Games That Stimulate Creativity

Everyone has some degree of creativity. But you need to stimulate your skills to be creative. This post would suggest you many simple games or activities which can be easily adopted as a skill development tool by teachers. It is teacher's involvement which can make these games more interesting and fun.

Each of these exercises will help your students increase their ability to solve problems creatively. While completing the exercises, students shouldn't race through just to see the answers. They should work at each game until they develop the perspective necessary to play it well. Each exercise is designed to demonstrate an important point that should be mastered before going on to the next challenge.

Try to keep students from becoming discouraged. In learning to master creative problem solving, the best way—and sometimes the only way—is to learn through mistakes. Fear of making mistakes is often the most inhibiting attitude to effective problem solving.

Exercise #1: Kindred Relationships

There have been many efforts to define or explain the creative process. Psychologist Sarnoff A. Mednick of the University of Michigan thinks of it as the forming of associative elements into new combinations or arrangements.

That may not be the whole story, but the person who can marshal a great number of associations and ideas and bring them to bear on his problem has the best chance of coming up with an original solution.

In this exercise, think of a fifth word that is related to the preceding four words. (Compound and hyphenated words or commonly used expressions are allowed.)
Examples:
Elephant, bleed, lie, wash
Answer:White (white elephant, bleed white, white lie,
white-wash)
Sleeping, contest, spot, shop
Answer: Beauty (sleeping beauty, beauty contest, beauty spot, beauty shop)
Now train your own associative powers with the following sets:

1. bug rest fellow cover ____________________
2. cross baby blood ribbon ____________________
3. see carpet hot cent ____________________
4. touch palate soap sell ____________________
5. easy hush belt order ____________________
6. tree cup cake forbidden ____________________
7. wagon stand aid dance ____________________
8. dust movie gaze sapphire ____________________
9. tooth talk potato bitter ____________________
10. alley date snow spot ____________________

Answers: 1. Bed 2. Blue 3. Red 4. Soft 5. Money 6. Fruit 7. Band 8. Star 9. Sweet 10. Blind

Exercise #2: More Than Meets the Eye

One of the most useful of all thinking modes in creative problem solving is visual thinking. It is especially effective in solving problems where shapes, forms, or patterns are concerned. To improve your powers of visualization, concentrate on the accompanying illustration.

The question usually asked in connection with this design is whether you see either the vase or the two human profiles. A mentally flexible person will see both. For purposes of this mental exercise, however, try to see as many additional items in the picture as you can. Look at it from many different points of view and from as many angles as you wish. Then check the list below. Some of the items may seem far—fetched. But, remember, the idea is to use your imagination freely.

Answers: 1. An anvil. 2. An overpass pillar on a highway. 3. Champagne glass. 4. Piano stool. 5. Tower with revolving restaurant. 6. Minute-timer. 7. Propeller. 8. Chess-game rook or castle. 9. Fruit holder. 10. Bird bath. 11. Chalice. 12. Rubber grommet. 13. Keyhole slot in door. 14. An extrusion die. 15. Two Pontiac automobiles about to crash head on. 16. A screw jack. 17. An arrowhead going into an object. 18. Two girls sitting back-to-back and holding parcels on their heads.

Exercise #3: Loose Ends

Defining a problem too narrowly can inhibit and delay finding a solution. The creative problem solver tries to state the requirements as broadly as possible at the beginning. If, after a reasonable time, no solution presents itself, he tries to restate it in such a way that a new avenue of approach becomes available.

Less successful problem solvers, on the other hand, persist doggedly in the same direction, even when the difficulty does not yield to their efforts. They are blocked from considering new directions by stubborn commitment to the old.

Look at the first sketch and imagine that you are the person shown standing in the room. You have been given the task of tying together the ends of the two strings suspended from the ceiling. The strings are located so that you cannot reach one string with your outstretched hand while holding the second in your other hand. The room is totally bare, and you have only the resources you would normally have in your pocket or handbag. How do you solve this problem?


