I think you can definitely be creative in science and other pursuits without being creative artistically.
I found your conference withe the teacher fascinating. In my experience, the Montessori teachers don't like it when children use the material creatively. For example, pretend the pink tower was where Rapunzel was locked inside or pretend a block is a tiny wooden sword. The materials are supposed to be used exactly the way they were told to use. This is a very unusual complaint from a Montessori teacher. Is this a Montessori school or just a school with Montessori materials?
