No easy solution!

One of our local primary schools (not the one my daughters went to) introduced a great idea for homework (i think for Yr 4-7’s at the time).

They were set maybe 5 tasks for the week and they included similar things to these (I have made these up for example only) :

Go shopping with your mum/dad/auntie etc. and add up the grocery bill as you go along (and compare the prices of 5 items while you are there). Behave nicely while you are there. - MATHS/HOME ECONOMICS

Discuss and help an adult plan and prepare dinner/lunch/brunch or dessert (peel vegetables, mix gravy, mash potatoes, make chocolate pudding etc) and help clean up afterwards. - HOME ECONOMICS

Cut a picture from a magazine or newspaper then write a 200 word story of your choice to match the picture or write down as many words as you can that describe the picture and what’s happening in it. - ENGLISH

Sprout some watercress seeds on cotton wool - document the procedure and how long they take to germinate and illustrate each step or write up the complete method for making an icecream sundae including eating it. - SCIENCE/ BIOLOGY

Spend 15 minutes doing ball skills of some sort (bounce a tennis ball on bat continuously or shoot basketball hoops without missing) then 15 minutes of running/jumping/skipping etc (cardio fitness). Record your pulse rate at the start then at the end of exercising. - PHYS EDUCATION

Each or these would take half an hour or less and involves the child, the tasks are not boring and I think they teach the child actual living/doing skills. My sister-in-law has 3 boys and she was amazed at how they embraced the cooking and shopping tasks and eagerly wanted to help in the kitchen.

I am a huge believer in listening to children read aloud and it is important that they read something they are interested in. Let boys read motor cycle magazine articles if they are rev heads, not ‘Flossy has a bad day out ‘. There are so many short childrens novels, my girls used to devour the ones in the school library.

Anyway, that’s my take on homework. I agree children need to do it but please make it interesting!

Hope your day is filled with dancing daisies - Julie, Millicent South Australia

lv,

Joy

My eldest son has always come home, had a snack and got straight into his HW and is still pretty self motivated becausehe knows that once he has done it then he has free time! I have to make sure though that he doesn’t rush it too much. HE loves it when he has projects to do fro HW though as he enjoys being creative.

AS for son 2 well its always been more of a struggle. I have to encourage him to ask if he needs help and he hates me interfering and I really try hard not to until I freak at his messy writing! Lately he also gets right into his work at his desk without much nagging.

All in all I hope these habits keep up. I have had to let me kids reap the consequences of poor work etc. and now years down the track I dont let it worry me if the boys are too tired or we have other family things that really are more important than HW! Most times the teachers are forgiving esp. the ones who are mums and dads - not so much the single ones who really dont seem to relate to the pressures and time constraints that we families face daily!

I encourage you all to try not let HW cause poor relationships between you and your kiddies….. they also feel under pressure I am sure after trying to focus for their school hours, friendship issues etc… family issues and hardships thay are not immune from at all!

Stuffy - every night? We only have to sign diaries once a week.

Jeanie - we haven’t had *too* much trouble getting our kids to DO homework (most of the time) but it can be quite stressful at times just the doing part.

Tiff - I did as little as possible when I got to uni. lol. Might be why I only lasted 1 year??? (I did pass though).

Cathy - homework as a grandparent??? Nooooooo……… Here I was thinking I should only have another 12 or so years of it.

K - It takes so much time and energy doesn’t it? At a time of night when NO-ONE has any. First week of the year our kids had “family homework”. I kid you not. We ALL had to do it. :-/

Tucker - ROFLOL. That cracked me up. My DH actually had a teacher tell them that they would USE what they were learning if they ever became a teacher!!! I like to support the school…I just HATE homework.

Gnometree - Oh dear! Our school actually has a positive play time which is then used by students who aren’t up to date to do their work in. I really like that concept. I don’t mind the nagging so much (probably because I don’t seem to have to do too much nagging) BUT it’s the time and effort (exhaustion factor here) and the GUESSING when the kid is stressed out because they’re not sure what to do and don’t want to get into trouble for doing it wrong and as parents we have like NO IDEA what the teacher wants.

Funniest thing - last night’s homework stress was computing homework. I had Leighton’s computer teacher for computing lessons when I was at that school (as a STAFF member) and it was stressful enough then!!!!