“On the little prince’s planet the flowers had always been very simple. They had only one ring of petals; they took up no room at all; they were a trouble to nobody. One morning they would appear in the grass, and by night they would have faded peacefully away. But one day, from a seed blown from no one knew where, a new flower had come up; and the little prince had watched very closely over this small sprout which was not like any other small sprouts on his planet. It might, you see, have been a new kind of baobab.”
My favourite book as a young girl was The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, and it is still one of my favourites. This is a book that can be read by both children and adults. Beautiful language, strong messages – a simply magnificent book, which has stamped my childhood and, I am sure, was one of the million reasons to help me be what I am today. It has an appeal of love that is true and touching, and it is a book that has stood the test of time.
I heard that there is a Museum of The Little Prince in Hakone, Japan, featuring outdoor squares and sculptures like the B 612 Asteroid, the Lamplighter Square, and a sculpture of the little prince. Would that be like a museum of my childhood? A beautiful sculpture of my believes, my innocence, my hopes, my dreams? I’d like to go there. To go back in my past – to touch it, hug it, gently place my head over it and close my tired eyes. Sleep…
Translating the book into my parenting approach, what have I learned? Remember, the little prince asks questions children would be likely to pose themselves, in similar situations. Conversely, many of the answers he receives come from very “grown-up” grown-ups. The characters’ responses to the little prince reflect real-world scenarios. “Do as I say because I’m the king” – how often have I said that to my little girl?
I close my eyes and sleep. Sleep and dream of my childhood, of the story of that “little prince” who changed me forever.
Which are your books from childhood who have touched you most and changed you in a way?
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November 20, 2010
Through play, children learn the skills and knowledge needed for life; imaginative play encourages the toddler to use their mind and creative potential. Children can be taught to have the skills and knowledge to deal with life’s challenges and to solve problems creatively through being encouraged to be active in play that involves creativity, learning, investigation and discovery. There’s a saying “Give a person a fish and they eat for a day. Teach a person to fish and they eat for a lifetime.”
Imaginative Play
Play that is imaginative and creative will help the toddler to use their mind to find solutions to problems. One of the most important parts of imaginative play is for the child to pretend to be someone else or in different situations.
This type of play helps promote a toddler’s learning through using role play to develop their imagination. They will also be developing their emotional and social skills, sharing skills, manipulative skills, language and communication skills through this type of play. Not only this but it helps a child build on his or her self confidence and feelings of security.
Kids Play and Imagination
Through imaginative play, a child might run around, pretending he or she is a horse or a dog, an aeroplane or a train. At 3-4 years, they often do this on their own. At other times, an adult could encourage imaginative play so the child might explore new situations and fantasy worlds. This will help the child to explore their feelings and the world around them in a safe, supervised environment.
Children at this age are at Piaget’s preoperational stage. During the years from 2 to 6 Piaget saw the evidence of symbol use in many aspects of child’s behaviour. Children this age beginning to pretend in their play for example at age 2 or 3 or 4 a broom may become a horse, or a block may become a train.
Imaginative play, through building towers out of bocks, talking to and feeding their dolls, making tea with the tea set and dressing in grown-up clothes is important and should never be classed as trivial… Neither should soft toys or dolls be rejected as inappropriate for any age of either sex.
Examples of Imaginative Play Activities
Ask the children to make a pirate ship out of large cardboard boxes. They might make telescopes or binoculars out of kitchen tubes and a flag for their boat out of newspaper. Hats could be made and painted for them to wear while they’re at sea in their imaginary boat. How does this kind of play help in a child’s learning? As the children play with each other, they will be using their communication and language skills.
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July 24, 2010
