1-MINUTE PROMPT:
Chewing gum, paper clips, and shoelaces are all potential DIY tools that a crafty person could use in a pinch. Find an item on your person or nearby that, with a little rejiggering, could be fashioned into a makeshift tool. What is it, and how would you use it?
5-MINUTE PROMPT:
An off-duty firefighter happens upon a burning house and hears screams coming from within. Look around your environment. What can the firefighter use to smash a window or break down a door in order to get inside? How does it help or hinder his rescue effort?
10-MINUTE PROMPT:
A thief is looking for something to break into a stolen, padlocked box. Write a short story from the point of view of this criminal who’s using an object that’s near you right now to try and smash the lock. Is the thief successful? If so, what’s inside the box?
20-MINUTE PROMPT:
Everything has its own purpose and intended use, but what about unintended uses? Choose a variety of things in your environment and come up with alternative uses for them, such as turning a pencil into a cocktail stirrer. Create a Journal of Alternate Uses that names the objects and lists various ways they can be used.