Tag: S.C.A.M.P.E.R.

Art, Creative Thinking, Education, K-5, Student Products, Teaching Tools

Creative Thinking for the Holidays

Terri Eichholz
A student example from "S.C.A.M.P.E.R. the Holidays" in which the 3rd grader designed a snowman made out of globes
A student example from “S.C.A.M.P.E.R. the Holidays” in which the 3rd grader designed a snowman made out of globes

I’m dusting off an old post from last December in which I offered a set of PDF’s that you could use to prompt some divergent thinking amongst your students.  These sheets are based on the thinking tool, S.C.A.M.P.E.R., which I explain in my post, “S.C.A.M.P.E.R. the Holidays“.  My 1st through 5th grade Gifted and Talented classes really enjoyed these last year.  I’m at a new school this year, so I get to use them again!  Also, if you happen to be looking for some other free holiday downloads, you might want to check out my post from last week on “Holiday QR Codes“.

UPDATE:  You can see more student examples from S.C.A.M.P.E.R. the Holidays here.  Also, you can also download some augmented reality holiday cards for your students here.

Art, Creative Thinking, Education, K-12, Student Products

Playing with Pencil Shavings

Terri Eichholz
image by Marta Altes from: http://www.martaltes.com/Playing-with-pencil-shavings

I found out about this fabulous artist, Marta Altes, from the author of the blog, “This Sydney Life“.  Like yesterday’s post, my resource is not categorized as an educational blog, but I immediately thought of classroom connections when I saw the artwork of Marta Altes.  I love the whimsy and the simple, but unique, quality of her artwork.  Displaying some of her pictures would be a great way to jumpstart some creative thinking in your classroom.  If you have ever used the creative thinking tool, S.C.A.M.P.E.R., you might see this as a perfect example of “Put it to another use”.  Can you imagine how some gifted students might run with this idea?

Creative Thinking, Education, K-5, Teaching Tools

Summer Pool Party Creative Thinking Packet

Terri Eichholz

My Summer Pool Party Creative Thinking Packet is now available on Teachers Notebook.  It is $1.50, and includes 12 pages of fun activities plus a cover sheet.

Art, Creative Thinking, Education, K-5, Multiple Intelligences, Student Products, Teaching Tools

Easter Creative Thinking Packet

Terri Eichholz
photo credit: Bibi via photopin cc

I have added an Easter Creative Thinking Packet to my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  It is now available for $1.00.  It includes brainstorming ideas, as well as printable worksheets for each of the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. creative thinking tools created by Bob Eberle.  My gifted students in 1st-5th enjoy these S.C.A.M.P.E.R. packets, as the activities give them the chance to stretch their imaginations.  We are in the home stretch right now for the school year, and thinking outside the Easter basket could lessen some of the stress!

Art, Creative Thinking, Critical Thinking, Education, K-12, Language Arts, Math, Problem Solving, Science, Student Products

Trap a Leprechaun

Terri Eichholz

Our next holiday, St. Patrick’s Day, is right around the corner.  I was looking for some creative ideas for that theme, and came across a fun concept – trying to trap a leprechaun.  If you teach students in higher grades, you could really get into some math and physics with this challenge.  Pretend there is a leprechaun hiding in your classroom, and see if the students can deduce from clues (footprints in the soil of a plant, for example) his approximate height and weight.  Or, just bring a bunch of supplies to class and see who could build the most clever trap.  This would spark some great writing activities, as well.  Here are a few links to spark your imagination:  To Catch a Leprechaun, Leprechaun Traps, Leprechaun Trap Cake.  And, if you are interested in some more creative thinking activities for next month, you can also download my March S.C.A.M.P.E.R. packet here.

Creative Thinking, Education, K-12, Language Arts, Motivation, Reading, Student Products, Teaching Tools, Websites

Respondo

Terri Eichholz

Respondo is a new tool brought to you by the creator of The Differentiator, Ian at www.byrdseed.com.  As Ian describes on the Respondo page, he is still working on this tool, and welcomes any suggestions.  However, from what I can see, it is a great way to incorporate creative thinking into responses to literature.  It is based on the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. technique I posted about a few weeks ago, and which Ian describes in his post called “Do More with Story Structure.”  Give Respondo a try the next time you want to “jazz up” your literature discussions!