Blog Post #2 - Angela

Question 1: I was running the float your boat program cart when a young boy came up and asked what we were doing. I challenged has to make an object out of clay that would float and hold pennies. He began by making a sea cucumber out of clay and had the idea to create an underwater world of different clay animals. After creating a few different sea creatures we began talking about why he made all his animals sink and he responded by telling me that those animals are found in the bottom of the ocean, they don’t float. I responded by asking him what things do float in the ocean ultimately leading to a discussion about boats and coming back to the idea of experimenting with building a boat or object that can float and hold pennies. This young boys original idea was unrelated to the science content being presented however this lead to the creation of a boat. Because of his original experimentation with dense sea creatures, we were able to compare the different creation and talk about density and surface area of the objects.

Question 2: Using yes and as a tool to facilitate visitors learning requires paying close attention to what the visitor is saying and working supportively along side them to reach a certain goal. I have found that one of the most common ways I use yes and in a conversation is followed by a question. For example I may ask a visitor what they noticed and after they respond I will respond with yes and a follow up question such as what makes you say that? In addition, it is very simple to use yes and in a conversation when both individuals are sharing observations and information. I truly enjoy having these conversations with guests were we are engaging in a conversation about similar observation we have had in order to figure out how something is working.