I’ll admit it—Jimmy Fallon is bad for my sleep cycle. My late-night theatrical husband returns home right about Fallon-time and the temptation to watch just for a while….well, let’s just say I sometimes succumb. Recently, while watching Fallon’s “Wheel of Musical Impressions” with Adam Levine, I realized I was seeing a unique—and very funny—use of … Continue reading
The M I Curious series on my local Public Radio station is a cooperative exercise in problem finding. Modeled after the Curious City series at WBEZ in Chicago, M I Curious asks, “What do you wonder?” It invites listeners to submit questions, puts the questions to a vote, and then selects those for investigation. It … Continue reading
If I had to spend all summer with a group of kids and only one book, I know what I’d pick: Joshua Glenn and Elizabeth Foy Larsen’s Unbored: The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun. This book is a marvel. It is full of activities, experiments, ideas to explore and plans to change the world. … Continue reading
Ever since Joey Hudy fired his marshmallow cannon in the Whitehouse, there has been talk of a White House Maker Faire. Now, the big day is almost here. The first ever White House Maker Faire will be held June 18, 2014. While, unlike most maker faires, the event itself is not open to the public, … Continue reading
Remember Caine’s Arcade? In that viral moment, a chance encounter between a young boy with a cardboard arcade and a filmmaker became an Internet phenomenon. It also launched the nonprofit Imagination Foundation, whose mission is to foster creativity and innovation in children around the world. I first learned about the Imagination Foundation through their Global … Continue reading
For the last few years, during annual Ann Arbor Art Fairs, I’ve enjoyed my personal SCAMPER scavenger hunt. It usually takes me a few hours, but I locate examples of interesting art that represent each of the SCAMPER verbs. SCAMPER, of course, is an acronym that can help spur creative thinking by asking key questions … Continue reading
As those of us in the northern hemisphere begin to contemplate the crazy last-days-of-school approaching, it may be time for some off-the-wall teaching. Really. The Off the Wall Learning project of the Institute of Play is an informal learning approach for presenting creative challenges in poster form. The basics are simple. Create a learning challenge … Continue reading
One of the most fascinating mysteries about creativity is problem finding. How do artists decide what to create, writers decide what to write, or scientists determine what to investigate? The finding of a creative task is the heart of the creative process. We know something about the kinds of behaviors that can lead to problem … Continue reading
Ever wonder how creative people come up with their ideas? Me, too. So many times I look at a new invention, artistic endeavor, or form of literature and think, “How did they ever imagine doing that in the first place?” That is why I am fascinated with problem finding—the processes by which individuals choose the … Continue reading
How many times do we watch the news and feel helpless, surrounded by problems too enormous to understand, to say nothing of solve? Imagine then, being young, and feeling the same way. But it doesn’t have to be like that. One option is Choose2Matter. Choose2Matter started in 2011 with Angela Maiers’ TED deMoines talk focused … Continue reading
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