Encouraging creativity

[4Blessings]

I read this article today http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/10/t...ty-crisis.html about, "The Creativity Crisis," in America and it got me thinking. What can I do as a homeschooler to encourage creativity?

My older two are boys (9&7) and have not been very interested in my attempts at craft projects. They do love Legos and have lots of free play with those. Sometimes we give them Lego building challenges which they also love. I've tried drawing instruction with books from the library but those haven't been much of an interest to either of them. They don't care much for painting. We let them take apart broken electrical appliances to see how things work. We encourage lots of unstructured outside play too. When problems come up I try to remember to ask for their ideas for a solution before I take charge

What, if anything, do you do to encourage creativity?

[AAK]

I provide supplies that they can use without direct supervision and remain relaxed about the mess. Occassionally we will do a project, but mostly they create without instruction. Instruction is provided if they seek it out. During warmer months, I try to use the outdoors for wild art (throwing paint, using odd things to paint with, etc). We always have playdoh, sculptey, paint, crayons, markers, boxes, toilet paper tubes, glitter, sequins etc. around.

I don't think creativity is limited to the arts & crafts. Legos, etc are avenues for creativity--so is unstructured play time. My girls love the dress up box AS WELL as a box of scrap wood to build with.

A fun project that actually taps into creative juices is to take an apple (and raisons, cheerios, choc chips, other veggies/fruits) and make a "monster" out of food. We use toothpicks and/or peanut butter to attach things. They take a picture and then get to eat it up.

Creativity is abundant in our house. They create art daily, compose music, create plays, choreograph dances, build things, etc. I never relied on electronic devices for entertainment, always provides raw materials for them, and rarely bought close minded toys. But, maybe my kids are just this way.

[Daffodil]

Crafts actually seem fairly uncreative to me. How often do kids working with craft materials actually come up with something original and interesting? (But maybe I just think that because I'm not creative with art or crafts myself.)

How about making up stories, songs, or poems? I make up silly songs and rhymes and the kids sometimes join in. DD and I have worked together to make up poems, and sometimes she makes up her own. Maybe your kids would like Magnetic Poetry word magnets. (You can make your own, too, by typing up and printing out a sheet of them and sticking it to magnetic backing.) You could also try the game where one person starts a story and then each person in turn adds a bit to it.

[accidental_hs'er]

Lego boy here

I'd say 90% of my boy's creativity comes through Lego play. Other than that I see him using imaginary play with his friends (he is 7 1/2 and will play house, star wars, the wild west...). I do have him take art classes with his sister during the "school" year. He takes music lessons and likes to tinker on the piano. I leave a lot of items around for him to use at his leisure - paper, scissors, glue, etc. Sometimes he'll make 'Keep Out' signs for his bedroom door.

The only real input he gets from me is when we tell oral stories together. We like to be silly and make things up. He isn't an output kind of kid. I don't worry too much. My dd is the complete opposite, always drawing and making things. She isn't obsessed with Lego though.

Michelle

[Lillian J]

I agree about the Lego play - and they're probably experiencing creativity in other ways that aren't as obvious. I was sitting in my doctor's reception room awhile back and marveling at two little boys playing with cars on the rug. Wow, did they travel into amazing worlds together! Those cars took on the roles of all sorts of heroes and villains and went through all kinds of adventures. I figured they were probably homeschoolers, because it was during the daytime. And sometimes creativity can be a very quiet inward thing - I would imagine that some fine writers didn't grow up looking as if they were doing much in the way of creativity.

Lillian

[Marimami]

Originally Posted by Daffodil

Crafts actually seem fairly uncreative to me. How often do kids working with craft materials actually come up with something original and interesting? (But maybe I just think that because I'm not creative with art or crafts myself.)

LOL.. seriously? DD (almost 6) would consider her day incomplete if she hadn't created something with our art supplies. She really does not like pre-fabricated art/craft "projects" but raw materials--wow! She is always putting together something. Just looking around this room I see her watercolor books (collection of watercolor paintings), a 3-D castle made from boxes, an acrylic painting, some cards, a pencil drawing... etc.. and I'm just in the computer room where she dragged something in to show me while I was working.

I think kids are just drawn to different types of materials for their creativity. We've always made art/craft supplies, instruments, dress-up materials, building materials accessible. She has just always been innately drawn to artistic and musical pursuits.

I agree that legos and other building materials are simply how your kids have chosen to express their creativity. My DH is the same way.. sometimes we can get him to painfully join in on art projects with DD and I but he is really the building consultant around here.

