A stick, some string and… the creativity flows

Our office kitchens are designed to look better than those in our own homes (or even than our favourite cafés), relaxation rooms complete with table football (wives generally don’t let you have such toys in the living room), a library for quiet work that has more books than our own four walls, and conference rooms fitted-out with the latest cutting edge digital technology. We invest in this way to increase both productivity and creativity. However, I have recently been observing the creativity of children. A few days after I had read all the articles in our latest issue, my six-year-old, dragged screaming away from the enticements of a playground, had to find something to do by himself and with two of his mates. As it turned out, the only ingredients needed to stimulate the most creative behaviour are a stick, some string and not being at all concerned about getting our dirty hands dirty (literally – and in the case of these kids, not only their hands). Someone (I ca