The workshops

Each workshop in Brielle’s World is a few quiet minutes built around one small question. Rona shows something, your child makes a guess, tests it with their own hands, then changes one thing and sees what happens. Nothing is scored, and there is always another go.

These are the seven little workshops you can visit on the clay island on this site. Each page below explains what your child does and which part of problem solving it practises.

• Ramp & Roll
  Running a fair test. Two balls start from the same mark, one on smooth wood and one on a rough rug. Your child guesses which will roll farther, then lets them go.
• Steady Tank
  Estimating, then checking. A tap pours into a tank. Your child puts a mark where they think the water will be when Rona says “now”, then pours and compares.
• Robot delivery
  Planning steps and fixing a plan. Your child plans arrow commands for a little robot, then watches it follow each step on the way to a parcel.
• Two Gears
  Cause and effect in a machine. A small gear meshes with a big one. Your child guesses which way the little one will turn, then turns the crank and watches.
• Balance Scale
  Comparing and adjusting. Your child combines brass weights on a market scale until both pans balance.
• Fair Share Plates
  Sharing equally and rethinking a plan. Your child shares six cookies so it is fair for Pip and Dot, then shares again when a third friend arrives.
• Kite in the wind
  Noticing and describing. A small moment on the island where a kite rides the wind. Rona asks your child what they notice.

The same three steps every time

Guess first. Your child says what they think will happen. Test it. They try it and look at what really happened. Try again. They change one thing and see whether the result changes too.

The workshops are shared play and thinking activities for ages 3 to 9. They are not assessments and do not promise learning gains. Read more about the project.