Imagination and the Neighborhood Secret

A short walk from school, there is a tiny patch of hidden wildness almost completely surrounded by houses. As far as we could tell from Google Earth, there was only one entrance, so on the Friday before break, my students and I set out to find it and explore this secret space. (It’s more fun if it’s secret, don’t you think?)

Not knowing what to expect, we were delighted to find a small circle of giant old palm trees alongside a dry, winding creek bed. There was a bench inside, and a surprisingly squishy tree stump that soon transformed itself into a throne. “It almost looks like a magical fairy house,” I mused out loud. Our “fairies” immediately set to work sweeping and tending to their fairy home, making up fairy names for themselves, and creating all sorts of imaginative scenarios.

When we discovered someone’s patio furniture further up the trail, instead of letting that interfere with our fantasy fun, we decided this was the territory of some neighboring giants, and that we’d best not invade. Luckily, the guard post (a chair in a flower bed) was unattended and our presence was not noticed. We stealthily returned to our fairy home and resumed our work.

With all the imaginative play, it seemed a perfect time for some storytelling. I gathered the kids together under the palm fronds and told them a story about a beautiful garden, an uncaring king, a magical fairy, and the children who helped her. At the end of the story, one of the kids exclaimed, “Wait a minute! This was a TRUE story! You didn’t tell us this story was real!” Another chimed in, “This, right here, is the fairy’s house! Wow! Cool.” Everyone joined in on the wonderment as my assistant and I looked at one another in amusement and surprise. “Really?” said our looks to one another. “They really think it’s real?”

They remained in this imaginative space when we returned to school, asking to create some shared stories in a circle, each taking turns telling part of the story. They took their fairy personae with them to yard time, where they continued to gleefully act out ongoing fairy scenarios. Although one rather bossy fairy queen took advantage of her imaginary position of power, her minions didn't seem to mind being ordered about. They happily tended to the plants, swept, and did the queen's bidding.

What stayed with me about this day was the children’s ability to move so easily into a place of wonder and imagination, and their intense interest in fully inhabiting that space for as long as possible. This is what makes childhood so precious and unique, and is also what's largely missing from adult endeavors. To quote Einstein, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” I'm 100% behind that statement, and I'm grateful to be working in a place where I can actually walk that talk.