Children experience their world through sensing, feeling, and imagining. Because children are tuned in to a sensory exploration of their world, it is important to choose, organize, and use materials in such a way as to provide good aesthetic experiences for young children. You must first recognize your own aesthetic sensibility before understanding how to support development in young children.

Sometimes we ask children to imagine being a tree, a plane, or a duck. For this Discussion, let’s do an adult version of that activity. Think of something that amazes you and share it with classmates.

•    Describe what it would be like if you were this something?
•    Write a reflective description of yourself as this something.
•    Identify which emotions you would feel.
•    Explain how you are like what really amazes you. How are you unlike it?
•    Discuss how you would like to change in any way.

When you do a similar activity with children about something they like, why do you think children would enjoy using their imaginations like this?

Describe strategies you could use to help children less willing to participate in this activity. Give a rationale for each.