Month 7: Imagination
The prime years for the Imagination are from around age 5 to age 8. I often see mothers attempting to teach history to their young children. Don't rush it. Here are words for the wise from our heart specialists:
“Mothers who love your children: do not set them too soon to the study of history; let them dream while they are young.” (Edouard Laboulaye)
History is the next topic for us to study, but we need to start with Imagination because “It is impossible to reproduce history except through the imagination."
"We are warned . . . that it is time to avoid mechanical methods in schools. Otherwise the great result of education will be sacrificed. Already the finger of the wise is pointed to the place where modern popular elementary education seems to break down. It breaks down in the cultivation of the faculty which childhood is often said to possess in excess--Imagination."
"We cannot give Imagination to another, but we may arrest its development; and where it is ignored or suppressed, all intellectual life must quickly decline and perish. Now, as of old, wherever for one reason or another, there is no vision, the people perish." (quote found in this month's Mother's Learning Library book.)
THIS MONTH'S MOTHER'S LEARNING LIBRARY SELECTION: IMAGINATION
Read the pdf version here.
Fairy tales and other Imaginative stories are fuel to the imagination. "If you wish your child to be intelligent, read him fairy tales. If you wish him to be more intelligent, read him more fairy tales." (Albert Einstein) So in this month's reading selection, I gathered thoughts from our storytelling friends of a hundred years ago on Fairy Tales, Greek mythology and The Arabian Nights. They'll walk you through why they matter, where they came from and they will give you suggestions for using them with your children. Following their thoughts, I included an essay on Imagination. It's not light reading, but you'll find a lot of good ideas to chew on. This push against the intellectual dominance and 'machination' of our schools has been going on for a long time. You may be surprised to find that they were talking about the same things in education a hundred years ago that we are talking about today. Finally, I included a few selections from a book about Education Through the Imagination. Again, it's not light reading, but I think you'll find many worthwhile thoughts to ponder.
One or two fairy tales a day is sufficient---you don't want to give your children mental indigestion. But do give them plenty of time to process and take them in. A home stocked with a quality supply of building blocks and little peg people as well as imaginative props and costumes [this is such a great book and they've just brought it back into print!] is the right environment for imagination to flourish. Show your little children how they can 'play out' the stories they have heard, and then give them plenty of free space to dream and to play. Play is the work of childhood. Boredom is the friend of imagination. Don't be too quick to entertain your little ones.
Here is a good reminder on the need to simplify our children's lives.
Here is a goodly supply of fairy tales from around the world for you to glean from. Be aware, however, not every story is appropriate to tell your child. Read ahead. My daughter was reading a little Russian tale about some little sisters, and all of a sudden, two of the sisters axed their little sister to death. She came back to life, but I'm pretty sure that's not the image or impression you want to leave. When my daughter saw it coming, she quickly created a new ending and moved on to other things. You'll find a discussion of what to watch for in this month's Mother's Learning Library volume on Imagination.
You can find a wonderful selection of Greek mythology in the S4 online library which I've arranged by general age levels. You'll find some stories from Norse mythology in the S5 online library. There are several versions of the Arabian Nights in the S4 online library.
Although I say ages 5 to 8 are the prime years for Imagination, that doesn't mean you have to leave the Fairy Tales and Myths behind once you get into history. I never get tired of fairy tales and I'm way past the age of 8!
“Mothers who love your children: do not set them too soon to the study of history; let them dream while they are young.” (Edouard Laboulaye)
History is the next topic for us to study, but we need to start with Imagination because “It is impossible to reproduce history except through the imagination."
"We are warned . . . that it is time to avoid mechanical methods in schools. Otherwise the great result of education will be sacrificed. Already the finger of the wise is pointed to the place where modern popular elementary education seems to break down. It breaks down in the cultivation of the faculty which childhood is often said to possess in excess--Imagination."
"We cannot give Imagination to another, but we may arrest its development; and where it is ignored or suppressed, all intellectual life must quickly decline and perish. Now, as of old, wherever for one reason or another, there is no vision, the people perish." (quote found in this month's Mother's Learning Library book.)
THIS MONTH'S MOTHER'S LEARNING LIBRARY SELECTION: IMAGINATION
Read the pdf version here.
