Sure, it was easy enough when she was in kindergarten. Now, she is in fifth grade, not to mention that there are three more kids in school. I find myself doing math most of all, with plenty of reading on the side. But the projects, THE PROJECTS....those are the ones that kill me. I'm always trying to keep track of when they are due and how much I need to do on them. (After all, I have children that need to take credit for all the homework I do.)
Just kidding.
Kind of.
I don't DO anyone's homework, but I sure help with a LOT. Much of it is checking:
Look at number three again.
Check your math on number twelve.
Is that how you spell 'would?'
Then there is a lot of coaxing:
Try putting that over there.
Here, let me help you look this up on Google.
Don't forget this is due tomorrow....I mean yesterday.
Some of it is embellishment:
Let's add glitter over here.
If you put a piece of cardboard behind it, it will pop out.
Oh, we can use real lace on this part.
I usually enjoy helping out with the assignments, but sometimes I wish that I could take a break. I tried there for a moment. When June came home with her Science Fair information, I pulled a fast one and put Tyler in charge. Except that it blew up in my face, and I ended up picking a new project with June and helping her finish it the week it was due. (To be clear, nothing literally blew up in my face. It turns out that Tyler wasn't very hip on helping with the project and when I finally realized this, I had to start from square one with an idea that was more manageable.)
It sounds like I am complaining. I am....a little. But I really like the time that I get to spend with my kids doing these things. Shall we look at some recent accomplishments?
This poster was from last year when June was doing research on Utah. She was in charge of Utah's Astronomical Symbol. (Bet you didn't know Utah had one of those. I didn't either.)
Ivory has a book report project due each month. She has the same teacher June had, so I remember doing all these projects before. Ivory had fun making her puppet. Guess who*?
And this month we had a diorama due. Can anyone guess this book*?
And we can't leave you all without showing the finished product from the Science Fair.
June worked so hard. Her project was on apparent motion and her question was how far apart can images be put before they don't flow together to create animation. She made many flip books spacing her image (dots) farther and farther apart. Then she used her results to create phenakistascopes. They are discs with notches cut out of them. When you watch the images, in a mirror, through the notches, it looks like the pictures are moving.
Phew. It was fun to help with her project, but I can safely say that the Science Fair isn't my favorite. Only four more to go. (Maybe five since I think June's school requires it two years in a row. Evil.)
I guess I should be thankful that I am still using my brain. And I can safely say that I understand most subjects at, at least, a fifth grade level.
*Amelia Bedelia
*The Enormous Crocodile
I can remember helping you kids a bit on homework, but other than math, I don't remember getting any help from my parents. I guess things were more hard core in those days. I'm very impressed with June's project - something I don't think I could have done!
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