bad idea

Sometimes the idea of things is better than the reality. I'm finding that to be very true when it comes to activities with young kids. I can't tell you the number of times I'm handed a craft at church that is covered in glitter. Maybe little girls are different but my boys will have that glitter picked off and coating the back seat of our van in less than five minutes. I am not a fan of glitter.
And if it isn't glitter, it's wet paint. Do these wonderful women really think that my dragons can handle a picture that is covered in wet paint? Their confidence in my kids is heartening but completely unwarranted.
Today we were at a nature class that I signed the boys up for and the topic was worms. What little boy doesn't love worms? It was fabulous. There was a guest speaker who told us all about worms and then gave us materials to create our very own worm habitats to take home with us. She passed out Styrofoam coffee cups, rubber gloves, dirt, and a few other miscellaneous supplies.
"A worm habitat? That sounds great! My kids love worms. Oh. You're going to give my four-year old and my three-year old a Styrofoam cup filled with worms and dirt? Yeah, that's not going to go well. Actually, that is going to be pretty terrible. Can I pass on the worm thing?"  
Jem dropped his worm habitat two times before we even made it out to the van and then again when we got home. Truett did very well until later in the evening when he decided his worms needed to be in the living room and promptly dropped his cup on the carpet. I cleaned up worms and dirt four times today. And can I throw those habitats away? (I would put the worms outside - I'm not completely heartless) Of course not! The boys have spent their day talking about their worms and asking me when we can feed them and wondering what they are doing in their cups. I love that they are engaged and learning. I just wish it didn't have to be so messy. I think messy is in the cards for me for the next fifteen years. Good thing I have a decent vacuum.