Fairy tales and other Imaginative stories are fuel to the imagination. "If you wish your child to be intelligent, read him fairy tales. If you wish him to be more intelligent, read him more fairy tales." (Albert Einstein) So in this month's reading selection, I gathered thoughts from our storytelling friends of a hundred years ago on Fairy Tales, Greek mythology and The Arabian Nights. They'll walk you through why they matter, where they came from and they will give you suggestions for using them with your children. Following their thoughts, I included an essay on Imagination. It's not light reading, but you'll find a lot of good ideas to chew on. This push against the intellectual dominance and 'machination' of our schools has been going on for a long time. You may be surprised to find that they were talking about the same things in education a hundred years ago that we are talking about today. Finally, I included a few selections from a book about Education Through the Imagination. Again, it's not light reading, but I think you'll find many worthwhile thoughts to ponder.
One or two fairy tales a day is sufficient---you don't want to give your children mental indigestion. But do give them plenty of time to process and take them in. A home stocked with a quality supply of building blocks and little peg people as well as imaginative props and costumes [this is such a great book and they've just brought it back into print!] is the right environment for imagination to flourish. Show your little children how they can 'play out' the stories they have heard, and then give them plenty of free space to dream and to play. Play is the work of childhood. Boredom is the friend of imagination. Don't be too quick to entertain your little ones.
Here is a good reminder on the need to simplify our children's lives.
Here is a goodly supply of fairy tales from around the world for you to glean from. Be aware, however, not every story is appropriate to tell your child. Read ahead. My daughter was reading a little Russian tale about some little sisters, and all of a sudden, two of the sisters axed their little sister to death. She came back to life, but I'm pretty sure that's not the image or impression you want to leave. When my daughter saw it coming, she quickly created a new ending and moved on to other things. You'll find a discussion of what to watch for in this month's Mother's Learning Library volume on Imagination.
You can find a wonderful selection of Greek mythology in the S4 online library which I've arranged by general age levels. You'll find some stories from Norse mythology in the S5 online library. There are several versions of the Arabian Nights in the S4 online library.
Although I say ages 5 to 8 are the prime years for Imagination, that doesn't mean you have to leave the Fairy Tales and Myths behind once you get into history. I never get tired of fairy tales and I'm way past the age of 8!
Nature is also a wonderful classroom for the Imagination to flourish. I happened upon this gem of a book on the way to looking for something else, and even if you don't have time to read the whole book, I hope you'll read the Introductory chapter and the first couple of chapters of her book and consider the power this little girl's parents gave her to face the challenges of her life when she was still very young. Her key to survival was in her imagination. This is the journal written by an orphaned six year old girl who is suddenly thrust into an unfamiliar life of an Oregon lumber camp. There is reason to believe she had been a French princess. It's a touching and inspiring story.
Isn't this the truth? (adapted from Michael Ballam):
Johnny goes to school the first day. He's very frightened, it's a big school. His mom takes him up the steps. When he gets into the classroom, he's very, very nervous. The teacher gets up and says, "Good morning, class! Today, we're going to draw a flower." And there on Johnny's desk is a piece of paper and some crayons. Johnny begins and he takes his crayons and he starts to draw a flower. He says to himself, "I can do that. I've done that for years." So he starts to draw.
But the teacher says, "Wait! I haven't told you to begin. Neither have I told you how to draw a flower. A flower has three green leaves and five red petals."
When Johnny thinks of the flower in his head, his leaves wouldn't necessarily have been green, there would've been more than three and the petals would have had different colors, each one of them. But he does as he is told and he puts on the paper what the teacher expects of him.
He leaves that school, grows up a little bit. School is bigger, more frightening. This time he gets into the class and the class size is bigger and the desks are bigger. The teacher says, "Good morning class! This morning we're going to make a vase with clay."
Johnny says, "Great, I can do that!" There's a lump of clay, he takes it and he starts to form it. But the teacher says, "Wait, I haven't told you to begin neither have I told you how to make a vase." And then she shows what is her idea of a vase.
Johnny looks at that and says, "OK....mine would have had more than just one spot of flowers. It might have had 5 or 6 spots." But he does as he's told.
Last school, huge school, huge classroom; frightened again because this is a new experience. As he sits at his desk, the teacher gets up and says, "Good morning, class! Today we're going to draw a flower." And there on the desk are some crayons and a piece of paper.