Most people will see the difficulty as a shortness of reach. That is, they state the problem to themselves as: "How can I get to the second string?" The consequence of this perspective is that all effort goes into vain efforts to find a means of making one of the strings longer. But the "givens" of this problem make such a solution impossible.

If, however, you define the problem as "How can the string and I get together?", another sort of solution may occur to you. The solution requires that you see the difficulty in terms of getting the second string to come to you. If you tie a small object-say, a key or a ring-to the end of one string and set it swinging like a pendulum, you can grab it while still holding the end of the second string in the other hand.

Exercise #4: Breaking Out

Most of us impose too many imaginary boundaries, restrictions, and constraints upon our problems, and hence fail to solve them.

The problem: Draw four straight lines through the nine dots without retracing and without lifting your pen from the paper.


The key to the solution is, of course, that the imaginary boundaries formed by the dots need not be observed. Once freed from this restriction, you will find the solution easy, as shown here.

Researchers at Stanford University have come up with an even more interesting solution to this puzzle. One subject realized that it wasn't necessary to draw four lines through the centers of the dots; the problem can be solved with only three lines.

Exercise #5: Nature's Inventions

Biology and zoology are considered by many to be rich sources of analogies from which significant inventions can be derived. One of the most celebrated cases is the invention of the telephone. As Alexander Graham Bell wrote: "It struck me that the bones of the human ear were very massive as compared with the delicate thin membrane that operated them; and the thought occurred to me that if a membrane so delicate could move bones so relatively massive, why should not a thicker and stouter piece of membrane move a piece of steel." Thus was the telephone conceived.

Here is a list of animals and the inventions they exemplify. Try matching the animal with the invention.


1. bat ( ) parachute
2. armadillo ( ) snowshoes
3. chameleon ( ) anesthetic
4. fish ( ) helicopter
5. flying squirrel ( ) suction cup
6. squid ( ) hypodermic
7. hummingbird ( ) radar
8. scorpion ( ) camouflage
9. snake ( ) electricity
10. abalone ( ) tank
11. caribou ( ) jet propulsion

Answers:

1. bat (5) parachute
2. armadillo (11) snowshoes
3. chameleon (9) anesthetic
4. fish (7) helicopter
5. flying squirrel (10) suction cup
6. squid (8) hypodermic
7. hummingbird (1) radar
8. scorpion (3) camouflage
9. snake (4) electricity
10. abalone (2) tank
11. caribou (6) jet propulsion

Exercise #6: More or Less

We frequently fail to solve problems because we approach them with prejudgments or unwarranted assumptions. These assumptions restrict our thinking processes and hamper our imaginations.

When doing this problem, try to defer any prejudgments that pop into your mind and try to deliberately change your point of view: Add one line to the roman numeral XI, and end up with the number ten. Try for at least three different solutions.

The most obvious solution is to add a fraction bar, X/l. Other solutions:


The solutions shown above are just some of those that involve the use of a straight line. However, the problem statement was: "Add one line.. . " With no qualifications as to the shape of the line, it would be an unwarranted assumption to try to solve this problem with only straight lines.

As long as we produce a mark with just one sweep of the pen, without lifting the pen from the paper, that is "one line." With this in mind, the following solutions are permissible:

Exercise #7: The Collected Works

We are frequently hampered in creative problem solving by our habitual ways of looking at things. The more familiar a situation or an object is, the harder it is to see it differently. Creativity, however, requires a "fresh" pair of eyes.

While this problem looks deceptively simple, it is actually quite diffficult. There are four volumes of Shakespeare's collected works on the shelf.


The pages of each volume are exactly 2 in. thick. The covers are each 1/6 in. thick. A bookworm started eating at page 1 of Volume I and ate through to the last page of Volume IV. What is the distance the bookworm covered?

