Scientific Thinking: A Glimpse Into Your Child's Brain

At morning meeting, Maria introduced the children to two objects. The children immediately knew that the bright yellow one was an etrog. But what was the smaller brownish one? Maria passed the two objects around the circle so that everyone could get a closer look.

Examining the small brownish object, "Can we cut it open? It feels rough" Max said. "It smells almost like an etrog." noticed Ezra.  Zack commented, "Maybe the brown one is dying." "And it dried up." added Max. "Maybe it was born that way, concluded Dylan.

Of the yellow etrog, Dylan commented, "This one smells like lemon." And of the brown one he observed, "This one doesn't."While Max thought it smelled like an etrog, Rachel thought it didn't smell like anything. "It smells yummier." said Zack.

It turned out that the smaller brownish object was actually an etrog from two years ago that had dired. Showing both the old, dried etrog and the fresh new one was an interesting way to provoke the children's thinking. It allowed them a very natural way to compare and contrast the two. Scientific thinking skills and curiousity in action. What an amazing conversation to witness!