Johnny waits for further instructions, which don't come. The teacher says, "What the problem, John?"
"Well, you haven't told us to begin neither have you shown us how to make a flower."
The teacher says, "Well, I can't do that, of course go ahead. I can't tell you how to make a flower because your flower will be unique and wonderful, because what is inside you is unique and wonderful. What I want you to put on the paper is your special uniqueness. Put a flower on the paper that is uniquely yours."
And Johnny draws a flower with three green leaves and five red petals.
Johnny goes to school the first day. He's very frightened, it's a big school. His mom takes him up the steps. When he gets into the classroom, he's very, very nervous. The teacher gets up and says, "Good morning, class! Today, we're going to draw a flower." And there on Johnny's desk is a piece of paper and some crayons. Johnny begins and he takes his crayons and he starts to draw a flower. He says to himself, "I can do that. I've done that for years." So he starts to draw.
But the teacher says, "Wait! I haven't told you to begin. Neither have I told you how to draw a flower. A flower has three green leaves and five red petals."
When Johnny thinks of the flower in his head, his leaves wouldn't necessarily have been green, there would've been more than three and the petals would have had different colors, each one of them. But he does as he is told and he puts on the paper what the teacher expects of him.
He leaves that school, grows up a little bit. School is bigger, more frightening. This time he gets into the class and the class size is bigger and the desks are bigger. The teacher says, "Good morning class! This morning we're going to make a vase with clay."
Johnny says, "Great, I can do that!" There's a lump of clay, he takes it and he starts to form it. But the teacher says, "Wait, I haven't told you to begin neither have I told you how to make a vase." And then she shows what is her idea of a vase.
Johnny looks at that and says, "OK....mine would have had more than just one spot of flowers. It might have had 5 or 6 spots." But he does as he's told.
Last school, huge school, huge classroom; frightened again because this is a new experience. As he sits at his desk, the teacher gets up and says, "Good morning, class! Today we're going to draw a flower." And there on the desk are some crayons and a piece of paper.
Johnny waits for further instructions, which don't come. The teacher says, "What the problem, John?"
"Well, you haven't told us to begin neither have you shown us how to make a flower."
The teacher says, "Well, I can't do that, of course go ahead. I can't tell you how to make a flower because your flower will be unique and wonderful, because what is inside you is unique and wonderful. What I want you to put on the paper is your special uniqueness. Put a flower on the paper that is uniquely yours."
And Johnny draws a flower with three green leaves and five red petals.
FAIRY TALE COLLECTION
As your little kids transition into fairy tales, one way to introduce them is to tell many tales ‘by heart’ first because then you can adapt them to their level of comprehension while they create the pictures in their own minds. And then bring out the beautifully illustrated classic fairy tale books, but rather than read all those words (and I don’t love all the adaptations anyway), help the pictures ‘talk’. Young children are more interested in pictures than a lot of words, and you can tell the story as you point out things in the pictures they are looking at. By doing that, you enable them to ‘read’ the story to themselves later by looking at the pictures. Later, you can ask them if they want you to read all the words to them.
I am always on the lookout for beautifully illustrated classic fairy tales at used book sales and thrift stores. Here are some of my favorite illustrators I’ve found along the way. Unfortunately, a lot of their books are no longer in print, but if you keep watching Amazon and other used books sites, you can often find inexpensive copies with which to build your fairy tale library.
Berenzy, Alix
Rapunzel, A Frog Prince
Craft, Kinoku
Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Twelve Dancing Princesses, Beauty and the Beast (7/2016)
King Midas and the Golden Touch, Cupid and Psyche, Pegasus
Dusikova, Maja
The Princess and the Pea
Hague, Michael
Beauty and the Beast
Ibatoulline, Bagram
The Snow Queen, The Nightingale, Thumbelina
Isadora, Rachel
The Little Match Girl
Jeffers, Susan
Cinderella, The Snow Queen, Hansel and Gretel, Hiawatha, Thumbelina
LaMarche, Jim
The Elves and the Shoemaker
Lynch, P.J.
