Earlier this week I found a cool-looking craft and decided to give it a try with Liam. The originator of the idea - which is basically to heat up rocks in the oven and then melt crayons on them - had done the craft with her kids (presumably a bit older than mine) and the results looked really neat. Although heating up rocks presented a potential hazard, I figured Liam was old enough to handle it. Well, I was right about the handling part.
Shortly after I took the "hot rocks" out of the oven and put them on the cool cookie sheet (and patiently explained to Liam how the rocks were VERY hot and he should, by all means, not touch them), he stuck out his finger and touched one. Did he not believe me? Did he need to see for himself? Does his mother not know that five is too young for oven crafts?
After soaking and ice and band-aids, Liam - teary-eyed and nursing his blister - sniffled, "Mom," he said. "I really think this craft is too dangerous for me."
Perhaps not my best mothering moment. But melting those crayons on the hot rocks sure was fun for me.
2 comments:
"Perhaps not my best mothering moment."
What?! You told him the rocks were hot. He disobeyed--and discovered why sometimes it's better to obey. Great mothering moment, actually.
one of rocks' most interesting characteristics is that when heated to a nominal temperature, they do not in any way appear to have changed in color, or form - attributes which we humans almost always rely upon to help us avoid injuring ourselves (e.g. flame, smoke, etc).
as i thought about the situation you described, i thought how tempting it truly must have been to touch something that was supposed to be "hot" but looked in every way just as a rock at room temperature is supposed to look.
perhaps the funniest of all is that i am talking about the temperature variation of rocks. awesome.
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