why the f do they set "make a model" homework when they know it's the parents that end up having to do it!? grrrrr!!!

[RedOnHerHedd]

Just that really!!!
Make a model of a

Why????
Just why???

They know the kids version will be a pile of crap, and they know that that one kids parent spends a grand on hobbycraft items and makes a scale version of the Taj Mahal.

And your kid's attempt is 2 yogurt pots and a butter carton glued to a box of coco pops.

Why don't they just tell your kids "ok, so your parents homework this weekend is to make a working model of the international space station, complete with the ability to self orbit around the globe".

Guess what I'll be doing tonight!?
Making a fucking model.
Yet again.

Gee, it might have been helpful if I attached the picture... perhaps that is why he would rather do his own work.

We made a fucking dodecahedron once. Child was 7, Y2.

pax did you feel compelled to use it as a football once it was all done?

Any particular reason for the dodecahedron? Except to sort out the parents into Houses perhaps - Crap, Unimaginative, Lacking and Slytherin

I actually thought about feeding it to the offending teacher, CallMeExhausted .

Homework stated clearly "make a dodecahedron". Because all 7 year olds bar mine know what that might be and are totally able to make one.

I think we flipped between Slytherin (for the reaction) and Crap (for the reality of our efforts).

SirChenjin

Yes you did post "printed out" but then there are those that refuse to do even that. Which isn't so bad if you have a room with a printer.

We are now at the stage where hand in is
Printed out
Uploaded on line to the online homework system.
E-mailed to the teacher.
Hand in on by hand.
And yet we still get complaints from parents (some that do want homework and those that don't want homework)

we get a choice of tasks including making models, objects, food, writing, drawing etc

I tend to steer/bribe for drawing ones, that way they never need any help, it is flat and easy to store/carry to school.

however I invariably have to agree to something bigger/messier/more annoying as well as a nice straightforward task.

my kids really wouldn't want me to do much of it for them.

I do feel for the kids who don't have the opportunity to do them at home, and also for the ones who never have a parent at the open day sessions where we can go in and they can show us their work. we are lucky that we don't work shifts etc so we can book time off to go to them but we do make sure we keep annual leave to enable us to do this as it is important to the children. I usually find some poor little sad soul in the classroom who is desperate for someone to look at his or her work so I always make sure I ask those children what they did, did they enjoy doing it etc.

I remember making a wattle and daub house one summer holiday, only parent involvement was dad drying it out in the oven. It won!

My child made what I thought was a super representation of the Eiffel Tower out of tin foil, which got left in the car as she was intimidated by the parent made efforts she saw being trotted in to school. Homework should be age appropriate, in terms of both time and skill of the children, and parents' expected involvement should be limited to supervision and encouragement if needed.

Boney - my point was that a design project could be submitted in a physical form for display without having to narrow the focus and limit the creativity to simply "make a model" (and in our case, a model of a Scottish animal out of recyclable materials)

nonick - my child has been that "poor little sad soul" because we haven't been able to get annual leave due to the very short notice given to us by the school

you wait...

I find it happens most in YR to 2, after that, the kids can usually do a reasonable job. We had several homework tasks that really are for 10yos, not just projects. 4 year old in reception "please research Nelson Mandela". Most 4 year olds are reading Biff, Chip and Kipper and can not research Nelson Mandela any more meaningfully than they could quantum mechanics. Or, at 6 years old, "go to an art gallery and write about a portrait".

This is homework for the parents. Yes, I can be the change I'd like to see like a pp said, but I get worried mine will be one of a handful turning up with less than a book about Mandela or van Gogh.

However, there is absolutely no value in parents doing homework. You are do your children no favours

There is a no value in actually doing the homework for the child. But I do think that there is massive value in helping your child with homework. I think parents have a role to play in their child's education, it shouldn't all be left up to the teachers.

I do agree though that building a model that takes hours to do is a waste of time. But it's really a shame (for both the child and the parent) if a parent can't find an hour or two a week to help with a simple model building project.

Out of interest, for primary school age kids, what are the consequences of refusing to do the 'make a model' type homework and doing an alternative piece of work related to the subject matter (drawing, writing etc)?

Yes most parents can find a few hours a week to spend on learning/development activities with their children but I'd rather spend it on something worthwhile and that actually teaches something useful.