Exercise #8: Joined Together

Most people rush in to tackle a problem without considering the alternatives and without attempting to understand what is involved. As the result, they waste a lot of time and effort.

To illustrate the importance of analysis, copy this design and keep track of how long it takes you. (Tracing is not allowed.)


If it took anywhere from one to three minutes, try a different approach and copy it again to see if that new point of view helps you copy the design more quickly.

The design can be copied easily and accurately in less than 15 seconds. One step-by-step approach is as follows:

Another imaginative solution occurs when you recognize the pattern as being made up of four identical parts. Drawing them one after another and rotating each successive part 90 degrees makes a speedy reproduction:

You can tape two pencils together and zip through to a speedy solution.

The answer is five inches. If you had trouble with this one, you were probably trapped by a conventional way of visualizing. We are accustomed to seeing a book in a certain position—facing us, with the first page near the left hand cover and the last page nearest the right hand cover. But it was specified in this problem that the volumes were on the shelf. With the backs facing you, the order of pages is reversed.

In creative problem solving it serves well to heed this warning: The more familiar the object, the harder it is to see it in another context.

Exercise #9: Concealed Colors

This game is designed to increase your flexibility and your ability to overcome the restrictions of habit. The name of what color is concealed in each sentence?

1- Newspaper editors decided to go on strike. (Red)
2- The cab lacked proper brakes to stop at the intersection. (Black)

Now try these:
1- A big, old, hungry dog appeared at our door every morning.
2- The cop persuaded him not to create a disturbance.
3- The Brazilian student Paulo lives around the corner from us.
4- You shouldn't let an upstart like him bother you.
5- He let out a big yell, owing to the injuries he received when he fell.
6- La Jolla venders decided to cut their prices in half.
7- Long rayon fabrics were loaded on the truck.
8- The Austrian physicist Wolfgang Pauli lacked the requisite documents to enter the U.S.
9- You shouldn't sell this fossil very cheaply because it is a rare specimen.
10- The new law hit everybody's pocketbook pretty hard.

Answers: 1. Gold 2. Copper 3. Olive 4. Tan 5. Yellow 6. Lavender 7. Gray 8. Lilac 9. Silver 10. White

In order to identify the hidden colors, you have to disregard the signs that say "stop"—such as word spacings, periods, and commas. People who are habit-ridden will find this exercise very difficult.

Exercise #10: Scams

The purpose of this exercise is to build your fluency of thought and expression. At first, you might find that you can think of only a few sentences but, if you persist, many more will occur to you.

Write five-word sentences from the five given letters, one letter for each word.
S C A M S

Here are a couple of examples:
1- Senior citizens arrange maximum security.
2- Sarcastic comments are meant seriously.

Now see how many sentences you can produce in exactly five minutes, then check some of the possibilities given below.
1- Sleepy cats always move slow.
2- Singing cellos alter mood substantially.
3- Sabotage caused army's move southward.
4- Spoiled children angered mother steadily.
5- Straightened circumstances affect man's stability.
6- Strike caused austerity moves subsequently.
7- School classes appear moderately satisfying.
8- Studious children always merit success.
9- Sly crocodiles attacked migrating settlers.
10- Siamese cats age much slower.

Exercise #11: A Woman's Ingenuity

With some problems, a creative solution can only occur after the elements or parts of the problem have been reorganized into a different pattern. This requires that you juggle the parts in your mind's eye. With this in mind, see if you can solve this problem: A businessman brought back from Europe four pieces of chain in solid gold, each consisting of three links.

He wanted to keep them as an investment, but his wife felt that—joined together—the pieces would make a lovely necklace. She went to a jeweler and said, "I want you to connect these pieces to make a necklace. How much will it cost?" The jeweler laid the individual pieces of chain out in this pattern:

He told the lady, "I charge $2.50 to break a link and $2.50 to melt it together again. Since you have four corners, it will cost you $20." The lady said, "That's too much. Actually you can do it for $15." The problem, then, is to construct a necklace, breaking and joining only three links. How would you do it?

