MENSA Education & Research Foundation
Quotation Station: Using Quotes in the Classroom
An informative list compiled with quotes, authors, and discussion questions, along with 20 out-of-the-box application ideas, make up the collection of lessons geared to spark dialogue and creative thinking about quotations.
Curated OER
Activity Plan Mixed Ages: A Funny Hat Show
Students create unique hats. In this early childhood lesson plan, students engage in a group celebration to foster social skills, creativity, and fine- and gross-motor development as they put on a funny fashion show with the hats they...
Curated OER
Activity Plan 5-6: Art History 101
Learners learn to appreciate art. In this early childhood lesson plan, students read about different artists and imitate their style to develop creative thinking, and language and literacy skills.
Curated OER
Summer Water & Sand Activity: Mud Pies and More
In this lesson plan, Summer Water & Sand Activity: Mud Pies and More, young scholars investigate mud while playing and creating with it. Students understand mud, what it is, and how it is formed. Young scholars develop their...
Curated OER
The Metamorphosis During Reading Activity: Problematic Situation
Imagine waking up to find a giant bug staring back at you in the mirror! Think about the plight of Franz Kafka's Gregor in The Metamorphosis with a group discussion activity. Class members reflect on what it would be like to suddenly...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan: Before and After a Moment in Time
Think about a moment, frozen in time. Now take a critical look at the painting, Better, Homes, Better Gardens. This painting works to provide learners the opportunity to analyze art, critique artist's choices, and write a story inspired...
Odyssey of the Mind
Odyssey of the Mind Curriculum Activity: Extend-sive Thinking
Can knowing about things of the past help predict the types of things seen in the future? Advanced learners consider the idea that things extend. In other words, concrete things like bridges and intangible things like ideas extend from...
Curated OER
Art Tape Amusement Parks
In need of a quick way to get rid of extra art tape? This simple idea describes how learners can use it to create mini amusement parks. They'll form the tape into roller coasters, cars, and people with a little imagination and creative...
Curated OER
Toothpick Sculpture
You'll be surprized at how much engineering, design, and creativity can go into a toothpick and a marshmallow. Learners make toothpick sculptures where they construct three-dimentional models by sticking marshmallows and toothpicks...
Curated OER
Paper Clay Fish Sculpture
Why not get creative and use paper clay to create colorful fish sculptures? All the steps needed to complete this activity are included. Your class will sculpt beautiful fish while exploring color, shape, and creative thinking. Use these...
Curated OER
Pass the Painting
After reading a story or informational text describing an animal, your class gets creative and collaborative with paint. In groups, they brainstorm all the parts of an animal, they then take turns painting those parts. One child starts...
Facebook
Pop Imagination
Popular culture can pack a powerful punch when it comes to creating awareness around an issue! Teams collaborate to create a pop-culture-themed message during a digital citizenship instructional activity. Part of a vast library of...
Roald Dahl
The Twits - Muggle-Wump Has an Idea
If a bar of chocolate was on the floor, would you try to pick it up? What if it was covered with glue? The eighth lesson plan in an 11-part unit designed to accompany The Twits by Roald Dahl has scholars imagine crazy scenarios. The...
Curated OER
Science Charades
Students dramatize the wonderful world of nature, without making a sound. For this early childhood creative thinking lesson, students dramatize different aspects of nature to develop creative thinking, reading, memory, and motor skills.
Odyssey of the Mind
Odyssey of the Mind Curriculum Activity: Mathematicus Dramaticus
The best part about this resource is that you've got four wonderful activities to choose from. Each of the projects can work together or on its own to help learners understand the history of math and how it can be seen every day. In...
Odyssey of the Mind
Odyssey of the Mind Curriculum Activity: Digging for Clues
Make critical and creative thinkers out of your class, with an archeology-based project they'll love. They start the activity by first researching what archeologists do, then they generate a list of the qualities archeologists need to be...
Curated OER
Flexible Thinking - Squiggle Art
Students develop their creative abilities. In this creative thinking instructional activity, students examine different shapes and drawings and discuss what it makes them think of. Students create self confidence by thinking together in...
Curated OER
Activity Plan 5-6: Book-Character Homes
Young scholars use their creativity to build character homes. In this early childhood lesson plan, students develop creative-thinking, social, language, math, and motor skills as they work together to create buildings for characters from...
Curated OER
Let's Make a Mural
Learners social skills blossom as they work together on this mural-making activity. In this early childhood visual arts instructional activity, students develop creative-thinking, fine-motor, language, and social skills as they work...
Curated OER
Nature Art
In this nature art lesson, students take a nature walk and collect items with different sizes, textures and colors. Students use the items they collect to make a collage.
Population Connection
Meeting Human Needs
How to meet the needs of people around the globe—a question many ask. The fifth in a six-part series about human population and its effects on the globe, the eye-opening lesson includes discussion, a homework activity, and an in-class...
Curated OER
Introduction to Creative Thinking and Dr. de Bono's Thinking Methods
Students become more familiar with the setting of the lesson. They know who Dr. de Bono is and what he invented. Students know the lessons ground rules. They have sparked their creativity to be stimulated.
Curated OER
. . .And the Answer is
Students appreciate creative thinking and that some situations have more than one answer.
Curated OER
Activity Plan Mixed Ages: Exploring Play Dough
Students learn to prepare a play dough recipe in order to enhance their measurement, reading, and creative-thinking skills. In this lesson on making play dough, students measure and add the different ingredients, while simultaneously...