Question Quest
Every great adventure starts with a question. Explorers asked, what is on the other side of that mountain? Scientists asked, what would happen if I mixed these two things? Engineers asked, could I build something that does this? Today you are going on your own adventure. It is called a Question Quest. You will explore the world around you, collect questions like a treasure hunter collects jewels, and then sort and investigate them — just like a real scientist would. Ready? Here is how to do it.
Your Quest Begins Now
A Question Quest has three stages. Stage one is collecting. You move through the world with your eyes and ears wide open. You look for things that make you go, hm — I wonder about that. You write every question down without judging it. Big questions, small questions, silly-sounding questions, serious questions — all of them go in the collection. Stage two is sorting. You look at your collection and organize it. Some questions are quick facts. Some are deep and thoughtful. Some lead to experiments. Some lead to books. Sorting helps you decide what to do next. Stage three is investigating. You pick one or two questions that really excite you, and you chase them. You use books, careful observation, or asking people who might know.
Scientists do exactly what you are about to do: they observe the world, collect questions, sort them, and investigate. You are not just playing a game — you are doing real science thinking.
Question Quest — Your Full Adventure
- STAGE ONE: Collecting Questions (15 minutes)
- Grab a piece of paper and a pencil. Go outside if you can, or move slowly through your home or classroom.
- For 10 to 15 minutes, look at EVERYTHING with fresh eyes. Pretend you just arrived from another planet and nothing here is familiar to you.
- Each time something makes you curious, write a question. Aim for at least 10 questions. More is better! Do not filter — write every question, even the ones that seem silly.
- Some question starters to help you: Why does this... ? What would happen if... ? How does this... ? Why is this shaped like... ? What is inside... ? What would change if... ?
- STAGE TWO: Sorting Your Questions (10 minutes)
- Look at your list. Sort your questions into three piles by writing a letter next to each one:
- F = Fact question (can be answered with a quick fact lookup)
- D = Deep question (takes more research or thinking, may have more than one answer)
- E = Experiment question (could you test this yourself?)
- STAGE THREE: Investigating One Question (10-15 minutes)
- Pick the ONE question from your list that excites you the most.
- Write it at the top of a fresh piece of paper.
- Spend 10 minutes investigating it. Use any method that makes sense: look it up in a book, ask a knowledgeable person, do a careful observation, or think it through and write your best reasoned guess.
- Write down what you found out — or if you could not find a full answer, write what you discovered so far and what you would need to learn more.
- FINAL STEP: Share the Adventure
- Tell someone about your quest. Share your most interesting question AND what you found out. Ask if they have a guess or know anything about it too. Good questions are always better with two brains.
A real scientist named Jane Goodall spent months in the forests of Tanzania doing something that looks a lot like what you just did. She walked through the forest, noticed things, wrote down questions, and investigated. She noticed that chimpanzees were doing things nobody had described before. She asked, why are they doing that? She investigated carefully. And she changed everything humans thought they knew about chimpanzees — and about what it means to be human. Her tools were simple: a notebook, a pencil, patience, and an unstoppable curiosity. The same tools you used today.
The list of questions you made today is a beginning, not an end. Keep adding to it. Good questions do not expire. Some of the best ones are worth keeping for months or years until you find just the right way to investigate them.
What are the three stages of a Question Quest?
Jane Goodall changed what people knew about chimpanzees using which simple tools?