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By William Van Zyl
Published in March 2023
Listen to the podcast:
What can parents, caregivers and teachers do when the creativity and innovation levels of children drop?
“I am tired of all these Bible stories. Reading the devotionals and doing these prayers all the time is too much for me!?” said the young Alexander.
“You will sit down and read the Bible Story; you will listen and pray before you go to bed!” said the dedicated dad with a stern voice.
Alexander folded his arms and sighed. “I don’t want to.” He unfolded his arms and said compliantly, “Ok, I will.”
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That night his mum and dad discussed the comments and behaviour of the strong-willed Alexander displayed over the past couple of days.
“What is going on with Alexander? Do you know?”
“How do we allow Alexander to develop his creativity without overdosing him with the scriptures and the Bible?” asked the dad.
“I think we have to allow Alex more freedom. We also have to expose him to more advanced technology and modern ideas and concepts. I’ve been reading and researching. I will share with you what I have found,” said the mum.
“Maybe we should expose Alex to more open-ended questions, more challenging activities, unique stories, higher-order ideas and advanced concepts?” responded the mum.
“But how can we create more open-ended resources? How can we change the way we do things? How can we liberate Alex in his thinking? How can he be freer in his thinking and remain fully Christian?” asked the mum with a frown on her forehead.
“Yes, we do want Alexander to value those strong Christian fundamentals. Those richly layered Bible stories are so powerful; it provides an extravagantly wealthy library of truths and concepts,” said the dad.
“I have found a short essay and some ideas on how to develop creativity, I will share it with you,” said the mum.
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Does this conversation sound familiar to you? I think parents should evaluate the methods they use to develop their children’s creativity and innovation. I have written this short essay for you, and I list several ideas you can use as a parent, caregiver, or teacher. Additionally, for those interested, I have included a Christian take on creativity and innovation
I will start with the list of strategies, and then the short essay will follow.
Table of Contents
Here is the list of strategies and activities you could consider:
- Abstract Art: What could a scene from the bible, a character, an object, or an artefact look like in abstract form?
- Futuristic approach: What would Jesus do if he lived on the Moon in 2082? What would He say? What type of Space Stories would he tell? Be creative, write a short one, and make a couple of sketches to accompany the story.
- Redesign an insect or sea creature of your choice. Think about God’s amazing designs Investigate the shape, form, pattern, colours, size, the science behind it, the interaction with other species, eating food, and more. Sketch it. Make a quick watercolour drawing (use a fountain pen and ink). Create extravagant washes. Compare your design with God’s design work. Could you improve on something?
- Choose to read extravagantly rich and unique stories and books to children. “Inside my Imagination.” What if …..
- Collect National Geographic Magazines and allow children to read through them. The rich images and articles are a stunning way to hook children into nature, cultures, science, and much more.
- Watch Superbook on a TV or device. Every story from the Bible that Superbook tells has a lesson to be learned, and the lesson is applied to real-life situations. Superbook keeps all of the kids in my Bible study classes entertained and wanting more. I use this for kids TK-8th grade. The start of most Superbook episodes is with Chris, Joy and Gizmo (the robot), and either Chris or Joy has a situation to deal with (making the right choice, helping someone, forgiving someone, etc.). Then Superbook takes them back in time to a part of the Bible that will help them with their situation back home. The kids and Gizmo interact with the people from the Bible and learn so much! The fact that Superbook can cram so much information in such a short time frame is beyond me. During the kid’s adventure in time, they ask questions and a lot of times Gizmo uses his inner computer to answer the question, OR someone from the Bible answers it. After the kids have learned their lesson, Superbook takes them back home at the same time they left, and the kids can now make good decisions and take action; for example, sharing their pizza with the less fortunate.
A scene from Superbook. See the robot on the far right. Chris Quantum is your typical Middle School student — except if you take into account one of his best friends is a robot named Gizmo. Add his best friend, Joy Pepper, into the mix, and you have a recipe for adventure. The adventures begin for this trio when a mysterious device appears, taking them on journeys throughout the Bible. Travel back in time and get ready for the journey of a lifetime!
- Tell a Bible story in Minecraft Education: For example, the Story of Moses.
- Purchase a Bible for Minecrafters and give it as a gift to your children or grandchildren:
‘The Unofficial Bible for Minecrafters – Stories from the Bible told block by block’ recreates Bible stories – including the Garden of Even and Noah’s ark – in 3D form and is meant for children aged 7 to 11. Link to the article: https://www.bailiwickexpress.com/jsy/news/minecraft-bibles-donated-help-boost-religious-education/?t=i#.ZB2MM3ZByUk
- Animate a Christian song in Minecraft: For example, Chris Tomlin – Our God is Great. See the video below.
