My Son's Social Studies Fair Project

[portocall]

I have two last minute guys. It is the most frustrating thing EVER, even though the apple didn't fall from the tree. What I find most frustrating is the unplanned trip to the store for supplies. For my boys, natural consequences do not work because they don't care. I have let it go and let them get the F, then punished them when the bad grade comes and again when I see it on the report card and they just shrug. The punishment is them having to do it with my fussing in the background, they hate that. I have seen slight improvement with this method.

The project looked great!

 

[hellokitty86]

It looks like he did a great job!!! I always procrastinated on my projects too.

 

[ksjayhawks]

I think you should have let him face the natural consequences of waiting to the last moment.

When he came to you with "I have a project due tomorrow" you should have given him the materials that you had, showed him how to look things up, and then let him do it. But then, I am also a mean mom.

Project looks nice, but you had to have involvement--unless you have posterboard, lettering, and pictures of the saints lying around. Also, he should have looked up the facts, not you. JMHO

 

[shelbys mommy]

we had the board and the lettering already, along with the border, thanks to teacher. it was just him putting it all together.

 

[nskjerven]

I agree with the rest. My 9 year old looks up all his own info on the internet. Otherwise how would they learn how to, if we (parents) did it for them.

I find it sad that parents justify this action. You did the work for him. Fess up.

 

[Cindy B]

I would have said "Too bad, so sad. I guess you'll be busy all day doing what you need to do."

9 year olds can look up things on the internet, cut, color, print and place on a trifold.

My kids have done this and me and my husband will say "I've already passed _____(insert grade number in). Now its your turn"


So the teacher gave the trifold, border and letters? All he had to do was look up and place? Did he have to write a conclusion, explantion of the charts or rationale? (Yes, my kids did that in 4th grade!)


Honestly that should have taken a pretty savvy 9 year old about 2 hours.

 

[aprilgail2]

or only what he could have managed to do "on his own" prior to his normal bedtime..

oh no not me---my daughter did that ONCE--put off a project and she did NOT go to bed that night until it was finished...which meant she was very tired the next morning when I woke her up but that is the lesson to be learned! You put it off and you WILL still have to get it done even if it means tired and cranky the next day!

I just had to laugh when I saw your thread. My DD is completing her science project as I type this response. She also waited until the yesterday afternoon to tell me that it is due this morning! Your son did a wonderful job on his project.

Our school has stopped all those stupid science fairs! We are SO happy!! Even the teachers said they were a waste of time since most were done by the parents and not the kids. Now they do a big project in school together so the kids actually learn something from it! They had a voluntary math fair this year- we skipped that one without a second thought! I always remember going with my godson to the science fair at his school..he brought his 3 little plants that he grew with aspirin, cigerette smoke (very stunted plant LOL) and plain water and the kid next to us had a giant circuit board with flashing lights etc....(his dad worked for the power company) and this was the 3rd grade science fair!!

 

[Frantasmic]

With my DD, age 15, a soph in High School, this practice is known as "Magic Homework" that magically appears at the last minute.

Fri night (us): What homework do you have?

DD: Oh, just a few problems in math (does nails).

Fri us: are you sure

DD: Yep.

Sat US: How's your homework?

DD: I finished the math and remembered two problems in Spanish (watches another episode of CSI)

Sat Us: Make sure you finish.

Sun Us (am version): Aren't you glad you finished your homework?

DD: Yep (takes long nap).

DD Sun PM: I forgot I have a chapter of chemistry to read and a study guide in World History to do.

Sun US pm version: Where was all this homework Fri and Sat when you were watching TV and doing other stuff.

DD Everyday version: shrugs

 

[Mom-to-2-Princesses]

Wow -- lay off people! I think the OP didn't do anything more than she would have if he had been doing the project over the weekend. A 9 year old boy shouldn't be googling info on the Saints without adult supervision. I'm sure there are some interesting stories out there that should not be on his project!

I've seen projects done by parents and that cute picture of your proud son was not one of them! You could tell he did the cutting himself but you could also see he worked hard on all sections.

Hopefully he learned a lesson, it took my daughter about 2 years before she really "got" how long these projects can take. Luckily, we never had a "night-before-start" but we did have some late nights right before they were due.

 

[golfgal]

Wow, you are lucky his teacher gave him the supplies-that easily saved you about $20. I agree with the others, I would not have run out and bought anything either. I would have made him suffer the consequences at school. Each of our kids has had to do that once, they haven't done it again. DS17 will procrastinate worse than the other two but he can drive himself to the store to pick things up now so he is much better about that.

 

[5lilfish]

Wow -- lay off people! I think the OP didn't do anything more than she would have if he had been doing the project over the weekend. A 9 year old boy shouldn't be googling info on the Saints without adult supervision. I'm sure there are some interesting stories out there that should not be on his project!

I've seen projects done by parents and that cute picture of your proud son was not one of them! You could tell he did the cutting himself but you could also see he worked hard on all sections.

Hopefully he learned a lesson, it took my daughter about 2 years before she really "got" how long these projects can take. Luckily, we never had a "night-before-start" but we did have some late nights right before they were due.

