So at this time of year we do a lot of creative activities and the tots like to use gluesticks, so we made some Christmas trees!
Although this cannot really be considered open ended (in my mind) the results
were of the children's own creation.
However the set up of the activity really left no room for interpretation.
Often times we do this kind of set up for the sake of time - not always a first choice.
Parents also like to see creatives coming home where they can determine what the object is.
We simply set out the shapes - gems - glitter and glue and let the children apply their
knowledge of creativity to the materials presented.
In this activity we simply put out some triangular green shapes and red construction paper with gluesticks.
The children began to apply the glue and attach the shapes to the paper.
I was told these are Christmas tree - indeed they are!
So in both activities the end result was a 'Christmas Tree'. Can both activities be considered open ended?
Well dependent on your interpetation of open ended. There is no right or wrong result in both activities - however the set up leaves little wiggle room in the first. An open ended activity is said to be undetermined with no predetermined outcome. However there can be some flexibility and adaptability in the activity that is set out for completion. An activity that can be changed dependant on skill level, mood and duration can certainly be considered open ended.
In both activities above there was no pressure to create a Christmas tree - the kids did love the results in both instances - open ended? Yup!
Update: We added some glitter, wiggly eyes, and some coconut in his beard! 
