Dr. Emily Campbell at the Greater Good Science Center writes that curiosity helps us survive and boosts achievement. Wowza. Those are two great reasons to be curious, but what can you be curious about?
In the US, summer is upon us, so why not look into festivals? Festivals happen all over the world, so if one of these isn’t close to you, be curious and find a festival that you can go to wherever you are.
If curiosity helps us to survive, a festival about food is a good place to start.
What would you do if you were given fruit that smelled like watermelon but was bright yellow or even orange? Would you give it a try? Watermelons come in a variety of shapes and sizes and their insides are different, too. In Oklahoma, there is the Rush Springs Watermelon Festival.
If you or your teen enjoy watermelon, there is already a reason to go! In addition to watermelon related activities, there’s a car show, a carnival, live music, and arts and crafts. Each part of the festival gives you a chance to ask questions and learn.
Festivals like this are a great place to learn more about the food you eat. Ask someone who grows the produce if it’s been genetically modified or if the yellow fruit is natural. Unfamiliar with GMOs? Get curious!
If you were to go to a carrot festival, you might find out that carrots were originally purple.
Curiosity is one of the reasons we learn. Letting your teen see you ask questions lets him know you don’t know everything and are continuing to learn yourself.
If the humble watermelon isn’t enough to grab your attention, how about the Music City Hot Chicken Festival? Set in Nashville, Tennessee, it’s a chance to try “hot chicken” where it started. The festival has an amateur cooking contest if that is something you’d like to try and a fire truck parade to put out any fires.
Hot chicken is not the same as Buffalo chicken. It can be fun to try different foods in different parts of the country, especially if you’re not as much of a picky eater as I am! One thing that is the same between hot and Buffalo chicken is the Scoville scale. Curious? Look it up and find out which chicken really is “hotter.”
Okay, this one might be pushing it, but what bugs are you willing to eat? Remember, we’re talking survival here according to Dr. Campbell.
In Raleigh, North Carolina, they hold the Bugfest at the Museum of Natural Sciences. There are bug games, bug exhibits, and the Café Insecta. Yep, a venue serving up bug dishes! What would you be willing to try? I’ve been chocolate covered ants aren’t bad…
If bugs don’t have you curious, how about hot air balloons? There are dozens of hot air balloon events around the country, but the largest is in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Someday I’ll go!
In 1979, before the Berlin Wall came down, eight people used a hot air balloon to escape East Germany. Some accounts say that it was pictures and information about the Albuquerque Balloon Festival that gave the refugees the idea to pass over the wall with a balloon.
How would a balloon festival inspire you? Do you know what it takes to get a balloon airborne? The instructions to build a candle powered hot air balloon are all over the internet. What would you and your teen learn if you built one? The possibilities are endless : )
If Albuquerque is out of reach, the National Balloon Classic in Iowa hosts more than 100 hot air balloons. There is science to be learned about the balloons, but there is also beauty to be appreciated. Which balloon is your favorite? Think about what your balloon would look like if you had one.
Unfortunately, sometimes the balloons get holes in them. Do you think duct tape could fix them? I don’t know the answer to that, but I do know there is a festival in Avon, Ohio dedicated to duct tape.
My grandad LOVES duct tape, but he never took me to this festival. I wonder if he knows about it. LOL A major part of the festival is the parade. The floats for the parade are fashioned from duct tape. Previous floats have included an elephant and a firetruck. What can you make from duct tape? In case you didn’t know, there is a scholarship available from Duck Brand for making promwear out of duct tape, so I can ONLY imagine what all is seen at the duct tape festival!
Sometimes, the floats in a parade actually float. That’s the case in Virginia at the Norfolk Harborfest. Visitors can watch the Parade of Sails and see more than 200 vessels sail down the Elizabeth River. This festival also boasts a huge fireworks display. Yes, please! If you’re like me, the fireworks are reason enough to attend LOL
Seeing the ocean and seeing so many ships is one way to spur curiosity, especially if it’s not what you experience on a regular basis. It’s important to see and try new things whether they are close by or a little further down the road.
Further down the road might be the Midnight Sun Festival in Fairbanks, Alaska. The festival is on the Saturday closest to the summer solstice because on that day, the sun is out and bright for nearly 24 hours. The festival features the sun, but many native Alaskan wares are available for purchase. It’s an opportunity to experience a natural phenomenon while also learning about the people who live further north than the continental 48.
Wherever you choose to go, localadventurer.com has some good tips before leaving home.
· Dress in layers for heat or cold. Think about sunscreen and hats, too. Rain ponchos?
· Take a portable spare charger for your phone.
· If it’s not a food festival, see if you can bring a cooler.
· Look to see if tickets are required and how much they cost. Are there any available?
· Get there early. Parking at a festival can be a challenge.
· Check out the festival website before you leave home. Make sure nothing has changed. There might be a weather policy for rain or similar situations.
Each year there are hundreds of festivals across the globe. The ones listed here are free. Look online for festivals near you. If the festival is free, perhaps you can travel a little further and go on a multi-day adventure. Go with an open mind and the desire to learn. You don’t have to eat any bugs. Just know it’s an option lol. Wishing you a happy summer full of curiosity!
Forever learning,
Jessyka Coulter
CEO & Founder,
Ace Cookie Tutoring