Fun-Size Friday: Explore Smores

Smores

Objective:

• Practice following steps to create stores

Supplies:

• graham crackers

• marshmallows

• chocolate bars

• random supplies that you think would be good on smores such as strawberries, sprinkles, peanut butter, cherries...

Steps:

1. Break the graham crackers in half, like a hamburger.

2. Place two pieces of chocolate on the graham cracker.

3. Over a fire, with adult supervision, use a skewer to roast your marshmallow.

4. Place the marshmallow on the chocolate.

5. Add any other food you want to your smore.

6. Add the other half of your graham cracker to the top and enjoy!

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You may think a smore is a smore is a smore, but your kid doesn't think that. Children don't accept or understand the restraints that are placed on things until you or other adults introduce this into their life. Society tells us that a smore is chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers, but can't it be more than that?

The smore is obviously used as an analogy here, but I want to challenge you to not place restraints on your child's imagination. Don't tell them how things have to be. Don't stifle their creativity. Foster it. Let them know that things usually are one way, but they don't have to be. Let them discover their own world with guidance from you.

Have you ever been amazed by the crazy stories or fibs your child comes to you with. I constantly am, but instead of shutting them down, we explore their stories. "There was a monster in your room? Where? How big was it? Can you draw it for me? What do you think it wanted? Cookies? Hugs? Maybe it was a lonely monster. Do you think the monster had friends?"

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not condoning lying. Hopefully you understand that, but I think you get the point. Foster the creativity and perhaps one day you will have raised the next JK Rowling or David Copperfield.

Sorry to get all deep on you. Now, grab a smore and explore life.