Do you remember doing project books, on random topics, in primary school?

[PleaseYourselfandEatTheCrusts]

I was talking to my 8 year old, earlier. At school I can remember times where we could just pick a random topic that interested us. We would research it in the school library, and make up a whole project book about it.

I can remember doing ones on windmills, lighthouses and ancient Greece. I am sure there were more that I made though.

My 8 year old wants to have a go at making a project book of his own.

If you remember doing similar, what was yours about?

Those were the days! My middle daughter did one over the summer holidays when she was about 8. She did the Victorians. It was a piece of homework set to take into year 3, but she was the only one who handed anything in I believe!

Yes!

I did fashion through the decades and illustrated it.

Also one about Egypt which fascinated me.

I'm sure there were more.

I did one about America, but really it was mostly about Disney.

The Egyptians (made in a sarcophagus shaped book)
The War of the roses (made in a rose shaped book)
Greek Myths (made in a Horse shaped book for the Trojan horse)
The Human Body (human body shaped book which folded out for all the different systems)

I spent hours with my gel pens and some old encyclopaedias

Yes on budgies, must’ve been riveting.

I remember making ones about seashells. And hedgehogs.

When I first qualified as a teacher I remember setting this as a task for a Friday afternoon...years before the internet was a thing on school. The mind boggles now at that. My classes now do a lot if self led research linked to our topics and rarely use physical books (but sometimes do).

I just remembered I did one on tortoises.

The golden days before the National Curriculum.

I did one on giant pandas

We were given the topic. One memorable one was 'Weeds'.

My DC were given a choice of about 5 themes. But the twist was they had to talk about the subject for 10/15 minutes and produce visual aids. One a term in Year 3 and Year 4. It was a bit much TBH.

It's a lovely idea if you can choose anything you like though.

I'm sure I did the same at primary school - loved it!

Yes I remember doing one on the Modern Olympics.

We also got a list of scientists at the start of the year and each week has to write at least 2 pages about them and their scientific discoveries . This was year 6 and 7 in the middle school system

No internet and I remember my mum taking me to the library and paying to photocopy the pages for each one from the encyclopaedia of scientists . It was a huge green book that weighed a tonne and had tiny printing . We used to do a term at a time

Sparklingbrook, poor you. I can't imagine what would possess anybody to make kids write a project on 'Weeds'.

My project was on Methods of Medieval Torture I had been given a book about the Middle Ages which fascinated me.

Projects!

We did Australia, Italy, the Tudors, and rubber (!??)

When we got to pic our own topic in second year juniors, I did Ancient Egypt.

I did one on worms (the garden variety, not thread worms)
I remember it taking me ages and ages to complete. Fuck knows why. I mean, how much is there to know about worms! It's probably still in my mum's loft knowing her

I've always been boring. I did one on fruit because it was easy to draw 😆

I remember this and did mine on bees. I didn't have a particular interest in them but I only had the first volume of the Encyclopaedia Britannica so everything needed to start with A or B 🤣

For anyone who remembers Encyclopaedia Britannica they had an offer where you could get the first volume free then they would badger you to buy the rest in instalments.

We did class projects. And also personal projects. Very different concept to how it would be now as we used to have to go to an physical library, borrow books if they were not huge reference books that you couldn't allow. There was drawing and cutting out to do and lots of use of tracing paper. Nobody had home printers or computers; the internet hasn't been invented.

The key was to get invited to hold your work up in Good Work Assembly at the end of term. I was not a child who got that invite.

I can't imagine what would possess anybody to make kids write a project on 'Weeds'.

As opposed to 'weed'.

To be fair, I'd do a project book on both weeds and worms right now and I'm 54.

"huge reference books that you couldn't allow. " *that you couldn't take out

This thread has made me feel all nostalgic. Thanks all.