Explore: Y7, S6, W4
Curiosity at Work
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This week in Explore Studio, learners continued traveling through the Story of Energy Quest, exploring how curiosity, experimentation, and persistence have shaped scientific progress throughout history.
Early in the week, learners stepped into the Industrial Revolution and wrestled with questions about invention, energy, and progress. As they explored the roles scientists play in advancing knowledge, many initially imagined themselves as “Explorers,” the people who make groundbreaking discoveries. As discussions deepened, some learners began realizing they were more drawn to the role of “Puzzlers,” refining and improving existing ideas, or “Data Collectors,” carefully gathering observations that allow others to make discoveries later on. It became an interesting reflection on how progress rarely depends on one kind of thinker alone.
The studio also spent time exploring energy value and fuel density through discussions and simulations involving BTUs and energy markets. Different scenarios sparked different reactions. Learners debated how much money they would spend to cook food, power a video game, or complete a Beast Academy badge. One scenario quickly brought the studio together: nearly everyone agreed they would spend all, or almost all, of their money to power a computer capable of discovering the cure to cancer. The conversation naturally shifted toward what humans value most and what makes certain uses of energy feel meaningful.
In Writers’ Workshop, memoirs entered the revision stage. For some learners, the greatest challenge was returning to a piece they already felt finished with. Through peer critique and the A.R.M.S. revision process, learners practiced looking at their writing again with fresh eyes, learning how stronger details, clearer structure, and thoughtful feedback can sharpen a story over time.
Outside the studio windows, curiosity continued in quieter ways as learners repeatedly paused to observe the white-tailed doves nesting in the trees nearby. Observation, patience, and noticing small details became part of the rhythm of the week.
One of the biggest highlights was the return of Lunch Club. Three learners took ownership of planning and preparing a shared meal for the studio, serving naan pizza, carrots, and frozen yogurt. During Spanish Immersion Lunch: La Sobremesa, learners shared a heart of palm salad with avocado together, bringing conversation, food, and community back into the middle of the day.
Tuesday’s Black Slope outing brought the studio to Mueller for sand volleyball, time by the pond watching ducks, and a shared snack at Lady Quack's Bakery. During the outing, one of our older learners took initiative and spoke directly with employees there to obtain an email address for an apprenticeship application, turning a casual outing into a real-world opportunity.
In Civ, learners debated whether Egypt should have built the Suez Canal. Most agreed the canal itself was worth building and focused instead on how poor financial management and dependence on outside powers created larger problems later on. The discussion pushed learners to think carefully about the relationship between progress, risk, and control.
As the week came to a close, learners continued discovering that experimentation is rarely clean or immediate. Whether revising a memoir, debating a historical decision, observing birds outside the window, or discussing the future of scientific discovery, the studio kept returning to the same idea: meaningful progress often begins with curiosity and grows through reflection, persistence, and the willingness to keep testing ideas.
