It’s fall and you know what that means! Candy corn, caramel apples, crisp, cool air and (in our part of the country) the local county fair.
For the past few years, my kids have entered the various contests sponsored by the fair. This year we’ve entered art projects, canning products, photography, and culinary items. It’s fun to create projects to win ribbons and premiums (aka money prizes). Besides the fun and tangible rewards, my kids are learning all kinds of lessons from the fair.
1. Perseverance
My kids will start planning some of their projects as far as a year in advance, but following through with those projects is a different story. One year, my son had this grand idea that he was going to make a 3-D origami swan. It would need 200-400 individual origami pieces. He worked on those pieces for months. When it came time to put it together, he got so frustrated he almost gave up. That’s where I came into the picture. I knew he couldn’t give up, he needed to persevere. So, I gave him a deadline and we sat down one afternoon. He did the work, while I encouraged him on. He finished, entered, and won best of show with that swan. Sometimes the satisfaction of a job well done is sweeter when we have pushed through the tears and frustration. Perseverance!
2. Time Management
The first year we entered projects in the fair, we started small-4 projects for each child. Now, my older children enter somewhere over 20 projects a piece. With all the other responsibilities with school, family and hobbies, time management is important. At first, I had the kids work on a project a month. Now, I give an ultimate deadline to have all projects done. A friend suggested that since the entry date is a few weeks before the fair that whatever is complete is entered. If you didn’t finish it, you just don’t enter that category. Either way, giving children deadlines helps them learn to manage their time.
So, you don’t think we’re perfect. I will admit this is an area we are still working on. Some children are just more motivated to do projects earlier than others. Lessons worth learning take time!
3. Life Skills
Entering the fair has pushed my children (and myself) to learn new skills. We’ve experimented with canning for the first time. The fair was just the motivation we needed to try an unfamiliar task. Photography, different kinds of crafts, animal husbandry, gardening, culinary categories and more can be explored while participating in a county fair. In our experience, adding one or two new skills (categories) a year is plenty.
4. Life’s not fair!
Just because you worked hard on a project and it’s prize-worthy, doesn’t mean you WILL win. Sometimes we shake our heads in confusion over the judges’ decisions. We talked with a disgruntled parent picking up their projects wondering why their son’s hand sewn professional puppet lost to a scribbled-on paper sack puppet. Judges can be subjective. They judge things through their own filter. Judges are influenced by their own personal preferences, tastes and moods. They are human! This is such a huge lesson for our children to learn. You can do the best job and still not win! You may be the most qualified candidate for that scholarship or job interview and still not get it. Life is not always fair!
What started out as a fun experience has turned into so many life lessons. Participating in our county fair has taught my children so much more than I could have ever imagined.
Check out Countyfairgrounds, USA to find a fair near you!