Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Simple Science, Profound Discoveries


Today one of my little learners decided she wanted to make a parachute. 


She asked wonderful questions. Solved problems as she worked. Experimented, and tried again.

The end result...a parachute. 

Busy with other learners, I served as a resource. But, I could hear her processing. She is an external thinker.

"Where can I find plastic?"

"Wonder if we have a bolt? Well, maybe something else heavy would work? I just need a weight."

"This piece of plastic is cut too big. Good thing we have more bags."

"I think this would float slower if the strings were longer and the plastic were smaller."

"I can stand on the bed, but the tall tree would be better."

Enter sibling.

"Can you make me one?"

And the two work together.

Enter another little learner, the one who was working with me.

"That's cool! Can I make one?"

A smile of accomplishment.

"Sure!"

And the experimentation begins again, with a different weight plastic and another type of string.

What a thrill to watch the learning and collaboration unfold!

Simple things--a plastic bag, some string, and a clip--provided an afternoon of trial and error learning with a sibling. Profound.






No comments:

Post a Comment