My Annual Pitch for Being an Involved Parent

[OrionGirl]

I know everyone is busy, and I know it can be tough to help a child with their science fair project. But: Please, please, don't let your kid go through this alone!

I judge at the local science fairs each year (it's a perk of working at the G&F). You can tell the kids who get help from their parents, the projects that the parents did the whole thing, and the kids who had no assistance at all. Encourage your child to develop their idea themselves. Help them with research. Review the standards (ie, what all pieces do they need to have), and please, for the love of science, go over the non-science with them--spelling counts! Grammar counts! Have them give you their presentation, and ask questions, make them think. Encourage them to make eye contact, instead of watching their shoe laces.

I love doing this each year, and judge at several different schools. But the number of kids who clearly have no adult guidance in developing a good project, identifying the different aspects of scientific thought, and putting that into a package is troubling. I certainly do NOT encourage parents to do the complete project for their child. But guiding them, helping them learn--this is inspiring. And preventing them from making the tragic mistake of saying "I picked this project because it looked easy", or writing "temepereture" 10 times gets you at least 5 points.

[Harlock]

Ooh, great post, OG. That would be a fun thing to do. My son is only in Pre-K right now so homework load is almost non-existent. Every Tuesday is library day so we get a new book to read. That's always a treat. So far this one called Scarface Claw has been my favorite. It was about a mean cat that wasn't afraid of anything but his own reflection. It reminded my son of his betta, too! Wednesday he brings home two or three stapled together "books" of songs they are working on that week for us to sing together. They are usually colors, numbers and a letter. Each song is set to a familiar melody like "Jingle Bells" or "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and they teach phonics (lots of words that begin with P for instance) as well as spelling the color and number. He has learned so much this way without even knowing he was learning how to spell! Also, every other Thursday this semester he gets a special backpack to take home. The backpack has a book to read together and discuss, a take home journal that he has to draw a picture from the book in as well as sign his name on, and also we devise a sentence that explains the picture together and I help him write it. Also in the backpack are several activities based on the theme of that backpack. So far we have had airplanes, seashells, and nests.

Being involved in my son's school work is simply fun. It's together time when we talk and I really get a chance to hear his ideas and see how he views the world through his five-year-old eyes. I am also looking forward to helping him with school later on. I always sucked at Algebra for insatnce, so I intend to review his homework with him so I can get better. I have to learn it to check it, right? ;)

[Dangerdoll]

I always sucked at Algebra for insatnce,
hehehe, loved both these posts, chuckled at this quoted part too, Harlock, hehehe I was thinking... hehehe, sucks at Algebra?? check out how he spells, hehehe ;)

[Benson]

hehehe, loved both these posts, chuckled at this quoted part too, Harlock, hehehe I was thinking... hehehe, sucks at Algebra?? check out how he spells, hehehe ;)

Now now Ms. Dangerdoll... I'm sure it was just a simple typo for Mr. Harlock! :rolleyes:

They should have spell check on this forum!!!! I know that I need it!

Good post Oriongirl. I had to help my sons do the science fair thing and it was a wonderful experience...

Love you Dangerdoll :)

...better make sure I spelled every thing right :laugh:

[Harlock]

Yip. I can spell with the best of them. I type with only five fingers as I was always too busy with Drama, Band, Orchestra, Music Theory, Journalism and striking out with the ladies in High School to ever take a silly typing class. :rolleyes: I pay for it now by sucking at typing. I can type 50 words a minute... about 42 when you factor in accuracy though. :( Oh well. Lief scuks adn thne yuo dei.

[FL Knifemaker]

I actually enjoy working with my kids on school projects. Our kids go to an art type school, it's very hard to not be involved. We end up at the school for various functions sometimes several times per week. They do an incredible job of keeping the parents involved. I just can't get involved with parent occupation day :( It just wouldn't work :laugh:

[nursie]

Great post Orion Girl! It can be taken further that people need to be involved with their kids lives and activities...school related and extracurricular. They need to take an interest and participate in parent groups in the schools. One indicator of a child's success in school is parental involvement. I have raised 2 kids..they are in college now..and I worked full time the whole time, so don't say you can't because you work. You meet yourself coming and going, and I have used a lot of my vacation time over the years to be there for school realted activities. It pays off. Lots of nights with fast food on the run...eating late...but we did all the band competitions, football games, concerts. My husband and I had to split and one go with one kid and the the other with the other when there were conflicting activities, and you don't get to 100%, but you can do a lot.
It absolutely makes a difference. My kids friends were welcome at the house,,I'd feed them, keep soda for them (we drink diet..most of the kids don't) and I was always glad to have them. Then I knew what was going on. You have to be cool about it...I supplied plenty of TP for various activies, and knew when to go read a book somewhere, but still went back in the room before the strip poker got out of hand :rolleyes:

[nursie]

I just can't get involved with parent occupation day :( It just wouldn't work :laugh:


Too funny! I bet some of the other dads would be interested!

