And the latest hare-brained homework project is...

[Honourspren]

Outing, hence NC (though I like this new one, might keep it 😁).

For a class of 7-year-olds, homework this half-term:

Design and create a game that uses magnetic force. You will have a chance to try out your games and evaluate them as a class.

I am thoroughly annoyed, on several counts:

• The game uses magnets, which school obviously cannot supply. We therefore either have to fork out to supply our own or guess the school magnets' strength and dimensions. Kids whose parents neither own magnets they can spare, nor have the money to buy their own will automatically disadvantaged.
• There is almost no way to design a game without also supplying other materials. At the very least, cardboard - even if you go for a maze-type game, the paper won't be strong enough not to rip once you try out the game, and again, without knowing what magnets the school actually has, you cannot design a suitable map. This means planning for standard magnets, so enough cardboard for at least A3/A2 size is needed. For a racing game or fishing game (both suggested) you need to build 3D walls to stop the magnets from interacting with each other. You need a supply of paperclips for other games.
• Which means parents (let's face it, mums) will need to get involved. Find the time to plan and build together, even if 7-year-olds can decorate alone.

Now, my child is very fortunate. I know how magnets work well enough to help come up with a realistic plan (many 7-year-old plans are far too complicated and designing a working game is well beyond the mental capabilities of many young children, who will want to see theirs work come evaluation day). I can supply materials because I collect craft materials, I can supply magnets because I had the money to buy some. I can sit down with my child for a day and make a game, because I am fortunate enough to be off work.

Many children won't have that. Any of it.

We've done many craft-based activities that school asked us to do, but all of them so far were possible to do with little help. This one, however, is not.

AIBU to say that teachers should think carefully before assigning such projects to children over half-term?

This thread is bonkers. @Honourspren stop overthinking it!

Step 1- Tell your kid to find a magnet in the house (they are everywhere in the average house)
Step 2- Tell your kid to play with it
Step 3- Tell your kid to write down the rules to whatever game they came up with

I promise they will not be subjected to a peer review of their data and discovery.

I’m a teacher. If my dc was given a homework like this I wouldn’t make them do it and write a note explaining to the teacher that we were too busy over the hols. Stupid homework and daft to set homework over the half term hols anyway (unless revision for exams for older kids).

Yep totally shit. Imagine the kids actually having to play these games and evaluate them when they get back to school too “Johns didn’t work” “Emma’s was boring” etc.

I’d just get a shoe box. Insert some cardboard walls with sellotape. Stick two small holes either side of the box. Get a paper clip. Put the lid on the box. Fridge magnet in the bottom… maze. Get your DC to paint the box.

That's a lot of help you are suggesting she needs to give her child. I know my 7yo wouldn't know where to start.

What if another child in the class doesn't have parents who are willing to tell them to find a magnet, make up a game and write down the rules? What if they don't have a magnet or pen and paper?

They don't do their homework, and are embarrassed in front of everyone.

Not all children have engaged and helpful parents.

The thread isn't "bonkers" - you've just completely missed the point of it.

The whole point is for the child to work it out on their own.

Then I think that child has bigger problems than a magnet assignment. But sadly those same issues will affect every assignment and should be addressed at a different level.

Realistically the vast majority of students will be able to pull off this assignment.

Draw a wiggly line on a piece of paper and put a fridge magnet under, a paper lip on top. Follow the line!

I have had much more annoying homeworks tbh. Whenever mine had a ‘make’ one I told them to make it on Minecraft and take a screen shot 🤣.

Something involving a compass?

Most people have a compass function on their phone (although I guess that doesn't actually use a magnet) but the principle is the same surely?

Design a game to find your way from home to school or something similar.

Just a general comment - not directed at OP who doesn't need suggestions.

I’d just get a shoe box. Insert some cardboard walls with sellotape. Stick two small holes either side of the box. Get a paper clip. Put the lid on the box. Fridge magnet in the bottom… maze. Get your DC to paint the box

The word 'just' doing some heavy lifting there.

There's been big magnets in the discount shops (our's is home bargains/b&m) for about £1.99. I don't think that we shouldn't set HW because some children have shit parents, it then becomes a race to the bottom.

You’d be amazed for how many children there would be absolutely none of those things at home and no money to buy them.

I have worked with families that sleep
on a mattress on the floor, bare floors and walls, barely any food in the house etc. They wouldn’t have a shoe box, paperclips, sellotape, paint, fridge magnet. These kids are lucky if they have a toothbrush and one meal a day.

DD starts school this year, we are in a wealthy area but I am dreading all the pointless teacher shite. It will give me the rage. Yes I could spend £100
on materials for said homework, take a trip to the science museum for inspiration, buy a set of books all about magnets and come up with an absolutely stonking game that I could take on dragons den. But why the fuck should I?! Pointless crap. Euggh.

Nice. What a lack of awareness, some parents aren’t shite-they are just absolutely not able to spend £1.99 on magnets they don’t fucking want (rather than say, bread) and a trip to home bargains (40 mins each way where I live by car-good luck by bus) is also not a half term priority.

Inclusivity should always be the main consideration. That’s not a race to the bottom, it’s just enabling everyone to participate.

Parents shouldn’t have to spend money, particularly for very little learning potential.

A better exercise would be to come up with five things a magnet could be used for (either real or imaginary). Draw one of them in your schoolbook. No cost, much more educational and still with a creative aspect.

I think this type of homework is asked of the kids as optional over the holidays in primary. Cue my eldest never even telling me it existed (DS decided no thanks. I think he takes after me 😂). My youngest DD however brought it all home and wanted to do it all just perfectly as the teacher asked for. It was a major pain. Yanbu!

Please don't set this type of homework. No parents need it and it has no positive impact on children's education. I say it as a teacher and a parent.

We just ignored this type of homework.

Like I said, the area I am in is far more of an issue than my own household. That and the fact DC's father won't do anything about the homework after handover, so I will have to do it all, but that is a me-problem.

We have parents whose only shops are poundland and charity shops. My area is full of drug use and general substance abuse; there is no spare money for kids, often. It's the kind of homework an inexperienced teacher thinks will look great without actually considering where they work. Yes, DC's teacher is very inexperienced. Perhaps, after this, they will see just how unobtainable decent results are.

Hahaha this is hilarious homework. And here I am complaining that my 7 year old has been set worksheets for work they haven't covered yet and school are assuming I'm going to want to help. I've just let DC get on with it, if they cant do it, so be it. 🤷‍♀️

Do you really think there are people out there with no magnets? Not a single magnet on their kitchen fridge? I find this impossible to believe.

The only other thing you need is some cardboard. Hardly difficult to come by.

I think you’re massively over reacting. I would have fun doing this project with my kids.

Not the point of your thread I know but there’s magnet game called Kluster - 2 or more players take turns to try to put their magnets down one at a time inside a loop of string without all of the other magnets sticking up theirs. You’ve already shelled out for the magnets - can you make a loop of string?!

A shame to set this with when not everyone will ge able to join in.

It's not just magnets and cardboard, it's glue, pens, sellotape, an idea of what to make.

I work in a far from deprived area and now don't set homework that requires anything other than a pen/pencil. Not everyone has scissors, glue, crayons, a dice etc.

I'm confident we don't have any magnets in our house.

I know people without fridges.

HTH

I’m sure a lot of parents wouldn’t know where to start with this project. And if the child doesn’t know where to start, it becomes the parents’ homework. Not knowing where to start with this type of thing does not make people shit parents!

This is just busy work for parents who want to do it.

Most parents won't bother and the teacher doesn't care.

Just don't if you don't want to. I wouldn't.