When Kids Get To Make The Rules
Mezzacello Urban Farm is a Learning Lab for applied STEM hands on learning here in downtown Columbus, OH. Mezzacello is purpose built to allow kids, families, and communities better understand sustainability, ecology, STEM content and food. One of our favorite components of this learning journey is being there for when kids get to make the rules.
Why Hands On Learning Matters
At Mezzacello Urban Farm we understand that play is at the heart of how kids learn. Kids need to learn in more than one way. We teach Applied STEM, skills, and most importantly, the opportunity to fail gracefully. That part of hands on learning is so important.
This photo was captured by the photographer from City of Columbus Recreation and Parks. It is a photo of one of my summer campers and one of my teaching interns. They are “interviewing a chicken here at Mezzacello. It matters to them that the chicken feels seen and safe, and it matters to me as well. Plus it is fun and silly — and I am here for it.
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
There are four rules here at Mezzacello Urban Farm. These rules apply to EVERYONE equally. They also require the development of empathy, social emotional learning, and kindness as character. They are:
Be curious!
Be creative!
Fix it with what you have at hand, if you can.
Lead with kindness and follow with grace.
The Applied in “Applied STEM” requires that kids accept responsibility for their success and their failure. In my previous post I refer to Mezzacello Urban Farm as an Willy Wonka-like Ag-Tech-ology where kids can play and explore, fail and learn in real-time. All my pre and post assessment data shows this to be true, empirically.
