Back Up Plan... My Pen Has a Face

Sometimes things don't go as planned, and that's not always a bad thing. 

According to "The Kitchen Project", the potato chip was invented when a cook, George Crum, got angry at a customer who kept sending back "soggy and thick" French fries. He fried up some thin crunchy fries, creating potato chips. The customer loved them. All of America loves them. Crum's little burst of anger led to a great invention. 

Now you might be wondering what this has to do with the face on my pen. The last couple days my main plan for the blog post has failed miserably. I have been trying to create a weaving project to promote fine motor skills along with a little culture lesson. One little problem; I am really horrible at weaving. I am certain every child who tried to complete this project would have done 100,000 times better than me! 

So, as I tinkered with what was supposed to be a woven coaster, trying to make it lay flat and to make the hole in the center a little less conspicuous, I decided it looked like a skirt. On my pen it went, and I can’t have a little ballerina pen - without a face.  

Don't get discouraged when plans don't work out. You might have something fun planned for outside and the sun decides to turn into a storm. Let the children suggest indoor activities, or prompt them to create a game. 

Another activity you can do is look at abstract art, to see what the children think it is. This can also be done with classical music, asking the children to narrate a story that goes along with the music. You hear or see one thing, but someone else may see or hear a different story. 

Look at things differently and allow the children to lead. They might just teach you something.