Summer Reading: Program Testing

In summer, I try to host two or three programs a week during July. I host a few in June and a few in August, but July is the main month. For the most part, I do all of my own programming. The budget isn't great for outside presenters and I got burned by one really early in my career.

Often I find program ideas on Pinterest (yes, I'm addicted). I'm a crafty person, I can make or figure out how to make crafts. I'm not the best crafty person, but I'm pretty good. I do a lot of programs that support my talents, but I'm not opposed to trying something new.

Crafts don't always work out - which is why this book is coming soon about Pinterest Fails:

Still, I don't mind terribly. Most of the time, the craft is something I know how to do pretty well. But there are times when the craft is new. Sometimes (but not often), I try out the craft before the program. Most of the time I don't because either there aren't enough materials or there isn't enough time or I'm pretty sure everything will turn out just fine. And most of the time it does.

BUT....

There is that one time when it doesn't.

I just tried out a craft this week for later in the summer - because it looked really fun. And I'm glad I did because it kind of worked. 

The tattoo didn't really last and you couldn't create the nerdy Harry Potter Tattoo that I really wanted.  

The heart worked much better.

The good news is there's still time to play around with the formula and figure it out. This is supposed to be henna like tattoo, but I'm going to try and make a more blue ink tattoo that hopefully will be darker and last a big longer.

Now I'm a little nervous about this one:

Which will be later in the summer, but I think I'm going to wing it. I kind of like it when teens realize that not everything's perfect and not everything comes out the way you want it to. Even when the crafts aren't what they should be, everyone has fun and we try to figure out what could make it better. Sometimes that works, and sometimes it doesn't. I don't think it's a bad experience. It's just life.

If you're a librarian, do you always test out a program beforehand?