We all agree that teaching kids to be creative pays big dividends no matter what field of work they choose as adults. But often our efforts at teaching creativity have a future pay-off that we don’t get to see. Kids grow up and leave our schools (or our homes) and we never know the full impact that this creativity will have on their adult lives. So when they go on to create … [Read more...]
Return of the Marshmallow Challenge!
Back by popular demand, I ended our school year with "The Marshmallow Challenge". I first tried this activity two years ago, after watching an inspiring TED Talk by Tom Wujec. The Marshmallow Challenge is a team-building exercise where groups of 2-3 have 18 minutes to try to build the tallest freestanding structure - using just 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of masking … [Read more...]
The Marshmallow Challenge
I love to end our school year with a fun activity that my students will remember. This year, I discovered The Marshmallow Challenge while watching a TED Talk and I couldn’t wait to try it! This activity encourages creativity, problem solving and teamwork…. skills that are essential for becoming an innovator in today’s rapidly changing world. Click here to watch a short video … [Read more...]
A Case for Creativity and the Arts in Schools
Creativity and the Arts are often not given the attention they deserve in schools today. As a result, kids miss the important lessons that creativity and the arts provide. Many of them develop unrealistic standards for the work they create. They expect perfection and struggle to allow themselves to fail, missing the learning opportunity that failing provides. Then these kids … [Read more...]