A while back, we read The Magical Yet, a book about a kid who is trying to learn to ride a bike. She becomes very frustrated by the challenges she faces, and is tempted to give up. The book celebrates mistakes and encourages children to use their own “yet” to help them cope and persevere when learning experiences become frustrating, or feel insurmountable.
When reflecting on the book, the Rainbows talked about monkey bars, and shared stories of practicing A LOT, and falling A LOT, and only being able to reach one bar, then two, then three. We asked the Rainbows, “if you gave up the first time it felt hard, would you have learned to use the monkey bars?”
But this made Ari and I think, because in recent years we both acquired roller skates, and they were collecting dust. We were scared of getting hurt, we didn’t have time or space to practice, or we felt silly learning how to use them. We weren’t really practicing what we preach. So as a special Spring Break sendoff, we brought our skates to school and did a practice session. The kids cheered us on, even though we were very slow and uncoordinated (Lily more than Ari). Initially they stayed seated and watched us get our footing, and then once it felt safe enough, they rode tricycles and ran along with us.
Have a great Spring Break Rainbows! Get some rest, and find time to practice your “yets”!
