There is lots of shouting because people have lots of ideas. (The Sound of Creativity)

    Remote learning has presented the Prep Neighbourhood and families with another opportunity to diversify, identify and apply different ways of being creative. We, as educators, are increasingly finding snapshots of creativity in otherwise unnoticed pockets of our daily lives and observing children doing the same. In many cases, children are leading us to uncover new perspectives on creativity. This is a sign that our inquiries are being authentically co-constructed; built by educators’ and childrens’ voices.

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At school, before transitioning into Remote Learning, we, as educators, had begun facilitating a series of workshops and asking questions that were carefully designed to provoke and deepen childrens’ thinking about creativity. The documentation from these experiences is showing us that children are increasingly identifying creativity in a widening range of contexts, and describing a myriad of uses that creativity has, particularly in connection to our learning.

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During remote learning, we continued to ask daily questions about creativity and designed provocations that enabled children to enact their ideas about creativity, including continually looking to improve, adding details and being inspired by others. We are making every effort to highlight opportunities to be creative and moments when we see creativity. This flows on to the children who have gifted us a bounty of documentation. We will use this documentation to evolve inquiries and begin projects designed to reflect on and share our learning with the wider community.

Categorising is a strategy that we often use while analysing documentation. Below you can see children’s quotes categorised, which will help us to find threads and steer inquiry projects throughout Semester 2.

The Opposite of Creativity

Creativity means you don’t have to follow instructions.      Jack

Creativity vs Boredom

Make up your own game.      Frankie

Find something to do by looking at what other people are doing and getting new, cool ideas from them.   Louis M

Do some science or something interesting.       Charlie

I draw a picture.      Jaya

I run around and go a little bit crazy.     Saskia

I play the piano.      Elliot and Eben

I build with lego.        Aaran and Charlie

Making up a new song.       Ava

We can set up something, so when we get bored we can return to it    Gemma

Creativity and the Senses

There is lots of shouting because people have lots of ideas.      Jack

It helps us learn by making me feel happy.       Ava

Blocks crashing because they are falling down to build higher.       Elliot

It sounds loud.       Charlie

People might say ‘yes’ when they make new things.      Charlie

Making up a new song.       Ava

Creativity is about thinking stuff and you might say ‘hooray’.     Arlo M

It looks really good. Like you’re an artist.    Charlie

I built a catapult with Charlie. I felt creative.    Elliot

Creativity looks like things being other things. Like, Lego bricks can be clothes.     Saskia

Lots of colour and shapes.      Frankie

Trying new foods.      Ava

Creativity sounds like focused, silent.   Max K

Creativity sounds like humming because I start to hum when I’m being creative.   Theo

Creativity can look like drawing or playing.  Agnes

In our house creativity looks messy!   Nina

Creativity looks like something beautiful that someone has made.    Cleo

Creativity sounds quiet and focused.    Gemma

Creativity and Learning

Being creative is about building something new.      Charlie

Trying something new.       George

Being creative helps you learn. If you make a mistake you can get another idea.      Saskia

If you make a mistake it will help you learn.      Elliot

It helps you create and to explore stuff you haven’t seen yet.      Leo K

Creativity helps you make stuff better.        Saskia  

Creativity is about learning new things.         Otto and Ava

Creativity is about trying new things.        Owen

When you try something new and don’t know what it is.       Leo K

I think creativity is doing something new and making something.   Arlo H

I have to think when I’m creative.   Andy

A conversation about creativity, the brain and science

Elena- You can know when you’re being creative because you know what creative is. Your brain might be sending a message to your body telling it what creativity is.

Nellie – What would it be saying?

Elena- It would be saying that creativity is lots of different things. For example building and doing art really well. 

Jesse- Doing science is very creative. 

Arlo– Science is creative because you are thinking about what to do. 

Max K– Science, this is how it is creative. You use your brain and your hands slowly. 

Max K- If you are looking out for creativity you would look for art and science.

Creativity and Collaboration

You can help other people to make sure they don’t make any mistakes.     Owen

It’s about sharing stuff and caring.      Frankie

I built a catapult with Charlie. I felt creative.    Elliot

A conversation about Creativity, collaboration, time and experts.

Albie– I think creativity is when like you make a bird’s nest that is, like complicated.

Leo– I know what complicated means. It is something that is hard. 

Leo– The bird’s nest took a long time to make. 

Max K– Well a bird’s nest, well if you had another friend helping you who was an expert in birds nests, you would be able to finish it in 20 days and it would be better than if you did it by yourself.

Albie– If you make a bird’s nest with wire, someone has to have gloves so they don’t poke themselves. That’s why it takes 2 people.

Creativity as Inspiration and Motivation

Find something to do by looking at what other people are doing and getting new, cool ideas from them.   Louis M

If you build something new, you think, ‘I want to build more and add to it’. When you build, like a bughouse, you want to add another bughouse next to it and keep going.     Charlie

I think art is creative because I want to build more.       Jaya

If you draw something you haven’t drawn before you might want to draw it again.     Elliot

Sometimes you will be creative if you build something little and add to it to make it bigger.     Arlo M

Remote learning, again, provides an extra dimension and perspective for us to consider. It is always a special privilege to see and hear families conversing and exploring our inquiry pathways. We will be using all these perspectives to guide our creativeness.

Abi asked her mum about creativity

To me, creativity means using your imagination…..using your brain and thinking about something interesting. 

Jack asked his Nana about creativity

Creativity is making up things using your very clever brain to come with something original.

I feel most creative when the sun is out and it is shining… sometimes on dreary days I might get the paints out and do some painting.