3rd grade is hard--for parents
sheilajoyce_gw
8 years ago
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Adella Bedella
8 years agoplllog
8 years agoRelated Discussions
ISO:ideas for my 3rd graders class
Comments (2)I am sure this is too late for a Christmas activity/gift but you might use it at the end of the year. When my son was in 2nd grade his teacher took pictures all through the year of all the kids on field trips, in class, at halloween, Christmas, Valentines day and any other activity they were doing that was interesting. At the end of the year she gave him one of those small photo albums (the ones that hold the 3X5 pictures) and it had all pictures of him throughout the year and also a note from her to him and I think there was even a poem on the first page also. It was really special and something I can keep always. I thought it was the neatest idea ever! I wish all his teachers would have done that same thing and he could have a collection of school memories (from the teacher's point of view)....See MoreScience Fair Project? (3rd Grade)
Comments (14)Ah, yes, . . . the SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT !!!!! Actually, they weren't TOO awful !! One that DS did that was fairly easy to do . . . and I'm thinking that he was about in third grade . . . had to do with plants . . . I think the title was something like What Makes Plants Grow Good?? . . The idea being to feed plants different things and see which thing made them grow the best. I guess the control group was feeding them nothing . . . just watering them. There was Miracle Grow, milk, Coke, Coffee, Orange juice . . . Can't quite remember if there was anything else. Six test plants per item . . . that is, six plants per milk, six plants per coffee, etc. He watered/fed them every other day??? (not sure) Measured them every day. Took pictures with a ruler showing the height of the plants . . . also took notes on how the plants looked . . more green?? thick ??? dead ??????? etc. I think he did this for a month . . . His hypothesis was something like milk would make the plants grow better because milk makes people grow better . . . or something like that. Like I said, it's been a LONG time !!! Anyway, it was very do-able, fairly simple, lots of results, lots of pictures to post on the display board, plus, the plants themselves ! He used snapdragons, basically because the nursery had a bunch of snaps that were in good shape to begin with, and lots that were the same size. Marigolds could be another one. This project was a good one in that it was obviously something he could do HIMSELF !! So many projects are obviously projects done by Mom and Dad . . . Anyway, it all came out fine, and as I recall, he got an A on it . . . He put the six plants for each one, in a small rectangular planter, by the way . . . so I had LOTS of planters for the patio when he was done !! I think he came up with the idea after watching me dump my old coffee on plants, and they seemed to really like that caffeine !! So, he figured he'd try stuff like milk !! Well, best of luck with it all !!!!! Really, they're not bad at all . . and it's really fun going to the science fair to see all the stuff the kids have come up with . . ....See MoreWere Your Parents Cool or Uptight?
Comments (21)They were definitely not uptight. But I never saw them as cool either, though they could have their moments. I felt safe, loved, and usually understood. I have always liked to be with my parents, even as a teen. My mother's motto might have been "I trust you until you give me a reason not to." So I didn't give her reasons not to trust me. Or it might have been "For every right there is a responsibility." So I was willing to work for what I wanted, whether that meant earning the money or earning the right. I knew the work would pay off. Or it might have been "Don't call me from jail at 3am because I will NOT come get you." I never called her from anywhere at 3am, I was always home in bed! LOL! I know she would have come after me if I wasn't safe. Her point was not to do something stupid and expect her to bail us out. My dad's motto was "Do what your mother says!" LOL. I only remember ticking him off once. That's a story you won't hear from me. (It wasn't THAT bad, just embarrassing now.) Dad had a vague idea of what was going on around the house and schedule, he was just easily distracted and mom was the scheduler/planner/decision maker when it came to us kids. But he lives in the moment, so he was fun. He played games with us, treated us to ice cream before dinner, and was only brought in to the discipline for extreme cases. They gave me more emotionally than materially, and even there I had everything I needed and some of what I wanted. Their rules had a consistent foundation, but were also individual and case by case. The rules were not enforced with force or fear of punishment. There was mutual respect. Yeah, I think they had high expectations. But somehow they instilled in us the trait of setting our own high expectations for our behavior and standards. So by the time I was an older teen I didn't feel like I was abiding by "their rules," I felt like I was living my own standards. They took us to church every Sunday until I was 15- when I told mom I didn't want to go anymore. There was a short argument, and she backed off, saying I needed to make my own choices. There was a rule I wouldn't date until age 16. But when I was a 15 y/o sophomore I was asked to prom by an 18 y/o senior. I didn't think I had a chance, but they let me go, gave me their trust b/c I didn't give them a reason not to. Seven years later they walked me down the aisle to marry that same guy. 15 years and 4 GKs later, I think they are happy with that choice. ;o)...See MoreHow much should parents expect the other parent to help out?
Comments (22)"has to balance what's best for him and best for you. And sometimes they just aren't going to work. IMO, childs needs come first." See, this is interesting. I think what is so interesting and diverse about this forum (or even when talking to friends in RL) is that EVERYONE is going to have their own opinion; and that opinion is one we have formed based on our own experiences and perspectives. Nivea, you were treated in a really cruel and hurtful manner by your SM, correct? (or am I mixing you up with another poster?) I believe it was you. Anyway, naturally, you are more inclined to empathize and identify with the child (stepchild) and perhaps even project a bit of your own feelings; and that's normal, we ALL do that. Just as I am more likely to identify with someone like Ima or Lamom or Silver, someone who is a SM dealing with difficult situations. Anyway, I know what you mean about the child needing to come first; but I think you are saying this out of your own experiences, which included being emotionally hurt by your cruel and emotionally immature SM who insisted HER needs come first. Correct? That is awful that happened and it's sad that your father allowed you to be pushed aside. (And please correct me if I am mixing up your history with someone else.) Our situation is a little different in that DH had continually made the mistake of doing things to harm our marriage---all under the guise of "it's best for SS." But a lot of what he was doing wasn't even really best for SS. DH wanted me to smooth things over and be nice to BM, even after she attacked me in front of SS. Sure, it might be superficially easier for SS if everything seemed hunky-dory again. But in the long run, what lesson is that teaching him? That violence is acceptable? That it's okay for his mom to behave like that and I will just pretend that everything is okay? Those aren't lessons I want SS or DD learning. So sometimes what IS best for SS isn't necessarily what one might think at face value. Sure, it would be more *pleasant* for him in the short term, but in the long run, I think it does more harm than good. (I don't think this particular weekend issue is even really about anything being "best" for SS, though.) And one thing our marriage counselor has been helping both of us see is that sometimes what's best for the marriage has to come first. And I will say this with 100% conviction: it would NOT be in SS's best interest for DH and I to divorce. Not at all. That would be one of the worst things that could happen for both him and my DD. I may be "just a stepmother" to him but I have been a positive and caring person in his life for almost 7 years. He views my daughter as his sister. He genuinely loves our family and feels a TOTAL part of our family unit...because he is! We are not just some people he spends a few days a month with, he has two families and we are one of them! If that unit were to dissolve, it would honestly devastate SS. It would devastate my DD, as well, but I really think it would be worse on SS. He is very sensitive to these things, and he is the type of child that turns his upsets inward. I know if he were to lose his family, it would really impact him negatively in an emotional sense. So in marriage counseling, one thing DH is having to focus on is sorting out when SS's needs really DO come first, and when it's just BM manipulating "in the name of their son." Obviously, there are times that the child's needs have to come first---heck, that is 95% of parenting! But it is my belief that this is not one of those times. SS's mom is doing well and there is no reason he can't be with her....See Moresocks
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