{"id":14547,"date":"2026-02-23T11:20:50","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T11:20:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.potentialplusuk.org\/?p=14547"},"modified":"2026-02-23T11:24:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T11:24:23","slug":"what-happens-when-curiosity-doesnt-stop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/potentialplusuk.org\/index.php\/2026\/02\/23\/what-happens-when-curiosity-doesnt-stop\/","title":{"rendered":"What Happens When Curiosity Doesn\u2019t Stop?"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]There are many great inventors who are celebrated for a single breakthrough\u2014yet they didn\u2019t stop there. Their curiosity pushed them to develop ideas further, explore new possibilities, and refine concepts that truly fascinated them. They persevered, experimented, and discovered what else might be possible.<\/p>\n

What might your child do with that same spark of curiosity? Where could one idea lead if it were given time, challenge, and encouragement to grow?<\/p>\n

This archive blog explores how invention and creative thinking can open up new capabilities for high learning potential learners. If you\u2019d like support in nurturing your child\u2019s strengths, or exploring how their curiosity can be stretched further, our Consultancy Service<\/a> offers structured guidance with a qualified Specialist in Gifted Education and Care to help you plan meaningful next steps.<\/p>\n

Our Guided Reflection<\/a>, available free until the end of February 2026, is a helpful starting point if you\u2019d like to consider whether Consultancy is the right step for your family at this stage.<\/p>\n

The Slinky Spring<\/h3>\n

Invented by engineer Richard James and given its name by his wife Betty, the slinky spring was meant to keep fragile equipment protected on battleships. But when James knocked it down from a shelf, he was mesmerised by its unusual motion. A few tweaks resulted in a prototype.<\/p>\n

For Younger Children:<\/p>\n

Talk to them about how a slinky spring moves and how it started off as a prototype. Explain that a prototype is a simple creation of a model that allows you to test it to see what can be improved. What kind of prototype would your child invent? What questions would they ask people who tested their product?<\/p>\n

For the Physics Fan:<\/p>\n

Make waves! You need a friend to help. Stretch out a slinky spring as far as you can (six feet) or tie one end of it to a solid object the same distance away. If you move your hand up and down, you\u2019ll see a wave travelling down the slinky spring. In fact, you\u2019ve made a transverse wave. Now move your hand towards and away from your friend. This is a longitudinal wave; seismic waves move like this through the earth.<\/p>\n

Putty<\/h3>\n

James Wright accidentally dropped boric acid into silicone oil, resulting in the squashy and stretchy putty you play with today. The first batch was actually sold for Easter!<\/p>\n

For the Chemistry Fan (KS2\/3):<\/p>\n

Putty is actually a non-Newtonian fluid because its viscosity is dependent on both temperature and applied force. Try comparing it with ketchup, cold or warm honey and toothpaste to see how it flows, and cornflour dissolved in water.<\/p>\n

Plate Tectonics (KS2\/3):<\/p>\n

Putty can show you how the rocks deep in the earth\u2019s crust moves. Holding the putty in both hands, can your child stretch it by pulling in opposite directions? Now ask them to bounce the putty off the floor in a suitable area or hit it with a hammer. Is it a solid, liquid or both? Are rocks in the earth similarly elastic under stress?<\/p>\n

Suspension Bridges & Excellent Eggs<\/h3>\n

\"Clifton<\/p>\n

Bristol\u2019s suspension bridge designed by Isambard Brunel is famous. However not many people know about his friend Sarah Guppy, who designed not only a tea maker that cooked eggs but also patented her chain bridge design and gave Brunel some of her ideas.<\/p>\n

Explore the Clifton Suspension Bridge with Dick & Dom: https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/teach\/class-clips-video\/articles\/z6pcqp3<\/a> (02:50 mins onwards)<\/p>\n

Younger Children to KS1<\/p>\n

Use items such as spaghetti, kitchen roll cardboard and pencils to build a bridge. Parents can suggest a certain span and width. How long can it go? Can your child evaluate why it did or didn\u2019t succeed?<\/p>\n

KS1-2<\/p>\n

Talk to your child about what a suspension bridge is \u2013 namely a bridge that hangs its deck (the area that carries transport and pedestrians) from a cable hung between towers. Why do we have different types of bridges? Does your child think some types are better than others? How do they know?<\/p>\n

Bridge Breakfast<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sarah Guppy\u2019s breakfast tea maker ran on steam which boiled an egg and kept toast warm on a steam-heated plate \u2013 ingenious! Now watch this: https:\/\/thekidshouldseethis.com\/post\/the-sunday-morning-breakfast-machine<\/a> Could you design your own meal machine? Draw your delicious idea.<\/p>\n

Eggstremely Strong<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"An

Eggsellent Support<\/p><\/div>\n

Find an egg and two plastic bottle caps. One needs to fit underneath the egg, and one on top. How much weight can you place on top without it breaking? \u201cHow come the eggshell is so brittle yet it can withstand so much pressure?\u201d asks a Potential Plus member. It\u2019s all in the dome shape. Above you can see her eggsellent experiment, do you think it could have supported anymore books?<\/p>\n

Chief Engineer<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Egg

Shelley and Norman Egg survived their perilous descent!<\/p><\/div>\n

Design and build a vehicle that can carry two eggs down a ramp and stop them from smashing on impact. Will any of them get a hairline fracture, or worse?<\/p>\n

And Finally…<\/h3>\n

Find something you can recycle and turn it into something functional.<\/p>\n

Discuss: \u201cAn inventor is just making something new to get rich.\u201d (Ks1-3)<\/p>\n

What would you<\/em> invent? How about: an ice cream that never melts, a flower that never loses its petals, a book that greets you when you open it, a climbing wall that extends the higher you ascend, a chocolate Easter egg that never loses its curved shape when you bite into it…<\/p>\n

\n

\"Skills[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]There are many great inventors who are celebrated for a single breakthrough\u2014yet they didn\u2019t stop there. 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