Lessons from a Paper Roller Coaster Lessons from a Paper Roller Coaster My favorite part of homeschooling is having the ability to provide the opportunity for kids to dig deeper when they are sucked in to a learning experience. When we moved to Washington State, our boys caught the last session of a class on building a paper roller coaster. Our youngest son was so bummed that he missed the chance to build one that the teacher quickly pulled together a kit for him. Two months later, he was still working on the coaster. It has been an amazing learning tool. What can you learn by building a Paper Roller Coaster? Patience- This is not a “build it quick project. He spent days prepping and building the framework. We talked a lot about the need for a sturdy foundation and he took it to heart. This past week he decided to go taller. Currently, this nine-year old’s roller coaster frame is about 7 feet tall! Planning- Once he had his framework set, he began planning the actual fun stuff. “where are my scissors?” That’s right. He has had them for weeks now. Testing- Quickly, he learned that what he saw in his mind often did not work in reality. He would plan, cut and test, tweak the design and test again before he secured the feature into the coaster. Support features- In order to go bigger, he learned that you must reinforce your design. Coaching isn’t easy- By the time the coaster was 7 foot tall, the other boys in the house began to take notice. In the picture above, the older son was showing his idea to the younger son. He explained how to make it and was getting frustrated that the younger one “wouldn’t listen”. Very Important Lesson: Just because you KNOW the best way, doesn’t guarantee the student will listen or accept your advice. Sometimes the hardest thing about being a parent, teaching, or coaching is giving advice and then stepping back to watch… the 13-year-old in the picture was very offended that the nine-year-old wanted to try his way first… I could not have created a lesson that would have demonstrated the value of being a patient coach! Do you think your kids would enjoy this project? Grab your paper roller coaster kit here. Have an amazing day! Be willing to lay “school” aside to allow for learning! More from Bekki