Overview & Integration

Life is full of obstacles and challenges for each of us to overcome. While some obstacles are big and some challenges are small, problem solving is an important skill that helps us solve problems of all kinds. When we practice our problem solving skills as we grow older, we can face these difficulties with courage. 

Think about when you first learned to count. At first it was difficult, but you practiced and problem solved. Your brain learned what worked and what didn’t, until one day you were able to count with no difficulty.

But sometimes the problems we face are bigger than just our own; sometimes the problems can involve our entire house, community, state or country! Some problems are so big that they involve the entire world! These types of problems can feel too big and scary for us to fix by ourselves, which means that we all have to work together to find solutions that work. Problems like pollution and landfills full of garbage were created by millions of people so it will take many of us working together to bring about real change. But no matter how young or old we are, our voice and our ideas can start the process of creating change! 

Take some time this week to observe the world around you. What problems do you see in your home, community, state, country or world? What ideas do you have to solve some of these problems? Share your ideas with you classmates and teachers and let’s work together to become changemakers in our community!