“Joined Together With Gold”

(Year 5, Week 23)

On Monday the heroes were introduced to the idea of Kintsugi. Kintsugi is the Japanese art form of mending pieces of broken pottery by joining the broken pieces back together with gold. Kintsugi encompasses the idea of highlighting or emphasizing imperfections as an area to celebrate or focus on. This art form is a meaningful reminder to remain optimistic when things fall apart and to celebrate the flaws and missteps of life.

As the heroes learned about Kintsugi they were asked to ponder how this philosophy could relate to a hero's journey.

Can imperfections add value to a hero's journey? Should the mending of broken pieces be emphasized or hidden away in an attempt to reflect perfection?

Several of the heroes agreed that being able to see where the broken pieces had been mended added beauty and depth to the piece.

The same idea relates to the hero's journey, heroes can take pride not only in their successes but their ability to pick up the broken pieces of failure and try again.

On Tuesday Heroes were introduced to blind contour drawings. Blind contour drawings are made when an artist looks at an object and draws what they see without looking down at their paper or lifting their pencil off the paper. The heroes were curious as they watched a video of an artist creating a blind contour drawing before the discussion began.

Blind Contour drawings focus on the art of letting go of control and understanding that our finished product is going to look different than we expected. With exhibition in mind, how do you react when things don’t turn out the way you had planned? Do you feel disappointed and stressed, do you try to accept it the way it is or do you do something else?

Some of the heroes felt that when something didn’t go as planned they felt discouraged and anxious while others felt that it was easy to accept a situation if they were no longer able to influence the outcome. Several heroes acknowledged that at times it was difficult to not be in control of a situation.

We often strive for perfection in a lot of different areas, our work, our relationships, our physical appearance. Do you think there is value in celebrating the things we like about ourselves or a situation even if we are trying to improve or change it? Why or why not?

Several of the heroes agreed that it is important to find the good in situations even if they don’t go as planned. One hero noted that if you can’t celebrate yourself then you won’t be able to feel truly happy.
The heroes were encouraged to celebrate all parts of the journey and see the imperfections as a way to grow throughout their journey.

The heroes were then challenged to create blind contour drawings of their own.

Newtons Physics Olympics

The heroes spent the first half of their day preparing for the exhibition. Many heroes made improvements or needed repairs to their cars and trebuchets while others worked on what they wanted to say during their presentations. Several heroes expressed that they felt both nervous and excited for what the afternoon held.

After weeks of exploring and testing the concepts of physics the heroes were ready to showcase all their hard work as they competed in Newton’s Physics Olympics. First, the heroes came together in their countries to share what they had learned and what parts of the quest they most enjoyed.

Next, the Olympic Flame was lit as the competitions began.

Heroes were excited as they were able to share all that they had learned throughout the session. Heroes competed in a car race, a trebuchet launch, and a boat competition.

During closing ceremonies, the first, second, and third-place competitors were given medals to commemorate their victories.

Celebrating the Journey

As much as this session has been about working hard and striving to earn a gold medal it has also been about learning to fall and fail with grace. During this session, heroes have had the opportunity to persevere through failure and try again. Learning how to get back up after failure will encourage heroes to take risks and engage in new adventures. As the heroes learn to overcome failure and try again they also learn to celebrate all aspects of their hero’s journey. By joining the broken pieces together with gold heroes are able to emphasize their ability to fall down and get back up again and again.

“You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call “failure” is not the falling down, but the staying down.”- Mary Pickford