The Question is The Answer

So all liquids are fruit? (making juice from concentrate) she's categorizing and classifying

Why are there bubbles on the eggs? (while making hard-boiled eggs for breakfast) - she's making observations

How do I get them out? - she's deciding which tool is best

What's the difference between scrambled eggs and hard eggs? (hard-boiled) - she's comparing and contrasting

These are all questions Sofia just asked while making breakfast together. They are proof that we are not only naturally inquisitive, but natural scientists. We don't need to teach them how to "be" scientists.

The appropriate response in not to answer her questions, but to ask her what she thinks the answers might be, and allowing her to discover through testing and reading (Let's go on the library and find out, or let's get on the internet right now. Here, what's it say under this video of "Why Eggs Boil"?)

Instead of taking her out of her natural curiosity by telling her, she is being allowed to make all sorts of connections in her brain as to the possible answers, while at the same time reading! You want to get your child or student to read? Find out what THEY want to know more about.

If you wait too long, they don't want to know about hardly anything because everything seems boring to them........because that's how everything pretty much has been presented. Either they're simply told the answer (which is boring to be told versus allowed to discover), or, they hear something like this:

I don't know.......Not now......Maybe later - at home

and

Just because.........Learn this.........Know this...........Do it this way - at school

It's no wonder why while our nation's test scores are going up our IQ s are going down. We can't think because we're not allowed to - at home or school.

When you do begin to pay attention to the questions they ask you begin to uncover what's important to them and why, as well as how their individual brain makes sense of things.

When I ask Sofia why she thinks something is, she is allowed to continue to wonder and think and develop intelligent reasoning skills v. memorizing what I or others say the answers are.

She becomes smart not by being given answers to memorize, but by being given questions to wonder about........and the time and space to wonder about them.

The questions are the answer.

We become smart not by looking for answers to memorize on how to improve our lives, but by giving ourselves permission to ask ourselves what would an improved life be to US, and giving ourselves the time and space to make it happen instead of giving up because we didn't get it right away....or the second, third, fourth or tenth time.

Maybe we're not getting it because we're not giving ourselves enough time.......And maybe we're are getting it, but it's the wrong answer, because we're asking the wrong questions.(Why can't I ever succeed? Why does this always happen to me? Why can't I trust anyone)

YUCK!

Our questions are our answer........Let's be sure to ask good ones.