Bloody Easter Homework

I did enough crafting and messy play when they were toddlers. Mine are 9 and 12 now and no I don’t do arts and crafts at home. We do other stuff like board games and playing outside, going for walks, etc. it’s not a one size fits all.
I now work full time, I’m a single parent. Crafting is not my idea of fun…no. Never mind the fact that I would probably have buy supplies, unless the school have provided them? And to be honest, I’ll be working over Easter mostly and the days I take off we go away somewhere or do days out. The days I work I get home at 5, make dinner etc and chill out after that. So no I don’t give a shit…if they can do it mostly themselves then they can work away but we all know they’ll get confused, stressed, change their idea half way through and need help with something…etc etc.

Paper plane. Done

Oh come on. Crafting is my idea of hell, it's boring and messy.

Plus the child in question is 9/10... He can do this independently..

The number of parents here who can’t be arsed to spend a little bit of time doing a crafting project with their own child is astounding.

Sitting together to do crafts surely IS the ‘family time’ you are so keen to claim you are too busy doing. Do none of the ‘too busy for this shit’ gang spend a single second at home? Do you not do arts and crafts?

It is absolutely no wonder that we have a screen time endemic and huge numbers of children in schools that can’t even use a pair of scissors.

To those who say homework isn’t compulsory: schools have autonomy and there is no DfE guidance or legislation on this, but parents who choose a school also enter into an agreement with the school. Schools will have policies on this, usually with clauses for SEND adaptations. I would suggest the OP looks at the school’s homework policy which will be on the website.

As to the nature of the homework, it sounds like a fun project picked by a well meaning teacher, but I’d question the educational value (and then I’d question what’s happening in the classroom tbh). homework should not be onerous for parents or require the purchase of materials. In my opinion, homework should be possible for all, and help pupils reinforce key skills such as handwriting, reading, arithmetic and topic knowledge.

Best course of action is to muddle through, so as not to disadvantage the child in question as he/she will likely be expected to bring the completed project in to class. Then, meet with the teacher or headteacher. Key things to bring up are financial and time implications for parents, and the most important thing - what concepts/skills is homework supposed to help with?

This is the sort of thing that kids dread and hate doing. It casts a shadow over the holidays because they sit there wondering how on earth they’re supposed to accomplish it; it seems impossible at that age.

My entire class felt this way in Y5 when we were told to build a marble maze that took as long as possible for the marble to get through. It would be timed and there would be a competition to see whose maze took the longest. Three kids’ fathers built theirs for them, taking a piece of wood, metal brackets, and clear hose and screwing the hose onto the wood in a looping pattern. Then they filled the hoses with honey so that the marble would ever so slowly creep along. It really wasn’t a maze, though it did take forever.

Our teacher then proceeded to grade us on the project based on the time it took for our marble to get through our mazes, so most of us failed. Thankfully all the grades were revised to 100% for completion after nearly every single parent complained about this “fun project.” 🙄

As you can tell, I still bear a grudge against these assignments. 😂

I'm a firm believer in primary school aged homework being unnecessary and intrusive on what should be quality family time in the evenings/on weekends.

I'm a former teacher too, if that makes any difference.

Schools do vary on this, but the schools local to me give out A LOT of homework, every single evening, weekend, and school holiday. To the point it's very stressful for families and children who get no time to relax or enjoy quality family time. I do point out to my friends that it is not compulsory at primary level, but many are too scared to go against the grain and get swamped with the stress of it all instead. I decided to home educate my children, for many reasons but pressures on children at a young age was one of them.

It's hardly work, sounds like a bit of fun. At that age it's just the sort of thing you might enjoy doing together in the holidays. Lots of easy suggestions on this tread too.

Couple of pencils and a cereal box easily becomes a vehicle.

ETA just been informed we used milk carton lids too. Egg race (rolling hard boiled decorated eggs down a hill) last Easter.

Fortunately, homework in primary schools is NOT compulsory. So the 'no excuses' teacher can go fuck themselves.

Enjoy the HOLIDAYS, family time. No school work bullshit.

If questioned, "it did not fit in with our family plans for our family holiday time together". Worry no more about it.

🤣🤣🤣🙌🏻🙌🏻👊🏻

The link doesn't work. What's the video titled? Very intrigued!

But the op doesn't have to do anything for this homework. The 9/10 year old will be perfectly capable of making a moving toy independently of OP

Same! I would literally refuse! I’m not spending my holidays doing homework. I haven’t got time for that shit!

take away box, balloon inside connected to a cheap balloon pump, can decorate as a monster or animal x

Honestly, sounds like the teacher has fell behind on DT units and so has sent it home to you to sort!

Pipe cleaners are your friend here

Sounds like I'm alone but I think it's fun. An elastic band or a balloon and some bit from the craft box and recycling. I'm surprised at how many are saying don't do it, is this just for holiday homework or all homework?

Easy-peasy. We used to make these when I was at school. https://www.instructables.com/Cotton-reel-tanks/

Alternatively blow up a balloon and release it - jet propulsion.

If you have a cereal box you can do this. Any cardboard will do.

Oh dear. It was a lighthearted comment with a lighthearted emoji which doesn’t mean laughing btw. Google it.

My daughter’s teachers are wonderful and I very much appreciate their hard work, I used to be a secondary school teacher myself.

You need to relax and stop reading into things that aren’t there. Have a lovely evening.

It sounds like fun. Kids got 2 weeks off. Plenty of time to do it. (Obviously I don’t have to do it so I can judge you completely for not doing this 🤣)

The link doesn't work.

Assuming this is the same one https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7W3wgwUfjZA

He could easily make something out of sturdy cardboard, like an Amazon box or something.

Just let him have a go at something.

Just don't do it. I only set maths, spelling and reading homework and about 25% do the reading and spelling, perhaps 75% do the maths. What is the teacher going to do? There are plenty of households where just sitting down to do a worksheet is tricky enough for a child so the idea that everyone is in a position to make a moving toy is farcical.

So glad my kids are now grown up, good luck! 🤣