One thing that never ceases to amaze me, no matter how much I work with children, is that your best laid plans will always be cast to the four winds the moment you include children in the equation. Something that seemed perfectly simple and logical on paper suddenly isn't any more the moment that it's in the hands of a five year old.
This week, amongst all of the other crafts going on at the museum we're been making paper coracles. Each child was given the paper, cut up the strips themselves, was explained to about what a coracle was and what it is used for ("It's a boat. For sailing on the water in.") and then they were shown how to weave the strips together to make the coracle.
It was all going fine. Until one of the children put it on their head.
Now, a coracle isn't a hat. We told every child that it wasn't. But that didn't stop them all measuring the bands to fit their own heads and wearing them. Even the parents joined in, helping the children to modify the boats into headwear. As soon as one child had a cool hat, they all wanted one. So much for teaching children about traditional craft methods and boat building. Perhaps we should have been focusing on millinery instead.
It all goes to show, really, that at the end of the day a boat is exciting... but a hat is better. Apparently, craft is more exciting when you can wear it.
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