TechIntersect

I have challenged my Visual Literacy students to think about the question of where creativity comes from. What things do creative people do to be creative?

At SXSW Interactive 2008 earlier this year, I sat in on a presentation by Jim Coudal, of Coudal Partners on his personal Theory of Creativity. The reason I’m telling you about this presentation is because it was here that I first began to consider what I do in my classes that I teach, in particular those course in which I expect a degree of creative expression, such as the “Visual Literacy” course.

In the past, I have been diving in with these students, many in their first year of college, expecting them to be creative from the start. Part of the problem, however is that I have been giving assignments that are too open ended. Many of my assignments are very open-ended with very few constraints, but according to Coudal, creativity comes from having constraints and limitations to work within.

There is nothing more intimidating to a beginning artist than to stare at an empty canvas and wonder what to paint. The same goes for the beginning blogger who wonders what to write. Experienced creatives know how to set up their own boundaries and constraints to work within. My students usually lack this experience and need to have some of these put in place for them, and need to be taught how to make their own boundaries and constraints within which they can work.

Coudal also suggests that creativity comes from finding a connection between the known & unknown. This is a fundamental principle of learning. Students learn by connecting their known experiences to the new information. So too, creativity does not materialize from nothing; it must have a foundation from which to arise.

Fill your tank

I encourage my students to read all they can and to see as much work of other designers as they possibly can. For my own personal reading this past summer, I began working through a list of books suggested by Chris Crawford in his fascinating book On Game Design. I find it interesting that Crawford recommends to would-be game designers to seek higher education outside of the USA, because American schools are much too narrowly focused to prepare for the work of game design. Thus comes his voluminous recommended reading list, in case you cannot for some reason swing a well-rounded European education. Last year I worked with the librarian at K-State at Salina to make sure we had most of Crawford’s recommended reading available to K-State students. Now if they will only take advantage of it.

Our library also has begun subscriptions to several exceptional periodicals dealing with creativity. Two of my favorites are Communication Arts and Make magazines. I will be encouraging my students to check these resources out as well.

No, this semester we won’t be diving in to being creative right off the bat. I think the students need to fill their creativity tanks up first before they attempt to do anything creative. In the words of the Monty Python doctor replying to the pregnant woman asking what she should be doing, “You’re not qualified!”

Students who haven’t yet examined where creativity comes from, and who don’t have an understanding of getting inspiration and ideas by exploring the work of others are simply not qualified to be creative.

For me, I am at my most creative during times of great stress and/or oppression. After my grandfather died in a tragic accident, I created a digital postcard of a girl playing cards and entered it into a contest in which the juror selected to be included in the Kansas Artist Postcard Series. When I was in the Navy and feeling put-upon, I would often write little sarcastic songs or poems to make me feel better. One time, I created and sold an entire line of t-shirts mocking the weapons officer’s attempts to drive away all enlisted happiness from the ship. They were a popular item for a time with my shipmates. (I hope I am a bit more mature now, but sometimes my orneriness persists!)

Of course you cannot always expect to wait for adverse conditions to be creative. That is why you always must fill your tank with new inspiration. You never know where ideas will come from, but one thing is certain– they do not come from nowhere. Being creative is hard work. Creativity comes from taking talents and abilities that you are born with, and then while exploring the ideas of others, expanding and connecting with new ideas to come up with something entirely new.

It was pandemonium in the Clyde, KS city park last Saturday as more than 40 kids took part in Clyde’s first ever Science Fun Day. Designed for kids in grades K-3, but fun for kids of all ages, there were animals to see and pet, rockets to launch, sticky goo to play in, and much more.

While DelRay Capper and Katie George helped me lead the activities, the project was documented by the children themselves using new Flip video cameras that will soon be available for checkout at the Clyde Public Library. These cameras are so simple to use that even a small child can operate one successfully. The videos they made will be compiled, edited and posted for viewing on the Clyde website at www.clydekansas.org.

With a national shortage of science, technology, engineering and math workers that is only expected to worsen, having activities like the Science Fun Day becomes ever more important to help with the problem. I was especially pleased with the number of young girls who participated. In contrast to a longstanding stereotype about girls in science & mathematics, a recent NSF study found there are no significant differences between girls and boys scores on standardized math tests. Parents, it’s ok to encourage your young girls to explore math and science careers! With a national shortage, we can no longer afford to discriminate against women in these areas. I think it’s important to get all kids thinking about these careers.

When we asked what the favorite activities of the day were, many replied that they really liked the baking soda and vinegar rockets, and the cornstarch goo. Many of the kids were asking me how to repeat these experiments at home, and since they were mostly household items, I can share with you here how some of these are done.

