I gave this list to a class of children who were struggling at school. They were easily distracted, their personal confidence level throughout the class was low and their self-belief hovered around zero.

I also gave it to a class of high achieving children, who across the board were opposite to the first group.

And then of course I gave it to a mainstream group, who had their share of both and everyone else in-between.

It is to do with creative writing, the imagination, lateral and logical thinking. And there are no hard and fast rules on how to complete the tasks. There are no right or wrong answers either, so everyone succeeds, whatever they do or don’t do.

There is no marking to be done either. Nothing to worry about for anyone. Discuss the answers with them yes, but don’t judge the responses unless it is with a positive.

Some kids will go off and finish it in a couple of minutes, others may take hours, days, even weeks and one or two will do extraordinary things in their response. There will be a few who get so confronted by not having any constraints or rules to work by they will do nothing at all. Just let them be, and maybe discuss why this is so afterwards.

Sketch, take photo’s, collect, sculpt, draw, paint, think, dream your thoughts. Anything goes. Just respond to what’s written below. Take the first idea that comes into your mind with each task in your Quest. Look at all the ideas you have, do not dismiss anything.

Use a note pad if you like to write down your thoughts, or just think about them. Remember, YOU CANNOT GET THIS WRONG.

SPRING QUEST

• Quarter Past Three

• A nearly new pair of wellies

• What does your seventh sense tell you today

• What will your pen write next

• What will your pencil draw next

• Pendulum – what does pendulum mean – what SHOULD pendulum mean

• 20 times a day

• What do you love being told

• Fairy breath

• You have one minute to find something that is most like a raspberry sponge pudding and custard, and bring it back to me

• Under the bed

• Found in a haystack

• Old and grey

• New but dusty

• Now but Never

• A visit to Now Now Land

• Found under a park bench

• Lost on a slide

• Who will you sit next to next year at school

• Inside the cuckoo clock

• What are you going to invent today

• Find something someone has lost

• Look in the newspaper for someone who needs a kind word – not completed

• Be happy

• What goes ‘zzub zzub’

• Empty but full

• Lost and found

• Time Slip

• Do something kind for someone you don’t like

• Petal-Cake

• Stuffed Pillow

• A can of worms

• Who goes to Pandooka Land and why?

• If you feel off the world as it was spinning, where would you land?

• Cats that talk

• Icon

• Kevin

• Lucy

• Personal treasure

• Sweet Tooth

• What does Jupiter and ice-cream have in common

• What’s Next?

Take as long as it takes for students to describe and explain what they have done. Do the exercise yourself as well, to gain in insight into what’s going on for them as well.

There are infinite possibilities in everything we do, and the exercise demonstrates there are no right or wrong ways to do things. There may be what works, and what doesn’t work, what is and isn’t appropriate, and if they begin to get that, then what a gift we have given them.

Rob Daniel is a children's author, creative writing, memory and self-esteem teacher. He lives in beautiful Albany on the south west corner of Western Australia, has a passion for mangos, the Greek Islands and bringing the best out of young people. He has been booked to go on a creative writing tour of primary schools around the south-west in September, and is very excited about the adventures he's about to have!

'Rob Daniel's Magical Mystery Tour Of The Imagination' is calling at Esperance, Boulder and Perth, eight one hour sessions in five schools.

Spring Quest will be published early next month

Rob creates 'turn the page' children's e-books with illustrators from around the world. You can check out and buy these books instantly from http://www.chocmint.com You'll also find an opportunity to join the chocmint adventure yourself, if you have a passion for writing and illustrating for children.

LATEST book published 'A Tail's Tale', illustrated by UK artist Elizabeth Stringer. Part proceeds from these books go towards sponsoring children at the Bear-Care orphanage in Kitgum.