am i the only one that thinks that the "Barbie Station" is a little unappropriate for education? - Page 2

[Wild Lupine]

When I saw the title I thought this was the Holiday Helper thread. Sigh.

So yeah, I'd be bugged by it. Commercialism, culturally biased beauty standards, unhealthy body proportioning, not for kindergarten.

But before making a complaint or raising my concerns, I'd first double check it was a Barbie station and not just a generic doll station that the kids are calling 'Barbie.'

[EdnaMarie]

That would bother me. I don't want my child swimming in advertisements. I think this is one of those areas where starting with a positive would be good, then moving into your main point, then ending with a positive suggestion that will stick in their mind.

"It looks like you've really tried to make this an inviting, familiar environment for the kids. I bet you have a lot of kids that just love Buzz Lightyear."

"The thing that concerns me is that these are licensed characters that were developed as advertisements, and so there's not a lot left to the imagination."

"I wonder if there would be a way to get more space for purely imaginative and experimental play, while keeping it inviting for the children? If you have any ideas, like a water table or whatever, I would love to help with that."

You said it's public, right? So we're talking generally underfunded, understaffed, even in the best of conditions. If you want something done you have to volunteer to do it.

[sapphire_chan]

One thing though, are branded characters limiting for 4-6 year olds the way they are for older kids? I know 8 year olds get into this "Buzz can't do THAT, Buzz does XYZ, Buzz always drives the BLUE car" mode. And 3 year olds have characters doing whatever they want "now Woody is a ballerina! And this car is his telephone! and Barbie comes over for a visit, and now everyone does jumping!!"

What do kindergartners do?

[Mbella]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

One thing though, are branded characters limiting for 4-6 year olds the way they are for older kids? I know 8 year olds get into this "Buzz can't do THAT, Buzz does XYZ, Buzz always drives the BLUE car" mode. And 3 year olds have characters doing whatever they want "now Woody is a ballerina! And this car is his telephone! and Barbie comes over for a visit, and now everyone does jumping!!"

What do kindergartners do?

That is a really good question. My 4 year old dd and 2 year old ds have some licensed character toys and their play is not at all limited to the character. My dd is in love with Disney princesses and plays with them all of the time. To her they are just friends with pretty dresses and her stoylines while playing rarely has to do with them being princesses. Ds loves his Disney/Pixar Cars toys (Matchbox type metal cars) and he has them drive and talk to each other, but the conversation has nothing to do with the movie. He is using his imagination. He does the same thing with his Thomas trains. Like you, I am not sure how kindergarteners and older kids play with these same toys.

[greenmansions]

I would be pretty unhappy if our kindy had Disney toys all over the place. I would talk to the teacher about it in a non-judgmental way, asking questions about why she opted for those items and how she uses them in the classroom. I'd go from there. I'd be prepared to donate toys or money if she indicated any openness to wanting to get rid of the Disney stuff.

That kind of stuff is why my friend became a Waldorf teacher, and took her kids to Waldorf with her. The Ariel crap at her DD's kindy put her over the edge!

[madskye]

DD's teacher purports to loooove Tinkerbell, and has Tink all over her kindy classroom. I think it's her way of connecting. If you do decide to address it, this is a really good website with lots of pertinent info:

http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/

[rabrog]

Honestly, I don't see the problem with it. Cars are cars are cars, Barbie is a doll that kids can dress and play with. Adults have the "Barbie, OMG" thing going on because we have a different knowlege of the brand. Kids (esp. a kid who doens't have it at home) knows nothing other than it's a doll to dress up and play with and another kid told her it was named Barbie.

We don't have Barbies in the house only because they are expensive and I refuse to step on little plastic shoes. However, my stepmom pulled out a huge tub of Barbies/clothes/etc. that my sister had and DD loved them. She had fun dressing them, pretending they were going out to a movie or dancing. She liked the gymnastics Barbie with the Olympics logo (from 1996) and talked about how she liked the snowboarding from this year's Olympic Games.

How we treat it as parents is going to influence our kids a lot more than anything else right now. If there are other things in the classroom to play with, too, it's not a big deal. We had a play kitchen and all the stuff, a huge Lego bin, dolls to dress, dress up clothes and I don't know what else. As long as there is variety, I don't see a problem.

Jenn

[EdnaMarie]

How we treat it as parents is going to influence our kids a lot more than anything else right now. If there are other things in the classroom to play with, too, it's not a big deal. We had a play kitchen and all the stuff, a huge Lego bin, dolls to dress, dress up clothes and I don't know what else. As long as there is variety, I don't see a problem.

I think the OP said that pretty much everything was branded and character-based.

[St. Margaret]

Um, and Barbie is not just an issue because we have a different awareness as adults, she has incredible distorted body dimensions that are part of a culture that destroys girls' and women's body image. I'm totally happy to have my daughter play with fashion dolls as she grows up (fashion dolls are silly, IMO, but I know she'll play with them however she likes, make up adventures, etc), but they will be shaped like real girls/women.

