Are all imaginations the same or are they all different?
Where does your imagination live within your body?
These were the three questions I posed to my students to encourage them to reflect on and dive into their own imaginations. Several of the students were palpably excited about a discussion of the imagination because they go there often and imagination is a huge part of their lives. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I had one student in each class who proclaimed, "I don't have an imagination."
The discussion about what the imagination is was lively and wonderful as everyone had a different idea about it. Upon asking the students where their imaginations live within their bodies, most of the children pointed to their heads, but a few of the younger students pointed to elbows, knees, and hearts. Besides the regular classes that I teach, I also went into my son's preschool and introduced them to the same project and ideas.
The concept of the imagination came to life in a new way through exploring a book called Sarabella's Thinking Cap by Judy Schachner. The book tells the story of a girl who lives in her imagination in such an intense way that no one around her knows what is happening inside her mind, especially her teacher and her classmates. Her teacher gives a weekend assignment, designed specifically for Sarabella, with instructions to share what is in your imagination. Only one piece of paper is provided, which just isn't enough for Sarabella! Instead of limiting herself to one piece of paper, Sarabella designs her own thinking cap. Her thinking cap depicts many of the things that exist within her imagination; she uses collage, drawing, and painting to express her ideas. Sarabella's classmates exclaim, "So that's what you've been thinking about!"
During the mindfulness and movement parts of our class I asked the students to dive into their imaginations; to truly visualize what lives there. I allowed them the time and the space to exist within their imaginations for a longer amount of time then they might usually have. Then, I asked them to create a snapshot of what is there. "This can be anything" I said, "shapes, colors, creatures, worlds, ideas." It needed to be only a snapshot because they each received one small piece of paper.
Simultaneously, my four-year-old son Harlow and I have been working on artwork for a show. All the Mind Move Make students' artwork for this project will also be incorporated into the show that my son and I are developing. It will be fun to see the work together in one space: Miss Zumstein's Bakery located in N.E. Portland. The work will be up for the entire month of February.
Here are the artists at work, along with some of the finished pieces:
Artwork from my son's preschool:
