Mrs. Fine’s Fourth Grade GATE

So, did your child come home and say that they played a game called SCAMPER? Did they tell you the purpose for us in playing this game? No, we did not run about the room:)
Scamper was created by Bob Eberle in 1991. It stands for
Substitute
Combine
Adapt
Modify, Magnify, Minify
Put to other Uses
Eliminate
Re-arrange

Why do it? Children need to start working on their creative thinking now. As an example, imagine that you are a manufacturer of nuts and bolts, and you were looking for new products. SCAMPER would give you:

Substitute – use of high tech materials for niche markets, such as high speed steel? Carbon fiber? Plastics? Glass? Non-reactive material?
Combine – integrate nut and bolt? Bolt and washer? Bolt and spanner?
Adapt – put Allen key or Star head on bolt? Countersink head?
Modify – produce bolts for watches or bridges? Produce different shaped bolts (e.g. screw in plugs)? Pre-painted green bolts?
Put to another use – bolts as hinge pins? As axles?
Eliminate – Eliminate nuts, washers, heads, thread, etc.
Reverse – make dies as well as bolts, make bolts that cut threads for themselves in material, etc.

Using SCAMPER here has helped you define possible new products. Many of the ideas may be impractical or may not suit the equipment used by the manufacturer. However some of these ideas could be good starting points for new products.

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