Group projects for school can be both fun & frustrating. They usually involve many different ideas. In the end, through the tornado, your child sees the results of team work (hopefully). Plus you get some great pictures.
My two older daughters both had projects due the same day. They were given plenty of time to construct them, but each group worked very differently.
In this Kids Corner read two tales. How will they end when the classroom is brought home?
The Volcano
Rhyanne is a 7th grader this year. She was assigned to a group of about 8. The instructions were clear – build a Volcano. How in the world do you do that? I never built one before. Luckily this group of 8 were determined not only to construct the best out of their class, but also get it done early.
They worked so hard. Many times there were “spats” about how it was supposed to look, and who was supposed to do what. In the long run each student gave there 100%. The end results were amazing! The volcano had a town at the foot of it, plus it was ACTIVE. When the time came they had to let their project errupt!
Each member of Rhyanne’s group were dedicated to get the job done. I am so thankful that her style of hard work was accompanied by others with the same attitude. I never once had to worry if the work was getting done. When I finally saw the volcano I was so surprised!
From the picture you can imagine – the entire school loved it!
A Model of the School
Emily is an 8th grader this year. Her group was about 7. The project was to build a huge model of the entire school. The teacher wanted it all. The classrooms, lunchrooms, bathrooms, offices, people etc. had to be included. In my opinion it was harder to do this project than her sisters.
The difference here was this group had no determination. It is sad to see students that really didn’t care about hard work or their grade. Emily wanted to do a great job but how when most of the group quit. She was left with 2 girls to get this project done. They threw up their hands deciding not to do a thing.
I sat them down. My pep-rally began while I silently prayed they would change their minds. Not easy at this age to get them motivated sometimes. Especially when an end result didn’t seem to form in their eyes. I quickly reminded them of the choice to give up or at least present something. My daughter really had to think about it. What happened next? One more girl dropped out. Then there were 2 left to finish everything.
I am so proud of what they created. Really they were even more proud of how they finally finished it. The two girls had to work up until the end. Each moment counted to create the end result. Since this project I can see a huge difference in how Emily attacks her assignments. Motivation is now her friend!
Not bad for 2 girls who at first chose to throw in the towel.
Each child is different. As parents it is important to be careful how we teach them. I was able to really see this while they worked on their school assignments. Each moment can be a lesson – something not only they can learn, but we can as well.
Interesting lesson. They both did a great job though and I sure hope Emily’s teacher knows that all but the two of them dropped out. That is totally unfair, I would have those other kids do extra work if they want any class credit.
Love the Kids Corner!