Program Planning and the Perfectionist Personality

One of the things I have learned about myself and programming is that if I don't write it down, I stress about it. The longer I wait to write it down, the more I stress out. Listing it out makes me feel better about things in many ways--small steps, deadlines, breaking up tasks etc. So I've created a program planning method that is basically a glorified to-do list.

Did I need to hand-craft moldy cheese for my D.o.a.W.K party? No, but the kids were super impressed by its grossness and I enjoyed making it, cackling to myself all the while.

I try really hard to take an "Unprogramming" perspective and not spend more time planning than a program is worth, but it's a learned process for me (someone who would love to be a perfectionist party planner in another life). 

First, I write down all the ideas/possibilities for a program. The first draft is basically a research brainstorm. This part might start very incidentally; I get a program idea and write it down in my Vitalist calendar (or Outlook at my old job). Then I add notes anytime I find or think of something that I want to remember. So it might look like this in the early stages:

Wonder Book club 7/15/13

Notes:

Smash things--smash out bullying. Create first? Write?

Something with precepts, maybe.

So Tomorrow did book club for this--check post for ideas

This work is incidental--by the time I get to crunch time (about a week before I actually do the program), I've only spent 5-10 minutes on it so far. Full disclosure, at this point I'm also starting to feel like this about the program.

Then, I take a half-hour or so and make myself a program outline.  I write down all the things I *want* to do for the program, and below that I write down all things I need for each activity--purchased, gathered, or created. Then I take a realistic look at what's feasible, what's too much effort, what's just blatantly over-doing it, and decide what my program will actually look like. For me, it's totally crucial to see the whole thing laid out in black and white, so to speak.

On the day of the program, I can just consult my list to gather all my materials and set everything up, and I'm good to go.

I think I've hit a nice balance between my perfectionism/desire to create the BEST.PROGRAM.EVER and keeping myself sane and being a good steward of my own time.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Party:

 

Spy Program:

Apple BINGO--Inspired by Flannel Friday

I was inspired by posts I saw both at Falling Flannelboards (she includes PDF's, which I didn't notice until now, doh) and Roving Fiddlehead Kidlit to create my own version of Apple BINGO. I made mine with paper, and constructed it to work like a lift the flap book on the magnet side of my easel. It worked great!


This word says, 'apple.' A-P-P-L-E, apple. How many letters are in this word? Let's count them, 1-2-3-4-5. Five letters work together to make one word, 'apple.'  Let's sing a song about apples.

I know a fruit that's good to eat
And apple is its name-o
A-P-P-L-E
A-P-P-L-E
A-P-P-L-E and apple is its name-o

Uh oh, I'm hungry! Gobble gobble munch (open up the first flap to show the bitten apple instead of the letter).

I know a fruit that's good to eat
And apple is its name-o
*crunch*-P-P-L-E
*crunch*-P-P-L-E
*crunch*-P-P-L-E and apple is its name-o

And so on!

Inspired by Flannel Friday--Five Green and Speckled Frogs

I have been wanting to make this storytime prop for YEARS--ever since I first saw it on Mel's Desk in April 2011 (Holy moly time flies!).

I loved Mel's adorable frogs and their little log, but first I had to learn how to sing the song (that explains why it took so long).

Also, I knew that in order to use it in my family storytimes, I would have to make it bigger! Enter the mailing tube! Each frog photo is four inches wide, and it's shown sitting on the top shelf of a book cart, to give you an idea of the scale.

I added numbers for a little extra literacy punch. And yes, the waves do line up, because I'm fancy like that.

Next, I plan to steal another one of Mel's ideas, and hand out pipe-cleaner flies for the kids to wave around while we sing.