How can we teach the children that we mentor to walk or run away from trouble? Here’s a science experiment that might just stick in their mind the next time they are faced with a choice to obey or not to obey….
1. Gather supplies: small bowl of water, pepper, liquid dishwashing detergent, toothpick
2. Sprinkle some pepper over the water. For your character lesson the pepper can represent your child.
3. Dip the toothpick into the detergent and place it in the middle of the water. The toothpick represents a friend that is tempting your child to make a bad choice.
4. What does the pepper do? It runs away! Talk to your child how they can run away when tempted to make a bad choice. This can open the door for a lot of discussion….has there been a time that they “ran” away from trouble? What happens when we don’t run away? When is it hard to make a good choice? Mentor, how did you learn this lesson as a child?
* If you try to do this experiement more than once, you will need to wash your bowl and start over with fresh supplies.
For those curious students who want to know the scientific answer to, “Why does the pepper run away?” Water molecules are strongly attracted to each other, which creates surface tension. This is what allowed the pepper to float on top of the water. When you put the detergent in the water, it makes the surface tension weak. The water’s surface tension is stronger than the detergent’s surface tension, so the water pulls away from the soap and carries the pepper with it.
TIPS for making the most of this lesson….
1. Practice at home first
2. Demonstrate it once and then let the child do the whole experiment again by themself. Learning sticks and is more fun when the child is actively involved in the process!
3. Refer back to this lesson throughout your mentoring relationship. Keep reminding them to be like the pepper! The more they hear it, the more likely it will stick!