- Solve a problem with an Arduino Uno: See the details of blinking an LED in the article.
- Solve a problem with a BBC Microbit (Version 2): Micro:Maqueen. See the details later in the article.
- Design a virtual 3-d object in TinkerCad and then 3-d print the creation. 3-D printing.
- Design a virtual circuit in TinkerCad Circuits: Create virtual circuits in an instant.
- Produce a Podcast: Open-ended -fiction – Ask children to create a unique story. Tell a story using Podcast software. Teach them how to create sound files on Podcastle (free). You will need a quality USB microphone. Podcastle is free. Once the voiceovers are completed, import short sound snippets from Free Sound –https://freesound.org/. You can find any short sound file (or longer sound files) for free. Import and place at the appropriate place on the timeline. Children will have lots of fun. The sounds will make the story come alive. Choose into and outro music to match the genre of the story (e.g. drama, suspense, and so on). Here is an example of one of my stories: Search PODBEAN or SPOTIFY – ‘The Extravagant Podcast.’
Here is another post of mine that focuses on Creativity. Worth reading!
I include the 3 most important things as an excerpt:
Three things to embed in the lesson to make it soar (Hammond, 2015):
- Gamify it. Students can create an aquaponics system in Minecreaft Education. Automate it using Redstone and other actuators (moving arms).
- Make it social and collaborative. Design groups that will gel and assist one another. Consider combining strengths. Have a competition or challenge.
- Storify it: Let student write creative stories (fiction) as they are inspired by their Minecraft worlds (aquaponics context).
Let’s look at the very short essay.
How to develop young children’s creativity and innovation.
By W Van Zyl (Published March 2023).
Included is some assistance – in two or three paragraphs – from AI to expand the important aspects. It was incorporated to save you some reading time.
Introduction:
Creativity is essential for young children to develop as it enhances their problem-solving abilities, self-expression, and critical thinking skills. Creativity helps children to think outside the box and develop innovative ideas, leading to improved social and emotional development. That is what employers are looking for. Those 21st-century skills: Solving real-life problems, collaboration, teamwork, and more. In this essay, I will discuss several strategies for developing young children’s creativity It will include providing a supportive environment, encouraging exploration and experimentation, and providing open-ended materials. I will also comment on the Christian foundational truths and how these could be more exciting, stimulating, and inspirational. Do you have any ideas? I have listed my ideas and I have discussed some of them in detail.
A supportive environment is crucial:
Creating a supportive environment is essential for fostering creativity in young children. Parents and caregivers should encourage children’s curiosity and support their interests, regardless of how unconventional they may seem. According to Sternberg and Lubart (1999), supporting children’s interests and encouraging them to pursue their passions is essential in developing their creative potential. Parents can provide a variety of opportunities for children to explore their interests, such as attending museums, reading books, and engaging in creative activities. Invest in a home filled with unique, instructional, and How-it-works books, and STEAM components – name a few.
Exploration and experimentation are a must:
Encouraging exploration and experimentation is another effective strategy for fostering creativity in young children. Children should be encouraged to explore and experiment with different materials, such as paint, clay, circuits, computer programming, building blocks, mechanical objects, sketching and art materials and techniques – to name some of the important ones.
When children are allowed to experiment and explore freely, they learn to solve problems and develop innovative ideas. According to Amabile (1996), children’s creativity is enhanced when they are allowed to experiment and take risks. Parents and caregivers can provide children with open-ended materials and tools to encourage experimentation, such as blocks, art supplies, and toys that allow for imaginative play. More on open-ended materials and lessons next.
Open-ended materials are important:
Providing open-ended materials is another effective strategy for developing young children’s creativity. Open-ended materials can be used in various ways, allowing children to use their imagination and creativity to create something unique. Examples of open-ended materials include writing creative stories of fiction, painting with different types of paints (oil, acrylic, and watercolours), sketching with soft pencils and fountain pens, and sculpting with clay or plasticine, creating objects and structures with building blocks, using recycled materials in creative projects, and solving problems with microprocessors (Arduino & Microbit) and mechanical gadgets (eg. Meccano). When children are given open-ended materials, they are encouraged to think creatively and use their imaginations. Kim (2011) states that open-ended materials promote children’s creativity and imagination.
What does an open-ended project look like? How could the Holy Writ be associated with robotics and programming (microprocessors)?