Holli

[AAK]

Originally Posted by Daffodil

Crafts actually seem fairly uncreative to me. How often do kids working with craft materials actually come up with something original and interesting? (But maybe I just think that because I'm not creative with art or crafts myself.)

I think that craft "projects", where the child is expected to follow directions to achieve a specific outcome aren't really that creative. Some children get creative with it and 'make it their own', but if you just follow the directions. . . then no.

But crafting (or art)--where the child takes the raw materials and uses his/her OWN imagination to create something can be very creative. Sometimes I have to remind myself not to give advice etc so that they can remain in their element and make whatever they are making. My 7 yr old does like some instruction with drawing things, but then she uses that to create lovely scenes. My four year old is a non-traditional sculptor though. She takes crayons and glues them to all sorts of things, she molded playdough to cover a cardboard box and requested it to be allowed to dry out. A project isn't complete for her if it isn't 3D. Also, trying to get her to make a predefined project is like pulling teeth!

Amy

[Marimami]

Ha! Amy, your younger daughter sounds so much like mine, especially at that age! We call her our "mixed media artiste! She has slowly added more traditional works to her repertoire but 3D still reigns supreme.

I still have a picture of this creation she did with playdough and and a bunch of her playdough tools around age 3. It's very nearly an installation art piece!

Holli

[PJsmomma]

I am creative so I do try to encourage creativity in my son.
I don't know that I've really thought about why or how I do it because it's just part of who I am.
However, I thought a bit about your post and here's a few things I do.

1. Have supplies available that he can use without asking. He can use them up or dump them out or whatever. They are his.

2. We try new things all the time.

3. I encourage his efforts. His new thing is paint by numbers. He just started one on Saturday and he's so excited that it's turning out and that he can see the clouds. "Mom they really look like clouds. It's so amazing."

I know that "paint by number" may not be the most wonderful project for encouraging creativity because it is a little like coloring books. But he's learning how paint works on the canvas. He has to mix colors. He's seeing results and so proud of them. So I guess it's good.

4. I let him use my things sometimes. He does have to ask for the things that are moms just because some of my things aren't cheap. I usually just want to show him how to use them before he digs in.

5. I let him make messes with things. He loves trying science experiments and making messes.

6. We observe nature. I think that helps quite a bit. There are so many colors and patterns in nature that are inspiring!

7. I let him cook or make things. He creates smoothie recipes and thinks about things he'd like to make.
There may be more but that's all I have right now.

[moominmamma]

We have a pretty creative family. Dh is a self-taught blacksmith and blues guitarist. I'm a classically-trained musician and write music arrangements. We are always experimenting with making things for ourselves around our home. In the last couple of days I've made rock gardens, a needle-felted bird, cheese and dorodangos. I think creativity can be passed along by modelling.

We don't have arts and crafts media out on a daily (or even weekly) basis. In the past some of my kids have enjoyed drawing or painting on a daily basis but our creativity does not flow in that direction very often lately.

To me creativity is a delight in experimenting to create something unique. It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the arts. My 7yo is very creative. Some of the non-standard ways she expresses this: She enjoys being set tasks like "making a cream cheese spread" using herbs and spices and anything else she can find in the kitchen, or gathering things outside to make a centrepiece on the dining room table. We also have a family tradition of making Andy-Goldsworthy-inspired natural art installations outdoors ... building rock cairns, weaving twigs together and erecting them in places, collecting leaves or moss or rocks and constructing patterns on the ground with them, building mud or sands sculptures. We also do a lot of story-telling in our family. We tell round-robin stories in various ways, we share and embellish our weird nocturnal dreams, that sort of thing.

My kids all take music lessons, and we've ensured that their music education also includes an emphasis on music composition, arranging and improvisation. In other areas of direct instruction, like math, we also actively encourage tools of creative problem solving. I often challenge my kids, for instance, if they have solved a math problem, to find another way to solve it. When they do mental math, we take delight in sharing the different strategies we used. "Really? Well, how I did it was to round it up to 300, multiply it out and then subtract the difference. Your way is really cool! Wish I'd thought of that!"

We just do these things because they are fun, not as part of a Curriculum of Creativity. But they do encourage intellectual and artistic creativity.

Miranda

[justthinkn]

Interesting article!

Originally Posted by AAK

I provide supplies that they can use without direct supervision and remain relaxed about the mess. Occassionally we will do a project, but mostly they create without instruction. Instruction is provided if they seek it out...

