Think Outside the Box: Encouraging Imaginative and Creative Thinking: Book1 Random Designs to Inspire Unique Ideas

Think Outside the Box: Encouraging Imaginative and Creative Thinking: Book1 Random Designs to Inspire Unique Ideas

Inspire creative thinking and originality using Think Outside the Box: Encouraging Imaginative and Creative Thinking designs. There are many ways to use the designs in this book.One way I use this in my classroom is to simply have the students use the design to create a picture. I have found this to be the easiest option for younger children. It fosters great comradere when students realize that they were thinking the same as one of their peers. Another way I use this in my classroom is to have the students use the design to create a picture, but it must not be the obvious picture. I instruct the students what the design cannot be, thus encouraging them to "think outside the box." I select a clipart image to use with each design and attach it to my classroom poster which reads "It is not a ____." Students love the challenge and strive to be the most imaginative and unique thinker! Students also realize that there are many different perspectives and learn the value of thinking independently. Included in this book are 25 random designs to encourage the budding artist to think of less obvious ideas from a common shape. Each design page may be used in a vertical or horizontal presentation, which is why there is no writing on the actual page. I've included a sample poster that I display in my classroom with a clipart picture showing how the design could be used in a picture, and this becomes the object of what the design is NOT. I have also included two samples I made of the first design to show both vertical and horizontal examples. Finally, I've included a blank Think Outside the Box template for you to create your own unique designs. Additional tips for use in the classroom: I add a writing component to this activity, allowing students to express their ideas and describe their original masterpiece once they have finished their illustration. Students write the following for each picture: "It is not a ______. I drew ______." I also have them include two or more sentences that describe what they drew and what makes their picture special or unique. I give added incentives for students who create a picture that is unlike any other student in the class, thus reinforcing the objective to "think outside the box." This activity has been a huge hit for several years in my 2nd grade classroom. We call it "Think Outside the Box Thursday" and the students look forward to it every week! After sharing all the pictures with the class, I save and file the pictures from each student and then bind them into their own personal book that they get to take home at the end of the school year. We celebrate their creative and ingenuous thinking and discuss occupations, social situations, and other instances that may require the valuable quality of being able to think outside the box. It's amazing to hear how students thought of the idea they drew and it's also a great way to learn more about their classmates. I hope your students get as much enjoyment out of this activity as mine do.