Originally posted by Faith628
It is one thing trying to capture a 7 year olds attention with fairies and the like, but it is a completely different thing to use aliens.

How is it any different? UFOs and aliens are an ubiqitous part of our media culture, even in children-oriented media.

[edit on 16-7-2008 by SaviorComplex]

next July is when this contact is supposed to happen?

that wouldnt be July 4th would it? you, INDEPENDENCE DAY

Originally posted by scobro
Located the second and maybe the most interesting sheet.

I see nothing here other than a harmless thought exercise, designed to allow a child to both exercise their imagination and their skills of deduction. The use of a spaceship here is purposeful, though not in the way you believe; it is being used because it is extrordinary, an extrordinary event that young children can relate to, because of it ubiqitousness in our culture. At the same time, it is a "safe" extrordinary event, one that won't necessarily scare a child to imagine. The extrodinary is used because while they can relate, it is still outside of their experience, requiring them to actually think about what would happen and make predictions.

Are you sure your reaction to this is not an over-reaction, due to perception bias? You have said you think "something big" is coming soon; perhaps you are ascribing otherwise mundane events as proof of this.

Question: If this is the second page of the assignment, what did the other pages cover?

Originally posted by SaviorComplex

Originally posted by Faith628
It is one thing trying to capture a 7 year olds attention with fairies and the like, but it is a completely different thing to use aliens.

How is it any different? UFOs and aliens are an obiqitous part of our media culture, even in children-oriented media.

Absolutely. I think this is exactly what is going on. In fact kids probably respond much better to sci-fi based fantasy than they do "old fashioned" fairies and dragons type stuff. Just look at many of the new children's films..

To think that the Scottish School Board are under orders to change the curriculum in such a way as to prepare children for a mass alien invasion (or whatever) is hilarious.

To the OP

In your shoes I would be a bit sneaky and have a little party with some of your child's schoolmates and use the opportunity to get more details about what the teacher said. Talk to other parents as well.

I really really hate giving away my age on here, but it's relevant to the story. When I began 9th grade in public high school, they started us with "sensitivity training." This would have been school year 1989-1990.

They went on and on about being tolerant of other religions, colors, creeds, etc. The graphics on the walls were akin to paper doll cutouts, with hands joined, all around a picture of Earth.

After that they started "educating" us about AIDS, and how it's transmitted and how we shouldn't be afraid of giving an AIDS-infected person a hug.

Then in physical science class that 9th grade year, they said NASA wanted us to write essays about Mars and how we believed the astronauts might be able to live on the surface of Mars. I don't remember what I wrote, but I thought the assignment fun. We never got our essays back. But a few months later we did all receive certificates from NASA about our participation. I still have mine somewhere, but lack a scanner. If there is any interest I can dig up that certificate and type up what it says.

So going back to this alien landing and getting seeds story, I think it's nothing more than this "sensitivity training," but on another level.

It says 'homework activity 18' so I pressume it's a page from some kind of homework book.
Your kids teacher might have nothing to do with it, these homework papers are just made more 'fun' with little drawings like this.

I agree with this not being a big deal. I remember getting multiplication worksheets with pictures of aliens and different scenes on then to make them less plain, and I would draw on my homework all the time. I don't know that making aliens on it is different from any other thing. Questions like that on homework are to help expand a child's thinking skills, which is a good thing. Children's imaginations are in fact much more active than adult's (although, I have witnessed a few adults with an almost ridiculous imagination). Ultimately, this discovery of what aliens and UFOs are to your child will definitely bring about some stories and imaginative talk, nothing to be alarmed about.

One thing though, do your children have the same teacher over the years? Unless there is some conspiracy going on with the teachers (highly doubted), telling the students there will be more talk about it when they return seems odd because if they are having a new teacher, chances are they wouldn't. At least not in the same context of this teacher (if the new ones are reasonable teachers). I don't think a teacher would possibly put their job in jeopardy, or risk getting a bad reputation, by telling children crazy things when they know the children will go home and tell their parents.

I dont know.... I'm not so sure kids need sensitivity training. maybe insensitivity deprogramming LOL

My concern here when I saw the OP and the worksheets, was not so much about the fact that they used aliens as the subject matter but more on what the purpose of that type of exercise would be? Why ask a child how they would react if placed in a frightening situation? I dont recall ever doing this in school and I dont see the relevance. I would find the same worksheet with a lion inserted instead of an alien spaceship just as disturbing.

[edit on 16-7-2008 by SleeplessInUS]
edited for spelling... .apparently I dont know how to spell before 2 complete cups of coffee HAHA

[edit on 16-7-2008 by SleeplessInUS]

Originally posted by Faith628
I just think that using aliens might conjur up fear in a child instead of a fairy like Tinkerbell.

