Thursday Thunks
The run-down so far
Over the past couple of years, we've worked with our friends at Crown House who publish our Independent Thinking Press books to put out a Thunk a week.
Our 'Thursday Thunks' are proving quite popular with followers on our various social media platforms who are looking to start the day with a work-out for the brain.
And also with teachers who are taking them into school to challenge their students at the beginning of the day.
Thunk 79
On the day we post Thunk 79 (If we all grew our hair, would the world weigh more?), we felt now would be a good time to catch up on the Thunks we have published so far.
They range from the typically trivial (Can you count the stripes on an imaginary tiger?) to the sadly topical (Can a homeless child do homework?) to the deeply philosophical (Is equality the same as fairness?) to the ones just aimed at politicians (Is it a lie if you believe it?)
As we think about hanging up our thunking caps up for another school year, have fun with these.
My Brain Hurts!
And remember, when they say 'My brain hurts,!' that's a good thing.
Keep thinking...!
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- Are you responsible for the actions of your democratically-elected leaders?
- Are you better at marriage the more you do it?
- Can a pregnant woman be alone?
- Should you bully a bully?
- Is a strong opposition more important to democracy than the government?
- Is being strong the same as refusing to be weak?
- Would you rather have no money than no emotion?
- Is a cat rude for not expressing gratitude?
- Should prisons be nice places?
- Do you use your imagination when you dream?
- Is It easier to dance for ten minutes than to run for ten minutes?
- Is black a colour?
- Is a West End musical more like real life than a Shakespearean tragedy?
- Can you fit a crowd into a phone box?
- Is it a lie if you believe it?
- Is a dog always honest?
- Should parents be fined for having unfit children?
- Is it worth watching the match if you don't care who wins?
- Are you ever thinking what I am thinking?
- Can you miss a train if you don't know when it's leaving?
- Are we free to say anything we want?
- Is 'Home ' more of a feeling than a place?
- Can you know if your dog thinks about you while you are at work?
- Is busking begging for music?
- Do you control your emotions?
- Can we solve problems we can't state?
- Should everyone be made to be a nurse for a year when they're 18?
- Does the cup of tea taste the same in a different mug?
- Would your life be different if you'd had the internet in your school exams?
- Is school the place to go to learn your place?
- Is 'Climb a tree' a suitable task to be given to a child as homework?
- Is the real you the one your family sees on holiday?
- Should all the money in the world be redistributed equally at the beginning of every new year?
- Does it matter who you love?
- Is love scientific?
- Do rats have integrity?
- Do you need to be a good parent to be a good teacher?
- If the teacher knows what is going to happen, is it still an experiment?
- Can you dance to silence?
- Are there any unskilled jobs?
- Is equality the same as fairness?
- Can a homeless child do homework?
- If railway tracks did actually converge on the horizon, could you tell?
- Would there be more peace in the world if we didn't teach history?
- Do flags divide more than they unite?
- If you found contraceptive in your teenage child's room, should you be pleased?
- Has anyone who owns a Ferrari made the world a better place?
- Are you the same person at the end of the day as you are at the beginning?
- Can being sad make you happy?
- If you'd spent more time learning the piano and less time learning algebra at school, would you be spending more time playing the piano than using algebra as an adult?
- Does a computer think?
- Are some lives worth more than others?
- Is always doing what you believe to be right always the right thing to do?
- Are school holidays as important as school?
- Can the best school have the worst results?
- Do you have to accept an apology?
- Is a flood a natural disaster?
- Do they know it's Christmas?
- Is optimism a form of stupidity?
- Is a 'Miracle of Science' an oxymoron?
- Would Disney run better schools than McDonalds?
- If the US president is the 'Leader of the Free World' should the rest of the world get a vote?
- Did dragons come before dragonflies?
- Can you become stronger after you die?
- Do you love more people than you hate?
- If I say 'Meet me a year from today' will you know when to meet me?
- Is it ever better to lose?
- Can you turn water upside down?
- Is it right to bully a bully?
- Can you be a little bit racist?
- Am I outdoors when I am inside a cave?
- Can you count the stripes on an imaginary tiger?
- Is war an act of God?
- Can anyone take charge?
- Is a strong opposition more important to democracy than the government?
- Is any sound not music?
- Would the world's longest line be a circle?
- Is not voting a political act?
- If we all grew our hair, would the world weigh more?
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If you've enjoyed these Thunks by our Ian Gilbert, check out his other resources on the subject and also do get in touch if you would like him to work with you - children, students and staff - modelling these thinking skills in the classroom. [ITL]
Enjoy a free consultation. Make a booking.
Haggle a bit. All acceptable.
Give us a call on +44 (0)1267 211432 or drop us a line at learn@independentthinking.co.uk.
We promise to get back to you reassuringly quickly.
About the author
Ian Gilbert
Ian Gilbert is an award-winning writer, editor, speaker, innovator and the founder of Independent Thinking. He has lived and worked in Europe, the Middle East, South America and Asia and is privileged to have such a global view of education and education systems.