Welcome to the Let Grow Experience at Fetterangus School!

Dear Parents/Carers,

Welcome to The Let Grow Experience! It’s going to be great! But first, a request: Please think back on your childhood.

The joy of playing. The afternoons absorbed in a hobby. Or even the time something went wrong and you had to figure out what to do — and you did.

Remember? You were trusted with some independence. And it helped shape you.

But today, for a whole lot of reasons, kids don’t get as many chances to do things on their own. This makes it hard for them to stretch and succeed, or even bounce back from disappointments. They need a little of that bracing, old-fashioned independence YOU had. The Let Grow Experience gives it to them. Why?

• In their free time, kids discover their deep interests.

• Kids who struggle in school or relationships feel joy and relief doing ungraded activities.

• Treating kids as fragile is making them fragile!

The Let Grow Experience is a homework assignment that has kids go out and do something new, on their own. Make breakfast, climb a tree, run an errand. The point is to stretch the boundaries of childhood just a little bit.

When kids do something new on their own, big things happen. Both generations get a burst of confidence. Worry gets replaced by pride and joy.

It can be hard to let go, so The Let Grow Experience provides this little push. And of course you and your child will discuss together what their Projects will be. Be prepared for a lump in your throat. And thank you for giving your kids this gift!

- The teachers and Staff of Fetterangus School

WHAT’S REALLY HAPPENING WHEN YOUR CHILD DOES LET GROW PROJECTS . . .

They will be doing new activities that will:

• spark their interest and help them explore new things

• grow their self-confidence

• increase their self-reliance

They will interact with others, sometimes strangers, which will help them:

• learn to judge when an adult can be trusted

• be more comfortable and confident in public

• build new friendships (like the clerk at your favourite store)

• learn how to handle uncomfortable situations

They will enjoy some freedom to choose and direct their own activity, which helps them:

• develop stronger self-awareness

• understand and manage their feelings and behaviour

• discover new interests and hobbies

• practice self-control and handle frustration

They have the time and space they need to:

• become more mature

• discover their potential to pilot their lives in the direction they want to go 

Share tales, pictures or videos of what your children get up to with us!

michael.milton@aberdeenshire.gov.uk phoebe.griffiths@aberdeenshire.gov.uk