My Holiday Project FAIL
I’m still not sure what this is… but it’s going on the Christmas tree.
I found the most beautiful project to make with our diverse group of kids (who celebrate so many different winter holidays) on the Scholastic Website! Holiday Stars! Here’s an image from the activity page:
I imagined them hanging in the window of the lovely Ms. B’s second-grade classroom. It’s in one of those “temporary buildings” that schools have. She’s absolutely wonderful, and deserves some bright, happy stars in that window.
Well, that didn’t happen.
It all started out well… we covered the tables with paper, because the kids eat at these tables, too. We want to keep them clean and save the cleaning staff any extra work - they’ve got enough on their hands, with the whole global pandemic thing.
Everyone came and sat down.
The kids got right down to business - constructing their shapes with popsicle sticks.
Coincidentally, the school’s vice-principal, principal AND SUPERINTENDENT stopped by to observe. Only one person chose to follow my example and make a star, which made me giggle.
And then - moments after these pictures were taken…
…a powerful windstorm blew in!
The tissue paper blew everywhere!
The popsicle sticks - carrying wet glue with them - lodged themselves in people’s hair.
The green butcher paper lifted, billowing like the parachutes the kids run under in gym class.
The butcher paper hit me in the face.
It hit us all in the face, over and over again.
The kids screamed! They laughed! They screamed again!
I had NOT factored in wind. Not at all. Everything was blowing around.
It was a mess.
But the kids kept sculpting. Every few minutes, their sculptures would be blown apart by the wind. And they’d start again.
They had specific explanations for the things that they made. For example, the blue sculpture above is “lightning.” The person working in only popsicle sticks and pipe cleaners was adamant that he needed a blue pipe cleaner on the end, or “It wouldn’t work.”
When art time was over, they kept sculpting. They sculpted through recess. They worked until the things finally stuck together exactly how they wanted.
Once the principal reassured me that they wouldn’t kick me off campus for making a mess, I relaxed a bit. I became the kids’ studio assistant - just like years ago, when I worked for Jane Ash Poitras. I fetched supplies as needed. I held stuff together until it dried. I did detail work. I operated with little-to-no-information about why I was doing what I was doing - in a loud, exuberant environment.
I gave up on expectations and enjoyed my time with them.
Later, I saw a few of the kids and their families at an on-campus vaccine clinic.
One child said, “Art was super fun today!”
His parents seemed understandably mystified by the holiday ornament that was handed to them.
“There was a lot of wind,” I said.
“That’s cool,” said the Dad.
Materials note: We used popsicle sticks instead of coffee stirrers (because that’s what we had.) We intended to use pipe cleaners instead of string to hang the ornaments, because those are easier for little fingers. And they are fun!