[FL Knifemaker]

Too funny! I bet some of the other dads would be interested!

The kids would probably be interested too. But knives?? Just talkin about the subject at school. Big NONO!!! :mad:

[VitaminJ]

Anybody remember the feeling of waking up the morning of the Science Fair and having absolutely nothing? Knot. In. Stomach. Ok, maybe I never waited that long to get started...but I came pretty close on a few occasions...

-sj

(oh, and if you didn't guess, I never won...or came close...but I'm not bitter...really...at least I'm not too bitter...promise...)

[Lauren]

I remember my parents helping me with my science projects, chastising me for putting it off until the night before, staying up until 11 at night with me so I got them done.

[nursie]

Just talkin about the subject at school. Big NONO!!! :mad:

I'm sure! WHen my 22 yr old was in 2nd grade, they had 100's day at school, and they had to take 100 of something to school for show and tell. She took 100 22 shell casings. We called the school to explain they weren't bullets, no problem. I wouldn't even try now.

[FL Knifemaker]

I'm sure! WHen my 22 yr old was in 2nd grade, they had 100's day at school, and they had to take 100 of something to school for show and tell. She took 100 22 shell casings. We called the school to explain they weren't bullets, no problem. I wouldn't even try now.

My Dad was a shop teacher. Up until the late '70's the HS students would actually bring guns to school to work on in his shop class. The rules were, bike lock through the breach, zipped in a padded case, absolutely NO ammo!! All guns were brought to my Dads office before homeroom and locked up until class. During class, the would mount scopes, sites and refinish steel and stocks. They would be picked up at the end of the day on the way to the bus. Many of his students have told me that was the most memorable part of their HS experience and how much fun it was having my Dad for a teacher. No one ever had a problem, no one ever got shot. Those were the days !! :(

[Harlock]

My Dad was a shop teacher. Up until the late '70's the HS students would actually bring guns to school to work on in his shop class. The rules were, bike lock through the breach, zipped in a padded case, absolutely NO ammo!! All guns were brought to my Dads office before homeroom and locked up until class. During class, the would mount scopes, sites and refinish steel and stocks. They would be picked up at the end of the day on the way to the bus. Many of his students have told me that was the most memorable part of their HS experience and how much fun it was having my Dad for a teacher. No one ever had a problem, no one ever got shot. Those were the days !! :(
That would have been very cool. I might have taken shop if I could work on firearms. What's the policy now though? You can't even say gun within 500 feet of a school or something? It sucks, but I understand the reasoning. My wife is a teacher and everytime I hear a story about a student that seems a little disturbed I worry for her safety. Kids are just emotional naturally and that invulnerable thing they have going with that makes a scary combo.

[RTR]

LOL! Good thread. But - been there, done all that - fighting to balance between supporting and taking over...

Now it is and has been empty nest syndrome for some time and we are loving it! Even the emergency cash flow assistance requests have reduced markedly. Ah, the wonders of empty nests...

[FL Knifemaker]

That would have been very cool. I might have taken shop if I could work on firearms. What's the policy now though? You can't even say gun within 500 feet of a school or something? It sucks, but I understand the reasoning. My wife is a teacher and everytime I hear a story about a student that seems a little disturbed I worry for her safety. Kids are just emotional naturally and that invulnerable thing they have going with that makes a scary combo.

I understand the reasoning too. My problem is that it seems like we never had any disturbed kids back in the day!! At least not disturbed enough to bring a gun to school and shoot someone :mad:

[FL Knifemaker]

OG,

Sorry for taking this off topic. SHEEESH, the knife forum guys would have hammered me.

[nursie]

Even the emergency cash flow assistance requests have reduced markedly. Ah, the wonders of empty nests...


Hehehe...That's where we are. You mean there is an end to emergency cash requests :dance :dance
The eldest graduates from college this spring, but the youngest is a freshman. She seems to need less $$ than her older sister, I hope it stays that way.


I have time for fish again, weeding flower beds, and every now and then get to spend some $$ on ME :D

[nursie]

OG,

Sorry for taking this off topic. SHEEESH, the knife forum guys would have hammered me.

I should apologize too...I diverted you! :dance :OT: :dance

It kinda relates...kids..activities with kids....school...
At least we didn't hijack a thread in one of the fish related forums. :troll:

[RTR]

Still marginally off-topic - Well, I can't say the emergency cash requests have stopped, but they are much fewer in number and do now tend to get paid back! I never though I would live to see that day. :)