Primary school projects - what is the deal?

[LokiBear]

Dd's school held a competition last week. Pupils were invited to make a model of an animal's habitat. Dd6 is bright but lazy, she bought the letter home and was a bit 'nah, can't be bothered'. I talked her into participating. She flies through school academically but doesn't really have to work hard. I know that this will not last (I'm a secondary school teacher) so I'm trying to encourage her to take a pride in what she does and realise the value of hard work. Anyway, took her to a stationary shop to buy the stuff needed. Helped her with the cutting of a box and then let her have at it. I consulted - lots of 'mummy, what do you think to this?' Or 'can you help me cut this out?' But she did most of it herself. She was so proud of herself by the time she finished. We took it into school and put it next to the other entries. Every, single one looked like a professional piece of work. There were projects with moving parts, made from wood, professionally painted. Dd's looked poor by comparison. She was crestfallen - she'd spent ages on it. I felt guilty, clearly other parents had spent much more time working on their kids entries. I feel shit for rail roading her into it. Is this really a thing? Parents do the work for their kids? I thought it was a cliche from a bad American film. What do others do?

I really hate these kind of projects, and so does DS. I detest the smug looks from the parents carrying in their creations.

My DS also flies, but I'm worried about how he'll cope in secondary school. These kind of projects are the only thing that he finds really challenging, so it's really important that he tries to do them, but he's always so discouraged when his creation is poor compared to many in the class, because so many aren't even made by the children.

I'll help him with ideas and materials, but he has to build them himself. His teacher recognises his efforts at least.

As a primary teacher, I can honestly say I prefer the projects that I can see the children have had the most input in! I do think some projects are made entirely by parents, and this really is besides the point. Could you speak to your DD's teacher about how she is feeling? If I knew your DD was feeling this way, I would praise her effort and make it very clear how impressed I was that she did the project herself.

Btw - we had a painting competition at school. They were to be judged by an artist that was on TV a lot at the time.

The winner was the daughter of an art teacher, the actual painting far better than anything your average 10yo could come up with.

I think that what has frustrated me. I tried to motivate her to put more than minimum effort in, she did, and it has made her feel like her best effort is crap. No point in trying. I haven't told her that parents have clearly done it for their kids. I've just said that she should be proud of her friend etc. I feel sorry for the teachers. The pressure they must feel to give prizes to the best ones even though they know it is beyond the remit of the child.

The school (and nursery) where my kids went rewarded the child created projects.

She can learn that the ones that got help are cheating, right? And feel morally superior?

This was one of my pet hates at primary school. We once had to make a treasure island. Lots of scrunched up tissue paper in our effort- the winning one had a working bloody volcano - I don't know many 7 year olds that are able to wire up a circuit board to make lights flash and things move

I'm shit at this sort of thing, but does it matter? If she's done her best, that's all that matters, surely?

Ds had a castle making project recently and his was a cardboard box cut out and drawn on, it looked great but very much made by a five year old. Some of the others were huge elaborately painted things with turrets and draw bridges Luckily DS is oblivious and still thought his was the best (not lacking in confidence my son) but honestly some parents need to get a grip

its the competition thats the issue.
see also Easter Bonnet malarkey.

Who won the competition?

If it was a child who had a child created project then encourage your DD to join in each time.

If it was a clear non-child project then don't have her do one again, or consider pointing out the ridiculousness of it to the school.

The HT at DS's primary school is totally non-apologetic when parent made things don't win prizes.

See at our school it's pretty much an open secret (is that a thing?) that DT homework is done by the parents. The tasks that are given could never be completed by a child. We joke about how many team points we're expecting this week. All other homework weeks done by DC but dt weeks...

It's shit when it means the child that did it themselves compares and feels disappointed though. Personally I'd just tell her why and she can take pride in the fact that it was all her own work.

and i would very much say to your daughter
"the others have misunderstood. it was a project for the child to complete"

I don’t make mine do the projects, they have to do thier reading, spellings and maths homework and things that require research etc but those bloody make a scene in a show box/make a model I don’t always make them do them.

On the other hand DD loves that shit so she always does hers with no prompting or input. She made a xmas cake for the School fete competition and hand on heart the only input I had was to give her tips on working with the icing. Her cake was brill - better than what 90% of adults could do. I’m sure people thought I had done it but she’s just very creative and as I make lots of cakes as a hobby she’s learnt stuff from me and we have lots of the right tools etc.

