THE MAPLE HILL LAB (THE BUS LAB)

 

 

 

A Lesson on How Different Intelligences Matter in Different Moments

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Click here for PDF Version of Lab

 

 

 

 

️ 

PART 1 — THE MAPLE HILL LAB STORY

 

 

 

“THE STUCK BUS ON MAPLE HILL”

 

 

Four kids are riding home on the school bus when suddenly it gets stuck in a muddy pothole halfway down Maple Hill.

The bus driver tries everything, but the wheels just spin.

 

These four students jump in to help — each using a different kind of intelligence.

 

 

 

️ 

THE FOUR KINDS OF INTELLIGENCE

 

 

(Represented by four characters)

 

 

1. Sally Sparks — Creativity

 

 

Sally immediately starts brainstorming ideas:

 

• “What if we put gym mats under the tires?”

• “What if we build a ramp with cardboard boxes?”

  Her imagination brings options when everyone else freezes.

 

 

 

 

2. Elliott Heart — Emotional Intelligence

 

 

Elliott notices younger kids crying.

He kneels and says:

 

“You’re safe. We’re together.”

He keeps the group calm and connected.

 

 

 

3. Isaac Brain — Intellectual Intelligence

 

 

Isaac studies the angle of the hill and explains:

 

“Shift everyone’s weight forward and turn the wheels slightly left.”

He brings logic and strategy.

 

 

 

4. Ava Flex — Athletic Intelligence

 

 

Ava says:

 

“I can help push — and guide from outside.”

She organizes older kids and physically helps free the bus.

 

 

 

️ 

THE BUS GETS UNSTUCK

 

 

Because all four contributed, the bus becomes free.

 

 

 

️ 

THE FORCED-RANKING TWIST

 

 

The narrator says:

 

“Due to a very silly rule from the Department of Unnecessary Ranking,

we MUST line these four intelligences up from most important to least important…

even though we ALL know this is ridiculous.”

 

 

If you HAD to rank them in this situation, who goes where — and why?

 

 

 

 

️ 

THE MAPLE HILL LAB WORKSHEET QUESTIONS

 

 

 

1. Rank them for 

this

 moment.

 

 

(1 = most important right now)

 

1.  

    

2.  

    

3.  

    

4.  

    

 

 

Why? _______________________________________

 

 

 

2. Would the order change in another situation?

 

 

• ☐ Yes

• ☐ No

• ☐ Maybe

 

 

Explain: ____________________________________

 

 

 

3. Which intelligence do YOU identify with most?

 

 

• ☐ Creativity (Sally)

• ☐ Emotional (Elliott)

• ☐ Intellectual (Isaac)

• ☐ Athletic (Ava)

 

 

Why? _________________________________________

 

 

 

4. Which intelligence does our society reward most?

 

 

 

 

5. Which intelligence does society overlook?

 

 

 

 

️ 

PART 2 — OUR PERSPECTIVE (THE CRAZY LAB EXPLAINS)

 

 

 

️ 

THE NATURAL ORDER (In Theory)

 

 

When zooming out, a sensible ranking looks like:

 

1. Creativity

2. Emotional Intelligence

3. Intellectual Intelligence

4. Athletic Intelligence

 

 

This is the macro view — the “big picture.”

 

 

 

️ 

BUT HERE’S THE CRAZY PART…

 

 

The moment you step into real life,

the whole ranking flips depending on the situation.

 

• In danger → athletic intelligence rises.

• In conflict → emotional intelligence leads.

• In planning → intellectual intelligence leads.

• In invention → creative intelligence leads.

 

 

 

**Different moments crown different intelligences.

 

 

There is no permanent winner.**

 

That’s the whole point of The Crazy Lab.

 

 

 

️ 

THE “NEXT DOOR” ENDING

 

 

Just when you think you’ve solved the mystery,

you turn around and find another door.

 

This door asks:

 

“In a true life-or-death moment…

which intelligence would YOU rather have as your main strength?”

 

 

• The strength used MOST in the worst moments (Athletic)…

  or

• The strength used LEAST in emergencies, but MOST in shaping life over time (Creative)?

 

 

There is no right answer.

Just the next question.

 

And that’s how The Crazy Lab works:

 

Every time you think you’ve reached the end…

there’s always another door.

 

 

 

️ 

PART 3 — THE HIDDEN BACKSTORY

 

 

 

(Revealed only if the student checks the box.)

 

 

☐ YES, show me the story behind the Maple Hill Four

 

 

 

️ **THE MAPLE HILL FOUR

 

 

A True Story From Franklin Drive**

 

Sally Sparks, Elliott Heart, Isaac Brain, and Ava Flex

grew up together on Franklin Drive in Mays Landing, New Jersey —

a quiet street where every kid’s bike was left anywhere the moment they jumped off to start another adventure.

 

Sally invented games.

Elliott understood feelings.

Isaac fixed anything.

Ava climbed everything.

 

They didn’t match.

They didn’t compete.

They simply knew one another’s strengths.

 

So when the bus got stuck on Maple Hill,

they stepped forward in the exact ways they were built to.

 

And that’s how four ordinary kids

saved the day —

not because any one was the “best,”

but because they were different

in exactly the right ways.

 

 

 

️ 

END OF THE MAPLE HILL LAB

 

 

(Part of The Crazy Lab collection)