I had the privilege of running a craft table in Chloe’s kindergarten class yesterday.
My table’s theme was snowflake Christmas ornaments using colourful pipe cleaners and beads.

The second boy to arrive at my table changed the theme from snowflake Christmas ornaments using colourful beads to “Scorpions who fight.” He very creatively turned the pointed ends of the snowflake pipe cleaner into deadly scorpion claws. He used the beads as eyes and attempted to scrape the hands of unsuspecting snowflakers bringing the animal to life.

I had just one child tell me I ruined their craft and therefore ruined their life. I did ruin their craft by trying to add some whimsical, festive charm to an unnerving predatory creature. I hope I didn’t ruin his life.

One boy made his scorpion for his Aunt Nancy who lives in Niagara Falls or Newfoundland or Niagara Falls, wait, Scarborough.

When I pointed out the thoughtful pattern in one little girl’s bead work she said, “It goes this this, that that, this this, that that.”

Most of the girls said, “I’m making this for my Mom,” while the boys retorted, “I’m making this for my Dad.”

Chloe said, “I’m making this for you and your husband.”

A number of girls were disappointed I could not help them make their snowflakes look like the perfectly crafted sample made by the teacher. “I want mine to look like that,” pointing to the teacher’s masterpiece. Isn’t that just setting the kids up for failure? Note to teachers, make your samples as terrible as what you expect from three and four year old’s, then make it slightly worse thus giving the kids real scorpion confidence. Nobody has the time or resources to make it look like hers and I bet she didn’t make hers while one kid was using a Sharpie to draw a mustache on her hand to distract her from the other hand being scraped by a scorpion….who fights.