We often confuse problem solving for knowing how to solve a problem. This is so ridiculously simple. There are more problems for which you don't know the answer but can still figure out, with a bit of imagination and creativity, than problems that you could actually know the answer to already. I have been leading kids in developing new ways of thinking at Kids Science Labs for a decade, and the overwhelming evidence (not to mention the academic research) is that kids under 6, before they finish Kindergarten, have far greater problem solving ability than adults. The science is pretty simple. Adults lack (or at least choose not to exercise) their imagination, whereas imagination is one of the primary ways in which kids in early childhood solve a problem. Try it yourself. Ask a kid how to get to the moon, or where dragons live, and they will give you an answer. A real plausible answer, except that when you hear it as an adult, you can reject that solution because you think its simply not possible. You lack imagination.
Mistakes are incredibly valuable for kids, which is why hands-on science is so important for them
Kids Science Labs offers the most engaging hands-on science program to our families and their guests, available anywhere in the world. We have the best science summer camps in Seattle and Chicago, and offer STEM Labs and Field Trips to hundreds of schools around the country seeking to partner with our team to boost science enrichment and student motivation.
Experimenting at Home When Cooking Can Enable Kids To Accelerate Science Learning
1) BUBBLING RAINBOW [ This experiment uses an oven, so be safe first!]
Some of our clients ask us for some exciting kitchen experiments that they can do @home, when they are not at Kids Science Labs camps, STEM Labs, hands-on science classes, or parties. Of course, we love to share!
This experiment is a chemical reaction [when 2 things, an acid and a base, come together and create something new(gas)]. You can explore the bubbles with your eyes, your ears, your fingers, and even your nose! What does a chemical reaction even sound like? Chemical reactions can even change the temperature. This one is an endothermic reaction (taking energy from the environment) and you and your scientist can touch and feel how much colder it feels!
What you’ll need:
Baking sheet
Food coloring
Baking soda
Vinegar
The Experiment!:
Cover the bottom of the tray with baking soda
Have fun dropping dots of color all over the baking soda
Take a lot of vinegar… start a count down… pour the vinegar all over the tray and watch it bubble!!
Now is your time to OBSERVE! What do you see? What does it sound like? What does it remind you of? What is happening to the colors? What color do all the colors make when they are mixed together? What does the pan feel like? What’s the temperature? (Be sure to let the baking sheet cool off a bit so its safe to touch, as safety coms first!)
*Kids will probably want to do this over and over and over so have a lot of baking soda and vinegar at hand :)
Problem-solving matters in improving creativity and overcoming obstacles that inhibit kids from reaching their full potential
Problem solving matters and it matters in a massive way. Problem solving is how we apply what we know to find solutions to complex problems. It is not only how we innovate new medical procedures and design sleeker iPhones, but also how we determine the logistics of getting our kids to activities on-time and figuring out how to squeeze all those clothes Into suitcases on vacation. We think of what we are trying to do, consider alternatives, test a thesis, and then make a series of choices that hopefully result in a solution that works.
