Nifty Fifty

These 500 thinking questions address 50 very familiar things, such as a map, a tree, a clock. From the Penny page: "Why aren't pennies made out of gold?" From the House page: "Why do houses have rooms?" The unique questions in this sprightly book are open-ended and designed to encourage a lively discussion. What we're after is the "Aha!" moment, when a child thinks about an ordinary concept in an entirely new way. We've provided answer prompts to help out, but they are designed to be used as guidelines only. Let the conversation meander. For example, when asked why door handles aren't placed in the middle of doors, one child might say, "Because the door would be hard to open." Fine. But another child might offer, "Because the latch that connects to the wall would have to be too long." That's fine, too! And when do you turn to Nifty Fifty?" Whenever you have five or ten minutes of time. It has rescued many a teacher from the "What do I do now?" dilemma, and has sparked many a lively family discussion. By the way, do you think there is more water in an orange or in a potato? Why don't people fly kites at night? Why don't stop signs come in different colors or shapes? Just wondering ...