The World's Deepest Bin

Do You Know D.I.?

So, how many of you know about Destination Imagination? It's a fabulous creative problem solving program. Visit them online at http://idodi.org. And go! Get your students or kids involved!

If you're involved already, take note! The program is looking for State Leaders for Destination... Imagination in Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Kansas and Nevada. Submit resumes to pmiddendorf@dihq.org.

An Invitation to Fun

If you're on Facebook, come on over! Become a fan of the Team Challenges page. I'm posting daily challenges over there and as you'd expect, I'm getting LOTS of creative answers.

Travel Games for your Summer Road Trip

Hitting the road (or air) with your kids this summer? Tired of the backseat bickering? If your sanity is worth a buck ($1) and you own a Kindle from Amazon, download Travel Talk: Sanity Saving Games for Long Distance Fun.

Don't have a Kindle? No worries. You can still maintain your sanity on your next long drive. Download Travel Talk: Sanity Saving Games for Long Distance Fun as an ebook.

Either way, it will make the trip to Grandma's all the more enjoyable.

UPDATE: Minniemom left a comment that I thought I'd pull up to the main post because it's important! Did you know that you can read Kindle books on an ipod touch or an iphone?? You don't need a Kindle--you only need to download the free Kindle app. How cool is that? Now, I don't know that I'd want to read Pride and Prejudice on a tiny screen like that, but these travel tips? It would totally work for that.

Brilliant Peanut Butter Jar

We go through jars and jars of peanut butter each month at my house. It's always a challenge to get that last bit of butter out of the jar (what's with all those rumply bottoms?). This peanut butter jar immediately caught my eye. So incredibly simple and yet until now, unthought of. Creative problem solving at its best: find a need and fill it. No need to reinvent the wheel, or come up with some elaborate plan. Simply make a good idea better. The ability to remove the bottom to access the peanut butter from both ends is a great solution, as are the smooth sides.

Of course THIS jar is meant for folks who grind their own peanut butter; you won't find any manufacturers using this type of jar yet. But just imagine if they did? The customer loyalty that would create!

I've lifted this image straight from the good folks at Apartment Therapy. You should stop by that site and say hello. Lots of clever stuff there!

100 Most Creative

Fast Company names its top 100 Most Creative People in Business.

There are no rules about creativity. Which made constructing our list of the 100 Most Creative People in Business a tricky task. We looked for dazzling new thinkers, rising stars, and boldface names who couldn't be ignored. We avoided people we've profiled in the recent past. We emphasized those whose creativity addresses a larger issue -- from the future of our energy infrastructure to the evolution of philanthropy to next-generation media.

Take a look and see what you think. Who's missing? Who do you think is worthy of a spot on the list?

Get Creative with Legos!

Are you an educator? In the LEGO Smart Creativity Contest, educators are challenged to use LEGOs to develop a hands-on activity for their students. Your challenge is to create an activity using only the bricks included in a special LEGO Smart Kit. The kind folks at LEGO will send you this kit - for free!

Once you have it, develop your activity. This can range from a simple build to a more advanced mathematical problem. You’re the creator, so let your imagination lead you!

Better yet? There are prizes! One Grand Prize Winner and eight (8) monthly winners will be selected. Prizes will consist of LEGO Education products and gift certificates valued up to $100 for monthly winners and $250 for the Grand Prize winner!

To be eligible for the LEGO Smart Creativity Contest you must be a teacher or working in the education field. This includes administrators, coaches, home school educators, and classroom aides!