In my opinion it takes a lot of skill to teach your child how to take pride in their projects. There are many components to a fantastic project and for me the list looks something like this.....Ok I am a teacher and that makes my thoughts will be scewed a little.
In no particular order
- Help find/ get the research material necessary for the project.
- The research and content of the project needs to be the child's own work. It needs to be edited and proof read with the teachers support.
- Have all printer charged up ready to go with ink and paper.
- Marker pens, felt tips pens, pencils, erasers, rulers etc (Make sure your ruler is a long one)
- Finally a tonne of patience for the planning of the presentation and assembly
So exactly how much help is too much.
In my opinion my 10 year old son, who had never been asked to complete any science project like this before, needed some basic direction. His report about Pluto was written at school. Everything else he planned and completed at home. I provided the balls that made the model, the display board. We found around the house everything else you see.
As for laying out his project I showed him how to cut out his work using my cutter, how to line up all his report so they were straight on the page and spaced nice to the eye. Of course there is the place and look twice before using the double sided tape.
My son painted and put glitter on the board, he drew coloured in etc the central panel, he drew the orbiting patterns (I provided the idea of using liquid white out at the planet paths). He wrote all the interesting facts etc. It took a whole day to assemble this project. The model was made a few weeks earlier by putting paper mache photos of the planet, onto the model.
Wow it was fabulous. I would say 95% his own work. My guidance the other 5%.
Oh he came second too and of course I am so proud not only of his effort and care with his presentation but that he came second too.
