To dread school projects?

[thebird]

DD in Y2 has a project to complete every half term. The subjects are varied and some relate to what they are learning at school e.g Storms and Shipwrecks. The teacher has stressed that the project should be the childrens own work. I'm finding this is impossible. Despite DDs best efforts she really needs a lot of help with research on the internet, building models etc. I feel I end up doing most of the work! Having seen other projects and spoken to parents it seems this is the norm. In fact some get quite competitive and keep their project ideas a secret until it is shown at school. While I enjoy helping DD and she does learn from them but I really am starting to dread projects.

DS now in Y7: I've taught him and taught him how to research, how to precis, how to put in his own words, how to add his own opinions...

...he clearly thinks I am so good at doing projects that he's quite happy to let me do ALL the work

It's a bit of a farce really if parents are doing most of the work for DCs projects. I'd rather DD had extra homework each week than then spending hours trying to make a Tudor house out of a cardboard box.

DD1's book week project was "Create a scene from a favourite book in a shoebox" not much then. I ended up doing 90% of it as we left it very late then forgot DD1 had brownies, sleepover invite etc... It screamed "MY MUM DID THIS!!" I got far too involved but, time constraints aside, she just didn't know how to realise her ideas and got very frustrated with things. I need to learn how to step away!

I don't do my kids' homework. Ever. Luckily our school makes it totally clear that homework is for the child and the teachers are not so stupid that they don't recognize an adult's work.

If it was an activity set in class, do you think the teacher would do it all for 30 children?
When you see your child'd work on parents' evenings or at the end of the year, does it look as if an adult has done it?
Why do you think a homework activity should?
help yes, do it for the child, no.

YANBU as your DD finds it difficult - but please try to stop helping too much. Am I right in guessing that her ideas are more advanced than what she's actually capable of ATM? And that's why you feel you have to step in, or she will be disappointed?

That's the situation with my DSD anyway. And I REALLY wish we had stopped helping her achieve the higher expectations TBH, because in the long run it has done her a real disservice. She's 13 and only just learning to accept that doing her own work is much better because t is entirely her achievement.

You'll probably feel quite mean, but IMO/IME it's much better for them to learn this young. It doesn't matter in the long run if she doesn't make as good a model or poster as her friends! What matters is that SHE creates something she can be proud of - and the teacher will be much more impressed too, teachers don't want to mark parents' work!

Ds yr 5 has a project every 4 weeks on top of homework. Urghhhhhh!

DD has just had to do a book report. So far, so dull. We ended up making some rolly things from rations for her to take in and share with her class (her idea).
one boy in her class made a metre square diorama depicting key scenes from the first world war. It included smells, lights and small people. call me cynical, but I really doubt this was all his own work.

I do try not to help but its not always possible just to let her get on with it. Most projects require internet research for example and I do need to help and guide her to the relevant information as threre is just so much. I need to watch what she prints out or there would be hundreds of pictures of rainforest animals and no paper of color ink left making DH very cross! When it comes to the creative parts, even if she is capable of getting on this I still end up in a craft shop buying bits to build a model or whatever. Then threre's the so and so is making a paper Mache sheep and lambs for the Spring project can we do that?! And despite best intentions of doing a bit of the project each week, it does normally end up being a bit of a rush to get it done the week before its due.

Why are so many projects requiring Internet use? Tbh if they are constantly asking DD to do things that she can't do alone, then they are setting HW in the wrong way - if you feel that's the case, complain. They should be setting HW that your DD can do with minimal help.

Do they really specifically say Internet for research? I know it's an important part of education but are they not encouraged to use books? If DD could choose some library books she could be a little more independent - and you wouldn't have to worry about inappropriate sites or excessive printing!

We had to buy a printer as so much homework is printing things out. We even have to print out the 'topic packs' that have colour (grrrr!) pics, which can be about 6 - 8 pages!