I hear and I forget

I see and I remember

I do and I understand

- Chinese Proverb

As a parent, and a sometimes lazy parent (or should that be “overworked and spare time deficient” parent?) I know I have often made a common mistake. When my kids have had questions or when “teachable moments” have arisen, I have simply blurted out answers rather than taking the time to ask questions of my children and thereby encourage them to discover the answers themselves. I bet you have fallen into this trap once or twice yourself, haven’t you? Few of us are saints and life is busy and time is short and hindsight is always 20/20, right?

It has been proven that the human brain responds positively to learning when the participant is actively involved in more than a passive, “listening” role. In other words, most all of us learn better by “doing” than by listening and observing. This is especially true with children.

School assemblies and school assembly programs are a marvelous way to introduce children to ideas and concepts and to get them excited about areas of study which we hope they will then want to explore further. But an even better opportunity is presented when assemblies offer the component of “hands-on” activities.

When an assembly is in performance, children are often brought into the presentation as volunteers to aid in on stage activities. Kids love this and their participation makes the activity more entertaining and more relevant for the rest of the audience. But when the performance can be followed by break out sessions in which groups of students actively engage in hands-on activities, the learning curve is enhanced greatly.

Mobile Ed was one of the first companies to begin offering hands on workshops, almost from the the beginning of the company in 1979, and the results have been tremendous! Workshops are available with many programs, including Physics is Fun, Chemistry! It Really Matters, The Magic of Science, Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin, and The Amazing World of Light. In most cases, small groups of students are brought together with the presenter and given guided activities over a period of 30-45 minutes. In Physics is Fun, the workshop format turns the entire Gymnasium into a hands-on science center for the day with many different activities for the kids to investigate. The results are wonderful and students are geeked about science for weeks to follow!

Of course, not all schools have schedules which will allow for workshops, but when they can, hands on activities are one of the best “bang-for-your-buck” assembly options you can choose.

Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fields of science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN