So Much More Than An Airplane in the Backyard
"At the end of second grade, our youngest daughter was really struggling with frustration. Being experienced parents, we figured what she needed was to have more practice with frustration. So clearly she needed to learn the engineering design process (this is what happens when a woman with a good liberal arts education marries into a family of engineers, apparently). That would provide a whole lot of frustration in a low stakes environment that was fun also. We bought her a whole bunch of Makedo screws and a saw, a big old plastic toolbox, some gloves, and some other simple construction tools. Then we turned her loose on the deck for the summer with twice her body weight in cardboard.
She learned what to do when her build didn't look like what she had in her head, and how to adjust in the midst of problem solving, and how to go with the unexpected, and how to ask for help when she was stuck. She also learned to take a break, and how good planning matters.
She has a lot more confidence in her problem solving skills now, and that means she is not as easily frustrated now.
We have more peace in our home as a result, and don't worry so much about how she is doing at school when things get hard. I'm delighted by her emotional growth as a result of a summer of Makedo, and my older kids are excited that she's developing the mindset that they share. One is an architect, and the other in an engineer, so they are hoping that their baby sister continues to love maths and maker stuff too."
Uploaded by Heatherle
