The Power of the Process

The start of our seed houses...

I truly believe there is something valuable in experiencing difficulties and figuring out what to do to overcome them.  

A few weeks ago I shared about the seed houses I was working on with the girls I tutor. We were optimistic that they were going to grow the first time around and that we wouldn’t have to make any changes. The girls had a plan to help them grow – put them in sunlight and water them. 

However, things did not go according to plan.  The seed houses didn’t sprout like we expected them too – they remained the same. 

Now you might think that this was a bad thing…however, what came out of it was better than expected. ​

But before I get to that, let me tell you I am a believer in demonstrating the process. I am not one to do cookie cutter activities. When I would do science experiments with my kids, I would do it with them the first time, no trial time for me, because I feel I would be doing science an injustice if the experiment worked right off the bat. In the real world, things don’t go according to plan all the time. 
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So when the girls encountered difficulty with their seed houses – we looked at it as an opportunity and ran with it. We did more research and went back to the drawing board. The new plan was to put them in plastic containers, have them sit in sunlight daily (rotate them as well) and water them when the sponges felt dry. 

This week, when I walked into the girls' house, I was not sure what to expect. But much to my surprise, they grew....

The
​Results

The girls were thrilled and learned so much from the experience. They got to see first hand what it takes to make seeds grow. 

I truly believe the whole process, good and bad, is important for kids to see. Some of the best learning takes place when things don't go according to plan...

Until next time,
​Jackie