Homework projects over half term?!

[ggmom87]

We are currently on holiday for the whole of half term. Just now saw that my DD (yr 3) was set a HW project. She’s supposed to create a poster about the Stone Age with various bits and bobs. A project of this level will require quite a bit of help from me including buying poster board and other supplies. We are abroad until Sunday night. We have no time to do this. AIBU if we skip this project and send a note on Showbie saying “it’s half term break so we took a break!” It honestly irks me that it’s assumed we have time during half term for projects. She’s 7. She can take a week off.

Totally agree. It doesn’t matter to me how long it would take or how easy it is to do etc. It’s the principle of the matter. We are enjoying family time and we shouldn’t even have to be thinking about school right now.

This isn't an "anti-teacher" sentiment. Lots of teachers hate giving out holiday homework - there's even one on this thread! - but are under pressure from their head.

Family time is absolutely more important for primary aged children than homework.

Homework that isn't reading or spelling or basic maths before Year 6 is a load of pointless old shite.

It's so unnecessary. Fuck it right off.

At that age the homework is usually optional. Our Y4 daughter got a project with half a dozen tasks at start of half term. She’s done 4 of them and we won’t do the rest. It’s abundantly obvious at school a lot of parents do their kids project stuff, which just seems stupid to me. Our two are gently encouraged to have a try and do their own. If they don’t want to I’m good to let school know they won’t. When they are older am sure they will have to do homework but when they are older they won’t be in wraparound till 4:30 or later every night, won’t need to be in bed as early and will have the advantage practice at doing things independently. Pretty sure it’s other parents who insist on this stuff not teachers and that the teachers at primary just want you to read with your kids and encourage their interest in learning

A quick drawing on regular paper and a few facts is fine.
Or could she do it on your phone, using an app eg PicCollage. Then all you have to do when you get home is print it out.
Sounds a good way to fill half a hour at a restaurant table or on a plane (and a way of provoking some interesting conversation).

What.. why? It’s not about the teacher. It’s about the ridiculousness of it. I think expecting children to keep up on reading is fine but not additional projects over their breaks. I certainly wouldn’t be asked to take home work when I’m on leave from work.

I hated homework over breaks. Especially as it often seemed busy work - how many projects did my children spend so much time and energy over and when I asked what the teachers said would say none of them had been looked at!
Y3 - don't sweat it, however saying this can be distressing to the child, particularly one who like to follow the rules and please the teacher. Secondary is when you really have to start considering holidays and school work. My daughter is upper sixth and no holidays this year at all until next summer.

It’s a poster/ though I do think it’s ridiculous to request it’s returned the first day back off school. The projects from our school are usually back in within 2 weeks of returning to give people who have been away time.
plenty of people don’t get to shut off from work the minute they go on leave or leave an office.
im sure lots of young children like to colour and create things in the holidays, this just gives it a focus.

Wow, she's 7. UANBU OP.

Ours don't get mid term until next week but they have no homework for this week, yay. Never get holiday homework in primary (Ireland), 4 days a week in term time is enough!

This is completely normal for us but we are at a prep school. In fact we receive a holiday pack each holiday, projects throughout the week, etc. My ds is y3 as well.

I do think it’s pretty crap, especially project type homework. My Ds has a few spellings to learn and reading to do (he’s yr 4) and that’s it for half term, although they do make suggestions of things to practice. I think kids need a break to be honest!

If they must do this, it definitely shouldn’t be due for the first Monday back - there should be at least a few days after you get back to do it.

When they are older am sure they will have to do homework but when they are older they won’t be in wraparound till 4:30 or later every night, won’t need to be in bed as early and will have the advantage practice at doing things independently

This is one of our problems in term time - there’s little time for it between wraparound and bed time if you factor in dinner, bath, a bit of time to wind down.

Sure it would be great for all kids to come home at 3.30 and have an adult who can dedicate themselves to reading and homework but it’s not always like that.

we never do holiday homework I always write in dc homework book that we have been away on hol or just too busy to do it and school are always OK with this. I always make sure they do the usual weekly term time homework. kids and parents need down time.

