When was the last time you watched your child be curious or creative? There are many moments of our younger children engaging in exploratory play through music, art, water activities, mud play, building with LEGO, and dance, driven by their natural curiosity. Over time our children (as we did) learn how to express their emotions, develop language skills and try out new ideas. Providing opportunities for curiosity and creativity is essential to the development of our identity, both throughout our educational journey and as we grow over time.

Curiosity and creativity remain vital to our development through life and education, and they naturally involve fun. As we grow, creativity helps us explore new ideas, ask questions, and express ourselves through mediums like art and performance. Staying curious supports decision-making and turns ideas into action. In schools, this action is often shaped by the curriculum, student choice and course structure, timelines, available resources, and assessment criteria.

Across May and June, the joy shown by our children as they participated in the local Coffs Coast Eisteddfod, encompassing drama, dance, and music, has been both encouraging and a testament to their love of creativity and curiosity in the performing arts. Our Performing Arts team supported the preparation of over 200 students from various year levels across most sections of the Eisteddfod. This highlights the strong belief we share as parents and as a school in the importance of creativity for our children.

HSC Visual Arts where students complete a body of work is a course where creativity becomes visible. Our art students dedicate hours to exploring different mediums, identifying patterns, experimenting, and ultimately transforming their ideas into impressive final pieces. While creativity can exist within structure, such as course requirements or a predetermined outcome, the true joy is found in the final gallery displays shared with families and the performances that celebrate our creative arts.

Drama performance, as showcased in our Musical Theatre course, is another powerful example of self-expression, creativity, and curiosity explored through themes and within set guidelines. It was wonderful to see this form of creativity highlight key competencies such as collaboration and communication during the final performance night.

The complex role of education includes creative opportunities through informal moments of play and curiosity, as seen in our BDC Playgroup, EYE Festival, and Adventure Playground. However, using our frameworks as educators, we integrate these opportunities through initiatives such as our Investigation Centre for primary, creative and performing arts, inquiry, and project-based learning. Creativity and critical thinking are also demonstrated by our inspiring teachers in HSC areas such as English Extension II, the Personal Interest Project (PIP) in Society and Culture, the Independent Research Project (IRP) in Community and Family Studies, Depth Studies in Science/History, as well as Business Studies and Languages.

When children show curiosity and creativity in infancy or kindergarten, it's often through fun, experimentation, and self-expression. Over time, this creativity can evolve into using course guides, drawing on teacher expertise, seizing opportunities, generating new ideas, leading with empathy, and continuing to learn both throughout school and as lifelong learners.

“Play is the beginning of knowledge” as expressed by George Dorsey. When you see this demonstrated through our school courses, especially in Year 9-10 World Options or our HSC courses, it becomes clear that curiosity and creativity is something we should continue to foster throughout our life and also that of our children. Enjoy the creative and curious moments we see as parents and carers in our children, it is a joy to see as they thrive in the moment.

Simon Doyle
Principal

Sources:
Play matters Australia
https://playmatters.org.au/

Aspire Education
https://www.aspireearlyeducation.vic.edu.au/resources/the-role-of-creativity-in-early-childhood-education/

New Pedagogies for Deep Learning
https://deep-learning.global/