The Snow Queen, Oscar Wilde’s Stories for Children
Pinkney, Jerry
The Lion and the Mouse, The Tortoise and the Hare, The Grasshopper and the Ant
Aesop’s Fables, The Ugly Duckling, Little Red Riding Hood, The Nightingale,
Puss n Boots, Rikki-Tivi-Tavi, The Little Match Girl
Sanderson, Ruth
Twelve Dancing Princesses, Cinderella, The Snow Princess, Goldilocks,
The Sleeping Beauty, Rose Red and Snow White, Beauty and the Beast
Santore, Charles
Snow White
Spirin, Gennady
Tale of the Firebird, The Frog Princess, Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks,
Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Mermaid and Ugly Duckling
Vladyslav, Yerko
The Snow Queen (5/2016), The Tinderbox (5/2016)
Zelinsky, Paul O.
Rumpelstiltsken, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel
I am always on the lookout for beautifully illustrated classic fairy tales at used book sales and thrift stores. Here are some of my favorite illustrators I’ve found along the way. Unfortunately, a lot of their books are no longer in print, but if you keep watching Amazon and other used books sites, you can often find inexpensive copies with which to build your fairy tale library.
Berenzy, Alix
Rapunzel, A Frog Prince
Craft, Kinoku
Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Twelve Dancing Princesses, Beauty and the Beast (7/2016)
King Midas and the Golden Touch, Cupid and Psyche, Pegasus
Dusikova, Maja
The Princess and the Pea
Hague, Michael
Beauty and the Beast
Ibatoulline, Bagram
The Snow Queen, The Nightingale, Thumbelina
Isadora, Rachel
The Little Match Girl
Jeffers, Susan
Cinderella, The Snow Queen, Hansel and Gretel, Hiawatha, Thumbelina
LaMarche, Jim
The Elves and the Shoemaker
Lynch, P.J.
The Snow Queen, Oscar Wilde’s Stories for Children
Pinkney, Jerry
The Lion and the Mouse, The Tortoise and the Hare, The Grasshopper and the Ant
Aesop’s Fables, The Ugly Duckling, Little Red Riding Hood, The Nightingale,
Puss n Boots, Rikki-Tivi-Tavi, The Little Match Girl
Sanderson, Ruth
Twelve Dancing Princesses, Cinderella, The Snow Princess, Goldilocks,
The Sleeping Beauty, Rose Red and Snow White, Beauty and the Beast
Santore, Charles
Snow White
Spirin, Gennady
Tale of the Firebird, The Frog Princess, Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks,
Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Mermaid and Ugly Duckling
Vladyslav, Yerko
The Snow Queen (5/2016), The Tinderbox (5/2016)
Zelinsky, Paul O.
Rumpelstiltsken, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel
KNITTING
You may be wondering what knitting has to do with the imagination. Well, I'll tell you. The more ways you find to occupy the hands of your children, the better chance you have of increasing their attention span to listen to the stories you want to read to them. And the more stories they listen to, the more their imaginations will grow. The Waldorf schools don't even attempt to teach phonics to students before they're 7. Instead, they create a story-rich environment and teach them to knit, starting at around age 5. If you don't know how to knit yourself, I've listed some places to start below. And as you look around on the internet, you'll find all kinds of fun projects for your kids to do. If your boys think knitting is a 'girl's thing', you might tell them that during the world wars, many of the soldiers passed the time by knitting socks for their comrades. I also included a story of how knitting gave new purpose to some hardened prisoners in a penitentiary. The rhythmic motion of knitting creates order for the mind as well as other benefits and the act of knitting helps with manual dexterity. Waldorf recommends adding in crocheting around age 8 as well as other handicrafts such as cross-stitch and embroidery. And don't underestimate the benefits to your future surgeon!
Article on the benefits of knitting in early childhood education as well as a brief video on how to teach simple knitting steps.
A more in depth article on why knitting matters.
Prisoners reformed through knitting. Such a feel good article!
Teaching kids to knit.
More simple knitting tips and some knitting service projects.
Cute Waldorf knitting pattern: gnome family
More patterns for knitting, Waldorf style including animal patterns.
Pinterest page devoted to Waldorf knitting projects.
Article on the benefits of knitting in early childhood education as well as a brief video on how to teach simple knitting steps.
A more in depth article on why knitting matters.
Prisoners reformed through knitting. Such a feel good article!
Teaching kids to knit.
More simple knitting tips and some knitting service projects.
Cute Waldorf knitting pattern: gnome family
More patterns for knitting, Waldorf style including animal patterns.
Pinterest page devoted to Waldorf knitting projects.