love (is in) the details

my brother teaches special needs kids ages 10 to 12 in the mansfield, ohio city schools.  he has been making a difference in the lives of those amazing kids for over 21 years.  i am super proud of him.  he is an inspiration.

for the last two years i have had the honor of spending the day sharing with them the magic and fun of qualitative research.  i take them through a variety of exercises that i actually use for clients and then help understand the strategic learnings that come from the many exercises.  needless to say, it is a blast.

beyond the fun of spending time with such curious and energetic kids, i always seem to walk away so impressed with the insights they have and how observant they are.  to help illustrate this i have included pictures from our unaided drawing exercises from the last two years:

heinz ketchup (12.2012)

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two of the kids even recalled the little detail of the tomato and vine at the base of the package (see the green on the one in the top row?)!  what?!  holy impressed!!

coca cola and pepsi (12.2013)

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red is an equity – check.  it says coca cola on the package – check.  and did you see the polar bears?!  top row #1 (“you only gave me a white crayon”), bottom row #1 & 2.  genius.

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looks like the classroom has a bit more to say about pepsi!  note the logo, emphasis on blue, and the 12-pack box of cans, individual cans, and even the plastic bottle.

these kids make my heart smile.

TRY THIS AT HOME!  make it a family activity or even something to do with friends.  grab a 12 or 16 pack of crayons (one box for each person), a 11×8 piece of paper (and do not hesitate to use the WHOLE piece of paper), pick a brand, and start drawing!  it is fun seeing the details that stand out for some and not for others.  and if you do it, please PLEASE please send me the pics privately or post them in the comments section!

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Erin Taylor

10 years ago

We don’t give kids enough credit. Thanks for sharing!

Dick Whittington

10 years ago

Good stuff, Kate. Especially love you sharing some of your secrets!

Tom Taber

10 years ago

Great minds …. makes me smile

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