Hello, my name is Maqueen! I’m a programmable robot perfect for STEM education that is designed to work with the BBC micro:bit. My mini-body, interesting features and plug-and-play allow children to quickly learn graphics programming in a way that is exciting! I’ll be sure to spark your students’ interest in robotics and encourage problem-solving and logical thinking. Suggested Age: 10+. Credit: https://learningdevelopments.co.nz/products/micro-maqueen-micro-bit-robot-platform
The challenging question is how could the parent or teacher link robotics and AI (Artificial Intelligence) to scriptures or The Kingdom? Do you have any ideas on how to make a modern contemporary connection?
I will give you some ideas. God wants to program us as Christians. Really? Yes, I am convinced. King David allowed his heart to be coded by His Word.
CODE: Psalm 119: 11 – 14
11. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you [ David says: ‘I have programmed my heart’ ].
12. Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees [God’s ancient never changing Laws].
13. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth [repetition, repetition, repetition].
- I rejoice in following your statutes [God’s codes] as one rejoices in great riches [encoding yourself with God’s Laws enriches you, and allows you to prosper].
Another example is the Ten Commandments. Allow me to use a parallel. The Micro:Macqueen coded with Python coding language (or the Arduino coded with C++) mentioned here can be coded to follow a line (digital sensor and code). It can also be programmed to avoid objects in its way (avoidance using a digital sensor). How does the ultrasonic sensor work? It sends an ultrasonic pulse out at 40kHz which travels through the air and if there is an obstacle or object, it will bounce back to the sensor. By calculating the travel time and the speed of sound, the distance can be calculated. Ultrasonic sensors are a great solution for the detection of clear objects.
ARDUINO UNO AND 3 X ULTRASONIC SENSORS: How to make an obstacle-avoiding robot with three ultrasonic sensors. I think this is a new experience for you. Because we usually make this robot using one ultrasonic sensor. Also, a servo motor is used to turn the ultrasonic sensor left and right. Credit: SriTu Hobby. Link to video: https://youtu.be/ZGXNOFrwXqA
A Badger Skin covers the Tabernacle of Moses:
I will mention one more significant opportunity to link robotics to the scriptures: The badger skin which covers the tabernacle of Moses. Are you serious? Yes, I am. The badger skin is a symbol of never changing a path. We should allow God’s Word and His Holy Spirit to programme us to follow in His ancient paths. God is called the ancient of days. Unchanging. He wants us to be trained as ‘good robots.’ His code? He wants us encoded. He wants us to meditate on His Word (His Code) – Day and Night so that we may prosper (see Psalm 1).
Credit: https://liftingjesus.wordpress.com/tag/tabernacle/
Did you know that the badger never changes its path? In a 5 to 6-year study tracking badgers (Gaughran, et al, 2021) after major new roadworks obstructing their ancient paths it has been found that the badgers never change their routes (road construction in Turkey). As many as almost 50 badgers died on the roads during the study 6-year study period. You can read and see the diagrams in the research paper – Badger territoriality maintained despite disturbance of major road construction. Link: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0242586
Fig 1. Road construction phases: a) ‘Before’—satellite image of part of the study area before road construction. The hatched orange area indicates the location of the M11 motorway construction zone adjacent to the N11 road. The N11 is represented by the green line. b) ‘During’—aerial photograph of part of the study area taken during road construction revealing the extent of the change to the habitat. The N11 can be seen to the right-hand side of the photograph. c) ‘After’—aerial photograph of part of the study area taken upon completion of road construction. The motorway and access roads were completely enclosed in continuous badger-proof fencing. Credit: Badger territoriality maintained despite disturbance of major road construction. Gaughran et al. (2021). Link: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0242586
Here is an excerpt from the study comparing three similar studies on the impact of roads on badger movement and behaviour (Ireland, Sweden, and the Netherlands).
‘Roads are a major cause of mortality in badgers [9, 11, 12]. The extensive mitigation measures used in this case have proved successful in preventing badger deaths on the new M11 motorway. There were only two badger deaths on the M11 in the 14-month post-construction study phase. These were due to problems with incomplete fencing. Between 2010 and 2016 i.e., during the course of the study, we know of 49 badgers that died in RTAs on the N11 (n = 28) and minor roads (n = 21) within our study area. This gives us an average mortality rate of 10–15% per year. This is an order of magnitude higher than has previously been reported for rural Ireland [91] and is similar to figures reported for Sweden [92] but is half the mortality rate reported for The Netherlands [12]. We know that the death of a badger in our study area often prompted the movement of other badgers from different social groups into that group. If the new motorway had lacked effective fencing and underpasses, it is likely an increase in RTA-related mortality, along with associated movements between social groups would have occurred. Therefore, we recommend that the high level of mitigation measures used here is employed, and periodically checked, in all major road realignment and road building projects (Gaughran et al, 2021).’
An imaginative approach, focusing on the Scriptures and Bible stories.
