Input
- Materials
- Printed: A5 paper with eyes and everyday object cards. Build: Ice cream sticks (30 per team), rubber bands (5 per team), masking tape and scissors. Students used their own stationery, plus crayons and sketch pens provided in their LifSkool packs. Ice cream sticks were bought and all other materials were already in Olimalar’s inventory.
- Time
- 1 hour
- Cost
- ₹120
Activity
Today's LifSkool session explored creative thinking. We revisited last week's question, "How do you know?", and tried a new one: "What else?"
The boys turned the same pairs of eyes into completely different drawings. In pairs, they then found new uses for everyday objects and combined two objects into a new invention. Finally, each pair got the same ice cream sticks and joiners and was free to build anything. Every creation went in a different direction, showing how one starting point can lead to many possibilities.
In discussion, the students shared what helped when an idea ran out: keep thinking, listen to a partner, combine ideas and try something unusual. As they worked through the challenges, they began to see how “What else could I try?” might help them find another way through everyday problems. Some creations were still in progress, so they took them home to continue.
Output
- 5 Ice cream stick builds
- 5 New uses and ideas list
- 12 "Who am Eye?" drawings
Outcome
Students came up with different uses and inventions from familiar objects and made different creations from the same materials. In discussion, they named ways to move beyond their first idea.
(We observed it)
Learnings
Some students initially found it hard to imagine what the eyes could become; one example helped them begin. Once building, pairs took their ideas in different directions, and we noticed how talking ideas through helped them develop them further. Time was tight, so some creations went home unfinished