👉 Being able to make something from nothing can be a valuable life skill. Making mountains out of molehills is the dramatic exception, of course. In my last post, I wrote about letting kids linger for a little bit after they announce “I’m bored.” It’s ok to be bored. Being bored allows time for creativity to develop. Boredom also motivates a search for novelty and can lead to new goals. If we resist the urge to rush in, kids will likely find inspiration in the quiet space. They’ll daydream. They’ll start to wonder. And they may even end up making something from nothing. You can read more about the benefits of boredom here👇 and follow it up with this free Boredom Buster Journal.
Boredom is an unplanned invitation to innovate, but we can also be intentional and make time to tinker. How do we capture curiosity? How do we coach creativity? Often, it begins by setting the stage and then standing back. Pose problems and collect questions. Provide tools and time. And then wait. Watch. Offer support, but not solutions. Coach the opportunities without controlling the outcomes. For many kids, a wondering mind is a way of life. For others, maybe not … yet. But curiosity can be modeled. And creativity can be taught.
From Doldrums to Doohickeys
From trash to treasure, something from nothing, thinkers who tinker … there are many ways to say it, but the idea is that we can help children become makers. And children who are makers may grow up to be adults who are still makers, which the world will always need. Thank you, makers of iPhones, convertible cars, and hot water heaters.
Also, whoever invented Doritoes, I love you.
My Favorite Books for Thinkers Who Tinker
I think one of the best ways to communicate something new to my children is with books. I mean I could spend time thinking up something super savvy that would knock their socks off, but I have a collection of wise words from dozens of authors who can say it way better than I can. These books will help you kickstart your own thinking and ideas:
👉 About Being Curious and Asking Questions
- What Do You Do with an Idea? by Kobi Yamada
- Questions, Questions by Marcus Pfister
👉 About Creativity, Engineering, and a Growth Mindset
- The Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires
- Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
- Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis
- Boxitects by Kim Smith
- Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty
👉 About Thinking Like a Scientist and Solving Problems
- Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty
- What Do You Do with a Problem? by Kobi Yamada
- Mary Had a Little Lab by Sue Fliess
- The Princess and the Petri Dish by Sue Fliess
To help your budding makers hone their creative problem-solving skills, they need to be actively involved in the work of wondering. This Pinterest Board is a collection of resources that helps teachers and parents design simple spaces for big ideas. It will lead you to videos, books, lessons, and other teacher-tested strategies that will help you make makers.
What’s up next? I can’t wait to share a really cool book collection I’ve recently put together! It’s about amazing inventions kids love. We’re about to find out who’s credited with the invention of the roller coaster. We’ll also learn the story behind Crayola crayons, the Slinky, and many more kid-favorites. They’re the real-life, inspirational stories of thinkers who tinkered!
Until then, happy teaching!
