12 School Projects Everyone Had to Do — and Nobody Misses
These cringeworthy school assignments were a rite of passage, but let’s be honest — no one’s wishing for a comeback.
- Chris Graciano
- 3 min read
Some school projects were legendary not for being fun or educational, but for the stress, confusion, or mess they caused. Whether it was standing in front of the class or crafting a lopsided model the night before, these assignments tested patience more than knowledge. Here are 12 universally dreaded school projects that most of us are glad to leave in the past.
1. The Dreaded Science Fair Board
Samuel Mann on Flickr
Gluing down charts, graphs, and hand-cut letters on a trifold board felt like assembling a billboard with a deadline. Most kids had help or panic attacks the night before.
2. Making a Shoebox Diorama
Christchurch City Libraries on Flickr
A shoebox, some construction paper, and glue sticks came together to create miniature book scenes. They sounded fun until everything kept falling apart in transit.
3. Oral Book Reports
Ugip on Unsplash
Reading a novel was one thing — summarizing it aloud in front of 30 peers was another nightmare. Stuttering through key points while classmates doodled felt like public humiliation.
4. Building a Volcano
Ryan Dickey on Wikimedia Commons
Every science class had that one kid with a perfect lava-spewing model — and the rest of us with soggy paper-mâché lumps. Cleaning up vinegar and baking soda messes wasn’t part of the grade, but it should’ve been.
5. The Family Tree Poster
rick on Flickr
Tracing your lineage sounded simple until you realized you needed names, dates, photos — and possibly to explain awkward family drama. For kids with unconventional families, it felt more invasive than educational.
6. Biography Presentations in Costume
ActuaLitté on Wikimedia Commons
Dressing up as a dead historical figure and giving a speech in character? For some, it was a chance to shine — for others, it was pure embarrassment.
7. State Fair or Country Projects
Max Fischer on Pexels
Assigned a U.S. state or foreign nation, students scrambled to find fun facts, print flags, and butcher pronunciations. Tri-folds and awkward food samples were standard.
8. Writing a “What I Did Over Summer” Essay
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This assignment kicked off nearly every school year, pressuring kids to turn three months of downtime into literary gold. It was repetitive, forced, and rarely exciting to write or read.
9. Plant-Growing Experiments
Mikhail Seleznev on Unsplash
Every kid had a bean in a cup on a windowsill that either thrived or shriveled. Watching dirt do nothing wasn’t exactly thrilling.
10. Poster Projects on Famous Americans
Vanessa Loring on Pexels
Finding photos, quotes, and achievements about someone like Benjamin Franklin usually meant copying from a library book. The results looked like a ransom note of cut-out clippings.
11. Book Covers Made from Paper Bags
cottonbro studio on Pexels
Covering your textbooks in brown grocery bags was supposed to protect them — if you could get the folds right. Teachers expected creativity, which often meant doodling during math.
12. Class Presentations with PowerPoint
Herlambang Tinasih Gusti on Unsplash
PowerPoint was meant to help, but often turned into a click-through disaster of clashing fonts and animations. Reading slides word-for-word was standard practice.