ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how geography and creativity can be combined to build a preferred and hopeful future. It focuses especially on the way that places and environments can be a catalyst for creative thinking. A series of simple but powerful fieldwork exercises are included to illustrate the possibilities. These ‘focus exercises’ involve collecting sensory and emotionally significant data from the environment, which can then be used to develop geographical understanding. We argue that such activities stimulate imaginative thinking and can help children develop their sense of identity and responsibility. It is precisely these qualities that children will need to draw on as adults as they negotiate the challenges of an uncertain world.
