How much play is there in kindergarten in FCPS?

[Anonymous]

I'm always reading about how important play-based preschools and even kindergarten is for child development, and was wondering how much play is incorporated in kindergarten in FC. DS will start K this fall after 2 years of play-based preschool.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Not enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not enough.

I agree. DC also went to a play based preschool which we loved. her transition to kindergarten was quite smooth and I think that's because she has a Fall birthday and was almost 6 when she started. For the first six months of kindergarten, she was emotionally and physically exhausted by the end of the day. She loves SACC because they get to play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not enough.

Too much. My kid can play at home. He goes to school to learn.

[Anonymous]

In fcps if I remember from last yr it was one 20 ? Min recess per day and PE was twice per week. They also had music but oh how they hated music. Biggest complaint all yr.

[Anonymous]

I substitute teach in FCPS. Most of the K classes I've been in will have play-based center time (kitchen, doll house, Legos, play-doh, etc) twice a day- usually first thing in the morning as the kids are arriving, and then again before lunch. This is in addition to recess time and all their hour of specials.

I only sub at a handful of schools though, and I expect this is something that can vary a lot from school to school and even class to class.

[Anonymous]

It depends on the school and the teacher. My kids went to kindergarten at three different FCPS schools, and there wasn't much play time at any of them. It's more like first grade. I guess they expect kids to have the classic kindergarten experience in preschool now. Kids need more play, and learn through play. Making them sit at tables with papers much of the day in kindergarten is just foolish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not enough.

Too much. My kid can play at home. He goes to school to learn.

Except that kids learn through play, especially at this age.

[Anonymous]

Too much. My kid can play at home. He goes to school to learn.


Except that kids learn through play, especially at this age.

+10000

When five year olds are sitting and writing, they are learning to sit and write. That is not what I think a five year old should be doing. There is no advantage in doing that at five.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not enough.

Too much. My kid can play at home. He goes to school to learn.

+1 My second child was so bored in Kinder. I just watched a video from our camcorder and I had taped him after the first day of school. I was asking him questions about whether he liked it and whether he was excited to go back tomorrow... and he said "I want to go to first grade."

I remember him saying that all year in K. In first grade he said he wanted to go to 2nd grade (all year). By 2nd grade he just said he didn't like school. 3rd grade -- he's in AAP at a different school... now he says he's "finally learning something." I also remember him telling me during Kinder. that during rest time (which was like 20-30 min.) he would count to see how far he could get. He got up to 2000 one day. Too much fluffy time in K. I have a hard time believing children are overwhelmed by the FCPS curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not enough.

Too much. My kid can play at home. He goes to school to learn.

+1 My second child was so bored in Kinder. I just watched a video from our camcorder and I had taped him after the first day of school. I was asking him questions about whether he liked it and whether he was excited to go back tomorrow... and he said "I want to go to first grade."

I remember him saying that all year in K. In first grade he said he wanted to go to 2nd grade (all year). By 2nd grade he just said he didn't like school. 3rd grade -- he's in AAP at a different school... now he says he's "finally learning something." I also remember him telling me during Kinder. that during rest time (which was like 20-30 min.) he would count to see how far he could get. He got up to 2000 one day. Too much fluffy time in K. I have a hard time believing children are overwhelmed by the FCPS curriculum.

Here's a big fat to you and your son.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[

Here's a big fat to you and your son.

You're a rather mean and petty person aren't you? Do you feel good about the way you treat others?

[Anonymous]

Zero play time in my son's kinder. Just worksheets and sitting at their desks all day. No toys or legos or play dough or anything that might be even vaguely fun. They don't even read - they just memorize lists of words.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Zero play time in my son's kinder. Just worksheets and sitting at their desks all day. No toys or legos or play dough or anything that might be even vaguely fun. They don't even read - they just memorize lists of words.

What school is this? I'm sorry for your DS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Zero play time in my son's kinder. Just worksheets and sitting at their desks all day. No toys or legos or play dough or anything that might be even vaguely fun. They don't even read - they just memorize lists of words.

What school is this? I'm sorry for your DS.

An fcps elementary - it's awful. Parents are moving out of this neighborhood to get out of the school. Some are happy, but there seems to be a large minority - maybe 25% - of kids that are just miserable and can't cope there. The classes are way overcrowded, but fcps keeps adding things to the school- stupid FLES (Chinese? Really??), head start, etc. Every year we get two or three new programs that take up space and money, but we don't have enough teachers for regular classes and we don't even have basic resources like books for the kids in reading groups (they read little xerox books that they staple together themselves and the teacher downloaded from the internet).