June 2, 2008

Can You Get The Balloons to Joanna Young?

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 7:12 am

Just a Little Monday Creativity

Outside the Box logo

One of the most exciting things about teaching young children is the creativity they bring to problem solving. It’s almost contagious what they see when you throw out a question that might have an ordinary answer.

Some of it is plain physiology, the abstract-thinking frontal lobe of our brain develops last. So until age 9 or 10, we not adept at separating real from make-believe — our thinking can range wildly through, in, and out partially real, partially fantastic solutions.

After age 10 or so, we understand what can be and what cannot. Some of choose to leave the fantasy far behind at that moment.

That doesn’t mean we’re no longer creative. We still are. Like recapturing another language we used to know, creativity is a skill that we can regain. We can even become highly fluent with a little practice at stretching ideas into new solutions — changing the ordinary answer to something “extra,” extraordinary.

Let’s do that. See these balloons?

balloons

How would this solve problem: You need to get them from Chicago to Joanna Young in Edinburgh by tomorrow.

Can you invent, stretch, or devise an extraordinary solution to the problem?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!
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Filed under Motivation/Inspiration, Successful Blog |



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24 Comments to “Can You Get The Balloons to Joanna Young?”

  1. June 2nd, 2008 at 7:54 am
    Special Balloon Delivery to Joanna Young! » Barbara Ling said

    [...] just read over at Liz’s blog the [...]

  2. June 2nd, 2008 at 7:55 am
    Robert Hruzek said

    Well, here’s my first solution: Send Joanna a link to this post and when she opens it she’ll have them almost instantly! (You didn’t say they were “real” baloons!) ;-)

  3. June 2nd, 2008 at 8:02 am
    Scott said

    I’m trying via Stumbleupon- with a little help from my friends! ;-)

  4. June 2nd, 2008 at 8:02 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Robert!
    I wondered whether someone would say that! It’s a great idea. I think you should do so. :)

  5. June 2nd, 2008 at 8:03 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Scott!
    Joanna will have more balloons than her place can hold. Very cool! :)

  6. June 2nd, 2008 at 8:38 am
    Scott said

    I’m hoping she’s not going to be upset if her various inboxes get inundated! :-(

  7. June 2nd, 2008 at 8:41 am
    Joanna Young said

    Hi Liz

    What a fun idea! I’ll sit here and try and work out a creative solution for what to do with the balloons before they all get here!

    Joanna

  8. June 2nd, 2008 at 9:04 am
    Robert A. Henru said

    I’ll send this page to Joanna then =) also via StumbleUpon, the send to feature
    Robert

  9. June 2nd, 2008 at 9:38 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Scott!
    You’ve got a point . . . but it’s a great problem to have. :)

  10. June 2nd, 2008 at 9:38 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Joanna,
    I can’t wait to see what you come up with. :)

  11. June 2nd, 2008 at 10:15 am
    Dianne said

    Perhaps migrating birds would be happy to help? They could use the balloons too, to take a rest in mid-flight or to help along the youngsters or the elderly!

    Lol! Lovely balloons, Liz, a lovely start to the week and a lovely problem to solve, thank you!

    Will keep thinking about this and ask my girls if they have any ideas. I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how growing up so often entails the leaving behind of things like imaginative, magical thinking, kids are great to have around … and you’re right, it’s so infectious!

    Enjoy, Joanna! Have fun imagining, everyone!

    :o)

  12. June 2nd, 2008 at 10:17 am
    Dianne said

    In fact, if you had enough balloons, you could even use them to visit Joanna yourself! :o)

  13. June 2nd, 2008 at 10:48 am
    Barbara Ling (aka Owlbert) said

    I think my early morning post was eaten by gremlins! Note to Barbara - click “Submit” when done with a comment. :)

    I saw the challenge and was pleased to send ‘em on over via http://tinyurl.com/4rq5fn . Joanna always offers me fresh tea every morning directly from Scotland - she’s quite a wonderful lady!!

    Barbara

  14. June 2nd, 2008 at 10:52 am
    Joanna Young said

    Aren’t we so lucky to have this thing called the internet that allows us to send such positive, creative, uplifting thoughts to each other? :-)

    Joanna

  15. June 2nd, 2008 at 10:57 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Robert!
    Joanna is still figuring out what to do with them. :)

    This is fun!

  16. June 2nd, 2008 at 10:58 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Dianne!
    I’m thinking about talking to some local birds to see what they’re doing. Maybe they’d like to see Scotland?

  17. June 2nd, 2008 at 10:59 am
    jon said

    Is this close?

    http://www.partypartyparty.co.uk/box.html

  18. June 2nd, 2008 at 11:01 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hey Barbara,
    I’ll send a scout for the gremlins. I’ve met a few of them. Nasty creatures every one.

    Glad you got something done after all. Thanks for sharing the link about it. :)

    Maybe we should do this more often. :)

  19. June 2nd, 2008 at 11:12 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Jon,
    You’re a fun friend to have around. Great to see you! I think she’d enjoy any balloon coming from your address.

  20. June 2nd, 2008 at 1:03 pm
    Anna said

    My first thought (because I’m being literal like a 6 year old) is to check twitter contacts to see if anyone is (or knows anyone who is) going across the pond, then work outward from there olympic torch style.

    Alternatively: Carrier pigeon? Whale mail?

  21. June 2nd, 2008 at 1:30 pm
    Robert Hruzek said

    Whale mail! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! :-D

  22. June 2nd, 2008 at 2:18 pm
    jon said

    Here’s the power of your project, Liz.

    Earlier in the day I googled balloons in edinburgh. I just wanted to see. (I could have done balloons TO edinburgh…just thought of that). I pasted the link in comment 17 and went on with my day. Five minutes ago, I was working away and glanced at the corner of my screen…where “balloons in edinburgh” was still in the little search window in the corner of my browser.

    http://flickr.com/photos/jnswanson/2545237555/

    It took me back to this community for a moment, a nice place to be. Thanks for the double brightening of the day, Liz.

  23. June 2nd, 2008 at 3:04 pm
    Joanna Young said

    Liz, everyone, thanks for all these comments not to mention stumbles, e-mails, posts, tweets, photos and a beautiful quote on writing that made me cry (in a nice way you understand!)

    I’ll say thanks properly on my own blog tomorrow.

    Joanna

  24. June 3rd, 2008 at 5:15 am
    Darren Daz Cox said

    she got the balloons!

    I find balloons on my beach every day, i think beaches are balloon graveyards! Soon this post will be in a sort of graveyard, i wonder if anyone will pop in (no pun intended) as the days go by?

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