When is a utility box not a utility box? When it’s a work of public art. My home city, Ann Arbor, Michigan, has some of the best looking traffic signal utility boxes you’ll ever see. Thanks to a collaboration between the civic and arts organizations, the city is beginning to cover 42 utility boxes with … Continue reading
One of the best ways to help students experience the power of creative thinking is to involve them in solving real world problems. Sometimes problems appropriate for young problem-solvers are local to a school or neighborhood, but sometimes young people can have an impact on problems of global scale. One such problem is the die … Continue reading
While we’re considering play, let’s talk about fun. DeepFUN. Game designer Bernie DeKoven’s DeepFUN website is all about games. Here’s the way he describes it. This site is about games – not just any games – just the games you play for fun. In the process of growing up, most people lose touch with the sources … Continue reading
The last few warm days have given me hope that summer may one day return to Michigan. When that glorious day finally arrives (can you tell it’s been a LONG winter?), many homes will be filled with seemingly ever-hungry children wondering to eat next. This doesn’t necessarily sound like a creativity problem, but it can … Continue reading
Recently I had the chance to snuggle down with some of my favorite young people to watch the movie Big Hero 6. I’ll admit I did not have high expectations, given that the hero of the movie bears a striking resemblance to Ghostbusters’ Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. But Big Hero 6 was not just delightful … Continue reading
Happy New Year! The holidays are over and we’re all moving back into our work routines—and in Michigan, to our midwinter world of ice and snow. After our mild fall, we are back into the deep freeze and dark days—just the time when we need some creativity to raise our spirits. At this time of … Continue reading
For me, one of the silly joys of the Christmas season is finding a new version of Clement Moore’s A Visit From St. Nicholas—or, to be more accurate, one of the many parodies of the famous poem. And now I get to share my joys, and some pre-holiday lesson options, with you. Last year I … Continue reading
In the United States, it is almost time for Thanksgiving, our national celebration of gratitude and food. Last year at this time our household was recovering from a fire–nothing huge, but enough to fill the house with smoke and our lives with chaos for weeks. It reminded us of the many things we take for … Continue reading
What child doesn’t love being a bit sneaky? From stealthily creeping down the hall way-too-early on Christmas morning to sneaking a peek at a friend’s nervous prom date, I’ve gathered seemingly valuable data that way! Fortunately, with his Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things, Cy Tymony has raised sneakiness to a new level and proposes “sneaky” … Continue reading
What is that thing you want to do but can’t quite manage? What do you want to do but haven’t conquered—yet? What’s the difference between those ideas? Recently I wrote about the links between a growth mindset and the kinds of motivation related to creativity. A growth mindset holds that abilities change and grow through … Continue reading
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