What started as an email to parents about the “new and improved” crafts event turned into an un-mailable rant. I’ll keep it here for now. I’ll discuss it with Leilani. I don’t dare to show the parents directly. I guess it could be viewed a bit passive aggressive to leave it here, but if you find it and see it I apologize, I mean it as a reminder for me and Leilani. I also think maybe I can word it in a way that’s I could still mail it, as we would really like to have these events again if not for…
Some of you remember my crafts evens. I know all the kids who were there do, because ever since they stopped, almost than a year ago they keep asking, when we’ll restart them.
I thought about it. What would it take?
1) Timing. I had one event where the first kid was picked up less than 1/2 hour than the last kid arrived. Kids were routinely 45 minutes late, this does not work for a 2 hour event. If I’d restart there would be a window of 30 minutes before the event (“playdate”) to drop of, and 5-10 minues late might be OK occasionally, but not more.
2) RSVPs: I had 2 events with more than 3 RSVPs where nobody showed up. I had 6 kids once when I expected 2. It does not work, because I need to set up. I need accurate and timely RSVPs.
3) Clean up. Frequently parents interrupted the cleanup by whisking the kids away, or distracting me. I need the glue off the floor and the paint off the brushes before they dry, it’s also not good for the kids to be left off the hook. Same for the potlucks or shared dinners that sometimes, spontaneously happened afterwards. I loved them. I did not enjoy having the entire cleanup for a party of 10 people between me and Andy half the time.
4) Sharing / helping / reciprocating: It was a free event and the materials were free to cheap, and I always paid for them myself. But it would be nice if I had a little help. Somebody has to go to the store for just that one bottle of green paint or glue, not always me. Often the setup was a bit of work, and it would have been fun to have an adult help for 15 minutes or 1/2 an hour. Also, Leilani loves to go to other people’s houses, for play dates, sleepovers, baking, gardening as well.
5) Siblings / younger kids: The crafts work for an age range. Younger kids are more work, because they dump their smoothie into the beads more frequently, and because they need a lot of extra explanation, and they get frustrated if they can not do certain tasks, or have to do alternative crafts. It takes too much time away from the kids I actually want to work with.
I stopped there, before the list was finished. I knew each of the parents tried at least in one or two of the list-items above, or had good reasons why they couldn’t or would do what they did.
I assumed things could not change. I hope I get more optimistic and try :-)
