The power of imagination

We gave Aiden, our 6 year old grandson, a Power Rangers book to read when he stayed over recently.  This is the same boy who is unbeatable at Wii Ten-pin bowling – I don’t stand a chance.  He also enjoys playing with a cut-down laptop computer, that can’t access the Internet, yet looks as though it could pilot a spaceship to Mars!  Laura my wife and I were amazed at what happened.  The book never left his side, whether at the meal table, sitting on the floor, or when in bed.  He loved it – why though?  Well it had brilliant graphics and on every page asked the reader questions that stirred his imagination.  The clincher though was the cut-out Power Rangers mask.  He transformed when he wore it – which was almost all the time.  This even included trying to go to sleep wearing it! 

What a wonderful reminder.  As Jack will tell you, I say there are contemporary approaches and then there is the classical method.  On all counts stimulating a child’s imagination is the latter.

David Miskimin