Arts Explorer #8: Pretend Play and Magical Thinking

magical thinking 

To me magical thinking means allowing your brain (imagination) to wander off and create stories without editing them. I would say that magical thinking allows you to express your creativity as well, because you are using your imagination in both.

This is the inanimate object that I plan on bringing to life:

A Can of Diet Pepsi

Name: Guillermo

Date of Birth: April 17th

Age: 27

Language(s) Spoken: Spanish, English, Cantonese 

Occupation: Varies with the season 

Country Resided In: World Traveler 

Likes: Tabloids, Licorice, Pens

Dislikes: Horns, Gum, Anything that is Microwaved 

Family Members: Mother and Father notorious Politicians, number of children = unknown, wife = secretary 

Hobbies: Sweeping, Riding his motorcycle, Playing Soccer Baseball 

In a world full of ordinary cans, Guillermo stands out. His life was set out for him from birth. He would follow in his fathers footsteps and become a politician that jet sets around the world. He was following his projected plan until his love of pens got into the way. It started when he was playing soccer baseball and found a pen from a long time ago that was the shape of his favourite food - licorice. But, the lid to the pen was missing. Guillermo decided to dedicate his life to finding the lid to this pen. He is determined that it will be found in China, which is where he leaned to speak Cantonese. His constant search for this lid has lead him through a life of ups and downs. His jobs vary with his travels, and the only reason he works is to pay for plane tickets. His parents disowned him, but are determined to get rid of him. This is because he has put a bad reputation on their impeccable family name. Guillermo rarely speaks to his other family members because of the concern that his parents will find him. Luckily for him though, his wife is a secretary and can pretend that she is doing her job while she speaks to him on the phone. She often sleeps under his desk because his calls come at all hours of the day and she doesn't want to miss them. The main problem though is Guillermo's talent in soccer baseball. He picks up the occasional game wherever he is and is beginning to become a known player in the sport. People often ask, 'where is the guy that looks like lightning when he runs by?' He refuses to bow to the pressure of the soccer baseball community and is dedicated for his search for the pen cap. The last time he called his wife he said he was on his was to Australia where he had received an e-mail stating that there was a pen cap fitting the description he is looking for, but there was a condition to the offer. Will Guillermo ever find what he is searching for in life....

Now, I introduce you to Guillermo: 

Art Word of the Week: Shape

Shape: "Refers to the outside form of a two-dimensional object that has length and width" (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 368). Schirrmacher and Fox (2009) also state that, "shape has its own qualities and personalities" (p. 140). 

For this activity, the shape of the can I chose to use as my object and the shapes that are on the can  influenced what I imagined for it. It influenced this imaginative story because I interpret the shapes I saw as being care-free and exploratory. 

Early Childhood Education Extension: Encouraging children to use their imagination is a task that should be of great importance to educators. I believe that the saying 'if you don't use it, you'll loose it' most definitely applies to your imagination. I think that as we age, we begin to censor our imaginative thoughts and shouldn't because great ideas can be thought of if we listen to our imagination. A way to encourage children to use their imagination that can be built in to your daily routine is at the end of the day ask a child to choose an object from the class. Then, as a class come up with a story for this object (similarly to what I have done above). Get children to give it a name, where it was born, and it's life story. Doing this daily will show children that it is ok to use your imagination and if you work with others to incorporate their ideas, great things can come as a result. This activity can also develop patience and turn-taking in the classroom because children have to wait until someone is finished sharing their idea before they can continue. 

References

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar.