For teachers, a common difficulty when introducing scientific thinking is finding ways to engage the participation of the students. Because most scientific problems require at least some specialized knowledge to formulate and solve, it can be hard to go beyond merely discussing the steps of the scientific method and illustrating them with the common textbook examples. This article offers one solution to this conundrum: A laboratory exercise involving the revival of desiccated rotifers collected from local habitats. The microscopic observations are readily done, and reasoning is based mainly on everyday learning acquired without formal training. Students gain practice in scientific thinking, experience in experimental design, a taste of biological discovery, and a touch of utter amazement. (Contains 1 figure and 3 online resources.)