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[Mastering the Tinkering Process: Designing the Ultimate Recess]-[Back to School WeWow Day 3]

Wow in the World · B1 · 2021-08-25

Preschool Enlightenment
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📋 Summary

The WeWow Tinkering Challenge: A Scientific Journey

In this episode of Wow in the World, hosts Mindy and Guy Raz continue their "WeWow Tinkering Challenge," a hands-on crash course in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) designed for the "science seekers and inventoritos of tomorrow." The core objective of this week’s challenge is to innovate and design the "ultimate recess experience," building upon the scientific understanding that recess is essential for both our bodies and our brains.

The Iterative Tinkering Process: Plan, Create, and Test

Following the identification of problems in yesterday’s session, today’s focus shifted toward the practical steps of the tinkering process: Plan, Create, and Test.

  1. Planning and Creating: Mindy and Guy Raz brainstormed an ambitious, albeit chaotic, physical activity. They decided to utilize an "inflatable swimming pool" filled with water balloons. To incorporate a physical challenge, they introduced the "Nutcracker" method—a technique where participants use their armpits to pop balloons. This served as their experimental model for physical exertion.

  2. Testing Concentration: To determine if their recess activity actually improved cognitive function, the hosts established a "test of concentration." They mixed heirloom beans and nuts, tasking themselves with separating them. The hypothesis was that physical exertion (the balloon popping) would act as a mental reset, allowing for better focus on the arduous task of sorting the mixture.

Analyzing Results and Embracing Failure

As is characteristic of the "Laboratory of Bad Ideas," the experiment did not go as planned. Despite their efforts, the data was clear: the first trial lasted only 3.5 seconds, the second just over 4 seconds, and the final attempt ended in a mere 2 seconds before distraction set in—largely due to Mindy’s invention of "fish pepperoni."

Rather than viewing this as a failure, the hosts framed the outcome as a valuable part of the scientific method. As Guy Raz noted, "The ultimate test of our ultimate recess is to see if it helps us to learn better, concentrate more or just make us smarter." The fact that their initial plan was a "dismal failure" simply provides "room to improve." This underscores a vital lesson for young tinkerers: the tinkering process is cyclical. By identifying that their current plan failed to sustain concentration, they have gathered the necessary data to iterate and refine their design in the next phase.

Key Takeaways for Young Inventors

To successfully replicate this experiment, the hosts emphasized the importance of a baseline. They advised listeners to "perform your concentration exercise before you try out your recess plan" to obtain a control group for comparison. By measuring how well you can concentrate without the recess intervention, you can accurately determine if your new design makes a measurable difference.

As the episode concludes, Mindy and Guy Raz encourage listeners to continue the process: "Tomorrow we get to improve on our ultimate recess design and retest it." This episode serves as a reminder that science is not about getting it right the first time; it is about the persistence to plan, the creativity to build, and the courage to test, fail, and improve.

🎯Key Sentences

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I gotta let you know that
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It's going to be a November to remember.
3
But for now, let's get on with the show.
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I mean, I'm Mindy.
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go back to Monday's episode to catch up.
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📝Key Phrases

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music to your ears
2
get on with the show
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hands-on crash course
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take something to the next level
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work out the kinks
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📖 Transcript

Grownups, Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to Wow in the World early and ad-free right now.
Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or Wondery Kids Plus on Apple Podcasts.
Hey, Wowzer fans, Mindy here.
And before we start the show, I gotta let you know that this November, with a special new episode featuring our friends at Circle Round and Terrestrials on Radiolab for Kids,
And don't miss when Elmo from Sesame Street stops by Wow in the World to make us all belly laugh on November 24th.
Oh, but that's not all, Reg.

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