Principles for the Development of a Complete Mind: Study the science of art. Study the art of science. Develop your senses – especially learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.
-Leonardo DaVinci
For an in-depth overview of each weekly slide presentation, please skip below to your specific grade level.
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To see the 1-page Creativity Character Card and share it with your students’ families, click here.
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For the P2 Reflection Journals, used by all elementary students at the end of the week, click here.
Starting Monday, Partner Schools nationwide are learning about creativity. This is a strength that often comes naturally to children, because creative people can look at the world in new and original ways. It’s important to remember that creativity is a process that takes courage. Anytime you share your original ideas with the world, you risk being criticized or even ostracized.
Positive psychology breaks creativity into two components: First, he/she must produce original ideas or behaviors. Second, the original idea or behavior must make a positive contribution to that person’s life or the lives of others. There are both big and small acts of creativity. Big acts are exemplified by great artists and scientists. Small acts include everyday acts of creativity, such as how people create solutions to deal with problems at work or at home.
Below, Walter Isaacson, author of Leonardo DaVinci, explains DaVinci’s creativity.
So, why does creativity matter?
It helps us solve seemingly impossible problems, create something we never knew we wanted, or simply see the world in a new way. Technological examples include the printing press, refrigeration, electricity, automobiles and the internet. Just think of what we’d be missing without Renaissance art, Enlightenment thinking, Harlem Renaissance jazz, or hip-hop emerging from the South Bronx in the 1970s and 80s.
And, as a reminder, you can find all of our weekly slide presentations on our website’s Resources page. Enjoy the slides — and please be sure to let us know how it’s going by posting to Twitter and using the #PositivityInAction hashtag!
The Positivity Project
The Positivity Project (P2) is a research-based PreK–12 character education curriculum. Grounded in positive psychology’s 24 character strengths, P2 gives educators ready-to-use daily lessons that build character and create connected school communities.
