AIBU to hate the 'Make £5 Grow' project?

[MarvellousMonsters]

Last night my 9 year old announced she needed to "make something" to take to school today. Cue frantic searching of bags for letters and then texts to other Mums to find out it's the 'Make £5 Grow' project from Virgin

make-5-grow.co.uk/#

Am I the only parent that ends up doing all this for their child? (She just wanted to make cup cakes!) To ask 9 year loss to think up an original business idea that can be 'cheaply and simply manufactured' seems a bit much. And quite honestly if I had a business idea that was simple and cheap which I thought would work I'd do it myself, not hand it over to Virgin via my daughters school.

I melted wax crayons and set them in heart shaped silicone ice cube trays.

(And no doubt I'll be expected to buy what ever 'product' is chosen by the school to be made, because I need a felt book mark or customised Oreo cookie...)

To ask 9 yr olds, not 9 year loss.

Can't click on the link, but it sounds like a brilliant idea.

I tried selling my friend's Care Bears when I was six, so crimes of dishonesty entrepreneurial skills are not impossible at that age.

Gets them thinking outside the box, even if parents end up 'helping'.

To ask 9 year loss to think up an original business idea that can be 'cheaply and simply manufactured' seems a bit much

Not really. And it seems that she had an idea in cupcakes - maybe not original, but at least she had the idea. Even if you end up helping - not doing it all for her, surely she can have a good go at working out the cost of ingredients, electricity, paper cases and even wear and tear on a baking tray, along with pricing and anticipated profit, herself using a supermarket website, the electricity bill and oven instruction book for the oven consumption?

If you end up doing it all for her, maybe that's because you didn't give her a chance to do it herself, rather than it being beyond her capabilities?

I know nothing about this project and not much more about 9-year-olds, but wouldn't this be more suited to, say, 12+-year-olds?

It seems aimed a bit low.

You should've just let her make cupcakes

One little girl I know, got plastic fish and put them in soap, to mimic the gold fishes in a bag, that could be won, in fairs.

I wonder if it's preparing us, for the days we all had to be inventive, to survive.

Personally, I'd rather they did away with licensing laws and we all go back to home brewing.

With literacy levels as low as they are, in some schools, these types of projects are something that should be suggested, for the school holidays and during term time, concentrate on what the child needs to brush up on.

It's still homework, everyone shouldn't have to get involved.

When I was at Uni we had a summer project entitled 'How far Can You Get On £5'. Some of my classmates were trying to book flights to Bulgaria, others trains etc. I took it a bit more literally and rather than looking at it as how far I could get in distance I decided to approach it as how far I could get in 'class'.
I approached a local Stately Home, and with their help (good promotional stuff!) I became Lady of the Manor for the day, with dress and maids as well. The £5 went to their upkeep charity. I got an A

Thinking out of the box, £5 could buy tomato plants or chilli plants, £5 is then growing. Even better if you can blag a few from your local garden centre for the project.

In all fairness it's partly because my daughter only told me last night, and we literally had an hour to think up and make something, it made me

I'm also miffed because if you read the blurb on the website it says children should work in groups in the classroom, not sent home to do it individually. I guess if she had told me at the beginning of half term and we'd had all week to sort it we probably could've come up with something good, I am very crafty/creative (I make costumes & props) so this is the kind I would be able to do. But it's impossible to do something to fit that brief in such a short amount of time.

(My daughter has Social Communication Difficulties/ASD, school know this and I've asked them multiple times to email details of things like this to me and not rely on her to pass on letters etc, so it's a combination of irritants if I'm honest)

so blame your daughter not the project which sounds great

The project sounds great fun but I can sympathise with having a 9 year old girl (turns ten tomorrow) who frequently "forgets" such projects and usually tells me the day before 😩

I think it is great.

We need more entrepreneurs and business thinking and skills should be encouraged.

I think its a bit sad you did the project for her. Doesnt that teach her her ideas are no good.

They have done this a few times at my children's school and I've never got on with the idea. Whether you're the parent expected to support a child with their selling idea or if your children are simply the ones buying the merchandise being made it never seems to go very well!

Was very relieved this year it's been scrapped!

Mov1ngOn: we discussed various ideas, and I explained it was too late at night to be baking & icing cup cakes. So we settled on heart shaped crayon and she did it with me, but due to the fact it was very late and she should've been in bed I did most of it. Seriously.

Araiba; blame my 9 year old autistic child who has communication difficulties?? Even though the school had been asked to send info like this direct to me?? Really?

WreckingBallInsideMyHead; make cupcakes, at nearly 9pm on a school night, after I've been at work all day and am knackered?

SistersOfPercy; next time we have a project like this, I'm going to speak to you.

Personally, I'd rather they did away with licensing laws and we all go back to home brewing.

? Home brewing is perfectly legal.

I do a lot of home brewing and so do my kids. They aren't allowed to drink the results, obviously, but they love all the boiling and mixing and they learn measuring, hygiene, maths and some science. Plus it's fun. I wouldn't let them use it as a school project though!

We have never had to do this, but my children have had little "businesses" selling quails' eggs (from their pet quails), ducks' eggs, firewood, or whatever the fad of the moment was.

Being told about homework an hour before bed the night before it is due makes anything seem unreasonable. (un-fond memories of making a model of the Eiffel Tower out of kitchen foil at 10pm etc come to mind).

You have a school problem here though - how often do you not get the information emailed to you despite having asked for it? Does your child have a statement or written plan of how additional needs will be met? Can you call a meeting, with the senco or similar? It's not fair on either of you to have bedtimes regularly interrupted by stressful panics over late remembered homework.