Preschool mentioned concerns over ds1's shape confusion

[colditz]

apparently he gets muddled between square, cube, and 'cuboid'. He's 4.

I mentioned that I don't recall doing stuff like that until i was 7 or 8, and it doesn't seem to have harmed me in any way. Anyone elses four year old doing this at preschool- and does anyone know why?

[happystory]

I can hardly bring myself to reply. FGS!!! he's 4!!! What are they on about? Square, circle,triangle- that's Ok for a 4 year old. bloody 'ell, until my dd was at prmiary and I saw her maths, I'd forgotten what a cuboid was. Ignore 'em.

[colditz]

I'm not sure I ever knew what a cubiod is. I've certainly never needed to know.

[schneebly]

eh? They are mad!

[mumeeee]

Most 4 year old chilren just learn basic shapes. Children don't start learn about cubes and cuboids untill they are at school.

[HonoriaGlossop]

FGS!

No, that is just sooooo not necessary and it's nothing to worry about - my ds certainly didn't do this at pre-school, nor has he in reception!

Someone at the pre-school is getting delusions of grandeur or something. I think they are being weird!

[MadamePlatypus]

umm, whats the difference between a cube and a cuboid?

[ShrinkingViolet]

cube is made from a square, cuboid from a rectangle

[Desiderata]

What the fck* is a cuboid?

I have managed to get to the ripe old age of 42 without knowing that.

I'm starting to feel mighty angry at this obsession with education in the very young. I can't believe that any long-term good can come from it.

[Desiderata]

Why don't they call it a rectangleboid, then?

Jeez, no wonder your poor lad's confused, Colditz.

[bran]

Well I managed to get all the way through school and a degree in maths without knowing what a cuboid was, so I doubt it matters much in pre-school.

I looked it up on Google and it's a 3-dimensional rectangle or box-shape. I'm not sure that I was ever taught a proper name for it.

[ShrinkingViolet]

possibly because not all sides have to be rectangles? DD3 is at a Montessori school and loves the Geometric Solids, so I know all about ellipsoids and ovoids and the like. Does seem a bit extreme for a pre-school though.