I have to agree. At 9 yrs old the kid would not have done the project completely without help...even if he had started it 1 week before it was due. My 9 yr old would still need help finding info online and I really wouldn't want her surfing on her own. The project looks very nice...but look at the cut/paste. I don't think Mom did that.

Jess

 

[java]

I think it looks great! And I have started stocking up on those poster boards after one too many "OH I have to do a project for tomorrow" discussions.

 

[golfgal]

I have to agree. At 9 yrs old the kid would not have done the project completely without help...even if he had started it 1 week before it was due. My 9 yr old would still need help finding info online and I really wouldn't want her surfing on her own. The project looks very nice...but look at the cut/paste. I don't think Mom did that.

Jess

REALLY??? At 9 our kids had enough time on the computers at school and enough time being taught how to use the library that they would have not needed ANY help. Our kids had to do science fair projects at that age and the only then we did was drive them to the store to get their materials-and pay for it . People don't give kids enough credit for what they really do know how to do. Heck, at 9 my DD could type faster than I could.

 

[5lilfish]

REALLY??? At 9 our kids had enough time on the computers at school and enough time being taught how to use the library that they would have not needed ANY help. Our kids had to do science fair projects at that age and the only then we did was drive them to the store to get their materials-and pay for it . People don't give kids enough credit for what they really do know how to do. Heck, at 9 my DD could type faster than I could.

At 9 yrs old, my DD knows HOW to use the internet. I just don't like the idea of giving her a topic and setting her free. The last time I did that my son (who was 8 or 9 at the time) was looking up info on the election. He ended up at electionday.com....a full blown porn site.

My DH is a computer teacher. Trust me, my kids know how to use a computer and the internet. That doesn't mean they do not need supervision (and thus help).

Jess

 

[5lilfish]

REALLY??? At 9 our kids had enough time on the computers at school and enough time being taught how to use the library that they would have not needed ANY help. Our kids had to do science fair projects at that age and the only then we did was drive them to the store to get their materials-and pay for it . People don't give kids enough credit for what they really do know how to do. Heck, at 9 my DD could type faster than I could.

Truthfully...at 9 yrs old, I think a child should get time in the school library to do any research required for a project. Not everyone has internet access and the school libraries have the appropriate filters to keep reseach safe.

Jess

 

[allison443]

OP I'm glad it worked out-the project looks nice and the photos of your son are so cute! I don't think you "did" the project for him...I think you gave him support so he could do it on his own...albeit on the last day.

But...am I the only one wondering how the history of the New Orleans Saints is a social studies project? I guess he got to pick his own topic and the teacher approved it, and it's great he could work on something he is interested in. I just can't see my kids' school ever allowing this as a social studies project.

Glad it worked out OP!!

 

[shelbys mommy]

Yeah I didn't get the topic as a Social Studies Fair project either, but the teacher allowed it. As for us doing the work, I do not let my kids surf online for one of the reasons mentioned above, safety. I will search for it & print it & hand it to him. Then he has to be the one to do the report. And in a few weeks....Science Fair! Ugh!!!

 

[BelleRocks]

At 9 yrs old, my DD knows HOW to use the internet. I just don't like the idea of giving her a topic and setting her free. The last time I did that my son (who was 8 or 9 at the time) was looking up info on the election. He ended up at electionday.com....a full blown porn site.

My DH is a computer teacher. Trust me, my kids know how to use a computer and the internet. That doesn't mean they do not need supervision (and thus help).

Jess

Absolutely agree! As a 40-something who is in my second year of college, I STILL have a heard time finding the useful info I am looking for online. I agree, it is 100 times quicker and more convenient than older methods, but still...you have to sort through SO MUCH to get to what you are really looking for. And yes, I am pretty computer-literate and have worked with computers, internet, etc in my job for 15-20 years.

I think it takes kids awhile to learn how to sort through all the junk (not just porn, but also useless info) in order to get to the info they need without getting distracted. My DD10 can definitely put the project together...but looking up the info online? Still needs help, and will for a while.

 

[SleepyMom]

My DD (now 16) does this and it drives us crazy! A few years ago (8th grade) she had a huge project and the teacher gave them a dateline to follow. It began over Christmas break and was due in March, DD was plodding along and would tell us about it if we asked specific questions and we thought it was going well. For some reason about 4 days before it was due she decided she didn't have the right topic for her paper and scrapped it all

She spent the next 3 days researching and writing a paper that everyone else had months to work on. We didn't help, other than to be the person she was required to interview for the paper.

When she got the paper back, DH and I were shocked at her grade and truthfully were hoping it would be a little lower so she might have learned a lesson for it. She ended up with the highest score in the class and her paper was about 10 pages longer than anyone else's.

The subject of her new paper? Disney World We have told her many times that was a fluke and to not let it happen again. Lucky for her she switched to a subject that she knew a lot about and she ran with it.

Your son's project looks good, hope he does well with it!

 

[MrsPete]

I'm in the "should've let the chips fall where they may" camp. One of the biggest lessons kids learn from projects is time management, and this project reinforced in his mind that it's quite possible to wait 'til the last minute and (with lots of help), pull it off.