from gymboree, gap, etc.

And i agree with the other preschool teachers....your kids clothes are not high on the list of priorities during the day

 

[emma'smom]

I have the same problem. I don't dress my child in her Sunday clothes for preschool---but I also want her to look neat and clean (and not covered in old, stained paint). We had the paint issue this year and I would work very hard to get it out. Finally, I did two things that seem to have worked:

(1) I asked the teacher if there are specific days that are "painting days" and she has said that they will do most of their painting on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This doesn't mean that she won't get messy on other days---but the main culprit is the paint. Now I can plan to dress her in the messiest clothes on these two days.

(2) I went smock shopping at an early childhood convention. I must have looked at 20 different kinds of smocks and finally found one that might work. It is very long (but still sized for preschoolers) with closed sleeves. There are two velcro closures on the back (which does mean that a friend will have to help them). However, these were much better than the apron smocks that they did have in the classroom. I bought a few of them and gave them to the teacher to use with the class. My dd says she was wearing it yesterday---and no paint issues. I think they came from Discount School Supply.

 

[set1208]

Also: if the paint is cut 1/2 with dish soap it is much more washable. You can ask the teachers if they know this and offer to buy some dawn and help mix up some paints for them.

This is the BEST! I used to teach too and we always added liquid soap to our paints and it really made a difference.

 

[design_mom]

I agree with the past posts fo sending your kids in play clothes. and even if its play clothes....NOTHING WHITE!!! i cant beleive how many parents send their kids in white shirts adn expect them to come home completely clean.

Ah... and see? I think white is better. At least I can put bleach on the stains on white clothes. Pink and yellow? Forget it.

 

[DISNEYNV]

I encourage painting and creativity with my preschooler at home and at school! I would be more upset if there were no art projects at school. Painting amd drawing is great for tactile skills, find motor skills, creativity and imagination! I am a past Early Childhood Educator and current illustrator and graphic designer and look forward to seeing all those great painting projects displayed on the classroom walls! Yes, keep the good cloths and white shirts at home...it's preschool not a fashion show...that comes later in middle/high school years Don't rush it it will come fast enough.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Kids get dirty. They should. They are not adults. I send my children to school dressed well. However, I don't care if their clothes get dirty. That's part of being a kid. They should enjoy themselves and not have to worry about staining something. JMHO.