Knowing the Name vs Knowing the Thing
Physicist Richard Feynman famously told a story about his father: "You can know the name of a bird in all the languages of the world, but when you're finished, you'll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird."
Multiple-choice quizzes only test if a child can recognize the name of a concept. They do not test if the child understands the mechanics of how the world actually works.
The Power of Dynamic Variable Sliders
When a child moves a slider and sees an immediate cause-and-effect relationship, their brain forms an intuitive mental model.
They don't need to memorize that "plants require sunlight" because they have personally witnessed the grass wither when the sun was blocked.
Core Principle
Memorization is fragile; intuitive experience lasts a lifetime.