Gluing toilet rolls together at home doesn't seem hugely useful. Unless you're training to be a Blue Peter presenter or something.

It is useful. It gives you ammunition for the looming teenage battles, Millionprammiles. "I have for years cleaned your bum, tidied your room and made models of the Taj Mahal for you, so you do as I say" .

OP - thank you, just thank you, for making me laugh till I cried

Been there, more times than I care to remember.

Try to 'help' as little as possible, but it's hard when they're only 6 yo and don't even have the manual dexterity to make anything remotely resembling the bloody paramids at giza

For said pyramid, I cut out the triangles, DD glued them together. I gave her brown sugar to sprinkle on top, she threw glue at the pyramid. Brown sugar still surfacing from under furniture, months later.

What particularly fucking galls me, is when the school then SEND THE BLOODY MODELS BACK HOME a few weeks later, so we have to find a place for them (alongside 5 others) because DC doesn't want to recycle them.

Really easy in a shoebox sized house, I can tell you.

We have one of those über competitive parents in our class too (every class has at least one). She is a graphic designer, to make matters worse. The utter BS she tries to pass off as her DD work, I'm telling you.

Roll on secondary school

Any particular reason for the dodecahedron? Except to sort out the parents into Houses perhaps - Crap, Unimaginative, Lacking and Slytherin

Just spat my tea at the screen.

I'm definitely a bit of the first 3.

DD goes into her room, I dont see her for a couple of hours and she emerges with a work of art, but then she really loves making things out of cardboard boxes.

Hilarious yr2 dd had a choice between a titanic or fire of London model. She made a cereal box into a burning building with tissue paper.
One girl came in with a half-sunk model of the titanic on a wooden block, perfectly painted papier mache replica. It was so obvious mum & dad had made it but what made me laugh was hers mums INSISTENCE that she'd done it all by herself & just knocked it up while they weren't looking
No surprise they have turned out to be massively competitive parents but on the sly iyswim don't believe in tutoring yeah right etc

I hate it.

My children off their own bat - sometime inspire by stuff we have lying around or Tv shows like art attack will without prompting have a go at making stuff.

Biggest threat to this is school craft/art projects.

I've let them do it all themselves and then had them in tears because it's not as good as everyone elses - I tell them it's fine get past that only to have teachers tell my DC they are not good at craft stuff . We then find they natural crafting stops for a while.

If I do it - then they learn we are better at it - so you end up in the position of offering support but worrying it's too much support. Plus it can be expensive.

I'm not convinced they are learning about properties of materials either - the bbc ks stuff seems to teach a lot more about that in much less timeand in more fun way IMO.

Same thing with research project at youngest age range of school - they can't do it so you have to step in then worry we are doing to much.

It does feel like towards end of primary with eldest I'm having to wean her off expecting parental input in homework. I want secondary school it just being us providing materials and a understanding sounding board - like I had but this push to have constant primary school homework seems to me to undermine this.

RedonherHedd
Our Y5 are doing WW11 as well - here are some of their air raid shelters, made in class, so no parental help. The gas masks are quite effective and easy to do if your DS wants to make one

Redonhead - exactly, it is actually quite hard to make models actually physically stick together, especially with bloody useless PVA glue and bits of plastic. So it's unrealistic to say a primary school child, especially infant school age can do it completely by themselves. A lot of times something that seems like it will be easy is still to tricky for them to do when it comes to it. Eg got given a (supposedly age appropriate) papercraft book, so thought it would be an easy make for dinosaur project, "just" have to push out the ready printed pieces and stick them in the right holes. BUT for a 5 year old it was still really hard and he ended up ripping half the bits trying to get them out, then bending them trying to get them in the holes. So if I hadn't helped he would have not made anything and just been in floods of tears.

I totally think if they want them to make models they should do it in school not for homework.

As an aside, I recommend UHU glue for being less rubbish than PVA at actually holding things together.

BabyGanoush, you're a genius! Need a model of a planet? I've got a lovely Jupiter. I'll swap you for your model of the pyramids.

Oh a good tip for you all, where possible get them(or help them) make a model out of LEGO, then no recycling when they bring it home. I felt very smug with my son's lego castle when all the other parents were bringing in massive cardboard boxes. Also no glue issues or paint all over the house :-)