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The Recipe

Chapter 4: The Adventure Kit

The Recipe

"Methodology is like a recipe. You must follow the steps."

Professor Hoot reading a cookbook labeled "Methodology."

About this page

Professor Hoot pores over a cookbook, except this one is titled Methodology, and the joke lands a big idea softly. A method is just a recipe for an experiment, the steps you follow in order so it comes out right and so someone else could make it again. Kids already understand recipes from baking with you, which makes this the perfect bridge to how scientists work. Talking through the steps of anything, in order, builds the habit, and these 10 questions to ask while coloring can help you keep that conversation going on any page of the book.

Talk about it while you color

  • What is your favorite thing to make with a recipe, and what step comes first?
  • What do you think might happen if we did the recipe steps out of order?
  • If we wrote a recipe for coloring this page, what would the steps be?