As long as you think of the segments of chain as four sides of a square or as segments of a circle, you can't solve this problem. The moment you shift your focus and regard one of those segments—not as an immutable structure—but as a stockpile of individual links, you've made the necessary breakthrough. At the woman's suggestion, the jeweler placed three segments in a triangular pattern, took apart the remaining segment, and used those three links to close the three comers of the necklace.

Most people will have to juggle the elements visually, drawing them in different arrangements before arriving at the triangular pattern that leads to solution. This juggling of the parts of a problem results in a reorganization. But before that can happen, you have to feel free to destroy the original pattern in which the problem was presented.

Free tutorials about internet and World Wide Web

Internet has become a source of information and if we want our children to use the internet for constructive purposes then we have to guide them and let them learn about "internet". This article offers you useful links and resources to learn about 'Internt' and 'World Wide Web.


1- From "Infomat": What is 'Internet'?


The Internet is a huge collection of computers around the world. These computers (there are millions of them) are all linked together, and they communicate with each other, sharing information. If your computer is connected to the Internet, it can connect to millions of other computers, in many different parts of the world.

How to help your child with 'Home Work'- Tips for parents

Parent's involvement in child education can bring positive results in child's grades. And starting point to guide or taking interest is to look how you can help your child in 'home work'. These few tips would help you guide your child in home work, letting him/her get ready for future success at school and in life. It is a fact that 'family involvement is crucial if we want our children to succeed in education and throughout life'.

Tips for Parents

Homework is the ideal opportunity for students to learn and for parents to become involved closer in their child’s education. A parent’s interest can spark enthusiasm in a child and teach one of the most important lessons of all – that learning can be fun, is important and is well worth the effort.

Children do need to know that their parents think homework is important. If they know their parents care, children have a good reason to complete their homework and hand them in on time. It is important that parents show they value education and this can be done in a number of ways.

* Set a Regular Time
Finding a regular time for your child to complete their homework is very important. The best schedule is the one that works for your child and your family. What works well in one home may not apply in another – every home and child is different. It may well be that your child works well immediately on returning home from school or alternatively; it may be that your child needs to play for an hour and then complete their homework assignment.

aOutside activities, such as sports or music lessons may mean that you need to adopt a flexible schedule throughout the week. If there is not enough time for your child to finish his/ her homework then you will need to discuss dropping some after school activities. You must show your child that homework is a priority.

* Pick a Study Place
Ideally, a dedicated homework area is the best way for your child to focus. However this may not always be possible. It is more important that the study area has the right components;

- good light

- study supplies at hand

- be fairly quiet

* Remove any Distractions
A study area should not be next to a television set (obvious we know). Mobile phones should be switched off and social calls banned during homework.

However a phone call to a friend regarding homework will be beneficial.

Some children do work well with soft background music (not a blaring stereo barking out the latest hits).

* Provide Supplies and Identify Resources
A good starting point for this is all the obvious supplies that your child will need to complete his/ her homework – pencils, pens, paper, glue, stapler, scissors etc..

Although please be aware that there may be specific assignments where other supplies are required.

For information resources, break them down into the different types:

- books, available at home, school or the library?

- Internet – available at home, school, or the library?

- A phone call to the local library is very much worthwhile – they may have a dedicated homework area and have computers that can be used by pupils.

It is also worth speaking to the school about any ground rules they may have regarding Internet access to students.

* Set a Good Example
Children will be more responsive to homework and studying if they see their parents undertaking tasks that require effort, reading and writing. Talk with your child about what you are doing even if is something relatively minor and simple. Encourage activities that have an educational application – for example going to the zoo, watching educational programmes on TV, museums etc and so on.

* Show an Interest
Discuss your child’s education at the dinner table, what did they do at school today? Did they have a lot of homework? Was it hard/ easy?

