unreasonable school project?

I think the belt and scarves idea is so good I suggest the whole class do it. Absolutely ridiculous poor children and parents/grandparents the most we ever did was a small cross stitch sampler to aid eye and hand coordination presumably.

Gramaretto thank you!

My DGD has had similarly ambitious homework projects. They sound ridiculous at first but DGD made a dress out of an old pillowcase simply by cutting holes for her head and arms. She then drew on her own design. It looked great and was done in less than an hour.

Oh, for the days of Blue Peter projects only requiring redundant cardboard loo rolls, glitter, glue and sticky-back plastic.

I really dislike children being judged on how good their parents are at things.
When I was in High School, we were asked in an economics class to write out our parents budget (including their earnings). My father was furious. The teacher gave an alternative topic for anyone whose parents wouldn't give them the information but I was the only one that did it. I was failed and when I was asked why I was told 'it wasn't the topic'.
This project for a 5 year old is just setting the children up to fail and verges on being unkind. Some parents struggle because of the problems with their own upbringing or education but desperately want to be good parents. It is all very well to say, use a pillow slip, but this isn't just a project to make something and the description does not lead people to think that that would be good enough.
Maybe if it was a project in stages, but some parents will have been of scraps around and old clothes etc. Others will be using their coats as bedding and wearing their old clothes.

This project seems to be a test for the parents, not the child, so if a child has a very creative, artistic or technically minded parent, they are going to have a great advantage over other children in the class. It seems like an ego-trip for the teacher.

If this is project about recycling then why not use plastic bags or bin liners and staple together. Could be ruched on to elastic for a skirt. For the bodice, cut the bottom off a supermarket bag and then put over head with arms through the handles (I used to do this as a child's painting overall). Surely if it's a Y1 project then they're not expecting haute couture.

I thought at first you were talking about an A level project! As a dressmaker myself I would find this difficult.

Sue. Donim I agree with you.
IMHO this task is inappropriate.
Many parents do not have the time or resources for this type of project. Many children who come from disadvantaged homes have not yet had the opportunities or experiences to equip themselves with, often, even basic skills.
I would imagine quite a few parents feel the same way. Could you, in a nice way, point this out to the class teacher/headmistress? Does the class teacher have children herself/himself, I wonder! I’m sure any teacher would be dismayed to have to add this task to their own already heavy workload.
I’m also wondering if it’s a clever ruse on the school’s part to be able to ‘tick some National Curriculum boxes’ out of school hours, to take some pressure off the school, and put it on to parents.
This project i feel is more suitable for ten year olds.
Some parents are struggling to put a meal on the table. This could be a cause of more anxiety for them.

anxiousgran I am so angry for you because I feel the teacher should be focussing on teaching the children useful skills: such as sewing on a button or sewing up a hem that's come down - rather than making the family do ALL the work. And at 5 years old this is overwhelming.
I note the pompous use of educational terms such as "evaluate" to try and make the project sound as though it fits into some kind of bigger scheme.

Jaycee what an unbelievably insensitive teacher!

I’ve lost count of the number of school projects I’ve been involved with for my dgds! Eldest dgd (7yrs) currently doing project on Florence Nightingale. Her best friend’s Mum is a drama teacher and so is creating a video featuring her dds!! We’re producing 3D poster as that’s my limit. Definitely competition for Mums I think ?

I am probably wrong , but I have vague memories of my Grandson doing something like this and it was actually all about measuring and noting it down , but I do think he was a bit older

Done similar, DD went to charity shop I was with them, this is her advice
Need pinking shears
Find dress/shirt that can be cut to sort of fit +another item anything
Cut second item into shapes
Stick on with glue stick
Kids can do this, pinking shears save sawing
Bright ,gaudie, colours
Keep it fun don't become competitive

Utterly ridiculous and undermining. As a professional fashion designer/maker I would shudder at the thought of doing this with my very capable 10yr old DGD. It is more suited to a 15 yr old that is actually interested.

Furthermore as many of these creations will not come up to expectations then it will put the children off dressmaking for life, which is a great shame. Instead of learning to make clothes from good quality fabrics that last, they will be buying cheap throw away garments in cheap nonrecyclable fabrics made by cheap labour in 3rd world countries and is doing nothing for the planet.

