September 2022
Welcome back to a brand new school year and a new edition of the SoWashCo Young Scholar Newsletter. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with your Young Scholar and am looking forward to many learning adventures ahead.
Throughout the year, this newsletter will focus on various resources, tips, and strategies to help your Young Scholar build their thinking skills while also working to increase access, affirmation, and advocates for you and your Young Scholar.
Please feel free to reach out any time with questions, concerns, thoughts, or ideas. SoWashCo Young Scholars is here for both students and families, so let me know how I can best support you and your Young Scholar!
This month we will be focusing on Divergent Thinking.
Building Brainstorming Skills
Encouraging divergent thinking through brainstorming is a fun and easy way to grow your Young Scholars' creative side and stretch their brain.
Brainstorming builds thinking in four main areas: Fluency, Flexibility, Originality, and Elaboration.
Fluency has to do with the number of responses to a prompt. The more the better!
Flexibility is all about responses seen from a variety of perspectives.
Originality comes from those unexpected responses that make you say, "Hey, I never thought of that!"
Elaboration involves adding detail and expanding on ideas often in unique and off-beat ways.
family brainstorming in 4 Easy Steps
1. Pick a topic.
2. Everyone shares as many ideas as they can think of about that topic. (1-2 minutes works nicely as a time limit.)
3. Reflect on the ideas shared. Try asking questions such as these:
- "How many different ideas did we have?" (Fluency)
- "Do any of the ideas connect to each other? What categories could we create?" (Flexibility)
- "Were there any ideas that stood out as especially creative or unexpected?" (Originality)
- "Which ideas have a lot of detail?" (Elaboration)
4. Try a second round with the same topic to see how ideas change and improve over time.
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1. Topic: FISH | 2. Brainstorm Ideas:fish stick fish fry fishing rod fish hook fish scale fly fishing Go Fish fish and chips sounds fishy to me fishing lure fishing for a compliment fish tail selfish | 3. How did it go?
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1. Topic: FISH
2. Brainstorm Ideas:
fish stick
fish fry
fishing rod
fish hook
fish scale
fly fishing
Go Fish
fish and chips
sounds fishy to me
fishing lure
fishing for a compliment
fish tail
selfish
3. How did it go?
- 13 total ideas (Fluency)
- 5 total categories: i.e. Fishing Equipment, Parts of Fish, Food, Games, Sayings (Flexibility)
- Selfish is definitely original!
- Not a lot of Elaboration the first time through, but that's what a second round is for!
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Minnesota Institute for Talented Youth (MITY) Fall Sessions | Gillette Children's Youth Summit The Gillette Children's Youth Summit: Black Men in White Coats will bring together students, parents, educators, clinicians, and community leaders to inspire youth to consider careers in healthcare. Over the course of the day, students will engage in hands-on activities and network with health care professionals from diverse backgrounds. Participants of all genders are welcome, from grades 3 and up. | SoWashCo Community Education Youth Activities and Classes SoWashCo Schools Community Education provides fun activities and learning opportunities dedicated to student success in safe, accessible environments designed to enhance positive growth for youth. |
Minnesota Institute for Talented Youth (MITY) Fall Sessions
Gillette Children's Youth Summit
SoWashCo Community Education Youth Activities and Classes
Contact Information
Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions, thoughts, or needs!
Colleen Redmond
651-425-6212
