Be creative, have fun...yeah right...

Jilly came home from school yesterday with a lovely (sarcasm) project sheet. Her teacher has managed to take a nice little holiday, Valentines Day, and ruin it. Remember the days when you made cutesy little boxes for your school Valentines? You know, red, white, pink, hearts, lacy stuff, fun stuff like that? Whelp, Jilly doesn't get to do that. Instead she has to make a box to coincide with their science chapter. Its a "do at home" project...probably because its such a pain in the ass the teacher wants nothing to do with it! It also means its a parent help the student project because its way over the students head kind of project. Its also a project that will probably cost money to make...unless I can get super lucky and scrounge up some stuff from my husbands tool box and work station downstairs. I hate 4Th grade.

This lovely (sarcasm) project is due on Feb. 8Th., we started working on it tonight. At the rate its going, it might take us till the 8Th to complete it. I think we've already spent about 3-4 hrs on it. Trying to come up with a plan, and what supplies we are going to use, and how it will go together. We are no where near done.

Here are a few of the requirements for this lovely box:
* This project must be big enough to hold and retrieve 25 Valentines cards. (OK, doable)
* The project needs to show the colors red and white (no problem)
* This project must use at least one recyclable material-such as a shoe box, a cereal box, a cardboard tube, plastic, etc. (got it)

Here is where it gets a little tricky (IMO)...
* The project must use at least 3 different simple machines such as a hinge, screw, wedge, inclined plane, lever, wheel & axle, or pulley. More than 3 simple machines may be used. * optional-you may include or explain how a light, sound, magnetic, heat, electrical, or mechanical source was or could be used to enhance your Valentine Box project.
* Use an appropriate theme to tie in with your design. Example: The Love Bug (car) The Valentine Express (Train)
* Each child must orally present their project to the class and explain what safety measures they used, the effectiveness of reusing the recycled materials, and give the size measurements of their project. (No larger than 12" x 12" x 12")
* The project needs to be at school on Monday, Feb. 8.
Be Creative...Have Fun...
Yeah, right...What the hell is she smokin?

So anyways, as you can see, its not your ordinary Valentines Day box. We have decided to do a "Valentines Delivery Van". Its going OK so far, I think...but its so time consuming. Tomorrow we need to get hinges, screws, maybe a lever...who knows. I just want it done, and out of my house. Not sure why they need to have projects that are so parental involved...its not like parents have all the free time in the world. Bill thinks its ridiculous. If I ask him his opinion on it, he gets all pissy because he thinks its stupid and the teacher is crazy having a project like this. Thanks a lot Mrs. M..

Toodles