curiosity Playlist
We’re thrilled that you’ll be joining this month’s exploration of curiosity & wonder.
To get your wheels turning, we invite you do thinking and exploring below — first browsing a few of our team’s recent curiosities, and second by browsing a handful of articles and podcasts that have inspired us to think differently about the nature of curiosity. As you browse, consider what these pieces illuminate about the power of wonder if your own life or for the learners you work with.
Part 1
check out what we’re curious about these days
Britt
Recently curious about… Housing Policy
The Spark |When my local ballot arrived in the mail earlier this fall, it included several measures about housing and zoning. I started reading more about them and quickly realized how much I don’t know about such an important issue that affects my community
What I did next | I started by reading about the interest groups in favor and opposed to certain ballot measures. That led me to look up stats about housing affordability, public transit homelessness here and nationally. Since then, I’ve checked out two library books that are historical in nature and gone on a podcast kick to better understand root causes for housing inequity.
My offering if you’re curious too | Is Denver repeating the past by sweeping this Indigenous Camp? (19 min podcast)
Christina
Recently curious about… Unusual Citrus Trees
The Spark | I picked up a Thai lime tree two years ago because its leaves are used in Thai cooking, and they’re hard to find. Turns out you can grow them yourself in California! It lives outside in a pot I inherited from my grandmother.
What I did next | Taking care of the Thai lime led to picking up a yuzu (Japanese), a kumquat (Chinese) and an Australian finger lime. I’m keeping these all in pots right now, but I’m trying to work up the courage to commit to planting them. The yuzu’s leaves are turning yellow right now, and I’m worried.
My offering if you’re curious too | Here’s a 51-second video about finger limes.
Marielle
Recently curious about… Kite Surfing
The Spark | I’ve always loved the ocean, yet had a certain amount of fear of what I couldn’t see underneath the water. Because of that and despite growing up on the west coast, I never did much ocean swimming until adulthood. I wanted to find a sport on the water that allowed me to enjoy the ocean, but above water - and then I saw kites in the sky in SF Bay.
What I did next | I unfortunately don’t live where there is lots of wind so I have to travel to other places around the world in search of wind and kite surfing. Because of this, kiting has introduced me to parts of the world that I had never seen or would have imagined to travel to! Along the way, I have met others in the kiting community who share their experiences in new places and my list of kite trips continues to grow.
My offering if you’re curious too | Kitesurfing spots all over the world
Rob
Recently curious about… Snacking cakes
The Spark | When Covid-19 hit, I started craving very hands-on hobbies that got me out of the world of Zoom. So I started baking. That’s when my friend Rachel sent me a recipe for a “snacking cake.” What the heck is the difference between cake and a snacking cake, you ask? I didn’t know either. Thus began my obsession.
What I did next | I started by trying all of Rachel’s favorites. Then I went down a Google wormhole, printing ones that looked fun. Then they became my go-to gift for dinner parties, new neighbors, Tuesday afternoons.
My offering if you’re curious too | Three Snacking Cakes to Change your Afternoons. (My favorite is the banana - salted caramel one).
Part 2
Reflect & Explore
We’ve curated a few pieces to optionally explore. As you do, consider how they impact your understanding of curiosity - either for yourself or the learners you work with.
Tinkering after school
Learn how The Exploratorium Museum and the Boys and Girls Clubs of SF developed a program in the midst of the pandemic designed to spark curiosity and imagination and explore the way around identity impacts our creativity.
Build a school in the cloud
Sugata Mitra asks us to help him design the School in the Cloud, a learning lab in India, where children can explore and learn from each other -- using resources and mentoring from the cloud. What does his story tell us about the power of curiosity?
The Eureka Effect
Read the basics of the scientific phenomena known as the Eureka Effect. In short, it refers to the common human experience of suddenly understanding a previously incomprehensible problem or concept. How might the schools or learning experiences you create enable more and more ah-ha moments to set the learning flywheel in motion?
Why adults lose the beginners mind
The older we get, the harder it is for us to question and imagine. Listen as Ezra Klein interviews Alison Gopnik. Dr. Gopnik’s research asks what we can learn by better understanding the child’s mind and how it works.
Field Trip Resources
Design 39
Video recordings | Round 2
HeartWood ALC
Video recordings | Round 1, Round 2
Steve & Kate’s Camp
Guides for students | Jewelry, Sewing Maze, Skirt and Tank
Video recordings | Round 1