Fess up! How much do you "help" with their projects?

[AnyDream]

This weekend, DD had a particularly bad pile-up of a term-long project and two others besides - and I still have black paint under my fingernails and a hungover feeling from the late night last night.

This is the first time I have ever needed to help DD in such a hands-on manner, just to get thru the amount of work needed. This included things like me painting all the black diorama bits, helping with cutting out, gluing every thing into place after she arranged it (while she worked on something else) - not to mention all the prior work I had done sourcing the library books, brainstorming (read = generating ideas), proof reading, helping her to divide tasks into lists, etc etc. Might I add the goading to get cracking on it started probably about 4 weeks ago but she had only done bits of some tasks and nothing of others. She is in Grade 6 so I insisted on title page and reference list, and pointed out to her the gaps in what she had done, but the rest of it was her usual standard of work.

I don't remember doing any projects of this scope at the same age (diorama plus 4 other written tasks incl maps, illustrations, diagrams - plus research plan design build and evaluate a "unique" tool that could be used to pan for gold IRL)- and I wonder how much other mums "help" with the school projects?

[Fleur]

Lol, what timing MD - I was talking to a friend of mine this morning who helped her DD all weekend with one that was due today, and she said there was a lot of as her DD would have been quite happy to let her do the lot!

And my DD had an oral presentation this morning that she was still writing at 7:30 so I pitched in a fair bit with that.

I know I shouldn't - especially at DD's age she should be more on the ball - but I also know what it's like to be stuck for ideas

She just texted me - she got an 'A'

As for the boys, they are even worse. I think sometimes it can be a bit daunting & they don't know where to start. So I try to offer suggestions that will lead them to another point ITMS, so they still have to think about it.
But yes, there are times when I have a fair bit of input

[diannescruffy]

I hear ya Marydean, DS14 is a classic for leaving homework/projects till the last minute, I practically ask him everyday when he gets home from school if he has homework otherwise it gets done the night before it's due. Last week one evening he asks me what I know about Ned Kelly, you guessed it, he had to write an essay that was due the next day . DS11 and DD8 are totally the opposite they do their homework the day they get it.

Regards,
Dianne

[Roryrory]

My mum once wrote a science project for me - it was a comnpletely fabricated "experiment" with two mice (exposing them to heat, cold, etc and observiong them). She did it under protest when I had nothing to hand in the day it was due.

It won an $8 prize. She made me give her the money. At the time I thought it was unfair of her to insist on this

[AnyDream]

It won an $8 prize. She made me give her the money. At the time I thought it was unfair of her to insist on this

I have already told DD she's buying me a thankyou gift at the Haighs shop

[Turkish Delight]

i guess it depends on the age really. DS is only 8 and i think this is an age where they need help on how, where, what to find the info, ideas, presentation, explained about plaigarism (etc..). We do it together. He finds the info and we both do the presentation of it.

I was never helped with projects or homework as my parents don't speak english and they did not even finish primary school.

I will help DS til about high school, which is another 2 years away and then he's on his own.

[widdly]

I was never ever helped with homework as my mum was always too busy with my younger sisters. I hated it when a particular girl in the class in high school would come in with these awesome projects that her mum did and get A's for them and the rest of the class would get told we needed to work to a higher standard.

I will be helping DS with projects but I certanly wont be doing it for him