Teaching Creativity

I am such a proponent of teachers sharing ideas for lessons with each other-I am so grateful for finding ideas that way. We talk in meetings about how to get kids to think creatively and colleagues will often comment that their students just aren't capable of doing some of the things we do in my classroom. Well, I think that's just bologna! :) I think any child can be creative-they just have to be TAUGHT how to tap into that energy. I love sitting down with my kiddos and their portfolios from the year and they outright do not believe they ever made that! They just come so far from that point.

Anyway, we read the book Trees Hanging from the Sky as an example in how an author can be creative. The book is not incredibly well-written-there are parts that I'm not sure belong in it. But it's about a boy that dreams about these very imaginative trees-some that hang upside-down. I asked the kids to use their own imaginations to create a different kind of tree. Some of them made me chuckle, some made me just marvel at how far they have come! :)

He's obsessed with the word "shish kabob"!

Bonus points to this child of course for calling me "pretty"! Oh yeah and using similes :)

Have German Shephards-don't know why she chose that breed (whistle innocently).

Love the image of trees dancing and doing the mambo!

Lego leaves-could you imagine?

A jicama-chocolate tree-hmmmm.

Just can't get him to write about anything except sports....