Creativity Drills - "Reduce the Friction" (SCAMPER Activity)
| Shown below is a "SCAMPER" activity. In this exercise, students are encouraged to think creatively and come up with original ideas for a concept or scenario. Students will learn specific strategies that will help foster original ideas and "outside-the-box" thinking. To learn more about "SCAMPER" activities, click here. |
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The Task:
A rectangular wooden block 4`x3`x1` is pushed down a wooden ramp.
How can you reduce the friction and increase how quickly the block is pushed down the ramp?
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Where do we begin? Click here to find out how "SCAMPER" activities work...
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The term SCAMPER is an acronym for strategies that students might emply as they try to come up with original ideas:
- S - Substitute
- C - Combine
- A - Adapt
- M - Modify
- P - Put to another use
- E - Eliminate
- R - Reverse
Students should use the above strategies to foster their creative thinking. A few examples they might consider are:
- Modify- Add rollers underneath the block.
- Substitute - Put wax paper on the bottom of the block instead of the wooden bottom
- Adapt- Make the surface of the ramp smoother, or add oil to the ramp
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