You know when your child comes home from school, you look in their book bag, and then you see it, the dreaded letter that says: We would like you to make a model of a dinosaur.
My reaction is yikes, my husband Mark's is woohoo!
In 1994 BC (before children), Mark did a BTEC Higher National Diploma in Interior Design. This involved having to make scale models of each of the buildings he designed.
He's fantastic at model making, whereas I pin lots of ideas on Pinterest, fantasize about making the most amazing model, then run out of time and end up with a painted box if I'm lucky.
Mark on the other hand, was very happy to see the letter from school and got straight on to delving in to our recycling paper bin to find treasures to make the dinosaur.
Several tubes and circular boxes later, he had started to assemble this amazing beast.
I'd just like to say now, while all this was happening at home, our son Jacob, 6, who's project it was, was at school totally oblivious to what daddy was up to.
I say to Mark, 'I thought Jacob was supposed to make the model with you?'
Mark's reply 'Erm, well yes, he can help me paint it.'
So when Jacob returned home from school, Mark couldn't wait to show him the new addition to our family.
Jacob loved it and promptly name it 'Dippy the diplodocus'.
Dippy was naked at this point, so he needed at least two coats of paint to stop the show through of the Dairylea cheese triangles boxes underneath.
Digging around in the craft box, Mark found some green paint and paintbrushes. Then he placed newspaper on the table and got the paint ready.
'Come on then Jacob, lets paint Dippy' said Mark.
After finally peeling his eyes off his iPad, Jacob set to work with daddy to finish the masterpiece.
I was watching and I could hear Mark saying things like 'You just do that bit there.' Or 'It's ok, I'll do that bit.' Basically finding it hard to let Jacob just paint the damn thing.
When they had finished, they had to wait until the next day for it to dry. Conveniently for Mark, it dried whilst Jacob was at school.
'Oh, I might as well just finish it then' said Mark.
Jacob came home from school to a fully finished and dried Dippy the diplodocus.
He was so happy with it, and skipped off happily to school with Dippy!
Only a couple of weeks ago, our daughter, Amber who is 13 years old and should be capable of doing her own homework by now. Said she had to do a project for art, it was to make a model of something, anything upscaled in size.
Mark's eyes rose up from his phone, and I knew then, he would be 'helping' her.
A couple of days later, Amber was clutching a giant MAC lipstick model on her way to school. An exact replica of the real thing, perfect even down to the silver MAC lettering on the side. Did she even help with any of it? What do you think?
Exactly!
I'd love to hear your stories, do you love crafting with the kids or does it fill you with fear?
Leave a comment below.