Rachel Luxemburg said that if she ever said that around her grandmother, sure as shootin she’d have a pile of chores lined up for her so fast her head would spin. She learned to not say it.

Matthew lately has been saying he’s “bored” at school and he doesn’t want to go. His nursery school, Carlmont Parents Nursery School, is an amazingly rich environment:

. easel paints, chalk board and playdough always available as well as a different art project each day in the art room, not to mention creation station in the hallway.

. at least 25 costumes (all of which I had the pleasure of hanging back up on Monday when I worked Block Room), hats, shoes, accessories, board games, blocks, train sets, beads to string, puzzles, marble run, many kinds of manipulatives rotated in and out….. in the Block Room

. a music room with instruments, all kinds of recorded music, bean bags, felt boards, books and puzzles

. the snack room which includes a loft, play house and kitchen, dolls and carriages

. an amazing outside area with swings, tire swing, trees to climb, boulders to jump off, several climbing structures, grass, sand, a mud pit, balls, water play, sand toys, 3 play houses equipped with kitchens and kitchen tools, tricycles with trailers and other riding toys.

The program, except pre-k, is child-led so that the student can pick what appeals to them. At 4 years old this is generally a lot of imaginative games with friends. They move in packs. A month ago it was the Yucky Stuff Bakery, outside, where they concocted yucky bakery goods out of mud and sand and plants. The last 2 weeks it’s been a group of kitties that speak in meows and build themselves cages to sleep in.

Matthew gets along very well with lots of different playmates and engages in a variety of play.

***

I think that this rich, wonderful environment is “boring” to Matthew because he’d rather be playing on the Wii. When Ethan and Jared were 4 they played Reader Rabbit and Blue’s Clues games on the computer. I read to them for an hour at a time. We played Monopoloy Jr and Clue Jr and did puzzles together. I was more strict about screen time.

Matthew gets a lot more screen time than his brothers did and the games are more mature – not preschool learning focused. He generally has to have his arm twisted to sit and read with me and can’t really sit still for games with lots of rules or puzzles. He’s just a different kid.

However, Teacher Leslie and I think that this “boredom” is because he’d rather be playing on the Wii than doing anything else. Screen addiction! We’ve seen it before when Ethan wanted to watch muscials all day long and couldn’t be parted with Bye Bye Birdie and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Anyway, Glen and I have decided to cut screen game time down to 30 min per child per day and only on school days AFTER school. Plus some TV. It’s not an issue of activity/obesity. They get plenty of exercise and love it.

I’m reading Magic Trees of the Mind about brain development and the effects of enrichment on the brain through all stages of life. It’s a FANTASTIC book. That makes me feel REALLY guilty about Matthew’s impoverished environment. OK, not really. He’s got plenty of amazing enrichment around him.

However, I am really glad to be limiting screen time. So far, after starting this past week with 30 min tv in the a.m. while I’m getting ready for our day and Wii limited to 30 min AFTER school, it takes him about 45 minutes of whining about it and then he finds other stuff to do including reading books with mommy (!!!) and a dot-to-dot book (!!!).