I would be ticked about that much commercialism in a classroom. I'd talk positively to the teacher about what WE could do (I would help out, the best I could, even if I had no money, I could call around for appropriate donations, perhaps) to make it more suitable. Heck, as a high school teacher I made sure we had no advertisements in my classroom (they try to give us free bookmarks, textbook covers, etc with R rated movie adverts on them, and military stuff a lot, too).

[weezix]

well i ended up doing my parent helper day and realized a bit more while i was there. by the sounds of it, the teacher really does just like toy story and barbies etc. they really were barbies. they also have a mcDonalds station!!! yes...the golden arches play kitchen. yikes. in the toy section i did see a small bucket of building toys. i think they also had a playdough station, so there is a little variety. it think its really just all the commercialism that bothers me. like why not use something else?? kids seem to become obsessed with all the "popular characters" and stuff and i try to avoid that...which makes it kind of hard when dd goes to school and is smothered with toy story paraphenalia and barbies

[CarrieMF]

I never realized that the public kindergarten in the school I work in was not part of the school until after I'd started. It is odd, but they get alot more funding than the public school gets which is why the kindergarten is staying seperate & they will move vs having the join the public school division & lose all their funding once the public school needs that space.

The school would NOT be paying for all that disney stuff. It is expensive. The teacher would be paying out of pocket for that stuff.

If you wish to see more general stuff like a bigger playdough section offer to donate some or make playdough for the kids.

[Amys1st]

They do not have barbies at my dd's co-op preschool, but do have a small tub of princesses but also several tubs of various different themed toys. They have the standard family in the doll house, matchbox cars etc. But everyday has a theme so today there maybe fireman puzzles, trucks out on the carpet, sand or water in the table with dalmations etc. So someday there maybe disney princesses or it may be just elephants. Whatever it is, the kids seem to play with it and have fun learning this way.

OTH, we have 2 large tubs of barbie stuff since I have 2 girls. When they have a few girlfriends or cousins over, we could literally have a town of barbies set up in our playroom basement. Usually that means since a few 4/5 yr olds are in on it, Barbie is playing house, but they also added the zoo animals so maybe barbie is tending her zoo since she is a zoo keeper this week. Or if needed, the barbie can go over to the 8/9 yr olds area and play in the band they have set up etc. Sometimes they have a duel since we have enough barbies to have the 3 musketeers. There maybe a sleep over camping thing over there with the playsilks sett up as tents...Since they are using anything and everything, setting it up themselves, making their own rules etc that is learning and they are playing and having a blast.

Are the kids doing this in the classroom or is it just barbie dressed up as a street walker? The buzz lightyear thing would be a bit over the top in my mind as well. Is it a theme in everything? Could this be the issue?

[oceanbaby]

This would bother the crap out of me. I am not a Waldorf mom, or anything like that. We have Buzz toys and Batman playsets and we watch Disney movies. But a school environment is completely different, and I think these things are totally inappropriate.

If the school had a few of these things, fine. I was a little irked when some of ds's 1st grade coloring sheets were Dora, but I let it go, because it's the only reference I've seen to any licensed characters in his classroom, other than the occasional "Reading is Fun" Clifford poster or something, and I assume they get those free from Scholastic Book orders.

The superheros I could kind of deal with, they seem different than Barbie to me. I loved Barbie as a little girl, and we had what my mom refers to as the "Barbie Dynasty." However, we have such a huge problem with girls and weight/body issues that I could not stand for them to have such a huge presence in a classroom. A few mixed in with a more neutral doll station in general, fine.

I could deal with a few Toy Story toys, but to decorate the room with posters and such is I think completely inappropriate. It's advertising to children, and I don't think this should be allowed in a classroom setting.

However, what really sent me over the edge was the McDonald's station. That would have to be removed, ASAP. Completely, totally inappropriate. Our country is facing a crisis related to our bodies and the food we eat, and to promote McDonalds in a Kindergarten classroom is unethical. (You're in Canada I see - not sure if they have quite the same epidemic we do, but McDonalds is poison no matter where you live.)

I would talk with the teacher first, get her feedback on why this stuff is there, and if it can't be fixed by donating a different play kitchen or whatever, then I would start moving up the line. Can you bring it up at a PTA meeting or something?

[peaceful_mama]

Um.....my DS's Kindy has a doll corner. A typical setup of kitchen set, doll crib, possibly table and chairs, high chair....it's a house/doll corner with baby dolls.

They also have a dollhouse, but it's a doll family not Barbie.

their other "free choice playtime" choices (that I have seen when I am there) seem to be all games, puzzles, and some building toys. (my son loves these big things called "Wedgits" he picks them whenever they are a choice. There are cards and you can try to build their ideas or do your own. He likes to try to do theirs.)

I also have seen a sand/water table but they don't use it the afternoon I am there.

