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
Today’s post features another interesting activity from the Institute of Play, in collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)—a “friendly game of observation and persuasion” called “Everybody’s a Critic.” Everybody’s a Critic can be played at MOMA, in any other art gallery, or in a classroom filled with reproductions of artworks. In the game, … Continue reading
The U.S. Library of Congress is a treasure trove for teachers—so much so that it can become a bit overwhelming. So, for today, I’d like to share just one resource, Lyrical Legacy, a collection of 400 years of American song and poetry. Few things can give us insight into a place or period of history … 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
I love the stream of imagination that comes out of Google. Recently I came across yet another great classroom resource: Google Story Builder. The original Google Story Builder allowed users to create a story as a series of Google searches. This version allows us to create a video conversation among characters as if they were … Continue reading
It is May, and even in Michigan spring seems finally to have taken hold. This has made everyone in our house very happy, including the tribe of resident cats. Sitting in a sunny window is much more fun when the window isn’t the temperature of an icicle. In their honor, this month’s family fun activities … 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
One of the roots of creativity is the ability to look at the world in new ways. This may be one of the reasons that experiences in different cultures seem to be tied to greater creativity. A wonderful example of both flexible and multicultural thinking—along with a great teaching resource—comes from ethno-mathematician Dr. Ron Eglash. … Continue reading
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