Some teachers should have been drowned at birth.

Frankly the project OP describes is ridiculous at the age of five. It would be appropriate for a class of fifteen year olds IMO.

The trouble is the child will feel it badly if her project is poorer than her classmates, so I hope the ideas here prove helpful.

I would mention to the school just how much work and stress this unsuitable project (age wise) is causing the entire family.

Anxiousgran, it is not as hard as it sounds. You are probably thinking of a proper outfit. This outfit only has to last one day. Get a large piece of elastic about 2 inches thick that will go around your dgd chest. To this staple lots of strips of material hanging down. I would make each strip of material about four inches wide and however long to rest just above her knee. Then just staple on about three layers all overlapping each other. If you did different colours it could be a rainbow dress. Send her in with a sunhat and sunglasses on and flip flops would finish outfit off. Get your dgd to staple on material strips as teacher is sure to ask her how it was made.

How sad that young children are not able to go home and play outside like we did ,after school.
A lot of these projects given to children are done by the parents so if your mum is handier than minestrone has more free time or your family is better off than mine your Project will get higher marks.
What then?
Will the class be given a new Project to do?
As you may gather I do not like "Projects"

What makes me angry is giving young children of that age homework that’s more for year 7 in secondary school.
Ridiculous young children should be enjoying school not having to do something like that.

This project sounds more apt for a teenager who loves sewing rather than a five year old. My suggestion would be a simple wrap-around skirt or poncho-type top, or maybe a shawl.
A square shoulder bag could be useful.
Best of British anyway, sounds like you're going to need it.

Some really good ideas here but I am staggered by the projects 5 & 6 year olds are supposed to do and especially in the holidays.

Good luck with it :-)

Any decent school will have set the task with it being accessible to ALL children (ie those in overcrowded or temporary acommodation, those with working parents, those with disabilities, etc) if you think they haven't tell them! But the important thing here is that, rather than buying Velcro, ribbon, etc. etc, the garment is to be made from RECYCLED materials and so a successful submission would have that as its main constituent. How about clothes made from newspapers or vegetable bag sacking or making patchwork from cutting out squares of plastic? Old clothes can be adapted or just decorated with things like magazine cutouts, pot pourri, buttons etc or printed using paint and plastic or card shapes from egg boxes, lids, boxes
Don't be put off by other people's competitive natures - just have fun with your children - after all it's not part of any assessment and it is probably supposed to just support the school's science curriculum.

Is there an old woolly jumper (adult size) that could be shrunk in the washing machine? It will become felted and child sized. Cut off the sleeves (or shorten) , cut up the front if it’s a jumper to turn it into a jacket or waistcoat. Decorate with old buttons etc. With a darning needle and contrasting wool, sew a bold running stitch all around the edges. The felted garment won’t fray.

Agree with all of the above. Utterly ridiculous project for a 5 year old. This started to happen back in my day. The school would send a note home saying one of my boys would need a model of the Taj Mahal or something by the following day. I would be scrabbling around for used loo rolls and washing up liquid bottles. Now, older and wiser, I realise the sky wouldn't have fallen in if I had hunted around for a couple of things and left them to it or sent a note back in their contact book saying it was too short notice.

I've always had a problem with homework full stop. But that's for a different thread.

The sinister side of this though, is, we are seeing an increase in young adults who are spoiled and have unreasonable expectations from their parents. All this teaches a child is that your mother will end up doing everything for you. Thereby encouraging this attitude in later life. There was a good example in a post earlier this week. The school should be assigning small and fun projects that the child can manage themselves. Giving them a sense of achievement and encouraging them to think for themselves. A bit of colouring or seeing how many birds they saw in the garden/park at half term. Not a flipping catwalk project. Like others, when I was reading I thought it was for a GCSE project! I also dislike that a 5 year old should be thinking about fashion parades. There's plenty of time for clothes and makeup and so on when they are older. 5 is the age for fresh air and fun.

Are you sure they have not been talking abut it in class too? If not they should have been!
Ask for clarification if you are unsure! The school will see this a 'fun family' project so kids can do something with parents which is a good thing and more fun than dull pages of sums! Remember it is not a competition!

Newspaper, bin-liners, old towels or bed linen laced together with old shoe laces or strips of fabric , glue masking tape etc!