Well, well, well. Isn't school fun? We have about a week left to make our very own PRAIRIE SCHOONER. If you're Mormon, you know this as "THE OXCART" and you are probably now starting to sing a song involving the words "oh how slow..." This oxcart, or prairie schooner, may very well be a big part of your pioneer heritage.
Having a pioneer heritage myself, one might think I would be excited about this project. And maybe I would be, if only a few months ago we hadn't just finished the NATIVE AMERICAN DIORAMA:
Having a pioneer heritage myself, one might think I would be excited about this project. And maybe I would be, if only a few months ago we hadn't just finished the NATIVE AMERICAN DIORAMA:
Followed immediately by the PINEWOOD DERBY CAR:
These projects are all labor intensive and time consuming. I am an advocate for letting the child do the work on their own, although my control issues make that challenging. But even when the planets align, and I can allow the child to work alone, it can only be AFTER I have carted him all over town to purchase supplies. On my dime. There also has to be a fair amount of "reminding" on my part. While I believe in natural consequences (you forget to do the project, your grade stinks) I also believe in reality. A nine year old boy will need a few reminders in order to get this project done. There's a fine line between the two. That line gives me a headache.Below are the requirements for this project. I find them to be a bit much. I mean, come on! Can't we just draw a nice illustration of the wagon? No. It has to include wheels, a bed, a brake, sideboards, wagon bow, bonnet, falling tongue (much like mine did as it followed my dropped jaw to the floor when I read this), and a neck yoke. There are several other requirements which you can read about if you choose.
14 comments:
Oh MY! I'm glad I'm not you right now! Can he really learn enough from this assignment to make it more than busy work? Sorry to fuel your fire!
Yes. I was a "creative" teacher, once upon a time, and thought the parents appreciated extra learning projects with their children.
Now I am a frazzled mom and hate any homework. Period. But most especially the PROJECTS. Arggghhhh!
What would they do if you just turned in a paper bag full of poop? And trained your child to dump the poop out onto the teacher's desk and point out the parts of the prairie schooner? ("there's the sideboards, there's the falling tongue...") Your kid can be all serious about it, as if the parts were actually there. Meanwhile it's really just a day-old turd.
That's what I'd do, anyway.
Why can't they make these in class out of recycled stuff? Projects are a pain. I too remind and remind and we end up having a meltdown the night before its due. Have fun!
Can't you just buy a playskool one?
Seriously, that is way too much work.
My kids school has a policy that all project must be done at school. It has cut back on stress considerably.
Ok, that is kind of rediculous! I can understand your lack of enthusiasm. I am sooooo not looking forward to these types of projects in my daughter's future!
My oldest loves to get on the internet and read my blog. It really started to bug me when she would bring things up in everyday conversation and I would suddenly realize she was QUOTING ME FROM MY OWN BLOG! Since then I have completely locked down my computer so the kids can't use it. And we've locked down the kids' computer so they can't get to my blog. I feel so violated!
Oh, and we just made an Anasazai (?) diorama last month... good times... We're just getting into Lewis and Clark and all that good stuff. You must have a 4th grader, too...
This assignment is terrible. My..I mean Olivia's "not just a report" on black opera singer Leontyne Price is beginning to look like a piece of cake. The worst part of that was we had to make a figure out of two 5 inch pipe cleaners, dress it up and all. I thought that was ridiculous-- I feel for you man! There is just not enough time in the day for tedious stuff like this! Is there perhaps an alternate assignment?
my rule of thumb is to only use things that already exist lying around your house. there's no way i'm going out and spending money and time on materials to make a dern covered wagon. there's plenty of sticks in the yard, why do you need to buy more at Michael's? and i'm sure you've got an old pillow case somewhere just dying to be made into something more useful than a drool catcher.
You could also raid the primary closet. maybe you'll find one that just needs a little polishing up!
I completely feel your pain.
I too am the type of mom that feels that it's my child's project so it should be her work, but when you see all the other kids projects at school you KNOW they didn't do it all by themselves. How do you help your child "compete" but still let them do the work?
I'm the constant reminer just like you, but it always ends up with leaving things to the last minute and a complete blow-up the night before the project is due. Oh how I hate school projects! (and we're in the middle of one right now - yuck)
Good luck with yours!
Move to Florida. Life revolves around the FCAT. No time for recess. No time for music. No time for projects. There are days when I wish we could have some more projects just to mix it up a bit.
But being the former teacher, my biggest pet peeve is the projects that the parents do. My kid is always in the minority. His classmates turn in these masterpieces that their parents have done for them . . . My kid turns in the project he has done by himself with absolutely NO parent intervention.
I want my kids to go to Celia's school. That is an insane amount of work. I would protest that. Not fun.
I had one this week. Made me crazy. Ryan did 8 hours, Emma did 2. Not because we are the type of parents to do it all, but because it was honestly WAY too complex for her to do, without a ton of parent prep work. Lame.
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