A fun project that actually taps into creative juices is to take an apple (and raisons, cheerios, choc chips, other veggies/fruits) and make a "monster" out of food. We use toothpicks and/or peanut butter to attach things. They take a picture and then get to eat it up.

I love the food monster idea! Will try that soon - like this afternoon probably.

Originally Posted by AAK

I think that craft "projects", where the child is expected to follow directions to achieve a specific outcome aren't really that creative. Some children get creative with it and 'make it their own', but if you just follow the directions. . . then no.

But crafting (or art)--where the child takes the raw materials and uses his/her OWN imagination to create something can be very creative.

We're also all about leaving the basic supplies out, and it amazes me how much time DD spends making art collages, drawing, stamping, cutting, gluing... I don't mind the art projects she's exposed to at library storytimes, the children's museum, etc. - I think it exposes her to some new ideas about how she can use materials. But she always adds her own touches, whether it's adding to the picture in the coloring book someone gave her, or - one of my favorites - the time she had me trace her hand onto the storytime craft she was doing. I didn't get it until it was done - she wanted a hand to pick the flower on the page!

Then there's just the creativity of how she uses her toys... Grandma gave her a Dora dollhouse (yeah, I would have preferred a plain, open-ended one!), and this morning Dora needed a bed - a piece of paper with a magnet pillow and a big puzzle piece blanket. Then there are the contraptions she builds with baby stroller, scooter, jump rope, grocery sacks, you name it! Lots of experimentation going on...

So yeah, a lot of creativity building seems to be about tolerating mess I also liked the point in the article about open-ended conversations, building brainstorming and problem solving skills...

[Daffodil]

I guess maybe I shouldn't be so quick to knock craft projects as an outlet for creativity. After all, I have a kid who decided to make toad capes out of felt the other day - I can't say that's not creative. (They actually fit on the toads! But the toad skirt was less successful - it wouldn't stay on.)

[ikesmom]

Originally Posted by Daffodil

Crafts actually seem fairly uncreative to me. How often do kids working with craft materials actually come up with something original and interesting? (But maybe I just think that because I'm not creative with art or crafts myself.)

How about making up stories, songs, or poems? I make up silly songs and rhymes and the kids sometimes join in. DD and I have worked together to make up poems, and sometimes she makes up her own. Maybe your kids would like Magnetic Poetry word magnets. (You can make your own, too, by typing up and printing out a sheet of them and sticking it to magnetic backing.) You could also try the game where one person starts a story and then each person in turn adds a bit to it.

I can see what you mean Daffodil

What is creativity?


I think this is more than art creativity or messy media for me. Personality or ways to express oneself is creative too. I am not overly crafty or creative , but I think there are different levels of creativeness. I look at lines, angles, color levels and tones. I think that is technical , but others see it as creative.

Sports
Cooking
Gardening
Art creating and displaying
Photography
Writing
Dancing


I am sure you all can think of other ways..it is good to see how others are creative

[AAK]

Just wanted to say that I am loving this thread. It is nice to be reminded of all the different ways we can express ourselves creatively!

amy

[simple living mama]

So many good posts here. I just want to add a great way for getting one in to art is to model it by doing art with them. I run a childrens art booth at our farmers and have run studios for children and the best way they get involved is if they see me doing something fun and creative. They want to have a chance to have that much fun too. So get down on the floor and built or paint or cook or do anything where they know they are invited to play.

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by ikesmom

I think this is more than art creativity or messy media for me. Personality or ways to express oneself is creative too. I am not overly crafty or creative , but I think there are different levels of creativeness. I look at lines, angles, color levels and tones. I think that is technical , but others see it as creative.

Sports
Cooking
Gardening
Art creating and displaying
Photography
Writing
Dancing


I am sure you all can think of other ways..it is good to see how others are creative

In their second book, Hard Times in Paradise, after the success of Homeschooling for Excellence,
David and Micki Colfax described the life they'd lived while building their homestead and eventually starting the goat farm with their four homeschooled sons who have since achieved remarkable success both academically and through important careers involving strong commitment to social service of various kinds. A lot of it involved thinking and planning together to make things work - to figure out how to get water from a creek to the house, for instance. The boys were an important part of all that - figuring out basic problems like that, both physical and strategical, is certainly a use of creativity. - Lillian

[trghig]

Thanks for sharing the article Very interesting. It isn't at all surprising to me that creativity is declining given the amount of tv, video games and "unopen" ended toys children play with.

