We Spark Creativity
Independent schools champion the natural creativity in every child, growing creative problem solvers and nurturing artistic skills.
Independent schools champion the natural creativity in every child, growing creative problem solvers and nurturing artistic skills.
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White Shirt Project
Eighth graders presented their highly anticipated White Shirt Projects to a full house Thursday evening. Students chose an array of different contemporary artists, and their work explored themes ranging from Civil Rights to their journey at GUS–where they had been and where they hoped to go in the future. “I am always in awe of […]
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Hill School (Pottstown, Pa.) student's mobile app named a "World's Hottest Start-up"
Manshu Sharma, Hill ’17, has been offered the chance to present to leading business leaders and innovators at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Johannesburg, South Africa, March 13-16, 2017, in recognition of a mobile app he and other high school students founded. His group, creators of the meetHere networking app, are not only the only […]
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How 8th Graders Used Design Thinking to Imagine an Award-Winning App
Every year, people forward me an email announcing the Verizon Innovative Learning App Challenge. As chair of the Computer Science Department at GPS, people know that encouraging girls to code is a driving force in my teaching. This year, I decided to build the App Challenge contest into my 8th grade classes’ coursework. We followed […]
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STEM Brought to Artistic Live
The Bullis Upper School hosted renowned sculptor and lecturer Rebecca Kamen as artist-in-residence to teach 11th grade biology students to create artistic visualizations of biology concepts. Ms. Kamen investigates and demonstrates how art and creativity can enhance innovation and understanding of science. Her artwork considers a wide array of scientific fields to capture and re-imagine […]
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Creative Teaching: Memorizing Becomes More Meaningful with a Tune
Creativity in the classroom is an every day occurrence at MJS. When students are engaged and excited about learning connections are made and growth happens. Mrs. Jaime Bradley, first grade teacher, wanted to bring one of her passions, singing, into the classroom. So, she decided to turn every lesson possible into memory songs. From classroom […]
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Nature is…
This year Conserve School decided to change things up on picture day by inviting students and staff to not only get their picture taken, but to also respond to the prompt – Nature is. Conserve School’s focus is environmental stewardship and this creative activity allowed individuals to explore both their own thoughts about nature and […]
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From Ideas to Prototypes: Hands-on Projects Cultivate Design Mindsets
As sixth graders, science students at Castilleja School begin developing skills as designers and engineers while creating interactive devices. They learn about sensors and actuators, programming, troubleshooting, and how to face frustrations that arise from failed iterations while celebrating improvements and successes, however incremental. Fast forward to the senior year elective, “Biology and Economics of […]
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Students flex their creative muscles and design thinking at SF Day School
Thanks to the overwhelming support and generosity of our community, San Francisco Day School was able to enhance our campus with new “Innovate & Create” design spaces. With flexible design spaces and tools, our students are empowered to embrace their journey as learners and to explore “productive failure” through experimentation. They learn the value of […]
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Sculpture Exhibit in Pre-K Ignites Interest in the Arts
What is the role of art in the Pre-K classroom? In Red Barn, the Pre-K classroom at The Seven Hills School, the role of art is an expansive one. Art serves not only as a medium for the communication of ideas, but also as an arena to grow confidence, build community, and foster independence. This […]
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Students Get Creative with Google Cardboard
Princeton Academy students are building and experiencing Google Cardboard in their Making class and beyond. Their first virtual reality experience was viewing 360 video of select campus spaces filmed by our Middle School students. The opportunities for students to create and explore with Google Cardboard are endless. Teachers are so excited to augment learning with […]
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Unique 3D Paper Sculptures (“Boxes” to us!)
After initially starting by making cubes from nets (flat pieces of paper), students use a workshop time to create unique designs from one large or small piece of grid paper. Each new design has to be more complicated than the next. http://peterjenningswilson.weebly.com/boxes.html
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Put on Your Math Goggles! Seeing Circles in a Kandinsky
Third graders at All Saints’ Episcopal School recently donned their math goggles and engaged in a measurement exploration using the visual arts as a lens. Students learned about the Russian painter, Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944), considered a pioneer of abstract modern art. Students used his “Several Circles” (1926) as a springboard to exploring characteristics of a […]