Your op made me think of the easter bonnet competition from when I was 6. Same deal really. It's really unnecessary.

I'm a primary teacher and I hate this. Recently my DD age 7 was asked to make a Tudor house to burn at school (Great fire of London topic). DH helped her adapt a cardboard box into the house shape. She was excited to decorate it herself and did a good job. When we took it to school the others were amazing. FFS they were all burnt down, what's the point??

In creative activities the learning comes from process, not product. Just bear that in mind. I will not be setting any project type homework activities as most become a parent competition and also put uneccessary stress on working / busy/ carer parents.

The end.

Thank your lucky stars you didn't have an Easter bonnet parade...

My DD is at a very normal school in a mixed area. I know that some of the children have the projects and work done for them, and my DD is aware that they're "better" than hers. We try to focus on the fun she had making each thing. It's tough though.

I imagine it's even worse at a more competitive "outstanding" school.

I'm getting flashbacks to dd easter bonnet competition at nursery. The winner had not even been touched by a child's hands.
And you can bet when they start school it will be the same. Dd1 had a family project and a child had fairy lights and music for their animal habitat! At 4yrs old

Dr is the type of child who would say 'My mummy said your parents did yours' so I'm careful with what I say. I've bigged her up. In future I'll let her decide if she enters. I will never do it for her though.

My dc have lots of similar type projects. All of them have needed significant parental input, even if you don't do the actual work, you need to help them with the ideas and buy them the appropriate craft materials, find random cardboard boxes etc. I think I age a decade per project.

Much prefer them coming home with a worksheet to fill out.

Hate these. I always help ds with any bits he’s genuinely stuck with but it’s always his ideas and work.

They once had to make a treasure chest for a pirate project, he made one out of an egg box looked perfectly acceptable for a 7 year olds work. He came home gutted because most of the rest had been made by parents, one had had one of his grandparents make him a wooden chest and fit lights to it.

These things are always a pointless waste of time as very few of the kids at our school are actually involved with it at all, I think these projects are actually counter productive because as you’ve said op, you were trying to show her the value of hard work but it wasn’t as ‘good’ as the ones made by the parents. I might just take over the next one to save ds the embarrassment of having actually done his own homework.

My DD primary school was a bit like that with some homework projects. In all honesty I reached a point where I refused to get involved / do the ridiculous work. (DD was about 8 and more than capable with some support.) It took the school a couple of months to realise and start awarding her for her efforts. In their eyes, it was some kind of parent child learning projects classified under "supporting your child's learning".
It was heart braking to start with, but they did eventually acknowledge her efforts which did boost her confidence!
Generally, schools should always reward children for their own work when it is obvious that parents have been heavily involved in others.

Mixed feelings on this one, especially for 3-4-5 year olds.
They need parental input to do most of it anyway, buying supplies, cutting, gluying etc. And if it is then to let them do the craft by themselves what is the point of doing it at home? They do crafts every day at school already. Therefore I feel like teachers expect parental input!

My pet hate too. Mainly as 75% of the finished products in my dcs(2 at primary)are clearly done by the parents..maybe the dc has stuck a minor part on with glue or painted a centimetre but thats it.
I help mine but it's always a very simple model we make and of course looks amateur to most.of the others.
We had to make a volcano or something similar recently
Ours was concocted from a box. One child's was about 4 ft high from papier mache. From a 7/8 yr old?really.
I tell my dc the parents have clearly made them.and the teachers prefer ones that actual kids have Done.
It's just disappointing when they think theirs is fab and then the semi professional models are handed in

My dc are incredibly bright too but they can't compete with these children (not that they should be) whose parents are doing tbeir work for them.

Ds nursery is like this. He has a 3d Easter art competition this year. I ask you, how many under 5s are going to be making their own 3d art? Last years easter bonnet competition was ridiculous. I let him do his own, he had great fun sticking random stuff on. We got there to what looked like a Pinterest board of bonnets. By all means help but what are you doing if you do all the work? Some parents are just that competitive. Saying that I know a parent who made his 5 yr old a robot that had light up eyes and could turn its head (just a cardboard thing but clearly no 5 yr old designed that circuit board). And when I asked what the 5yr old did, the child couldn't even explain why they'd built a robot! Surely the school look at theses and either think, brilliant we are encouraging families to work together or let's find the ones the kids actually did.