• To help participants generate as many creative ideas as possible
• To help participants learn how to use the activities to generate ideas
Participants
Small groups of four to seven people each
Materials,Supplies,and Equipment
• For each group: markers, two flip charts, and masking tape for posting flip-chart sheets
• For each participant: one sheet each of three different colors of sticking dots (1?2” diameter) and one pad of 4 x 6 Post-it® Notes
• Copies of common fairy tales such as “Rapunzel,” “Hansel and Gretel,” “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Tom Thumb,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Snow White,” and “Rumpelstiltskin”
Handout
• Fairy Tale Time Handout
Time
60 minutes
Related Activities
• ALikely Story [15]
• Tabloid Tales [47]
• Super Heroes [80]
Procedure
1. Distribute the Fairy Tale Time Handout and copies of the fairy tales, review the exercise example with the participants, and answer any questions they may have.
2. Tell participants to select one of the fairy tales and have one person read it aloud.
3. Have them write down, on the flip chart, the story’s major elements (characters, actions, dialogue, plot, morals, events).
4. Instruct them to use these elements as stimuli for triggering ideas.
5. Tell them to write down any ideas on Post-it® Notes (one idea per note) and place them on flip charts for evaluation.
Debrief/Discussion
One major advantage of this technique is that it can allow a group to really express its creativity in developing a story or playing off of a known fairy tale. The fact that most fairy tales are unrelated to most problem challenges can help produce unique perspectives. If time is available, ask the participants if they think it would be more productive to make up their own fairy tales, modify existing ones, or use existing ones without changing
them. Have them discuss why any such preferences might exist.
Also consider having participants debrief using the following questions:
• What was most helpful about this exercise?
• What was most challenging?
• What can we apply?
• How would you rate the value of this exercise to helping us with this issue?
• Will this exercise be helpful in the future for other sessions?
• What did you learn?
• What will we be able to use from this exercise?
• What ideas were generated, and which ones were most interesting?
Variation
• If time is available, ask the participants to write their own fairy tales and repeat Steps 3 and 4 above.
Taken From : Pfeiffer 101 Activities for Teaching Creativity
