This was a tough comparison to make, but we had fun with it. I gave each Hoggatteer a wind bag to inflate with air.
While that probably sounds simple, it was not.
I have to admit, the classroom became quite colorful for a while as kids attempted to blow up the red, yellow, green, and blue bags. Students were huffing and puffing all over the place.
But that didn't work.
Finally, I announced that I could blow up a wind bag with just one or two breaths. To them this was highly unlikely: they had just tried 30, 40, even 50 breaths to inflate each bag.
My approach was slightly different from what I had seen them attempt. Instead of closing the end to blow through it, I opened it wide. Instead of blowing directly into the tube, I stayed back about eight inches and aimed a stream of air straight through the middle of the opening, resulting in the bag being nearly completely full of air.
But how could this be? Clearly my lungs could not have held the quantity of air that now filled the bag!
The answer, scientifically, comes from the Bernoulli Effect, which allows that the air being blown in such a manner actually attracts air from around it and pulls it into the bag behind it.
The lesson for us was that a good leader sometimes has to step back from the problem and look at it again (Sometimes we get too close to the problem, and we can't see the solution.). Also, a good leader brings others with him/her. Rather than trying to do everything myself, take control of every situation, and ignore input from my team, I should find ways to involve and engage my teammates.
And there is the lesson...and it was fun.
While that probably sounds simple, it was not.
I have to admit, the classroom became quite colorful for a while as kids attempted to blow up the red, yellow, green, and blue bags. Students were huffing and puffing all over the place.
But that didn't work.
Finally, I announced that I could blow up a wind bag with just one or two breaths. To them this was highly unlikely: they had just tried 30, 40, even 50 breaths to inflate each bag.
My approach was slightly different from what I had seen them attempt. Instead of closing the end to blow through it, I opened it wide. Instead of blowing directly into the tube, I stayed back about eight inches and aimed a stream of air straight through the middle of the opening, resulting in the bag being nearly completely full of air.
But how could this be? Clearly my lungs could not have held the quantity of air that now filled the bag!
The answer, scientifically, comes from the Bernoulli Effect, which allows that the air being blown in such a manner actually attracts air from around it and pulls it into the bag behind it.
The lesson for us was that a good leader sometimes has to step back from the problem and look at it again (Sometimes we get too close to the problem, and we can't see the solution.). Also, a good leader brings others with him/her. Rather than trying to do everything myself, take control of every situation, and ignore input from my team, I should find ways to involve and engage my teammates.
And there is the lesson...and it was fun.
