Allowing children to see through their own eyes...
Down by the river one friday morning last year, a little hovering cloud of tiny inspects appeared just in front of where the children were playing. They hover vertically when they appear and end up to me, like a slight blur in your vision for a moment or a shifting veil before your eyes, until they come more into focus.
The children together on this particular day, allowed me a moment of privileged insight.
They noticed the hovering insects one by one and as we gazed out over the river. What ensued was such a beautiful expression of their individual perception and expression.
The children together on this particular day, allowed me a moment of privileged insight.
They noticed the hovering insects one by one and as we gazed out over the river. What ensued was such a beautiful expression of their individual perception and expression.
The first comment made was Matilda, 'Look, Sparkles!', which drew the attention and curiosity of the other children. 'Where, where' little eyes darting into the distance and back to the foreground to see if they too could see the sparkles that Matilda saw.
Imogen suddenly came into focus and looked quizically then said, 'No they're fairies'.
Matilda quietly next to her listened and made no comment, just kept watching her sparkles. Harvey focused next and said, 'No it's snow'
He and Imogen entered into a dialogue, intently looking and then declaring what they had seen 'No it's fairies.' 'No, snow, look I'll catch some'. Harvey then threw himself wide armed into the hovering mist, fell through the other side and then came back and opened his arms and hands to see that he'd missed catching 'snow'.
He was disappointed, tried again and then declared, 'I can't catch it.
He was disappointed, tried again and then declared, 'I can't catch it.
I watched on and allowed the children their discovery. Imogen and Harvey maintained their views and getting really heated with each other as they claimed their view of reality and wanted the other to see it.
For Imogen, there could be nothing better than seeing fairies with a friend and being able to share that. For Harvey, it was totally out of the blue and pretty amazing to have snow falling before his eyes at the farm and he wanted to share that.
The whole experience for me was amazing. Three very different realities happening out of the one experience, side by side. Each child, 'seeing' from their own experience and desire.
I wanted to allow them as much space as I could for this to be, and on this day, the play naturally took it's own turn into something else. Matilda noticed sunlight dancing on the water and moved forward to see those sparkles. Harvey got excited jumping through the 'snow' and was suddenly running and jumping and enjoying that. Imogen just quietly continued her play, dancing lightly, a fairy herself.
Had the children continued looking and talking with each other, there may have come the point to introduce to the children that we were watching a swarm of very tiny hovering flies. Sensing this feels like such a subtle place to be with them... ...allowing their experience of life to exist, their exploration and discovery and being ready to give information that won't crush this for them.
For Imogen, there could be nothing better than seeing fairies with a friend and being able to share that. For Harvey, it was totally out of the blue and pretty amazing to have snow falling before his eyes at the farm and he wanted to share that.
The whole experience for me was amazing. Three very different realities happening out of the one experience, side by side. Each child, 'seeing' from their own experience and desire.
I wanted to allow them as much space as I could for this to be, and on this day, the play naturally took it's own turn into something else. Matilda noticed sunlight dancing on the water and moved forward to see those sparkles. Harvey got excited jumping through the 'snow' and was suddenly running and jumping and enjoying that. Imogen just quietly continued her play, dancing lightly, a fairy herself.
Had the children continued looking and talking with each other, there may have come the point to introduce to the children that we were watching a swarm of very tiny hovering flies. Sensing this feels like such a subtle place to be with them... ...allowing their experience of life to exist, their exploration and discovery and being ready to give information that won't crush this for them.
