Projects etc. How much do you help out?

The boy's school sometimes has competitions where the children have to build/make stuff. This months is with recycled goods.
The entries are starting to come in. I saw some of the entries today that DS2's classmates made and to my eyes they are clearly the product of a great deal of work and ingenuity. Most of the work and ingenuity being that of their parents. I see what these kids make in class and it is a world away from the work they bring from home.
On the whole I don't help much with these projects. I offer advice when asked directly and will help out with specific chores as directed or buy materials (within reason) but on the whole the work my boys take to school is the work they do.
Today I'm kind of feeling like **** on my children's behalf. DS1 made a robot. He followed the brief and only used recycled materials and he did it himself. The robot they held up at assembly today had materials that were recyclable but not recycled and was the work of a parent. DS felt good about his robot but once he saw that robot he felt bad about it. Which ****s me to tears (literally). He can't produce work that is the same standard as an adult and even if he could because I made him follow the brief he doesn't have access to the same materials (they were allowed to use what they found in the recycling bins). DS2 made a platypus enclosure. I love the originality of his idea and IMO it's a pretty high standard for work that he's done all alone. I know that now he's going to be disappointed with it.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this....... part vent/rant but also......

How much do you help you children with stuff for school? Do you make them do it themselves or do you help out? How much? How do you reassure your children that their work is worthy when they can see for their own eyes that other children are bringing in better built, more complex items.

I always make jokes about how you can spot the kids whose parents make them do their own work but it doesn't feel much like a joke today.

Wow, I'd be so ****ed about that. Not just because it made my children feel crappy about their hard (and genuine) work, but also because what's it teaching that child exactly? To rely on mummy or daddy to do things for you? That's cheating IMO, it's pretty much teaching your kids to not follow instructions properly and to cheat. False self esteem, right there, and any guesses which kids are going to grow up ****y and full of themselves...the ones whose parents do their projects for them, and then get undue praise for the work. I remember distinctly that happening to me at school a lot, not cool.

Onyx I feel for you.

This used to be my pet peev. Parents making projects instead of the kids doing it themselves and then passing it off as "their" work. It was just so obvious which ones were made by the kids and the ones made by the adults.

DS1 would spend hours upon hours building a project - being the budding little engineer he was at aged 8 he would draw a picture of what he wanted to make, then write a list of what he required and then build it.

I remember this one time in particular. He was in year 2 and they were doing a term on space so they had a competition to build a spaceship. The kid was quite ingenous actually and his spaceship, up until quite recently, was hanging from the ceiling in my parent's study! It's amazing how an empty toilet roll can become and escape hatch for a spaceship. I certainly wouldn't have thought of it! He spent hours on that darn project only to be laughed at BY A PARENT when he brought it into the classroom. He and I were both gobsmacked. There were these amazing creations that I couldn't quite grasp how a 7-8 year old could have made on their own. He was devastated and wanted to go home. I felt like the worst mum in the world and (rather childishly) wanted to break all the other "projects". There were a few that were clearly made by kids but, on the whole, it appeared that the majority had adult intervention.

I spoke with the principal about it as DS1s teacher was a ditz who assumed that only the kids had made them and were really talented! The principal assured me that the awards would be going to those spaceships that had been built by children. One smug mumma was completely de-smugged when her little precious boy's "work" didn't win. The principal looked her in the eye and explained that all spaceships were judged on merit and the amount of work that a child had put in.

I will help my kids with their homework/projects but on the whole it's up to them and should be their work. I don't mind being a sounding board or providing input but when they get graded they know it's their work. I must add though, that DS2 this year (he's in the final few days of year 12) started emailing me his assignments for a proofread etc., which I don't consider as being an unfair advantage. As I told him, in the real world everyone get's their submissions,letters, reports etc., proofread before submitting the final copy.

Oh and a platypus enclosure is an awesome idea!

Yep, one of my biggest pet peeves. I think it got to the point at my kid's school where it got beyond a joke because for the past few years the kids have been doing projects - but they only do them in class time at school. They aren't allowed to bring them home to do. Except for one that DD1 did this year, she was allowed to do it at home and she spent weeks working on it herself and did it all in a powerpoint slideshow. I was really proud of her for the work and effort she put in because she's generally not so engaged with projects. The only thing I had to help her with was the timing for her slideshow. But in my experience, the teachers aren't stupid, they know who has done it themselves and who hasn't and they mark accordingly. That is really not cool though that they made a point of displaying one that clearly wasn't the work of a child though. Shame on them for that and making him upset.

Timely thread. My DS1 has just finished a project that went over 2weeks.
They had to choose a scientist or inventor and then follow a brief. The have to do a class presentation on it next week.

He has done it all himself with some guidance on where to go for information from me. He is going doing a power point presentation on Albert Einstein (his choice, I don't know how to use power point).
I basically gave him access to the PC and let him go for it. When he asked questions, I would guide him where to the find answer. The most I have done is buy a USB stick so he can put the power point on it and take it to a school. He used an old fashioned Dictionary for his glossary, not online.
The school was very clear it had to be in his words. So I made sure that he remembered that and not to just copy and paste. He did really well.

That's really sad that the work displayed at your DS's school is clearly not the childs. It not fair on the child or other kids and parents.

I hope the school reward the kids who clearly have done their own work.

I would feel the same. I haven't had the personal experience yet, but I doubt I'd have time to make my kids projects even if I wanted too lol! My parents never helped me. I never asked for help either.

I'm feeling sad for your boys too. Why would the teachers reward one that was clearly made by a parent? Surely they would know better.

I don't have the time or inclination to help - I will offer advice when asked though. My DD1 doesn't generally ask though as she likes to do things herself and show me what she has done. She did ask for help on the weekend to do a stop motion movie but seeing I have no idea how to do that I suggested she build the set out of lego and write the storyboard which she did by herself and then DP helped her make it as he knows how to work the camera - so he set it all up and she did it, then he put it on imovie and helped her do the voice recording.

Thanks everyone for replying. I'm glad I'm not the only parent who thinks they should do their own project. I don't feel quite so ****ty now.

Laughing at kid's work?! WTF? I know I make the occasional tongue in cheek joke about creative use of colour or perspective and I assume other parents do too but laughing at children is just not cool.