I need help...

[Tronesia]

So, my little girl is starting Kindergarten and I am staring at this list and it is pretty much making me mad. The one item I am having trouble with is this "nap mat." It says no roll up or sleeping bag. The only ones I see that fold up are plastic, ugly and just look sterile...not something I would buy my child. Is that what they want?!?! Anyone with an idea...please feel free to chime in....or even if you just think my whining makes perfect sense (or may it does not) that's cool too (lol!).

This is the one I found that sounds closes to what they are talking about.

I would rather get her something more comfy and with better...umm ..aesthetics. I just don't want to buy something hideous if I don't have to.

[jacinda]

Not being American, I have no idea what they're after, but this is what our kindys use, and the kids sleep on them quite happily (with a fitted sheet and their favourite blankie). They're easy to clean, and the sheet can be laundered as often as required without the whole bed being out of commission.

[MamaBee]

hmmm... I can't say for sure, my kiddo isn't in public school... but that is the type of mat I had when I was in Kindie... I still have it - haha...

[Darcy Baldwin]

yep - that's pretty much what all the teachers around here want. Something that's easy to wipe down if there's an accident, easy to store, no fuss, etc.

[glumirk]

That's what I've seen too. If you have a sewing machine I bet you could make a cute cover for it in 10 minutes. I wouldn't think that would be against the rules.

[Tronesia]

So I just need to get with the the program. I went to a Catholic school and we didn't have nap or rest time or anything like that in Kindergarten.

[maryinaz]

Originally Posted by Tronesia

So I just need to get with the the program. I went to a Catholic school and we didn't have nap or rest time or anything like that in Kindergarten.

Ditto. And my boys went to public school and didn't have nap time. Huh. I thought that was an all-day pre-school thing (since they only went 1/2 days in pre-school and didn't nap there either).

[julifish]

Yes, most teachers want the plastic one they can wipe down to keep it clean. However, most of the K teachers are our school allow the kids to bring a towel to put over it and that can come home to be washed as often as you want as long as your child remembers to bring it home. Double check with the teacher to see if that is okay. Some of our classrooms lack storage so they only allow a towel for the kids to lay on. She'll only be on it for like 15-20 min just to rest so I wouldn't worry too much about it. This is one of those situations where buying what everyone else buys is a better thing.

I bet by the 3rd nine weeks there will be no nap time, so don't spend a fortune - it's for temporary use only.

[eranslow]

We were just asked to provide a beach towel. So I'm guessing that they must have the mats already at Blake's school. We'll find out!

Good luck with deciphering the list - they can be kind of confusing!

[Tronesia]

Originally Posted by julifish

Yes, most teachers want the plastic one they can wipe down to keep it clean. However, most of the K teachers are our school allow the kids to bring a towel to put over it and that can come home to be washed as often as you want as long as your child remembers to bring it home. Double check with the teacher to see if that is okay. Some of our classrooms lack storage so they only allow a towel for the kids to lay on. She'll only be on it for like 15-20 min just to rest so I wouldn't worry too much about it. This is one of those situations where buying what everyone else buys is a better thing.

I bet by the 3rd nine weeks there will be no nap time, so don't spend a fortune - it's for temporary use only.

That is what I was thinking - that it probably won't be used the whole year.

Erin, you are so right..deciphering is what I am doing over here (lol!). That was the only thing that had me confused.

[lovely1m]

We were also told just to bring a beach towel, so that's what we did.

[rach3975]

Originally Posted by eranslow

We were just asked to provide a beach towel. So I'm guessing that they must have the mats already at Blake's school. We'll find out!

They may not. We used towels without mats so that they could be sent home for a weekly washing. The first half of the year we have rest for 15-20 minutes and by the second half of the year they've transitioned to 5-10 minutes of putting their heads down on their desks. Even though a lot of schools call it nap time, they really just mean a short rest.

And for people saying they (or their kids) didn't have it in full day K, I think it may have to do with K getting steadily more academic. Recess is much shorter than it used to be (I think 20 minutes here), and less of the day is devoted to the non-academic specials. I think they realized the younger kids needed more down time than they were getting.

[melanie3boys]

Wow...just finished sending our 3rd kid to kindergarten and none of them had naptime. I guess they're hardcore in VA! Haha. I've got our first middle-schooler this year and need to teach him how to use a combination lock. How did I get so old? Good luck with the mat.

[ripal]

My kids will be in 9th, 11th and 3rd year of college this year. None of them had a nap time in K.

[carrie1977]

Our kindy classes don't do naps either...but, they are only 4 hours a day.

[staciahall]

Mine didn't even have naps in Pre-K.

[emmasmommy]

dang! I wish mine had naptime LMAO maybe it would transfer to at home time

[eranslow]

How many kindy's are 1/2 days? Blake will be going allllllllllllll day. It's forever! LOL

[pewtertm]

Yes, that's what our kids used when I taught pre-k. Staff had to be able to spray each one down with a bleach solution after naptime is over for sanitary purposes. Each kid brought their own nap pad cover, blanket, and pillow.

In Rachel's kindergarten year, everyone just brought a towel and laid it on the ground...less than comfy.

[emmasmommy]

ours is all day

[Stacey42]

Our kindy is all day with no naps. Pre school is half day and also napless. But as Melanie says Virginia can be kind of hardcore about things. Our school system also has a decent amount of recess/rest built in up through 5th grade. Once you hit middle school though there is just lunch & any recess is the result of you eating your lunch fast.

[AmaG]

Wonder if this would work?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/12169871...shop_home_feat

[Tronesia]

Originally Posted by emmasmommy

dang! I wish mine had naptime LMAO maybe it would transfer to at home time

This was always a "dream" for me. Aida would nap at daycare during the week with no problem, but on the weekends, that never happened.

Originally Posted by eranslow

How many kindy's are 1/2 days? Blake will be going allllllllllllll day. It's forever! LOL

All day for us too.

[rach3975]

We're all day with a short (15-20 minute) rest. There's 1 half day every week, and no rest time then. My kids didn't have rest time in half day preschool either.

I used to work in a day care though, and I think it drove the parents batty that the 4's class had to have naptime every day. Many of them were too old for a nap and couldn't sleep at night if they fell asleep at school.

[nun69]

I know that they don't do naps or rest time here in kindergarten (all day) and for Abby it was ok, for Peyton NOT SO MUCH,,,,,,I think unless they have been in all day preschool with no nap, that all day kindergarten is just hard....

[kscwgirl]

Mine went all day and they just took a beach towel.. they had a 15 min "rest time" for the first semester and then by 3rd quarter they weren't doing it anymore to get them "ready" for 1st grade.