These are all relatively simple points but they do instil a sense of support and interest.

Always attend parent- teacher nights to discuss your child’s work and it is a great support if you are able to attend school fairs, sports day etc…


Other Ways in Which Parents Can Help
Here are just some other points that will help in your child’s education and particularly their homework assignments:

1. Ask about the School Homework Policy (Be aware what the school expects from homework.)

2. Be available: Be available to your child should they have any questions regarding their homework assignment.

3. Look over completed homework: Read the homework assignments before and after the teacher has seen them.

4. Monitor Television Viewing: If the figures are added up children spend more time watching TV than doing homework. It is no surprise that if they are watching TV then they are not studying.

5. Study your Child’s Study Habits
See what works best to get the best out of your child.

6. Help your Child Get Organised
Help them organise a schedule and homework area.

7. Encourage Good Study Habits
Show your child how to break down tasks, understand them and what they are supposed to achieve.

8. Discuss Assignments
Talk about the homework that has been given.

9. Give Praise
Praise your child when they get good marks and work well. Everyone responds to praise - it is a great motivational tool.

10. Share any concerns with the School
Go and talk to the teacher in question about any concerns you may have. It is a good idea to speak to the teacher involved before going to the head teacher.

11. Work with the School: If there are problems with homework then work with the school for a solution.

12. Share Feedback to the School:Communication with your child’s school is only a good thing.

Source:




Useful links and resources where you can get home work help on the net:

* Homework Help on the Web

My blogging journey with "A Learner's Diary"

It's been a year ago, I was suggesting some links (internet safety sites) to a teacher, when I realized that my son would become teen within few years and I also need to save those links for me.

After few weeks, at holidays from school I planned to create a blog for parents and teachers with useful information and resources. It was October 2007 when I started writing for this blog.

As a teacher I had to search hard disk of my computer for any relevant information, because from the very start of internet access, I loved to search for teaching or learning stuff and saved most of the stuff.

Mainly the purpost behind creating this blog was to collect the stuff about:

- Learning

- Online safety

- Safe sites for kids and teens

- Useful sites for teachers

- Informative stuff for parents

- Learning strategies

- Awareness about health, skill development etc.

- Tips and useful site links for kids, children and students

- Free resources, useful links

While searching the net, there are millions of sites with lot of information. But I selected the sites which were offering FREE stuff and reliable information.

May be I have missed many topics, but as the journey is continued, I have plan to add more stuff which would be equally beneficial for all. Initially I didn't try to submit my site to blog directories or search engines to bring traffic, because I wanted to keep this blog as a reference for myself or fellow teachers. But after some time I realized that this site can offer a lot to parents and teachers and increasing number of visitores and their comments were an encouragement for me.

So come back often to this blog and leave your comments. I appreciate your suggestions in this regard.

Teach your children to be money wise

Today's economical situation is making money manangement harder for every common person. Many of us didn't learn about finances, making plan or budget and saving for the future and at the time of needs, we are in critical situation. It is now time to teach ourselves and our new generation about money management.

In today's economic environment, it is critical to understand how money works and, more important, how to make it work for you. It's unfortunate that young adults are now entering a world where they don't have time to learn financial skills gradually. Often they become victims of poor credit and debt practices before they realize how it even happened.

Even if your children are very young, remember that the sooner you start teaching these skills, the better off your child will be when they need them. One of the most difficult issues parents have to face is Step One. This first and most important step is to examine your own attitudes about money. This is extremely important because your children learn more from what they see you do than from what you tell them. You can preach to your kids every day that ?A penny saved is a penny earned,? or that ?A fool and his money are soon parted,? but it won't do any good if they see that you waste your own money consistently.

- It is very important to communicate openly with young kids about money, in simple terms that they can comprehend. Too often, young adults have to learn about credit and debt the hard way: by fending for themselves. It's better that they learn about personal finances under your guidance.

