Imagination? Where has it gone?

When I was a little girl my mom would tell us to "Go outside and play".  We lived on a farm and did not have close neighbors that had children. We had to find something to do.  I remember riding my bike to the creek to look for tadpoles, making mud pies and trying to give baby kitties rides in my wagon.  They looked so cute with my baby doll's clothes on them, although they would beg to differ.

We had to make our own fun, use our imaginations.  I did not have a Barbie house but my cousin and I would make furniture using washrags to cover blocks of wood to make Barbie a couch and use thread spools as her end tables.  We did not have plastic play food, we used boxes and cans from my mom's kitchen.

Imagination has been said to be the engine of ideas.  Now, there seems to be an imagination deficit.  There are battery-operated toys where children sit passively watching something.  Watching television, playing computer games and DVD has become the pass time children choose too often.

I feel that the job I have at Stepping Stones has a direct impact on the families and children that we serve.  It is such an important time in their young lives and it is truly a privilege to be part of it.  Stepping Stones provides an environment that fosters creativity by doing the following:

• We focus on the process rather than the product
• Materials are accessible for the children to explore and experience
• We allow children time to engage in their play so they have time to spark their curiosity
• We allow children to smell, taste, hear and feel new experiences

Stepping Stones is a place of joy with children laughing and teachers making every moment an experience where children learn something new.  Helping them to use will carry with them their whole lives and that is priceless!  Imagination helps you understand the order of our world.