The Forbidden Fruit and its Bacteria (Blog 3) - Adriana Millan

“Excuse me miss, but my friends are eating the grapes that fell from the sky.”

The time for session two has arrived. A new set of kids, with a new set of names I would not be able to learn fast enough. The program would now be recycled, with a few improvements and a switch in the order projects would be assigned. Curator Kids Club was on it’s way to a session two filled with success. After morning introductions, the first challenge had begun. Each table was handed a pack of 100 flashcards and instructed to build a two feet high tower that would withstand the weight of a modeled rocket. Without any guidance many of the groups focused on creating a stable base, while others began building with no plan. There was success and there was failure. Each group was able to learn from each other’s structures, what seemed to work best and what did not - knowledge that would later be beneficial when building their bridges.

Projects were assigned with little guidance, but no worries YouTube was by everyone’s side. The first project, a hydraulic powered robotic arm, was guided by YouTube. This was however, one of the more easier tasks, mirroring. All the materials in the video were provided for the children. There is however, a catch. Each member of the group is assigned a different position - Project Manager, Inspector, Materials Manager, Head Builder, and Architect/Designer. These positions are designed to ensure that not only one individual is completing all the work, but instead it is a group effort. Only the Project Manager is allowed to view the video and give instructions to their team on how to successfully complete each project/task. Using cardboard, synergies, and of course keeping safety in mind the teams began to build. Cardboard covered the floors and spills of the colored water dripped onto the table cloths. Groups worked diligently to construct a fully operating arm. One after the other the groups completed their arms and could not wait to put them to the test. One success after the next followed, as the children cheered each other on in excitement.

Hours of hard work were now over, and a break was in the midst. Supervising the CKC group out in the yard was one of my responsibilities, along with other staff members. As I watched the children carry on conversations and participate in various activities, I seized to take notice of the fruitful snack the children from camp were splurging in. Children five to six years younger, than the ones I now spent my days with discovered grapevines. The young boy that informed me was afraid his friends would become ill and insisted on developing a cure. He asked for just one grape so he’d be able to dissect it under his microscope and gain intel over what bacteria's it carried. It was baffling to hear such a young boy carry himself so highly and well spoken, it was humorous. His innocence and curiosity was refreshing.

Curiosity is a wonderful thing. Interest and action lead to uncharted territory.

Not to worry, a teacher soon forbid all the children from ingesting the grapes ever again. As for the bacteria they carry, it is still a mystery,