This weekend, most of us got an extra hour back.
What would your child do with one extra hour, if it were truly theirs?
Stanford psychologist William Damon has spent decades studying how young people find purpose. In his research, only about one in five had a clear sense of it. Many more were "dreamers," full of big ideas with no first step yet, or "dabblers," trying lots of things without knowing why.
If that sounds like your house, good news. Dreaming and dabbling are where purpose begins.
This month we're exploring Meaning-Making: helping kids connect what matters to them with what matters to the world.
And we're starting somewhere you might not expect. A science lab.
HERO STORY
The Question at the Faucet
When you turn on the faucet, do you ever wonder if the water is safe?
Most of us just fill our cup and drink.
When Gitanjali Rao was about 10 years old, she heard about a city in Michigan called Flint. The water coming out of people's faucets there had lead in it. Lead is a metal that can make people very sick, especially kids. And you can't see it, smell it, or taste it.
Gitanjali watched her own parents test the water at home with little paper strips. She started wondering. Could there be a quicker, easier way?
So she told her parents she wanted to research something called carbon nanotube sensors at a water lab near their home in Colorado.
Her mom's answer? "A what?"
But Gitanjali kept going. She read. She found grown-up scientists who were willing to help her. She built, tested, and built again.
What she made was a small device she named Tethys, after an ancient Greek goddess of fresh water. A sensor checks the water for lead, then sends the result to a phone app.
In 2020, TIME magazine picked Gitanjali from more than 5,000 nominees as its very first Kid of the Year.
Her advice to other kids? Don't try to fix every problem. Pick one that excites you.
Her purpose started small: one thing that bugged her, and one question about how to fix it.
Talk about it: What's something that bugs you? Who else might it bug, too?
THE TINY TRY
What Bugs You?
What does your child complain about most?
The backpack that's always too heavy. The dog that keeps escaping the yard. The crosswalk where cars drive too fast. Most days, it just sounds like whining.
Why it helps Scientists and engineers start the same way, with something that bugs them. Gitanjali describes her process in five words: observe, brainstorm, research, build, communicate. And Dr. Damon's research describes purpose as something that matters to us and to someone beyond us. A good "bug" can be both.
Want to give it a try? This week, when you hear a complaint, get curious instead:
"That bugs you? Who else might it bug? What could we try?"
For younger kids (5–9): Grab some paper and draw an invention that fixes it. Wild ideas welcome.
For older kids (10–17): Try Gitanjali's first step. Observe for a few days: when does it happen, and who does it affect?
Most ideas won't go anywhere. That's how inventing works. You're just practicing the first step.
Before you go…
Gitanjali was just 12 when she gave this talk, and she shows her water-testing device in action. It's a good one to watch together, especially with a kid who loves taking things apart.
Source: Gitanjali Rao, inventor and TIME's first Kid of the Year (TEDxChennai, 2018)
Next Sunday is National STEM Day. We'll look at why some kids stick with the boring parts, from math homework to free-throw practice, and the one question that helps them keep going.
Who knew a complaint could be the start of something?
Your friends at REK,
Adam & Matthew Toren, Sylvia Tam, and Tammy Vallieres
Our new member hub is live — free activities, conversation starters, and resources for your family. Access it here.
“I don’t think there should be an age barrier to solving problems.”