Some tips that will help your younger children get off on the right foot include involving them in financial planning. While a young child won't understand investing at the complex level of an adult, a savings account in his or her name will help them understand the basic benefits of saving money and watching it grow.

Tips

* If you give the child an allowance, let him or her be in charge of spending it. This is a great way to teach the relationship between their actions and the positive or negative consequences that follow.

* Provide extra income opportunities. Help them learn that money is something you earn, not something you are entitled to. This is also a great way to get the child involved in extra family chores.

* Take your child shopping with you. Explain to them why you make the decisions you make while shopping. By showing them the details you take into consideration, you'll be teaching them how to be a wise consumer.

Taking these steps will go a long way in setting a foundation for younger kids.

Source: Teaching Children

*** Another article: Teaching teens

A message to everyone - "Be Thankful"

God has blessed us so many things but we humans are not thankful at all. I have learned from my own life that if you want peace of mind and happiness in your life, learn to say "Thanks" to God.

During search at some personal sites, I found this web site, with collection of many quotes, poems. As I love to read quotations, wise words, parables, moral stories I selected "one" for this blog readers. I hope that this message would be inspiring for everyone.

Be Thankful

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something.
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations.
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge.
Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary.
Because it means you've made a difference.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those
who are also thankful for the setbacks.

GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.

Source for more beautiful words and verses: Be thankful

Interactive and infromative sites for students -Part 1

These sites are interactive and informative, so students can learn a lot for their class room or project works, parents can encourage their children, and kids to enjoy and browse these edutainment sites. And remember that these all sites are free to browse.

1- Site about insects "BugBios"

BugBios site aims to help you really see insects for the miniature marvels they represent and to understand how intertwined our cultures have become with these alien creatures. At the home page you can start your search with the link, “entophiles, cedigest, class: insecta.

Click here to enter your search query in the field provided to search the site.

More links to find a collection of insect-related Web sites
Photos used are : by Dexter Sear

2- "The Living Desert"

"Living Desert" tour through The Living Desert and the deserts of the world you are about to embark on will show you how language has misled everyone into thinking of the desert as a surly, outlaw landscape instead of a fragile, interesting ecosystem.

What you can find at the site?

You’ll see remarkable plants, animals, places and natural phenomena associated with deserts and learn how The Living Desert is helping to interpret and protect them.

You will also find out about one of the most unusual institutions in the United States. There isn’t a single word to describe all that The Living Desert is and does. We must string words together, like beads: zoo and endangered species conservation center – botanical gardens – natural history museum – wilderness park – nature preserve – education center. The thread that holds all the beads together is the word “desert.”

More site to come -----------------------------

Food Allergy Website for kids "Fan Kid"

Do you know that "Over 12 million Americans have food allergies; more than 3 million of them are children (that's almost 1 out of every 25 kids)"

This hard fact requires not only parents but kid's attention to learn about "food allergy".

Kids should know what food can cause allergy, what happens inside the body when a reaction occurs? etc.

Fan Kids.org is an interactive site from "The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network -FAAN" which provides information and educational resources about food allergy.
I have collected some information from the site. Kids can get more knowledge at this site and enjoy to learn about food allergies.

More facts:

The most common allergy-causing foods are peanuts, tree nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, etc.), milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, wheat, and soy. Recent studies showed that 3.3 million Americans are allergic to peanuts or tree nuts, and 6.9 million are allergic to seafood.

What are some of the symptoms of food allergy?

The most common symptom of a food-allergy reaction is hives. Other symptoms can include one or more of the following:

- tingling in the mouth
- swelling of the tongue and throat
- difficulty breathing
- stomach cramps
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- eczema

How can you treat these symptoms?
Your doctor will tell you what kind of medicine you need to take.

How can you prevent a reaction from happening?
Strictly avoiding the food that triggers your allergy is the only way to prevent a reaction.

Tips section if you have food allergy.