A little over a decade ago, an advertising team working for Volkswagon was hired to increase sales of eco-friendly automobiles. Their theory was that if people could be shown that the eco-friendly cars were just as much fun to drive as any other car, it would encourage them to test drive and purchase them.
They called it the FUN THEORY, and the big idea was that human behavior could be changed by making something more fun! The company did three experiments to test their theory, and they were so novel, the videos went viral and ignited innovation and contests across the globe. You can get the full story HERE, and view the three FUN experiments in the videos below.
Students love innovating and they also love FUN, so the Fun Theory is a great springboard for an exercise in creative thinking. If your students are familiar with S.C.A.M.P.E.R., they can see how each of the innovations is a modification of the original design. (And if you are not familiar with S.C.A.M.P.E.R., here is an introductory slide show you can share with students).
I’ve created a simple lesson that explains the FUN THEORY and its applications. Students are encouraged to watch for illustrations in their daily lives and invited to come up with some of their own.
Have fun with this one! If you have other resources that would work well with the Fun Theory lesson, please leave a comment below so that many other teachers can benefit.
If you like this lesson, check out this 4-minute video tour to learn more about Big Ideas for Little Scholars and how the site is organized.