Creative Discovery Museum
Why Failure in Making?
We hoped that by participating in this opportunity all of our staff will come to view “failure” as a necessary part of growing resilient, patient and empathetic kids, as well as provide tools for staff to use to help kids past the initial point of giving up.
I really feel like this has redefined what some of our programming is going to look like going forward because success looks different when you redefine failure.
What is Failure
At the outset, we approached failure as both a learning artifact and a subjective experience. We defined outcomes as artifacts of children’s learning, and children themselves often defined failure as “something that has not met their expectation.” This situated our work in understanding failure as something to notice, document, and respond to — a signal of where further learning or support might be needed.
Through the professional development process, our framing of failure expanded and deepened. We came to define failure as not achieving a preconceived, desired outcome, but also as an essential part of learning, mastery, and growth. In the makerspace context, failure became something to honor: a visible part of the process that we celebrated by sending home projects that represented not only what children had learned, but also the struggles they overcame.
failure-based activity
We integrated the professional development opportunity within the activity Sewing an Applique, as multiple common points of failure existed within the process such as pinning, threading needle, tying knot, and stitching.
one failure moment or challenge
One major challenge was trying to film “failure moments.” When children noticed the camera, they tried harder to succeed, and when the space wasn’t busy, facilitators had time to intervene early and prevent failure altogether. The result was two full days of filming with virtually no recorded failures.
We recognized that our own hovering was unintentionally preventing failure and shifted our approach. We trained staff to step back, look for children’s cues, and allow space for productive struggle. We also adjusted expectations on busy days, balancing the need for efficient service with opportunities for children to learn through trial and error.
What did We learn?
Our team learned to embrace failure as a powerful step toward growth, seeing it as an opportunity for children to build independence and confidence. Staff also grew in their own practice—overcoming the fear of being videotaped, discovering the value of watching themselves and their peers, and using these moments to reflect and improve. This process made them more intentional in their techniques and sparked creative solutions to common challenges, ultimately creating richer, more supportive learning experiences for every visitor.
Educators also learned the importance of stepping back and reducing hovering to give children the space to struggle productively. Our team has discovered strategies to stay engaged during slower times without interrupting a child’s learning process and to accept that busy periods sometimes require shortcuts that reduce opportunities for struggle. We have learned to take satisfaction in simply providing exposure to new activities, even when mastery isn’t possible. Staff have become more skilled at recognizing and responding to individual learning needs, and we have learned that providing child-made, eye-level provocations helps set expectations and encourages exploration.
Lastly, we discovered that many staff initially viewed failure as negative, as something to be avoided to ensure every guest had a positive experience. Over time, we shifted this mindset, helping staff see the value of creating opportunities for failure as part of learning and growth.
About us
Creative Discovery Museum is a pioneering leader, igniting children’s passion for learning through play. From Chattanooga to nationwide outreach, we engage the senses and inspire exploration.
Our Mission
To inspire all children to explore, innovate, create, and play.
Our Vision
To make our community the best place for a child to grow up.