Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Project overload

I know this is a common problem with many kids, especially gt kids, but I just need some support and "I know what you mean" statements.
I am sooooooo tired of DD7 school projects I could scream! Now that we finally got the school to differentiate for her, she has more project type things to do. (Read that as, some are quite well defined assignments, but DD makes them into elaborate projects)
Now, I know that I need to help her trim down her ideas and make them more doable and all of that stuff, but there are times (like this weekend) that I miss that part of the project. This week's project was to create something about James and the Giant Peach. She was given 8 choices of things to do, and she decided to make a puppet show. However her idea for the show was so elaborate that even after working on it most of today, she had only gotten about 1/4 of the way through it! (DH was in charge of helping with this project by the way, and wasn't really paying attention to the details) When he noticed what was happening, he tried to get her to change her idea, scale it down etc. I could see the melt down coming - tears and cries of hating school were on her tongue, and words of frustration and impatience were on his. I don't know how I did it, but I managed to get them distracted long enough to give them both time to cool off and for me to come up with some possible scale back ideas.
We changed plans at this point and she finished her revised project (a scene from the book using the props she had just been working on for the puppet show) in about 20 minutes.

This project is a week after having to do a nonfiction book report, with a model of something about the topic being due. And that project also took the better part of a day.

She has amazing ideas, but once she gets an idea into her head it is like getting an elephant to change his mind - it isn't going to happen. She has "seen it" in her brain and has to continue along her path even if it kills her.

My point here is really that I just need someone to say - "We hear you" and then pat me on the shoulder and say that the year is actually going to be over soon.

What are we going to do when her projects are actually supposed to be large and take a lot of time? We'll be doing it all month for goodness sakes!!

Thanks for listening.

I "hear" you and completely understand. Sometimes, more projects are not what is needed for gifted kids. But try telling that to some teachers. My dd had so many projects in 3rd. It made her frustrated. It was just double the work of other 3rd graders and not really learning on a new level, so to speak.
But cudos for you for the successful recovery!!!

*sigh* But yes, this too will pass

You know what I've never understood about this? Why don't schools let children who are obviously so motivated just work on their own projects in school time sometimes? You know, teach them some real project management and let them go? You can teach even very young children to plan a bit.

Thank you for the knowing nods. It really helped.

Cricket3 - I am with you about Halloween. I have only managed to avoid your situation because before my procrastinations are all used up my mother usually comes to the rescue by sending the girls a costume that she has made for them, based on conversations she has had with them in the previous weeks. (She is a tricky grammy - the girls have never figured out how she knows "just what they want to be" heeheehee.)

Same issue about oversized projects. Its only a book report, but the size and scope cannot be done in the timeline left. I have tried to show DS7 he wont finish it. he insists he can, maybe if he spends 4 to 5 hours each day. I have decided to back off and let him deal with it. I will know if I made the right choice this friday.

I totally hear you... I can't imagine what's going to happen once they get older and the projects get "bigger"...

The real lesson here is wisely using time.

The strategy we use at work is to come up with several alternatives and rate them against a list of criteria using measured values such as complexity, labor, how many of the requirements are met well vs poorly, how flexible, what the long term costs are, what the opportunity costs are, etc, etc. We then document our reasons and then pick one approach and then track its actuals against its projected measures. If the project goes off the rails, we then re-evaluate the approach, often just shutting it down, and do the simpler way that WILL get done. Sometimes one way is a subset of a much fuller approach.

Maybe the thing to do is to come up with three alternatives for each project then rate them according to time available, resources for the project, and other things going on. In the case of a book report, there would be three ways to do the report with simple, moderate, and long analysis. They can then say it will be x hours for one, y for another, and z for the last. They can then track their hours vs % complete and see where it is going.

There is probably a simpler way to present this.

I like the mapping out alternate ideas, using a projected time line.

cricket3 - had to laugh at your post...."but certainly with the grandiose, elaborate plans with no real concept of how complicated/time-consuming the ideas will be"....I remember last year DS7 came up with this plan to build a "fort" after watching one of his first episode's of Phineas and Ferb. He went into his room and drew up his blue prints (like Phineas and Ferb) and then he came out with his plans. He went on to explain how one wall was to be made of bricks, another of recycled wood....the list went on. I remember my brain going into overtime to try to come up with a way to explain to him how our homeowners assoc. would not permit a 2 story brick/wood building with an emergency escape hatch on the roof and a tunnel to be built in our back yard without crushing his "dream" and sending him off crying.

We currently homeschool but man oh man, I can see how the "projects" could get totally out of hand and then the hard part is that you just can't explain to them that maybe they need to come up with a plan b or offer another way of completing it...I like all of the ideas that were shared!

Edwin, I'm with you, the projected time line might just work.

If we can get her to think through how long each part of the project will actually take, then we could probably come up with different versions of the same thing that would take less time.

(Of course I'll have to get DH to remember to do this with her too if he helps out with the next project.)

Don't forget that this is her project. She may have grand ideas but if you or your husband are doing a lot of the work, then it's not her project. She may need your help to realize what she can accomplish is not quite up to what she can imagine.

Btw, as she gets older and the projects get more elaborate, she will be able to do more on her own. There is no time like the present to get her to understand she should be doing most, if not all, the work on her projects.

OHGrandma,
She does 95% of it herself, if she can't do her idea on her own, or with minimal help, we don't let her start the project. I've had too many students of my own turning in projects that their parents obviously did most of to get sucked into that mistake. The parts we help with are the use of sharp cutting tools, or threading a needle, and tying off the end of the thread.