James O'Loghlin Aussie Kids Are Creative Kids Interview

James O'Loghlin Aussie Kids Are Creative Kids Interview

Mums and dads across the country are being encouraged to foster young minds after new research, released today by Origin, found that Australian children are coming up with new, creative ideas in technology, music and entertainment at least once a week.

The nationwide survey of 1,000 Australian parents commissioned to launch Origin's 2015 littleBIGidea competition, showed parents believe the younger kids are, the more creative they are. The survey revealed students in grade three are almost 70 per cent more likely come up with new ideas on a daily basis compared to any other year levels between grades three to eight.

Children born in the digital age are embracing technology, music and entertainment, with the survey highlighting that children are most interested in these topics when it comes to thinking creatively.

Former host of the ABC's -The New Inventors' and Origin littleBIGidea ambassador, James O'Loghlin, said the touch-screen generation is naturally drawn to technology, music and entertainment.

'Children have limitless imagination, and today there are so many different ways in which they can be creative – building with blocks, drawing and playing outside, and then using a tablet to make a movie and creating their own music on a computer," O'Loghlin said.

To foster creativity and help unearth the nation's next world-changing invention, Origin is calling on budding young inventors from grades 3-8 to enter their ideas into this year's littleBIGidea competition for a chance to win an innovation trip of a lifetime to NASA's Cape Kennedy Space Center, Epcot Theme Park – Walt Disney World in Florida, USA. The research also revealed:

88 per cent of parents believe their child demonstrates creative thinking or comes up with new ideas at least once a week, with 61 per cent claiming it's once a day
Children gradually lose their creativity as they get older. Students in grades three (69 per cent) are more likely come up with new ideas on a daily basis. This was followed by children in grades four (67 per cent), six (63 per cent), five (62 per cent), eight (52 per cent) and seven (51 per cent)
A good nights' sleep (49 per cent), positive praise (44 per cent), playing with toys such as Lego, wooden blocks or play dough (45 per cent), and interactions with family at the dinner table (43 per cent) are all effective methods in building a child's creative thinking and brain power
Learning activities (90 per cent), the people children come into contact with every day and leisure activities (both 86 per cent) have the most impact on a child's creative thinking
Children's active lives (73 per cent), genetics (61 per cent) and healthy eating (57 per cent) also play major roles in creative thinking

Now in its second year, Origin's littleBIGidea competition provides a platform for kids to continue Australia's rich tradition of innovation, which has seen the black box flight recorder, the bionic ear, Wi-Fi hotspots and the humble notepad, amongst others, invented and developed on these shores.

Origin Executive General Manager, Phil Craig, said the littleBIGidea competition is the perfect platform to showcase children's ideas and looks forward to seeing some creative entries.

'Last year, we saw some fantastic ideas, from germ-fighting nail polish and a solar-powered lawn mower with self-sharpening blades to a tourmaline interim power charger for smartphones. We're excited to see what this year will bring!" littleBIGidea is part of Origin's Energy For Schools program " a free, online energy education resource for teachers and students from grades 3 to 8. This year marks the program's 12th anniversary.

Entries to Origin's littleBIGidea competition are now open. Go to www.originenergy.com.au/energyforschools for details.
Entries close at 11.59pm AEST on Friday 21 August 2015.

Interview with James O'Loghlin

Question: What surprised you about the research released by Origin?

James O'Loghlin: It was that parents think that younger children show imagination, creative thinking and come up with ideas more than older children. But then, thinking about it, younger children seem to spend more time playing than older children, who get busy with homework and other things. And when younger children play they are constantly being imaginative, thinking creatively and coming up with all sorts of new ideas for their games. So it makes sense.


Question: What did you learn from this Origin research?

James O'Loghlin: That creativity is something that can happen quite naturally for children. If their day is full, then they might not have time to exercise their imagination and play, but if they have free, unstructured time and some stuff, or another kid, to play with, they often come up with the most amazingly imaginative games


Question: What is the 2015 littleBIGidea competition?

James O'Loghlin: The littleBIGidea competition encourages children from years three to eight to think up a new idea to improve the way that we do things. Children can think up a new invention or an improvement to something that already exists. It could be something around the house, or at their school, or out in the world. They don't have to make it, they just need to describe their idea in 200 words or less, and they can include diagrams or even a short video if they like. Last year, we saw some fantastic ideas, from germ-fighting nail polish and a solar-powered lawn mower with self-sharpening blades to a tourmaline interim power charger for smartphones. We're excited to see what this year will bring!


Question: Where do these ideas come from?

James O'Loghlin: Children have limitless imaginations and can come up with great ideas. The Origin littleBIGidea research tells us that the majority of parents claim that learning, leisure activities and the people their child comes into contact with every day have the most impact on their child's creative thinking, imagination and their ability to come up with new ideas. Parents also claimed that their child's active life, genetics and diet and healthy eating also play a major role. Ultimately, ideas come from us. We are all capable of having new ideas, and kids have some great ones.


Question: What type of ideas are we referring to?
James O'Loghlin: Kids have all sorts of ideas. They have ideas for games that they play be themselves and for games that they play with friends. They invent imaginary lands and complex scenarios within them. For this competition, however, we want ideas for new things that can make our world better. They could be something big or something small.


Question: Do parents influence their child's ideas?

James O'Loghlin: They do. Parents have a role to play in encouraging their children, and helping them when they are trying to be creative but get stuck. Also, if parent's can resist the temptation to jump in every time a child says that they are bored, often soon after the child will have used their imagination to come up with a creative way to amuse themselves. The Origin research shows mums are number one when it comes to influencing children's creative thinking.


Question: What are your top tips to boost a child's creative thinking?

James O'Loghlin: Tip one: Develop their questioning and problem-solving skills
If they have trouble using something, whether it's a cheese grater or a door handle, ask them what they would change about it. How could they make it easier for people to use?

Tip two: Tap into their interests
Encourage your child to discover ideas from the world around them. If they love nature, ask them how they could help save the environment. If they love dancing, encourage them to think about a new shoe, or something to help them practice.

Tip three: Encourage them to experiment
Get them tinkering! Give them old stuff to experiment with - styrofoam, fabric, glue, wire, toothpicks, screws or cogs and get them to create something from scratch.

Tip four: Stimulate their curiosity
Stimulate their curiosity by buying books. Encourage them to read a wide variety of genres from science fiction to comedy to books about animals, space travel and the world. You can also watch YouTube videos or documentaries about famous inventors or arrange a visit to the local museum or zoo to help get their brains ticking!

Tip five: Words of encouragement Encourage your child with some positive praise. Remember that almost every inventor failed many times before they succeeded. Failing is part of the process, and an opportunity to learn. Enlist the help of friends and family to encourage their ideas and their inventions, no matter how big (or small!).


Interview by Brooke Hunter