Kid Thinker 3 -

"If we all did the things that we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves."
Thomas A Edison

What does this quote mean?
What could stop us from doing everything that we are capable of?
If you could do anything at all, what would you want to do?
Is there anything that you secretly think you are capable of doing, but which you have been too scared to try?
Go round the family, group or classroom and pick out something that everyone can do, then think about whether you could do it too. For example: "George is very good at playing the piano. Could I do that? I'm sure I could, if I practised hard enough, but I would prefer to spend time working on my football skills." Or, "Mary paints beautiful pictures. Could I do that? I'm sure I can, but I paint a different type of picture than Mary. We both paint beautiful pictures."
Do you always do everything the best you can?
Can you be good at everything? Or is it better to excel in one or two areas?
How do you find out what you are really good at?

Make a badge or award for everyone in your class or family stating something that they do really well and excel at. Perhaps your brother is great at football? Maybe he tells you interesting stories? Maybe he makes people laugh? In a classroom setting you could take it in turns to make a small booklet for every child in the class of their achievements and skills.
Think of one way in which you could stretch yourself to achieve more. Write it down as a goal, and challenge yourself to meet it!
Try something completely new - whatever your age! Make it as wacky as you like.
Play a physical game with younger children. "Who can jump?" The children jump and shout "We can!" and so on.

Brainstorm a list of things which could stop you from doing what you are capable of and write them down. Now draw up an action plan to counter each one. For example, if "lack of confidence" might be a problem, you could resolve to keep a list of your achievements, and look at it regularly.
Make a poster of the above exercise, writing the quote at the top of the poster and illustrating it appropriately.
Make a list, or poster, of all the things you would want to do if you could achieve anything.
Who was Thomas Edison, and what was he famous for? Find out everything you can about him and write a short profile of his life and achievements. You can print and use the notebooking pages below if you like. In a classroom setting, you could make a notice-board display about him, allocating a group of children to find out about his childhood, another about his career, a third his inventions, and so on.
Can you find any more quotes by Thomas Edison? Are there any that have meaning for you? If so, perhaps you could add them to your quote book or start one up.
Thomas Edison is said to have had over 1500 patents. What is a patent? Why might you need one?