They seem to rotate their "free choice" days, a couple different options but not ALL of it ALL the time. (my personal thought on this is that it's to help the kids try out different things--if the dolls are *always* an option, some kids would *always* play that. We did something similar when I worked in a preschool classroom with the computer--it was only available ONE day because we had kids who would choose to do little else. We wanted them pretending and interacting with *humans* more than screens. We also had a specific time after 'circle' where the children could choose to write at the whiteboard, use the writing center--coloring sheets, paper and pencils, stencils, tracing sheets etc. or "read" books on their own or be read to--because the kids didn't typically choose these things at 'free play' and we wanted to encourage them to try them out. They still had choices, but limited.)

DS's preschool had a lot more toys because they had about an hour a day dedicated to free choice play...but still not much if anything in the way of "licensed characters". They might have had a cowboy hat and boots in the dress up corner for example, but not a "woody" or "Jessie" costume specifically. They did have all sorts of vehicles including matchbox type cars. I don't recall ever seeing Barbie, but definently dollhouses and family dolls. And of course all kinds of art supplies. And some sets that rotated--stuff like a doctor kit, different dress up clothes etc. And of course your typical 'kitchen corner.' Blocks.

But....*I* played with my Heart Family barbies like lots of kids play with the family dolls.....I wouldn't object to them until I saw exactly what was available to them.

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

OK, I have been seeing this title for a week now, and I have got to say, every time I read it, I automatically think of the play stations my kids daycare has (no necesarily barbie) that are supposed to be like Hair salons. They also have kitchen sets (Lots actually) grilling sets, and some sort of mechanic set (like for fisxing and washing cars.

SOOOO, is it safe to assume that this "station" is nothing more then a replica of a WORK ENVRIONMENT? Because I used to be a HAIR DRESSER, made decent money, and wouldnt mind if my sons pretended to be a hair dresser like mommy.

Just sayin. The barbie and disney witch hunt seems a bit over the top to me.

[weezix]

yeh i guess its not really a big deal because as some of you had mentioned its HOW they play with the toys. after being in the classroom i found out it was a set of Barbie Disney Princesses. I think it was the Toy Story EVERYTHING that really got me going. I was mostly surprised and I'm having a hard time "dealing" with it...seriously a MCDONALDS KITCHEN? Why can't it be a regular kitchen, or regular dolls, or why can't their reading chairs be plain colors or have animals or letters on them. It's just different from when I was in elementary school but that was a LOOOOOOONG time ago LOL

[Aeress]

It doesn't sound like they have other stations where it is more likely that the children will do open ended play. Some children, I stress the some, do get stuck playing only pre-set play themes based on characters, tv and movies. This is why I would want to see a generic kitchen area, doll area, block area etc. Children need the opportunity to expand their play and build on ideas and "blank toys" like blocks, and generic dolls tend to allow the children to make the play their own rather than following scripted play, like buzz and woody.

I also disagree that the influence of the parent and the home environment is more impressionable to the child than school- again, for some children this is true but I can say that my oldest is more conscious of the world and expectations and is more influenced by peer pressure than my other children. As such, she would have trouble not following the flow of the room, even if she knew we didn't agree with all the character toys. Can you see how such a character driven environment would affect a child like mine?

I don't have a problem with some character toys, or books or posters, as long as it is only a tiny portion of the child's choice of play material. In this case, it sounds like they don't have many, if any, options.

[Owen'nZoe]

As others have said, if you decide to broach it with the teacher, I'd tread lightly. She's probably spent a lot of her own money on those branded toys, plus she is the one who needs to work in and feel happy to be in the classroom every day.

But I would have the same concerns. If there were a few branded stations with others that are not, it would be one thing, but if there are few other options, I guess I'd be volunteering to donate some without insulting what she already has. If you could present it by saying something positive about what is already there (I don't know - it is cheerful and dynamic, or so welcoming to all the Toy Story fans), and then offer to supplement with a few other things that you've noticed the kids really seem to love (as others ahve mentioned, marble runs, non-branded dolls - whatever) she might be receptive. If you're in the habit of giving a holiday gift, you could make it a gift certificate from one of the teacher supply stores, where she'd be able to buy more educational toys. You could even organize the other parents to chip in on a nice big gift certificate for her, so she can put in a big order.

[ecoteat]

I didn't read the whole thread, but I am reacting to strongly to this I have to get it out.

I would be LIVID if my daughter's classroom reeked of that much commercialism. And I would throw a huge stink about it until something changed. The school she will go to for K-8 is the school I teach middle school in. So I am in a good position to be outspoken about such things. But so is everyone else at my school. I had a family ask me to disable iTunes on their 6th grader's MacBook (that the state provides and the school manages) because they felt that pervasive commercialism did not belong in the classroom.

Last year the K teacher would play a 15-20 minute movie EVERY DAY during morning snack and they were whatever cartoon that the kids brought from home. I was fully prepared to make a stink about that once dd got to her, but she retired and that issue has gone away. I don't want advertising in my daughter's or any child's classroom. I don't think it's appropriate on any level. For the record, I'm just as opposed to vending machines other corporate endorsements (official or not) in schools.