To help ds cut corners on his homework?

[AvenueQ]

The homework is to make a 3D leaf model.
He is 13 and in year 8 but has additional needs. Essentially the homework would have to be done 80% by me, and be rubbish because I'm terrible at practical things.

I found a template online which is a cube grid with all the leaf layers printed on. So he could just colour it in then stick it together and done.
Would that be wrong?

sorry I was so carried away by the memories of projects taking over our holidays that I forgot to answer your question which is
Use every short cut possible and enjoy your half term with your son instead.

Homework like this is of no benefit to anyone and just causes extra, unnecessary, stress, I absolutely hate it.

Your idea sounds excellent OP. And is actually much more effort than I would go to! My idea would have been to hand DS1 some of DS3's playdough and say "make something a bit like a leaf".

What gets me is the fact that you @AvenueQ are saying you have no idea where to start (that’s not a criticism by the way). That’s the whole sodding problem with homework like this. Why is it the default that it ends up being the parent who has no idea where to start? What possible use is this to the kid? My son was (is but he’s 22 now so homework isn’t an issue) dyspraxic, so anything like this was met with a blank look. He didn’t “do” craft, and whilst his crafty sister was always happy to do it for him in exchange for her maths homework, all that taught them was good bargaining skills!

I don't think it's a bad plan at all.

I'd probably use clay or plasticine - but we often found we spent fair bit of craft stuff for things like this and also tried to make sure they got the actual knowledge out of it which IME can be easily missed in favour of the crafting.

Thankfully DS couple of years behind eldest has had fewer of things come up at secondary. There were an absolute huge number at primary though.

I hated (as did my dc) "fun" homework. It taught you less and took far more time.
OP do what I did, and just help him do a really good diagram in blessed 2-D. If it looks like he's spent time on it, that's all the teachers want, and non ever complained for me or my dc.

This is a brilliant science homework. Research, creativity and communication.

What’s the point in you doing it for him? What are his thoughts?

@vivacian did you see the bit about his additional needs?
He can't do it. He has problems planning and organising and seeing a task through. His fingers are very short so his fine motor skills are reduced

I’m a teacher and have on occasion done my children’s homework when it’s been some kind of pointless craft project drawing type thing. There’s not much educational value in that kind of stuff. Some kids love it but not all.

What about icing as Beveren said. You can buy some that is already green to make the leaf shape. Then use a cocktail stick to draw the details on it...

Ps I would do that for/with my dc. I can’t see how it will help them learn so happy to help them finish it!

It’s not cutting corners it’s adapting to his needs.

I don't think it is a waste - Art and Design/modelling are skills like any other and there isn't much art in the curriculum unless they add it to the other subjects. And some children engage better with a practical project.

Mine was dyspraxic so we found his projects were pretty nightmarish (the WWI trench model omg I adapted an airfix diorama in the end) but he was really really proud of what he did do with my help.

I find that often there is a quite simple solution if you can think through without panicking, I think as parents we tend to think of more complex solutions that take longer than the obvious "handy"12 year old solutions

What about layers of coloured felt? Or that corrugated cardboard you get for packing with straws for the xylem vessels, and stickers for the other features or jelly tots. I think the labelling is the main bit that is educational, and choosing the colours is fun even for someone with poor motor skills. IT DOES HAVE AN EDUCATIONAL VALUE, above and beyond just a drawing and colouring in, which some people also find exceptionally hard.

@Nettleskeins but realistically that's a good three hours of work at least isn't it? Sourcing the materials, planning, sticking it all together, labelling. Is it wrong of me to not want to spend three hours doing that!?!

Why not decoupage a box with leaves?

I was in Lakeland yesterday. They have ready made roll out icing in all colours of the rainbow. Roll it out, cut a few leaf shapes the same size using a cardboard template (flatten out a cereal box), then stick the layers on top of a cheap bought cake (also cut to shape using a knife). Label the relevant parts using a post it note on a cocktail stick. At least you can potentially eat it.

Or, print out an image of the right thing from the computer and have your son hand label it. Presumably the point is he learns the terms for the parts of the leaf?

I usually do these types of homeworks with LEGO, photograph the result and then have DD annotate it. She could care less about being creative on someone else's schedule!

I am a teacher and I try to give a range of options. For one thing, wtf do you do with 30 models?!

Do whatever is easiest for you and your ds! I hate homework like that!

The model needs to show the inner structure

He can't do it. He has problems planning and organising and seeing a task through. His fingers are very short so his fine motor skills are reduced

If he can do something, you should encourage him in doing it. If he can’t do it (eg can’t plan and make a sandwich or a model out of recycled items) then you should inform the school that this was completely beyond his capabilities.

The goal is not to produce a beautiful 3D model of a leaf. The goal is to research the parts and functions of a leaf and to creatively represent them with an appropriate material, reflecting the individual’s understanding.

If you do the homework for him, they won't know that he is having trouble with it... and they will continue to set him things that are not suitable for him.

I like the idea of a sandwich leaf with filling for the different parts. take a photo and print before the top layer goes on?

Exactly what @vivacian said
If your son cannot do it because of his additional needs the school should be adjusting the homework that is set.

Also I agree that there is a value to making models, the planning, creative, organisational skills involved etc. It is also a way of engaging people with different learning styles.

Your plan is a good one. Do that and follow up with the school.

Why not decoupage a box with leaves?

Don’t do that.

God that sounds tedious as fuck.

Print off the thing and be done with it. It's a useful lesson: Work smart, not hard.

OP, my DS has something like this once, but it was a cross-section if a cell. I bought Fimo clay in various colours and he made it out of that, with a cloud-coded key labelling and explaining each part. Fimo hoes hard so it won’t get damaged once it’s made. Or just use Playdough or plasticine?
I think the idea here is when you physically make the parts and connect them in a whole, the concept will sink in better?