Well, you may ask how can I make the Bible and the Scriptures more open-ended. I’m glad you have asked this great question. I will give you my honest opinion. I will be transparent and discuss my thinking.
If we as Christians are compared to ‘badgers’ programmed and obeying God’s Word we have the responsibility (created in His image, with a purpose for good) to programme robots to do good. Easy! That includes machine learning (AI). The Bible always give us solid direction. Never vague. The Ancient of Days has the ultimate Guide for us! His Word is a light to our feet and a lamp unto our path! Bless His Name!
I am going to conclude this article and discussion here for now. As you can gather, there is so much more to discuss. I think I have touched on the most important aspects of open-ended ideas and tasks. We have the full freedom to engage in AI and robotics as long it is for the good of humans and our environment (sustainability).
One more thing on programming microcontrollers. When I upload a code to a Micro:bit or Arduino, the code shows me human efforts (designing a code that can be uploaded to a microchip). But when I see the physical matter (the composites of the chip), I realise that THE GREAT I AM has placed the materials on earth so we humans can explore, design and create. He gave us the freedom to design and apply our knowledge. What a privilege.
How does data get stored in the microchip? Is it a mystery?
In a semiconductor memory chip, each bit of binary data is stored in a tiny circuit called a memory cell consisting of one to several transistors. The memory cells are laid out in rectangular arrays on the surface of the chip.
For those not familiar with code, here is C++ code for an Arduino (making an LED blink for one second). Notes are included in the code to provide an explanation. Credit: Modified 8 May 2014 by Scott Fitzgerald; modified 2 Sep 2016 by Arturo Guadalupi; modified 8 Sep 2016 by Colby Newman.
/*
Blink
Turns an LED on for one second, then off for one second, repeatedly.
Most Arduinos have an on-board LED you can control. On the UNO, MEGA and ZERO
it is attached to digital pin 13, on MKR1000 on pin 6. LED_BUILTIN is set to
the correct LED pin independent of which board is used.
If you want to know what pin the on-board LED is connected to on your Arduino
model, check the Technical Specs of your board at:
https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Products
modified 8 May 2014
by Scott Fitzgerald
modified 2 Sep 2016
by Arturo Guadalupi
modified 8 Sep 2016
by Colby Newman
This example code is in the public domain.
https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/BuiltInExamples/Blink
*/
// the setup function runs once when you press reset or power the board
void setup() {
// initialize digital pin LED_BUILTIN as an output.
pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);
}
// the loop function runs over and over again forever
void loop() {
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH); // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
delay(1000); // wait for a second
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW); // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
delay(1000); // wait for a second
}
Making an LED blink, using an Arduino Uno. Virtual circuit – TinkerCad Circuits.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, creativity is an essential skill for young children to develop, and parents and caregivers can play a critical role in fostering creativity in children. Strategies for developing children’s creativity and innovation include providing a supportive environment, encouraging exploration and experimentation, and providing open-ended materials. By implementing these strategies, parents and caregivers can help children develop their creative potential, leading to improved problem-solving abilities, self-expression, and critical thinking skills.
For Christian parents, caregivers and teachers, the rich links to the Bible and the Holy Scriptures can provide extravagant prompts to uncover ancient truths hidden by Jehovah. How exciting to find those golden nuggets placed along the way by Elohim. He has provided us with a life-long journey of comparing and contrasting, making associations, telling stories, finding scientific secrets, investigating His plans and purposes, and researching His hidden truths. We can be in awe of His Majesty every day. What a gift! It is like someone who found a treasure in a field – he or she goes and sells everything they have – and purchases the field.
References:
Amabile, T. M. (1996). Creativity in context: Update to the social psychology of creativity. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Gaughran, A., Mullen, E., MacWhite, T., Maher, P., Kelly, D. J., Kelly, R., Good, M., & Marples, N. M. (2021). Badger territoriality maintained despite disturbance of major road construction. PLOS ONE, 16(9), e0242586. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0242586. Link: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0242586
Kim, Y. H. (2011). Playfulness, creativity, and emotion regulation in young children. Early Child Development and Care, 181(5), 677-687.
Sternberg, R. J., & Lubart, T. I. (1999). The concept of creativity: Prospects and paradigms. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Handbook of Creativity (pp. 3-15). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Copyright © 2023 by William Van Zyl
When stories lose their lustre, and children’s creativity and innovation plummet.
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Published by Five House Publishing (New Zealand)
First Publishing, March 2023
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More about the author at http://williamvanzyl.com/
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Hi Ricky. Thanks for your encouraging comment on the FIVE HOUSE PUBLISHING article. Much appreciated. Could you provide me with a link to your website? Regards. William Van Zyl (Author of the article).