Third Graders Celebrate Mistakes with the Book, Beautiful Oops!

Last week, the Third Grade learned that by making mistakes, they can have the opportunity to learn from it, to become problem solvers, and to be creative. They read the poem “Mistakes are Great,” and discussed how frustrated they get when they don’t get things right on the first try and that it’s OK, because even some of the best things like potato chips, chocolate chip cookies, silly putty, fireworks, a slinky and the microwave were all things that were created as a mistake.

They listened to the “amazing book”, Beautiful Oops!, by Barney Saltzberg and used their imaginations to turn mistakes, squiggles, and stains into “beautiful oops” creations with the CELEBRATE OOPS! initiative.  And they had so much fun making their creations. CELEBRATE OOPS! is designed to build confidence and turn accidents into teaching moments. CELEBRATE OOPS! instills an important life lesson (it’s okay to make mistakes) and fosters a great spirit of creativity for the students.

One student’s reflection on the activity was, “it’s okay to make a mistake and that everyone makes mistakes.  And the good thing is we learn from them!”

If you want to foster the Growth Mindset and celebrate “Beautiful Oops!” moments at home, see the link Beautiful Oops! for more information.