Field Trips for G.A.T.E. Students

Here's a little-known fact: Research has shown that most gifted children do not fulfill their promise when they reach college and beyond.

Surprised? Gifted children succeed in elementary school because they're good at coming up with the right answer. But in the real world, they often encounter problems for which there is no known answer, no formula they can apply to come up with the "right" solution. So they don't know where to begin.

Fear of Failure: In our classes, we've observed that gifted students will often try to figure out what the solution should be before they'll even attempt to manipulate the materials. Sometimes they'll spend the entire class thinking about it! Meanwhile, the less academically-oriented students will jump right in and try something. If it doesn't work, they'll try something else. Eventually, they'll come up with a solution -- sometimes several solutions -- while their more gifted classmates are still trying to figure it out in their heads.

This reluctance to try something without knowing what the outcome will be stems from a fear of failure. All their lives, gifted children have been rewarded for being right. So getting it "wrong," even in an experimental situation, feels threatening and can leave them virtually paralyzed.

The Solution: Rock-it Science's G.A.T.E. classes are specially designed to help your gifted child get past this fear of failure. We give them experiments that they can't figure out in their heads. They have to use trial and error to discover what works. And with no grades or tests to worry about, they can explore freely and get comfortable with the process. They will also learn how to collaborate with and seek help from their fellow students.

Don't let your child's genius wither on the vine. Schedule a field trip to Rock-it Science, where they can learn to fail safely -- and enjoy it!

Select lessons from the list below for your G.A.T.E. group's visit to the amazing Rock-it Science laboratory.

Dry Ice: Experiment with dry ice to discover ways to solve problems like these: Improve your hearing, hide leprechauns, make bubbles hover, and make metal scream out loud.
Hot, Cold, Fizzy, and Colorful: Mix common chemicals in a way that will save you from a vampire abominable snowman, lava flow, and Tasmanian tornadoes.
Earthquakes: Design buildings that will fail by breaking into as many pieces as possible due to the earthquakes we create.
Smoke Rings: Find ways to make smoke rings and then create smoke rings that will pass through each other.
Heat Conduction: Try to keep water from freezing in a box that is 100 degrees below zero.
Lasers and Mirrors: Try to make a laser beam hit as many mirrors as possible.
An Electrifying Experience: Try to generate enough electricity to power motors, lights, bells, fans, and electromagnets with you as the only source of energy.
Static Electricity: Try to make a motor spin using static electricity.
Sunken Rafts: Make a raft that will hold as many pennies as possible.
Slow Fall: Make a piece of paper fall as slowly as possible.
Paper Tower: Make a paper tower to support a plastic bear as high as possible.

Students using ropes and pulleys

Magnetism: Try to pick up heavy objects using weak magnets.
Catapults: Find ways to use one rubber band to shoot a marshmallow as far as possible.
Trust: Take turns lifting each other into the air with ropes and pulleys.
Sampson's Columns: See how many books you can support with one sheet of ordinary paper. The record is over 150 pounds!
Weird Water: Find ways to move water from one place to another using tubes.
Straw Rockets:Find ways to make a straw go as high as possible.
Water Bottle Rockets:Experiment with ways to make your rocket go as far as possible.