School projects - how much did you help your children?

My daughter and I worked together on projects usually ..she had the project and we worked it out together with most of the input from her. We did unusual things .....I worked in Mental Health so when she had a project on designing a youth club I managed to get her some evening project work in the youth club run specially for those with physical disabilities, so she could see what problems there were with access for disabled people (before the law changed whereby every business must have access) and their different needs ,,,,,and the general part of the hospital I worked in to photograph wheel chairs and all sorts .......I used to enjoy the fact we worked together and she had the ideas and I had the access..she did however go into Criminal Law and when at home from Uni we would have great discussons (disagreements ha ha ) on prisons and punishment .........

? When still working in an infant school I was always amazed that families thought we , the adults who regularly worked with the children in class, could not spot the sudden and unexpected improvements in dexterity and general ability when homework projects / competition were returned to school. If prizes were ever involved it always went to the obviously child made items!

We were not much help to our DC where maths or science homework was concerned, but if they had homework of an artistic or crafting nature we could always be relied on to offer suggestions, source materials and give instruction if needed, BUT we never did it for them. Fortunately they all inherited some artistic genes from me and their Dad and managed fine on their own.

There was one notable exception when DS1 had to visit a London gallery in the holidays to learn about an artist and sketch a piece of his work. As I love visiting galleries I went with him and took my own sketchbook. We had a great day together, he learned a lot and came home with several very good drawings. We were all delighted when he got an A+ and a very encouraging comment from his teacher.

On parents evening as we studied his artwork for that year I was horrified to find that the sketch he had handed in was from my sketchbook!! When confronted he said sheepishly that when he saw mine he thought his weren't good enough.

These days when our GC have similar projects their parents often say "Ask Nanny". But we live too far away to help in any practical sense.

Witzend I can remember doing similar journeys to take OU TMAs to the relevant tutor's home - one time just at midnight - I was working and my twins doing GCEs and older daughter doing A Levels - so they couldn't rely on me to help them I'm afraid, although my daughter and I were studying some of the same books, so we could discuss them over dinner.

My Nanna did make my apron and cap for me,it was so grubby she had to wash the unfinished article before she could proceed.I had been sewing it for three years glad when it was finished but then I had to make a skirtI never finished it but always came near
top in exams because I could draw all these amazing diagrams of how to make things

Never. Provided the materials to do whatever the task was (shopped with said child in tow to make their own choices) gave advice and plenty of encouragement, which is what my AC now do for their children.

I remember when youngest daughter was 10 she had a geography/history project to do. It had to connected to our home town, she chose transport. We had a great time, walking on the canal taking photos (she'd take one and I would take one, just in case when they were developped there was a decent photo.) Going to the railway and bus stations as well as a local travel agents who had been in our town for a long time. I enjoyed looking at and reading some of the books from the library with her but didn't tell her what to write. She was so proud of it and kept it for a long time.