Rockets

To make a fun and simple rocket find an empty plastic 35mm film canister, the clear Fuji Film kind work best. Open the canister and pour a small amount (1/2 tsp) of baking soda into the lid. Now pour a little vinegar (1 tsp or less) into the canister. Quickly snap the lid onto the canister so the vinegar & soda can react together. Set the canister lid-side down and back away. Be sure to do this experiment outside, because these rockets can shoot up in the air 20 feet high! When the baking soda (a base) and the vinegar (an acid) combine, they produce carbon dioxide gas that pressurizes and eventually pops the top of the film canister.

Cornstarch Goo

With the right combination of water and cornstarch, you can mix a batch of goo that becomes a non-Newtonian liquid. Isaac Newton said that liquids only change viscosity by varying temperature, and for most liquids this is true. Just think about how pancake syrup thickens as it gets cold or how it becomes runny when warmed. However a non-Newtonian liquid such as cornstarch goo also changes viscosity with pressure. Applying sudden pressure causes the molecules to align into a temporary solid arrangement. Release the pressure, and it becomes a liquid again. When you have the right mix of water and cornstarch, you can roll it into a doughy ball, like play dough but when you stop rolling it, it becomes a liquid again right in your hand.

The kids had a lot of fun with this experiment because it was so messy. I saw kids, sticking hands and feet into it, and even jumping and running on it with bare feet. This one is also messy and probably best for outdoors, but when the goo dries, it hardens into a cornstarch residue that can be easily washed away or swept up.

Diet Coke Geyser

This experiment was made famous on internet sites like YouTube. Drop a packages of Mentos candies into a 2 liter bottle of Diet Coke and stand back! The foaming soda shoots high into the air out of the bottle. Scientists believe that this is a physical, not a chemical reaction. The carbon dioxide gas is trapped inside a mesh of water molecules in the Coke. The candy breaks the mesh and provides lots of nucleation sites where CO2 bubbles can rapidly form, allowing the pop to come shooting out of the bottle. It is essentially the same as what happens when you violently shake up a bottle of pop. The molecular mesh breaks and the tiny bits of CO2 can join together and rush to the surface. If you have no Mentos, many other items can have the same effect. We successfully used ice cream rock salt for our experiment.

Merry-go-round

I’ve been showing Emily and Thomas the merry-go-round trick for several years now. Conservation of angular momentum is a physics concept easily demonstrated on the playground using a merry-go-round. A group of kids piled into the center of the merry-go-round will turn faster than the same group of kids hanging out on the edges. Spin the merry-go-round then have your kids move in and out again so they can change the turn rate. We didn’t discuss the idea in the park, but the same thing happens as the Earth orbits the sun in the solar system. When the Earth is closer to the sun, it is moving through space faster than when it is farther away in its orbit. Comets experience this even more dramatically, speeding up as they approach the sun and slowing to a crawl as they enter the outer reaches of their orbits.

For a first-time event, I think we can call this a success. I’m really looking forward to trying this again next summer and will be on the lookout for new ideas to try. In the mean time, I will try to get the videos posted soon so everyone can see what fun we had at Science Fun Day 2008.

My family and I visited the Milford Nature Center today at Junction City, Kansas. If you ever find yourself traveling through Kansas on I-70 in need of a rest stop, this is one stop that is well worthwhile. I have seen the signs while passing through the area many times but today was the first time we have ever stopped for a visit.

Located at 3415 Hatchery Drive just north of Junction City, this is a hidden gem that I have always passed by without stopping until today.  Tomorrow is the first day of school for my daughter, so we decided to squeeze in one more family outing.

I was very impressed with what we found, and you can’t beat the price… free! We found several wildlife exhibits, including reptiles, birds of prey, and a very cool butterfly house we could walk through. There were a couple of amazing dioramas of Kansas wildlife scenes. We spent a long while trying to find all of the different creatures that were hidden in the display, in “Where’s Waldo?” fashion.

My favorite thing we saw today was the Milford fish hatchery located near the Milford nature center. We just happened to arrive at feeding time, and my kids were amazed as the big “wiper” fish thrashed about chasing after their meal. We saw bass, catfish, and wipers. According to the official website, guided tours are offered on weekends at 1:00 pm or by appointment. I would highly recommend this to any class in the region looking for a field trip destination. There are plenty exhibits to see, including some hands-on activities. There is a very nice playground area and a beautiful nature trail that I’m glad we took the time to explore.

This was one of the best Kansas destinations we have visited as a family in a very long time. It includes a very reasonably priced souvenir & gift shop. Check it out if you get the chance!

Tags: wildlife fishing