A long time ago there lived an old farmer who had three sons. As he grew older and more frail, he knew it was time to pass along the farm to one of his sons, for it was not large enough to support all three of them. But how to decide which son, for he loved all equally became a concern. Then he had an idea and called all three sons into his bedroom.

Acknowledging to his sons that the farm was too small to be divided three ways, he instead told his sons that the one who proved himself the most clever would inherit the house and farm he loved so dearly. He gave each son a small gold coin and told them the one who could buy something with that coin, something that would fill his room entirely would inherit all he owned.

The oldest son, thinking himself the most clever took his coin directly to the marketplace and filled his wagon full of huge straw bales. The second son thought a bit longer, then went to the marketplace and bought many sacks of feathers. The youngest son thought a long time, then stated he did not need a wagon nor the gold coin, but just a few pennies. The father was surprised, but agreed and watched as his youngest walked quietly into town. When he got there, he walked into a little shop and bought two small items and tucked them into his pocket.

That night the father called the sons to his room to show what they had bought. The oldest son went first and started filling the room with the straw, placing it in corners, all over the floor, stacking it to the ceiling, but it filled only part of the room for as it settled down there were many empty spots seen. Once the straw was cleared, the second son confidently began to pour his feathers into the room, sack after sack. Feathers were everywhere and when the last sack was emptied, the son stood with pride and stated he had won the farm for indeed, the room did look full. Until the feathers too began to settle, and parts of the ceiling and some of the walls could be clearly seen. The father demanded all feathers be cleared and turned to his youngest son. The young boy stepped forward with assurance, smiled and pulled the two small things out of his pocket, and soon filled the room.

"Yes," said the father, "you are indeed the cleverest and have filled my room when the others could not. You shall inherit my house and farm."

What had the youngest son bought and with what did he fill the room?

This story, obtained from Stories to Solve, told by George Shannon, is an Ethiopian tale that I have told many times to all ages when I want to elicit some creative thinking. When asking for an answer to the story, I always tell my listening audience that any answer they give will be considered right, if they can validate their reply. I never tell anyone they are wrong with an answer (children especially, too often hear the word "no" or that they're incorrect). Instead I ask questions about their response that will prove them correct or not. If what they tell me just can't answer the challenge, I let them discover it for themselves. Though there is one "traditional" solution to the above story, I have found over the years that allowing a group to think out loud with their creative ideas has brought on quite a number of "correct" answers.

We are all used to making lists for remembering things. Another use is to make lists to help you think. For instance, start with an easy list by asking for things well known: list all the foods you know that are yellow, list all kinds of flowers you know, list things that bug you, etc. Then make lists of things that could be. For example: list all the uses for an empty tin can, list ways a kid can earn money, etc. Then move on to problem solving lists. Examples: How many ways can you turn a glass of water upside down without spilling it; or how many ways can you empty a glass of water which is sitting on a table without touching either the glass or the table? This kind of exercise works incredibly well with children, who love having their creativity awakened.

Encouraging differences in creative thinking allows for everyone to be comfortable in sharing their thoughts and ideas. Sticking with just one "right" answer ignores the person who is more comfortable thinking "outside the box" and in doing so, they will discover the benefits of being unique. We should celebrate differences in thinking instead of looking to mold each individual into similar or like thinking. The point is: everybody has a lot of knowledge; by shifting the contexts in which you think about something, or sharing ideas with others you'll discover new ideas.

Bev Twillmann is an award winning educator, storyteller and workshop presenter who believes in the power of creativity to educate all ages. For more information go to Interpretivevoices.net or contact Bev at [email protected]. The final installment of this series, "Succeeding with the Use of Your Creative Thinking," will show how those acknowledging and utilizing their creative thinking have a better chance of being successful in life.