We had this one half term when they were supposed to be making a diary of some plant they were growing. I returned it to the TA and said our car was fully packed, parked down the road and we were going straight off for a week wild camping and we were not going to be able to accomodate a plant. She happily took the plant and dd wrote a diary about her holiday. I think the school should be fine with her doing the homework at a later timepoint.

Mine never did any projects set over the holidays.
I've never had any negative feed back from any of their teachers, but I've had plenty of them who agreed with me and were more than happy my dc had better things to do in their holiday time.

I find a bit of homework quite good - it's a way to get the kids off screens. And actually, making a poster about the stone age might well be something they'd do anyway, or would find fun. I know you feel it's an imposition and as I said, I can see why.

But who goes on holiday with a Y3 without having taken some drawing pens and paper with them? Surely you could just sit with her, talk to her about the stone age, look up 3 things on your phone, she writes them down, she draws a picture, together you whip it up? It'll take 20 minutes out of the holiday. And in what way is that NOT family time?

I'm a secondary school teacher so I know it is not quite the same. I set hwk in holidays and work myself in the holidays. I would e mail the teacher explaining you are away and stating that your daughter will need more time for submission. If this had been given in advance of the holidays, then it might have been better perhaps? Could you suggest that in future could homework be given in advance? Best wishes

I can assure you the teacher will have been instructed to set the homework. Just send it in at the end of the week. Or email the teacher and HT that you don't do schoolwork on holidays.

I set no holiday or weekend homework for any except exam classes in 40+ years of teaching.

The last time I posted this, someone rocked up to bleat about how my pupils might have done better had I done so. So in advance : FOTTFSOFAWYGTFOA.

My DD has long since left school but I used to get really annoyed by holiday homework.
If holidays in term time are not allowed/authorised then surely doing school work shouldn't be expected in the holidays!

This? You say she doesnt want to do it..... It sounds like she's picked up the negative attitude to it from you, as most kids that age will fairly readily draw a quick picture.... I can't imagine ever going on holiday with kids this age without paper and felt-tips! Personally my kids know that in life you have to do quite a lot of stuff you don't want to do and the best approach is just to crack on and get it done then enjoy your downtime.
And frankly for a yr3 child making a poster is practically a fun activity so I would hardly even class it as a hwk more a nice suggestion of a topic themed activity for half term.
Does it never occur to anyone that some parents who have to work a lot over the hol and are maybe sending the kids to grandparents at some point might welcome something like this that will occupy the kids quietly for a bit?!

Seven year olds shouldn't have any homework, let alone half term homework. They already spend 30 hours a week in school when it should probably only be 15 to 20 at most (but to do this would mean a complete reorganisation of society and it'd benefit children rather than adults/ the tax man so it'll never happen).

My school reception to Year 8
Has a no setting of homework in holidays policy
Much better for all !!!

When you get back, just create a 'poster' on a piece of A4 paper, along the lines of...

Cave Painter Wanted

Must have detailed knowledge of deer, boars, bison, and horses.
(No handprints).

Must be able to make own paint out of clays etc.

Good pay rates (beads) and food provided (nuts, berries with occasional meat).

Apply Lascaux Cave (Southwest France)

... and sellotape some nuts on.

YANBU, send the message. My DD's school does not give homework over weekends* or holidays because that is the children's own time, it should not be spent on schoolwork. Completely agree with this sentiment - homework has its place but it should only be during the week, children need time that is absolutely free of schoolwork like adults have their days off work and their holidays.

*except for one year when the only English lesson was on a Friday so homework was set then but not due until the next Friday so didn't have to be done during the weekend. And with the exception of studying for exams but that's a bit different to homework anyway

I think holiday homework is fine provided that it’s optional.

We’re at home all this half term, so for us, the holiday homework is something extra that the DC can be doing if the weather’s bad and I want them off the screens. Particularly useful if the homework is something that they might enjoy, like making a poster or drawing.

But my DC’s teachers have said that the holiday homework is optional, so none of the kids at their school should be worrying about getting into trouble if their holiday plans mean they’re too busy to get the homework planned.