I'm not quite sure you should be recognized for coining the word "thingy-majig" but I think it is quite grand. And thingy majig's can be a teacher's doom or they can be the most beautiful whimsy of all time. 

Some people call them knick-knack's or "fiddlers," but I like to call them thingy-majigs and essentially I'm referring to any object that seems to have the magic of taking over any child's full focus. For some, these are known as "distractors," and sometimes that is the case. However, if we are all being truthful with ourselves, whatever stage of life you're in, we all need a bit of a thingy-majig magic to get us through the day. 

This year, I have a class full of beautiful students and the most wide array of thingy-majigs you have ever seen. We have rubber bands and tiny dust balls. We have crumbled leaves and tiny bits of paper. We have tiny paper people and little stuffed friends. One of my students is the queen of thingy majigs and though I could have already taken that majig and thrown it across the room, we have decided to turn that "distractor" into a magical collection. Every day since the beginning of school, our whimsical friend has enticed us with a collection of little miniature friends. We have had tiny bears and tiny crabs, tiny sea horses and tiny sloths, and even a tiny little turtle. 

Though sometimes I end up taking the thingy-majigs an fashioning a new bracelet or a new necklace or a new hat, I have taken to spreading the magic of the thingy majig's by creating a thingy majig collection list. Every day when one of our friends hides her little majig at morning meeting, we always find it in her hands, and I take that magic majig and add it to the list. A bonus: that thingy becomes a silent observer and participant for the day. That little sloth really kicked butt in writing yesterday as he could see the whole class from my easel. Perspective is everything. 

So next time you find yourself wanting to rip a thingy majig in half (teachers-you're with me.) Remember, that thingy majig always has a purpose for that child. And hey...our class now has at least twelve new magical friends to kick it with.