I have a few rules concerning the toys that come into my home. They have to meet 1 of 2 rules.

1. Educational Value
2. Encourage Creative Play

Some of the thigns I do to encourage creativity in my oldest DS is:

I have invested in good quaility musical insturments for childrens- things like the plan toy Xylophone, etc.

I have things like building blocks, figurines and other toys that encourage open creative play.

I also have a cupboard of art supplies for him - markers, paper, glue, stickers, pom poms, etc.

I do a lot of art. I am a drawer and painter. I have lots of very expensive art supplies, so I've made a point of getting cheaper supplies for him to use until he gets older. If he has an interest in art as he gets older I will gladly purchase supplies for him.

[ikesmom]

Originally Posted by Lillian J

In their second book, Hard Times in Paradise, after the success of Homeschooling for Excellence,
David and Micki Colfax described the life they'd lived while building their homestead and eventually starting the goat farm with their four homeschooled sons who have since achieved remarkable success both academically and through important careers involving strong commitment to social service of various kinds. A lot of it involved thinking and planning together to make things work - to figure out how to get water from a creek to the house, for instance. The boys were an important part of all that - figuring out basic problems like that, both physical and strategical, is certainly a use of creativity. - Lillian

You got me thinking. My kids are a little spoiled this summer with trips and outings. I have been doing some soul searching and found a place where our whole family can volunteer at a shelter. I didn't think of it as creative, but your right that helping others is creative-from creation. Helping us see beyond ourselves.

(((QUOTE;;trghig Thanks for sharing the article Very interesting. It isn't at all surprising to me that creativity is declining given the amount of tv, video games and "unopen" ended toys children play with.

I have a few rules concerning the toys that come into my home. They have to meet 1 of 2 rules.

1. Educational Value
2. Encourage Creative Play

Some of the thigns I do to encourage creativity in my oldest DS is:

I have invested in good quaility musical insturments for childrens- things like the plan toy Xylophone, etc. )))

This is timely ..dh wants to buy ds (5) a game for his birthday..I had other things in mind.

I struggle with the T.V and the video games too. Dh is a techy and the kids love..love ..love the video games. I am more like you. I rather work with my hands or be outdoors. I give in because they bond together and share an interest here. Dh's friends will come over and play games with the kids too. It brought many age groups from my workplace together at gatherings since coworkers brought their children to our holiday gatherings. Rock Band has opened inhibitions to sing our lungs out. We take turns with the drums and even though my ds 10 struggles with it he will still try. I am not into video games , but this is huge for me.

I spent 2 hours at the pool with the kids the other day. My little ds was sad because his siblings went to the deep end to swim with the bigger kids. We played Pokemon and acted out characters and dialog. After a while a few other little kids joined in the play. We took turns changing the story..the imagination wheels were spinning here..esp mine I don't like Pokemon, but they love it.

I always say we are going to go T.V free , but we don't . There are some good things about it. Sometimes it opens up discussions that I wouldn't normally bring up or expose the kids to. I take some of the bad things they see and use it as a lesson. I have watched my kids cry over a documentary or voice their opinion about something that stirred their brain..there is good and bad.

[Grace and Granola]

[PGTlatte]

Originally Posted by 4Blessings

What, if anything, do you do to encourage creativity?

I do my best to have large blocks of unscheduled time at home, limit their access to entertainment that spoon-feeds them a specific story or game, and give them free reign to do what they want, how they want, with anything they want to use that is not dangerous, expensive, or easily destroyed...and we've filled our house with lots of stuff that is all okay for them to do what they want with. I also avoid telling them about the "right" way to do or play something. IMO there is plenty of time later for learning "real rules" to a game when they decide they want to. They do a lot of making it up as they go along, adding in pretend scenarios, using all sorts of things as props. Access to art supplies and some musical instruments (toy drums and a real keyboard) is pretty much unlimited. They are allowed to make what they want with art supplies - I don't do guided crafts. They spend a lot of time in various costumes (I have been known to pick them off the curb the day before garbage pickup !) When I go into a dollar store I go nuts, buying anything that looks like they might have fun with it. There are no penalties for messes in the area of the kitchen table, wet or dirty clothes, etc. Creativity is often messy. As long as it's not permanent (they do not get free access to Sharpies !), the messes are okay. I think a relaxed environment helps them be creative. They are not worried about breaking rules, making messes, or making mistakes. They are free to create. I give time that is not filled with scheduled or scripted stuff, a variety of things to express themselves with, and a free environment to do it in. And dry clothes and a snack when they are done