students – Running on Fumes

The latest iteration of my newest endeavor –

I think I’m getting better at this! Mini only told me once to stop being weird. Progress!

This time, we had 5 girls and it had been raining (with the works) for several hours. Mini isn’t a fan of storms and it appeared most of the other girls weren’t either. So we made a fort with a blanket thrown over a table and let the girls sit under it while I gave the lesson from a rather uncomfortable spot on the floor. Despite a few loud interruptions, we were right on time!

Maybe I’m starting to figure this stuff out. Until next time.

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I ask you –

When was the last time you built a blanket fort?

(The post Outtakes, episode 2 first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

This is episode one of a new series I’m beginning on RoF. As I’m now a great aunt, I have been accepted into the kingdom where all great aunts reside – basically next to sainthood. My beautiful, great Aunt Mary Catherine is the one woman I look up to, adore, and attempt to mirror my life around, lest her impact be felt any deeper than could be possible. Now that I have stepped into this new kingdom, I am honored to serve as a children’s church leader. Pump the brakes, Kel. Honored, yes. Serving, yes. Qualified to lead…children?! Never.

Monthly, and probably twice monthly, I will serve in this capacity for a group of young people between 5-12 years old. Surely I can be a wonderful role model. As long as buckets of grace are given.

Fortunately for everyone, I will not be alone. Safety purposes, for sure. ….mine. I am provided a helper, someone with more brain cells than I possess, more patience than Job, and an uncanny ability to keep me on track. This is funny if you consider I have always been the helper, never the leader. I was under qualified for that role, too.

It’s less than 90 minutes. What could go wrong. Statement, not question.

To start, things did go wrong. I was scheduled to conduct 3 scientific experiments: use an orange to pop a balloon, stick a pencil through a bag filled with water without leaking, and demonstrate gravity by dropping an apple. A trusty helper held the balloon while I tried every way to get that stupid balloon to pop. Nada. The pencil in the bag of water was successful until the pencil shifted and water poured out everywhere. Partial success. By the time we got to the apple, I knew I was in danger of losing a toe so I skipped that one and verbally shared how gravity works. Close call. I believe the youth were amused at my calamity of errors, but it was a rough lesson today. Nonetheless, I did my best to demonstrate how miracles may seem impossible.

Maybe next time I’ll read the lesson plan prior to start time.

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I ask you –

What did I do wrong with the orange peel? We tried the juice, the peel, the orange itself. It didn’t work.

(The post Outtakes first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)