The Sense of a Scientist
“Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.” —Albert Einstein
The journey of Session 2 began this week and the walls of Acton are bursting with questions, experiments, and tinkering, tinkering, tinkering as learners assumed their newest role as Toy Scientist, more specifically Physicist. It was amazing to experience how a simple white lab coat and a pair of safety goggles can transform even the youngest learner into a serious professional. Learners took their Owl observation skills to the max while testing toys such as rubber duckies (buoyancy) and slime (elasticity). While walking through the Toy Lab you would see learners evaluating, testing, and recording their observations and you would hear this gem of a discourse...
Guide: What makes this toy fun? (slime)
Learner 1: It’s texturized.
Learner 2: Mmmm yes, the stretchiness is something that kids would find satisfying.
As an observer of the Owl observers you’d consistently hear comments exploring why and how something worked but the greatest burst of genius came when learners catapulted into the process of experimentation—the development of their toy prototype!
Children are natural tinkerers and game makers, they have fresh eyes that see endless and beautiful possibility, even in a rubber band or paperclip. The imagination and creativity of learners is how we know they will change the world. Changing the world won’t be clean nor easy, instead, it will be messy, full of mistakes, failures, and a variety of disagreements—the every day process of a child playing.
The process of play is not only essential to this session’s Toy Quest but at Acton we believe play is the secret to learning. Play ignites creativity and play engages and invites meaning. Learners perpetually remind us that play in its purest form frees us and opens eyes to possibility. As a professional, I have dedicated my life to play both as a performer playing music and as a researcher of creativity. Hands down I can say that my greatest inspiration is children and my deepest discoveries were found as I looked with fresh eyes of a child. Children remind me to be free and to look at the world around me.
If you are wondering how you can help your learner this session it’s simple. Play, get messy, ask why, and find treasure in the trash and in the beautiful process of playing and exploring the world.