On Friday, September 11, Mrs. Gomes’s class headed outdoors for a hands-on lesson in trial, error, and perseverance. With the use of wooden rocket-building kits, students worked through the process of assembling and testing their projects while exploring the importance of precision and problem solving.

The question on the board to start out the lesson read, “Are mistakes a sign that you are bad at something, or a sign that you are learning?”

Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, most classes used the park as their classroom for the day as they assembled the kit for the rocket and practiced launching it.

The kit includes pre-cut wood pieces, nails, assembly instructions, a pin, and a certificate of achievement. Throughout the activity, students practiced precision, problem-solving, and perseverance while testing and improving their designs.

Some students chose not to use the directions when building, and others followed them step by step to ensure precision. Mrs. Gomes wrote down observation notes throughout the day, marking down students’ comments, conclusions, and outcomes.

The classes proceeded to discuss their findings and experiences on the following Monday, September 14.

By the end of the lesson, students were able to explain why precision matters in construction and mathematics, identify and correct mistakes rather than simply starting over, and describe how trial-and-error can lead to a better solution.

The project was a fun and engaging way to kick off the school year while helping students build teamwork, confidence, and a classroom culture where mistakes are viewed not as failures, but as opportunities to learn and grow.