1. Challenge: Students create only literal or simple combinations.
- Tip: Ask: “Make it stranger!” or “Add a special ability!”
- Trick: Provide prompts (e.g. emotion + object, weather + animal).
2. Challenge: Students struggle to visualise the mash-up.
- Tip: Use silhouettes, shapes, or mix-and-match images for support.
- Trick: Let them sculpt it with recycled materials.
3. Challenge: Some students hesitate to share ideas.
- Tip: Allow pair-sharing first.
- Trick: Provide sentence starters: “Our mash-up can… Because…”
4. Challenge: Groups get stuck after one idea.
- Tip: Encourage “3 versions rule”, generate three different interpretations.
- Trick: Add constraints: time travel, underwater, robot mode, etc.
5. Challenge: Creativity drops due to perfectionism.
- Tip: Celebrate “weird,” “funny,” or “impossible” ideas.
- Trick: Emphasise process over product.