One of the things I want kids to think about as they’re telling the story of a project is how it changes as you move towards completion. For design stuff, you see it in the changes in the drawings or in the reality of working with certain materials. With the pallets, there was one set of wood you might have had when before you started taking it apart; there’s another set of wood when the wood is apart. And splintered. And full of nails.

But I really wanted them to think about the good reasons why a project changes. After two years at the Workshop School and even more years as a human being, they know the language of excuses. What I hoped for with this activity was a deeper understanding of the important ways that projects can change in helpful or productive ways. In other words, can they discuss how the materials changed their design or how what seemed reasonable as a drawing was impossible in the shop.