A preschool teacher in Ohio, Pete Kaser, recently received a lot of press for doing something unique: He deprived his students.
He took all the toys and learning tools out of his classroom and he replaced them with cardboard boxes and egg cartons.
And guess what? His young students didn't care.
Instead, they used those cardboard boxes to create amazing things: pirate ships and igloos, hotels and rockets. They used their imaginations to turn simple (and free) materials into something spectacular and fun and exciting.
Not only were these kids using their imaginations, but the teacher and principal said they were learning other important skills like leadership and negotiation. Jill Webb, the head of the school, said it was important for the students to learn how to solve problems and be flexible, particularly when one student said the cardboard box was a hotel and someone else said it was a rocket ship.
It's important to note, however, that these were very young children (3 or 4 years old) who, perhaps, still retained some of the imaginative thinking we tend to lose as we get older.
In my interactions with older kids (around 6 to 9 years old), I've come across some who were unable to create something without instructions or strict guidelines. When given a bag with miscellaneous items and told to create something — anything — they were stumped.
Many of these kids asked for an example. They asked for help. They whined and complained and said they didn't know what to do. They couldn't make something creative and interesting from a bag of random craft room supplies. And that made me sad.
Our students need more cardboard boxes. They need to be able to imagine and create without guidelines and instruction books. They need to be able to throw away the directions and refrain from hand-holding to create something unique and out-of-the-box, if you will. Our students need to learn there is not always a right answer — or, more importantly, that sometimes there isn't a wrong one.
It's also important for our students to develop the social skills to negotiate and compromise. They need to realize that one doesn't always gain by memorizing multiplication tables or responding to standardized tests.
Don't get me wrong: Multiplication tables are essential to learning and testing is important. In many ways, standardized tests are an invaluable way to gauge student improvement and school readiness. But it's equally important to build students' imagination and character.
So, what happens if we don't provide young students with this metaphorical cardboard box? A Case Western Reserve University study showed kids' imaginations have actually grown in the last 20-plus years, despite having less unstructured play time. The study notes that technology has even helped children become more imaginative. Nevertheless, the study's author says it's still important to allow children to participate in unstructured play time so they can develop important social, emotional and cognitive skills.
Technology is not the enemy, but it's also not the solution. As parents, as teachers, as school leaders, we need to encourage the development of these skills for the next generation. We need to provide more "cardboard boxes" — not just to preschoolers, but to high school students, college students and adults as well. We need to continue to nurture imagination and character and problem-solving skills in different ways.
All of us could benefit by tapping into the skills we had when we were 3 years old, constructing rockets out of cardboard boxes and forts out of blankets and pillows.
What do you think you could do with a cardboard box today?
Abigail Kesner of Denver is a senior associate at SE2, a mass-communications firm focused on public issues. This column reflects her views and is not intended to represent the firm.