Fostering Creativity

Can children learn to be creative from their school community? The answer is yes, and at The Meher Schools we are interested in fostering original thinking throughout the year.

Halloween

Halloween is just one example. On Friday our annual parade showcased adults and children using imagination to transform themselves. There was fourth grade and drama teacher Amy Weinstein dressed as her dog, Pete, and Pete dressed as Amy, and art teacher Lara Cannon dressed as her version of a “punk rock cat.”

There were also costumes inspired by movies and TV. Second grade teacher Brenda Barnhart was hard to recognize in her crazy K-Pop Demon Hunter identity, with her long pink wig and mini-skirt, loudly singing to K-pop music as she danced along in her knee-high white boots. In fact, there were about 19 student Demon Hunters with colorful wigs. There were also one-of-a-kind costumes. Fifth grader Olin surprised everyone by turning herself into a flying jetpack.

Día de los Muertos

On the same day as the parade, there was creativity flowing in the front hall, where Karina Madrigal and a group of dedicated mothers created a beautiful ofrenda (altar) honoring Día de los Muertos. Children passing by could witness adults making artistic decisions about where to place stands of marigolds and other symbolic objects. 

Infusion of the arts

There has always been an infusion of the arts at our school, with over 100 original songs composed over the years to express our school values. For years playwrights like professional screenwriter Judith Nielsen have written stunning original plays for students to perform our school, and summer drama campers get to observe Amy’s innovative direction and Sue Tacker’s creative magic with costumes, role-modeling creativity. Starting in preschool and culminating in Lara’s art room, we get to see the amazing artistic expressiveness of our students.

The school has always believed that in order for students to feel excited about learning and creating, the adults on campus must be fully involved in that process in their own lives. In her TEDx talk, “Are Children More Creative Than Adults?” author Elizabeth McClure, an expert on children’s creativity who once worked as a consultant at Lego, describes how adults and children benefit from each other’s thinking abilities.

Children experience more divergent thinking and cognitive flexibility than adults. That’s why grown-ups benefit from listening to children’s imaginations. Adults, with their convergent thinking, can help children learn how to bring their innovative ideas into reality. In her talk, McClure urges parents and children to collaborate on projects that allow children to see that they can put exciting ideas into action, a process that will help them contribute to the world in the future.