From Rocket Dreams to Reality: Are We Losing Our Creative Spark?

Remember how, as kids, we were all imaginative whizzes, dreaming up worlds only we could see? NASA was curious about this too. Picture this: the '60s, the era of space races and wild innovation. NASA joined forces with George Land and Beth Jarman for a groundbreaking study, a tale that's equal parts enthralling and troubling. They put thousands of young'uns, ages 4 to 5, through the wringer of a creative genius test. Guess what? A staggering 98% of these tiny dreamers scored like Mozart on a music exam.

Now, let's fast-forward a few decades. Those same kids, now all grown up, take the test again. The result? Only 2% still had that creative spark. The million-dollar question is “What zapped their creative juice?” Well, the culprit might just be the very place we sent them to learn—school.

Are we losing our creative spark?

I'm not knocking education—it's the bedrock of civilization. But somewhere along the way, we've got to ask ourselves, “Are we teaching kids WHAT to think, rather than HOW to think?” This study suggests we might be stifling the creative spark we're all born with. It's like taking a Picasso and telling him to paint by numbers.

The world is a canvas of possibilities as a kid. A cardboard box isn't just a box; it's a rocket ship, a fort, a time machine. But as we grow, we're told there's a 'right' and a 'wrong' way to think. We're taught to color inside the lines, both literally and figuratively. We’re taught that there is only one right answer to a problem, and you better get it right!

What if we flipped the script? What if we encouraged divergent thinking—the kind that sees a problem and comes up with a hundred solutions, not just one? Imagine the innovation, advancements, and sheer brilliance we could unleash.

Here’s an idea—what if we gave our children opportunities in the classroom to break out of the mold and apply their creative genius, imaginations, curiosity, and problem-solving skills.  For example, they could create a planet and describe its attributes. They could design and build a boat to carry marbles, a car to carry a certain amount of material, or a paper airplane to fly across the ocean. Ask them to make something out of a box. Give them the materials, tell them what the problem is and what their limitations might be, and then GET OUT OF THE WAY. Who knows, we might learn a thing or two from them!

Now, you don’t need to give them a project every day, and they certainly don’t need to finish projects in one 30-minute session. Projects done over time tend to be even more creative when students take time to think about what they are doing, modify their strategies, and make improvements.

So, to the educators, parents, and anyone molding young minds—let's not teach out the genius. Let's nurture it, challenge it, and watch it set the world on fire. After all, today's cardboard box rocketeers are tomorrow's real-life rocket scientists.

George Land’s 2013 Ted Talk about NASA’s Creative Genius Test: