Rescue Mission: Dinosaurs and Persistance
Operation ‘Rescue the Dinosaurs from the Ice Age’ was a fun-filled and freezing success!
But, before we could RESCUE the dinosaurs, we had to TRAP THEM.
Ha!
I was like, hey kids, let’s cause a problem and then figure out how to solve it! Because I’m all about those real life lessons. (Or maybe I’m the only one who lives her life creating problems and then solving them? Welp. *Shoulder Shrug*)
We gathered for circle time and we discussed all of the important science things. Liquids and solids, temperatures textures, what an ice age is. I gave each preschooler a balloon and small squishy dinosaur. They put their dinosaur inside of their balloon and then we brainstormed freezing strategies. The kids tossed around some pretty solid ideas “We could fill the balloons up with water and put them out in the snow!” or “put them in my mom’s soda cooler she brings to soccer because you can put lots of ice in it and it’s red!” or “let’s mail them to the North Pole!”. In the end they decided that we should fill the balloons with water and put them in the kitchen freezer.
Good call, kids.
The following day, I set out science stations, providing each student with tools to help them evacuate their dinosaur. Scissors, droppers, toothpicks, cups of hot water. They came into class and got right to work.
By this point in the school year my students are pretty independent and navigate our space with confidence. As is our approach with most things, and especially with STEM activities, our teaching staff stood back and observed, allowing space for natural, child-lead exploration and discovery. Many of them struggled to get the ice out of their balloon. We responded to their questions with, “I don’t know, what do you think?” and praised their persistence, “you are working hard” and “I see that you are trying lots of different strategies”. The time and effort it took for each preschooler varied pretty drastically, but each of them successfully got the ice out of their balloon. And they were all so proud of themselves!
As a teacher I am often tempted to step in and help or offer suggestions to make a task easier for my students, but I do my best to remember that my job rarely requires me instruct, my job is to be a guide who facilitates experiences that encourage students to try new things and work through challenges. When I am too quick to step in, I am robbing them of the opportunity to really learn. I try to refrain from praise such as “that is/you are awesome!” or “you did a great job!” and instead say thing like “you stuck with it and didn’t give up!" and “tell me how you did it! What worked for you and what failed?”. This shift in praise language helps them to recognize the value of the process , rather than put their value in the outcome.
And yes, I gave them hot water! I did. Encouraging a child to trust themselves is key for resiliency development. It is important to me that my students know that I trust them to do hard things, and take ownership over their actions. When I trust them, they feel safe in trusting themselves! This is empowering and often results in brave, responsible behavior. Kids are so capable! When we step in and do things for them we are inadvertently saying “I can do this better than you”. I tell them, “this water is very hot, if you stick your finger in it, it will burn”. If they touch the hot water then they’ll know what a burned finger feels like! You know? We need not feed the fear and doubt that will keep them from trying new things or facing intimidating situations in the future!
“My dinosaur is SO HAPPY to get out. She told me.” - preschooler so stoked about freeing her Jurassic friend.
