Allowing Time for Creativity

Students begin their inquiries in various ways.  Sometimes they come in with a specific idea, topic or curiosity in mind.  In this case, they begin their learning by either reading or writing about it or by choosing materials that will help them explore the interest further.  

Other times, students come in with no specific idea or topic to investigate.  When this happens, they are permitted to take some time to find one.  They do this by: 

• reading online or from our inquiry library or
• by spending time talking and interacting with classmates while they engage in learning or 
• by choosing from the variety of hands-on materials that are available for exploration.  

Giving students permission to take time to determine a focus is essential for maintaining learning momentum.

Below are some examples of creative works that have somehow been inspired by allowing students the time to uncover a new curiosity:

What started off as a lego building became a full high-tech village with operating parts.

A guitar was the first of a few musical instruments.  Several attempts were made to get the best sound from the strings.

A first nations village

This gnome village led to the inspiration of the first nations villages that followed.  The student who created this worked with dedication and perseverance- making sure every detail was just right.

Exploring with clay one day led to...

A study of Landforms

This working crane began as an exploration of one student with the materials.  The student was joined by a few classmates who worked with dedication to figure out how to make this a working machine.

This student explored with GoldieBlox building materials and this is what she was able to make.