School projects - how much did you help your 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

? 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!

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 .........

Cannot recall ever assisting with any project with my three. If asked I would have given guidance in whatever subject and how to go about the work. Didn't seem to have schoolwork based on projects 40 years ago. This weekend though I have been involved with GS's school project as I am looking after him DS and DIL off on holiday. He is year 3 and I cannot believe he is to produce a power point presentation on the subject. He knew exactly what he wanted to include just needing a bit prompting on the order of graphics he wanted. This was a nightmare for me as I do not have an Apple computer. Fortunately GS is a wizard on this system. Cannot believe what is required for 8 year old's homework.

GS1 tends to go for elaborate projects which require a lot of technical help, but he does have good ideas!
I once did one of DS's GCSE art projects for him. Unfortunately I had food poisoning at the time and wasn't at my best. I was rather put out to only get a B+ after my 4 years at art school and career in design!

inishowen. I copied a poem out of one of my books, and told my parents that I had written it. I think that I was looking for a bit of praise and attention, as I got very little.
To my horror my Mum submitted it to the childrens' page in our local newspaper. They printed it, and sent me five shillings. I worked myself up into a terrible state, thinking that someone would tell the paper that it wasn't my work. They didn't, but my brother found it in my book, some time later, and snitched on me! All hell let loose, and it was a long time before they let me forget it.
The words of that poem are still branded on my memory, 70 years later!

At our local flower show there is a children’s category featuring a miniature garden. The same garden wins every year, as it is entered as the work of one gentleman’s children/ grandchildren/ neighbours etc, some as young as four! It has a duck pond, greenhouse, and wee washing line ( the one you hang Christmas cards on), complete with tiny clothes. It would be difficult even for an adult to produce.

I remember my father (highly competent engineer) doing my physics homework for me as an unscientific 12 yr old...and getting D- 'think again'!

I agree that it's wrong for parents to do much/most of a project, but from all I've ever heard, even if it's pretty obvious - and even if the child has told others that mum or dad did nearly all of it - teachers typically don't say anything, the child still gets praise and an A or A+.

While the others, whose parents couldn't or wouldn't help at all, or very little, get a poorer mark and, unsurprisingly, are left feeling that it's very unfair.

Having said that, I've just remembered dd coming to me on behalf of a friend who was doing Home Economics GCSE, and had to knit a basket of fruit and vegetables. (!)

'Could you please knit her a lemon, because her mum can't knit, and she's got to hand it in soon.'

I knitted a lemon. At least it wasn't the cauliflower, which she'd managed by herself.

Children at DC1's primary school had been asked to make Easter hats for a competition (don't agree with that btw - a parade was enough). We did of course help find an old hat that we didn't need for a base, and search out some craft materials, but my 6-year old DC put it all together. Needless to say, it was gaudy and tatty but DC was so proud until creations worthy of milliners started to arrive in the classroom. Fortunately the headteacher, who was judging, ignored these works of art and gave prizes to the children who had obviously made their own. I do agree that parents should show an interest okimherenow but if they are expected to help, that should be made clear to parents and children.

The nearest I came to helping oldest son with a project was when,at the start of the term in 1991,he was told to do a project on Isambard Kingdom Brunel so I wrote to Bristol tourist information centre and they sent some leaflets about him.

The only time I interfered in my children's projects was when my younger one did a beautiful project on the Battle of Britain . He did a great job of researching, collating it and word processing it but the cover page was awful because he did it as an afterthought and hand wrote it . Very untidy and the title not straight. I insisted he redid it much to his disgust but he got a great mark!

My sons were at a private school and weren't asked to do many projects, but mothers were frequently asked to produce costumes for school productions. The most bizarre I remember was being asked to produce a fish costume which would quickly turn inside out to be a policeman. Now, I can't think why I co-operated, but back then my low place in the school-gate pecking order and my eagerness to please meant that I always met my deadlines.

Guilty of taking over a bit more than i should i loved projects

When my son was about 8 he was set a homework where he had to - every night for a month - draw a picture of the phase of the moon. Being away with the fairies he completely forgot about it until the day before it had to be handed in. Resourcefully I remembered that our newspaper showed every day, with the weather report, a diagram of what that night’s moon looked like. And Hurrah! we still had the previous month’s papers in the recycling! So DS laboriously copied out every half, full, crescent etc shape and took the homework proudly in to school.
I got a note from his teacher that afternoon. ‘Nice try, Mrs Nona but the moon was clouded over for all but 5 nights this month.’ DS was mortified that his mum had made such a wally of herself.

My children were used to me making Christmas decorations and crafting. They used to help. So...they were fairly competent when it came to making things and would be full of ideas.

Why don’t parents realise that teachers are savvy enough to know when a child has done the work themselves? They’re not doing their children any favours

As a retired headteacher I agree with many of the comments but whilst we (teachers /staff ) KNOW when parents have done or contributed towards a project on many occasions that is exactly what we wanted.
The projects are not tests to be judged whose is best but to encourage parents to talk to their children and problem solve together
Sometimes worked, sometimes didn’t but we felt we had to try.
Many parents wanted ideas about how to ‘help ‘ their children and projects are just one way we could suggest.
Always a difficult decision to ask parents to help, but damned you’re right damned you’re wrong .
OF COURSE some parents are pushy but does the school not try to encourage parents because we know some cannot/will not help .... I suggest not ... we have to find other ways to support those children...

I had very little input into my children's homework or projects.

If they asked for my assistance, I looked at it and made suggestions but they did the work.

With coursework, I admit I sometimes read it through and, if there was a mistake, I would point to the relevant paragraph and see if they could work out the error for themselves. With a second and careful look, they found the error.

I would help them as much as they needed but I wouldn't do it for them. If they were struggling, I'd make suggestions. Teachers are very aware about who does the the work with home projects.

The only useful homework for primary children is reading plus doing a whole range of activities of the parents’ / children’s choice to enrich their children’s lives, as much as time and finances allow.
At secondary school, finishing off some class work, practising eg more examples of something taught, and learning vocabulary for languages are my suggestions.
No projects, unless optional.