Why? There are plenty of examples of benevolent aliens in our culture. Stitch, for instant. UFOs and aliens are not synonymous with "scary."

Originally posted by Faith628
I looked at, I believe, the 2nd worksheet where it asked her how she would feel if a UFO landed on her playground and she responded "scared"

Her reaction may have developed in her home environment. Her parents are clearly interested in the subject.

Originally posted by Faith628
I just find it so odd that they are using aliens. Even a lion, like someone said earlier, would make much more sense to me.

If it had been a lion, would the OP or you be here, telling us it may be evidence the schools are trying to indoctrinate our children about the coming invasion of lions? Why pick and choose what you believe schools are "preparing us" for.

Originally posted by scobro
Over the last couple of months,my 7 year old daughter has been showing an increased interest in Aliens,UFO's and the like.

Are you sure this is because of indoctrination at school, and not her home environment? You clearly have an interest in the subject yourself. Young children will often have similar interest to their parents. I see this demonstrated every day in my 5 year old.

Hi Scobro it's good to find a fellow Dons fan on the board.
Did you go to the Man utd game?

I know you may not want to divulge the information on the board but I would be interested to know what school is promoting this concept? You can u2u me with it if you like.

I will ask a few of my friends who have kids in school here & see if they have had similar scenarios.

It does strike me as odd especially as the teacher is saying that a spaceship will be landing next year, which if untrue then the teacher is teaching lies. Not a good quality for a teacher to have IMO.

What if one of the kids had a deap seated fear of aliens or UFO's & now they think their biggest fear is going to land next year in their playground.
It's not going to help the well being of that child for the next year is it?
And judging by the comments by Scobro's kid they would all react fearfully.

So what is to be gained by this task? What are they going to teach the kids relating to this worksheet?

I have something to share here.

The opening Post reminded me of when my daughter was in second year of primary school here in Australia (age 6). The kids were learning about space and our solar system, but they all really wanted to know about UFO's and Aliens.

At the time I was president (2001 to 2004) of a small UFO and paranormal research group and my daughter offered to have me come and give a talk!

So I went along armed with some light info for the kids about local sightings, etc. The teacher made a point of telling me I was not allowed to put any ideas across as if they were definite facts!! I towed the line and just gave some interesting reports and soon enough we got to Question Time.

One small hand went up and asked if I had ever seen a UFO, so I answered honestly that I had seen many in my life. Suddenly the whole class raised their hands to ask questions... "Where do they come from?"... "Have you seen an Alien?"

I answered truthfully, Yes. A huge buzz went around the room and the questions came thick and fast.. "What did they look like?"... "Did one touch you?"... "What did they want to say?", etc.

Every question was answered as honestly as I could, then the teacher realised she had lost control of the kids and stepped in to say, "Now thank Mr...... for his talk and remember that what he said is not facts, it is just what he thinks!!"

Shortly after this I took a video sighting, that we had scientifically analysed, into the class and absolutely blew the teachers, cleaners, and other assorted interested parties mind's. lol The kids loved it, and one of them finally opened up and showed his extreme intelligence by providing me with information about propulsion systems and how some UFO's are constructed! At age 6!!

Within weeks we had an unusual request from the Flinders University of South Australia which sent us some questionnaires to be filled out by anyone who had UFO or Alien experiences. The cover letter stated that some research was being done into how many people believe they have had contact or abductions, but, only the first two questions covered this.. all the rest were about the after effects or symptoms of the experiences, and delved into whether people had gained psychic powers etc.

Warning bells went off for me, as a psychic I knew that this was not a simple little questionnaire, it was a fact finding program to discover how many people had gained abilities from their contacts, and a database was being constructed with the names and full details of the people replying to the questions.

I knew this was the precurser to what I had seen in 'vision' of a time when 'awakened' people would be detained in order to not undermine the bigger picture Agenda in our not too distant future.

Perhaps your child's official lesson material printed in 2000 might have a similar goal? I hope not.

Good luck and be well.

I recalled later in life that as a kid in middle school in the 1970's I had a particular teacher that taught evolution (we had the darwin type chart on the wall that showed how man progressed from an ape to neanderthal etc) rather than creationism.

I also recall her being pro-socialist. I remember her teaching my class communism, karl marx, etc, in quite some depth, and recall her telling us how good the idea of socialism really was. This while Australian troops were fighting in Viet Nam.

Whether the Principal knew & approved of such teachings I dont know. Im sure I never mentioned it to my parents as a 9 year old.

[edit on 16-7-2008 by Nonchalant]

on the bottom right of the image you posted it is marked with copyright SPMG 2000

so these are old worksheets.