Parents: Don’t Rely on Schools to Foster Creativity in our Children

November 21st, 2008

I’d classify that as a bold generalization, but my gut tells me there’s plenty of truth in it. That and more are covered in this worthwhile interview with Ginger Carlson, author of “Child of Wonder: Nurturing Creative and Naturally Curious Children.” Here is a quick sample:

“What it boils down to is that schools aren’t able to nurture real creative thinking skills,” Carlson says. “I hate to say that in such a public forum. There are a lot of things that schools do provide. It is difficult in a school setting for us to really allow kids, especially if we have up to 30 kids in a classroom, to allow them to explore things on a deep level. We are seeing art and theater and all these things slipping from our schools in a way we haven’t seen in a long time.”

One research finding that Carlson references states that children that play outside in natural surroundings are more creative than children that play outside on playgrounds. Interesting…