- The Pink Refrigerator
The Pink Refrigerator. I made a special trip to the library to get this book. I really hoped they had it. I rarely make special trips to the library but this one was motivated by an email I received from a mom and a student of mine.
“You may have seen this. It is a picture book called The Pink Refrigerator by Tim Egan. This illustrates the secret of the “Closet” in an inspiring way. A junk dealer who likes to do–not much–finds a pink refrigerator that holds something new for him every day and he gets excited about life and learning, closes up shop, and sets off to explore the world.”
I thought you might enjoy this if you hadn’t seen it.
Happy reading,
Cathy D.
Well, I was intrigued and so I made a trip to the library. While I was there I picked up four other random books and said “Good. This will be grandma school. Reading books and eating pop corn.” (I am always looking for an excuse to eat pop corn.)
WOW!! Cathy’s description of the book was spot on. The Pink Refrigerator is the Closet. It is a beautiful story about how we can inspire a child to explore something that might not have occurred to them before. You absolutely never know what greatness is hiding inside a child if they have the opportunity to explore options.
When I was a girl one of my favorite summer activities was to cover large rocks with thick mud. These were my “cakes” and I took great pains to decorate them with flowers, leaves and grass. I spent considerable time doing this activity and I was inordinately proud of the results. To the casual onlooker it may have seemed as if I was really wasting time. (Yes you could put a large rock and a bucket of mud in the Closet!)
When I was in 9th grade I saw a project that the seniors were doing, Panorama Sugar Eggs. Man, I wanted to do that but it was reserved for seniors. I knew that I wouldn’t be there when I was senior. We moved a lot! So I bravely asked the Home Economics teacher if I could have the directions. I must have seemed really sincere or desperate because she gave them to me.
I had none of the required tools. I had no help, no experience. But I knew without doubt that I could do this project because I had made so many fabulous “cakes” in the past. Don’t ask me how I could think that real frosting and sugar was anything like rocks and mud but frankly, I did. I had learned that I could make stuff! For the next 45+ years I made beautiful “stuff”.
It doesn’t matter what you put into the Closet. The very act of opening it each day, anticipating some small new thing is all it takes to generate some serious excitement and enthusiasm.
If you haven’t read the Pink Refrigerator make a special trip to the library. You will be glad you did and I believe you will be inspired!
After reading the story, have each child write their own note about something they would like to learn more about or learn how to do. Post it on your Closet door. It will be incredible to see how excited your children are about the activity! One group of children who had the opportunity to read the book and do the activity had ideas like these:
- learn to jump better
- play the flute
- skydive
- learn how to care for animals
- run a profitable business
- go to Brazil
- be a librarian!
Now respond!
Can’t you just imagine where you could go with these ideas. Closet here we come!!!
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- To Waste or Not to Waste, That Is The Question
- Better Communication-Better Outcomes
- Children Learn Best When They Are Interested
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