Creativity

Innovative ideas can happen when existing or new concepts are brought together or expressed in a new way.

22 November 2018

For our Grade 6 unit on Creativity, I pulled this delicious construction project from my previous work in Primary because it is a good illustration how the creative process works. And what can be more satisfying to create than our own home? Especially one made of sweets! Whilst creativity is sometimes referred to as a trait or in terms of ability, I prefer to emphasise its process definition, which suggests that it is a skill that we can build on. Creativity is hard fought, hard work from beginning to end, and I’m of the mind that there has to be room for surprises along the way. It is a journey. And quite the journey it has been for my kids!

Early on, we prepared to make a candy house by looking at sweets in art à la Wayne Thiebaud, Warhol and Will Cotton. They made some wonderful transcriptions and considered why everyday objects like bubblegum and ice cream made such a splash in the galleries of the 1960s. They used their sketchbooks to incubate ideas of what their candy house would look like and taste like, whether it would be made of gingerbread, chocolate, fondant or something else. And in implementing their ideas, they faced numerous design challenges with a wide range of materials, all carefully released in stages to help generate a more individualised and creative response.

From their first sketches, and with guidance and encouragement to make the most of the materials provided at each stage, every student ended up producing a sculpture full of creative responses and design solutions. Mansard roofs, bulls-eye windows, turrets, crenellations, outsize chimney stacks, ombré effect shingles and bricks, hot glue icing, chenille stem lollipops and candy roses, candy buttons, candy floss clouds and smoke, fruits instead of candy, and Halloween and Christmas themes are just some of many examples of the divergent approaches taken to the brief.

“You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” ― Maya Angelou

To tie in with our new unit Celebration, we quickly whipped up some Christmas trees from cardboard, felt and embellishments for the candy houses’ debut in a Christmas village on campus.