Some Fun with the Kids

So I've been reading "The Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell. It's a fascinating look into what are critical elements to success (by this I mean wealth and/or notoriety.) The common assumption, I think especially in America, is that individual intelligence and/or ambition is what makes a person successful. Ain't necessarily so. Gladwell shows in his book that quite a bit of one's success has to do with criteria beyond mere smarts and ambition.

One such criteria is your creativity. His example is Christopher Langan who has a genius IQ, but mere IQ was not enough to make him a "success." You need to have creativity to know what to do with that intelligence. Gladwell's example of intelligence combined with creativity is Robert Oppenheimer. Apparently, while still a student at Oxford, he got mad at a tutor and poisoned him. Somehow, Oppenheimer managed to explain the situation such that his only punishment was to be put on probation. For poisoning a tutor! Sounds like someone I know.....

Anyway, Gladwell mentions a creativity test in his book. Being the homeschool freak inquisitive mother that I am, I put my three eldest to the test. Those of you who know us, see if you can guess whose answers are who's (that was grammatically tricky).


Test parameter: you have ten minutes to think of as many uses for the two items listed on your page.


Kid One
brick:
hit someone, tools, hammer, gem (?), put into building, money, trading, igloo, box, shed, crayons, boardbook, table, statue, wall chairs

blanket:
scarf, net, layer (?), pillow, clothing, mattress, trading, bag, tent, money (?), hat, gloves


Kid Two
brick
make a house, throw it at the window (?!?), use it for a chemistry experiment, to explain symmetry (very clever, eh?), put a gun powder cap on it and whack it with another brick, paper weight, use as chalk, make a mini Stonehenge ("NO! We're not going to do bloody Stonehenge!" - name that movie!), make a bench, well

blanket
as a tent, for sleeping, being a ghost, cover something, stuff it in someone's mouth (!!!), give it to someone, a sleepover padding, dry your hands, clean something, keep you warm, cover a baby, lower yourself out the window, a strainer, make a rat's tail, a bandanna handkerchief, make a breeze.


Kid Three
brick
part of a wall, to put behind a wheel, door-stopper, decoration, place marker when measuring, part of a building, science experiment, part of a platform or table, breaking window (what's with these kids?), weights when exercising, a press or to hold something down, part of a shed

blanket
part of a tent, lovey for Gummi, cloak, cape, picnic blanket, cover for something, pot holder when folded up, dishtowel, use to make a sibling pizza or burrito (dare I ask?), science experiment, ghost costume, place to hide small stuff, temporary shade, really big napkin, apron, sail



I don't know if these results point to my kids being creative or in need of some counseling.