to think that this is not the most appropriate homework when the temperatures are sub-zero?

[melpomene]

DD1's homework involves going for a walk to look at houses, including old and new houses and answering a variety of questions about them. She is then supposed to sit outside our house and do an observational drawing on it.

It is freezing here; even when fully kitted out with layers/coats/scarves/hats/gloves it is very cold and I don't have any desire to be outside any longer than necessary. By the end of the school run yesterday the dds were shivery and dd2's nose and cheeks were red from cold, and my fingers were hurting from cold despite wearing thick gloves.

Add to this the fact that all the houses round here are quite homogenous modern ones and we'd have a walk a mile or so to see any old houses. And we've spent 2 hours this morning in a completly unheated building while the dds did ballet.

AIBU to want to cheat and just show dd1 pictures of houses on the internet?

Yanbu, use the internet and can you quickly take a digital photo of your house for her to use in the comfort of the warmth inside?

YABU - it'll take 15 minutes and she can do it in her own street. If there are no old houses in the street say so on the homework page, or pick a house which looks older than most of the other.

My dd has this homework too.

YABU. A bit of fresh air won't hurt her. If it was snowing I bet the kids would all be out like a shot.

OK I guess the first bit is doable, a brisk walk should keep you all warm. However sitting still, minus gloves outside the house to draw it is a no go imo.

Would second the advice to take quick digital photo of outside of the house so she can do the observational drawing of it.

Could you do a drive round instead of a walk Could be fun.

WE just got back from an hour walk and it is FREEZING here!

mine are only 3 and 20 months so sorry yabu about the walk... have you got a digital camera? then she can draw off the picture.

OK, we'll go out for a little walk. All the houses in our street were built in 1980, but the ones in the next street are a bit older. We'll be freezing when we get back but I'll make hot chocolate

And I'll follow the photo suggestion for drawing our own house; much better than trying to draw with gloves and numb fingers!

As I said, we were physically uncomfortable with cold after doing school run yesterday despite wearing warm clothes. Hats off to anyone who can do an hour walk, must be made of sturdier stuff than us

I am a bit about this sort of homework tbh. How old is your DD? I just say this because you are clearly a good mummy and help DD with her homework. There are parents i guess who are just not that interested and woudlnt do this regardless of the weather. That sort of singles out those children and its not very fair. I feel this about a lot of homeworks that require parental input.

ds1 has a homework to 'make a sundial'.
Now as far as I can tell you can do this two ways:
a) Print off some templates from the internet, stick it all together, and bingo sundial made, student learned very little.
b) Put a disk of card out in the garden with a stick in the middle and mark the position of the shadow every hour.

Unfortunately we are unlikely to get sufficient sun to cast shadows at any point this weekend, or most of January for that matter!

LOL at "make a sundial" in January. How daft is that!

melpomene - to be honest, the trick is not to go for a "little walk", but to get seriously togged up and go for a long, brisk walk, so your body gets the chance to warm up. We are having no problems with the half-hour-each-way school run, it's the quick nipping out that feels bloomin' freezing because we are still remembering how warm the house feels!

But I agree that sitting outdoors drawing is a completely ridiculous thing to suggest at this time of year. No-one could be comfortable doing that.

i knwo it is not strictly the same.

But last year my DTDs had to sit inside the house and count the cars and lorries that went past.

They both went in with the answer of 0 as you cannot see the road from our house due to the layout of the estate.

lol at sundial.

We have been out walking this morning, just wrap up, or do it from memory.

My year 7s had to this homework when I was a head of year, some of them collected pictures of houses from estate agents, may be easier than wondering the steets.

DD has homework to draw a picture of her house as well (Y4). I fear they are all doing the same thing this term.

On Monday we were out in the garden looking at the contrafibulognostifiation of Venus and the Moon, which was much more fun. And more educational.

my daughter in year 7 had to make a castle for her homework. in primary she had to keep a diary of sun rises and sun sets and the phases of the moon, for a whole month. I printed it off the internet and sent that in instead.

do you not go out when it's cold, then?

yabu

What a horrible thought- children not being able to play or do work out of doors when temperatures drop below zero.

And thinking there is something wrong if a child's cheeks and nose are red from the cold. Rosy, they used to call it in my day- used to be thought a sign of healthy play.

my ds is meant to be going to scouts frost camp next weekend. it will be going ahead, even if the temperaturees are minus seven a s they have been. and he will still be going to it.
it builds character.

Cory: children outside playing ie running around in cold weather is one thing; a child sitting still outside in subzero temperatures is a bit dangerous.

Hardly dangerous. Definitely uncomfortable and rather badly thought out, though.

But then, my daughter has been unable to play outside for more than 10mins on any school day this week, because they do not have any grit for the playground. So they have had short breaks on the field, but are being kept in at lunchtime watching DVDs

Needless to say, there were lots and lots of children running amok at the park after school last week.

melopene - I think you should decide what your child is meant to be learning from doing this and make the decision based on that. I would suggest that the purpose is to recognise the change between older and newer buildings and improve art skills. I don't think you need to sit outside for that. You don't really need to go out for that if you think it is too cold. I'd be a bit worried that you are sending her out to get cold and draw a 1990's building and a 1970's one, and the teacher meant an 1880's and a 1990's.

You might be better off going for the internet pics rather than the real observation; it depends on the wording.

She is 5 (Year 1) We went and had a look at some houses and noticed some features of local houses we hadn't noticed b4, though I'm not sure she learnt much really, then she did a not-very-observational drawing of our own house based on a photo (as usual with her drawings, it was a cross section of the house showing all the furniture inside )

I suppose what I really objected to was being compelled to go out again just to do homework, especially after having spent this morning in an unheated building while they were doing their ballet. I don't mind going out in the cold with the dds if it's our own choice, eg we did have fun last week doing 'iceskating' with playmobil figures in the garden and playing in the snow on Monday.

I am curious about the frost camp stitch. Are they sleeping in tents, or in buildings with some heating? I would have thought it could be dangerous for a child (or anyone) to sleep in a tent in this weather without some very serious kit.

tents.
thasts why its called frost camp.
but i will give him the bivvy sac he used when they did the carboard camp. and of course lots an dlots oflayers. including several pyjamas, vest, jumpers, socks gloves, hat.
it builds character.