How to have a Creative Child? Wonder Arts: 9am and 10:30am Classes

What does it mean to be creative?

Creativity is the big buzz word in education right now...

The dictionary explains that Creativity means:

• the ability to transcend traditional ideas
• the ability to create meaningful new ideas

Creativity is a truly beautiful word as well as the entire idea of it.  

Most of the time, folks declare themselves "Not Creative" and somehow it makes us all feel a little less responsible for good ideas.  

I used to think that I wasn't creative...I used to think that my children weren't that creative...

But now I finally understand it... Creativity is something we ALL hold inside. BUT...

creativity works like a muscle in your brain...It needs to be "worked out" everyday in order to strengthen.

The creativity muscle needs motivation and it needs one of those annoyingly happy workout teachers!

Joking...well sort of... If you want to help your child flex this muscle, be an active participant with them!

Children need 3 things to work it out:

1. Time
2. Loose Parts materials (open ended materials)
3. A joyful participant

TV and the computer are the biggest eaters of our human time.

When the TV or computer ceases to be an option, Creativity is born.  
Both on your part and your child's.

Often folks think that they are then supposed to "Entertain" their children and who has the time for that?  How will we ever get anything done?

That's part 2:  Loose parts

My classroom curriculum consists of many different collections of "Stuff".  This stuff must serve at least more than one purpose in order for it to be purchased.

Children look for paradoxes in materials, they look for new and unique uses for items.  Spend some time Observing your child...learning how they are exploring their "Stuff"...and I promise you, you will be inspired with some new ideas to "keep the workout going"!

That's why I don't do Crafts in my Arts classes.  I don't believe that "Crafts" belong in early childhood.  It's like Junk food...it definitely adds fat instead of more Muscle!

I have seen computer programs and TV shows that claim to teach your child his/her colors.

But in these words his/her, truly exemplifies the meaning behind The Wonder Studio...

Yes, we can drill them with "that's red, that's yellow, that's blue!" But when they mix 4 spoonfuls of red with 1 spoonful of yellow, it doesn't really quite make orange...does it?

They just made something new...something entirely His.  And then that creativity muscle begins to strengthen.  Because now his heart is also getting a work out.

And if you're not careful, so will your heart!!

Here's an article regarding The Creativity Crisis:  http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2010/07/10/the-creativity-crisis.html

Keep Scrolling down for more...

A Creative Learning Story...

Here you see this little guy in all his creative glory!

This week's Arts based experiences weren't giving him the work out he quite needed.  I'm Woman enough to admit when I don't always nail it for every child(as a teacher)... :)

This little one knows where Ms. Shannon keeps her "Stuff" and he went digging...

Some of the other little ones became interested in his idea so we ended up getting out the other Tubes to explore.


At first, they practiced social skills by taking and pulling them from each other.  

Then some intentional and "creative" uses began to emerge... You can see him below exploring what happens when he pushes the tube down this hole...

After a while, the interest in the tubes translated to some interest in one of the experiences I had actually planned for the children...The wire. You can see him exploring the possibilities below. Clearly a connection between the similarities of these 2 materials has been discovered.


It's hard for me to let go of my own agenda...But usually when I do, that's when the children really begin their true work out!