Encourage children to create secret world of stories
THIS is the story of Plum and Spoons, two pixies, who resided in the corner of the hedge in my front garden.
I was not very vocal about my magical friends, for even as a child I felt a certain level of propriety and a need to “save face”, but Plum and Spoons occupied a considerable amount of my mind’s wandering time.
I remember sitting on the stoep, licking the sticky Oros drippings from my fingers and staring at the hedge, imagining the inner layout of their secret palace.
Entry for humans was granted by sipping the nectar of a honey suckle – a secret I only disclosed to my rabbit, Mopsy.
My brothers had the tree house and together we would play all sorts of make-believe games in the garden. They often refused to follow my rules, reminding me that I was correct in my assertion that Plum and Spoons’ palace had rules of entry: Strictly girls only!
There are many joys of childhood. The ability to create a secret world of stories is one such joy, which we should encourage for every child.
I was never truly bored, or ever truly lonely when I was able to fill my head with stories.
My environment provided a palate rich in senses and experiences, and my friends would hop in and out of the story line during our play dates, resulting in a very colourful character list. We were never told “how” to create our stories. We were simply given the opportunity to play and explore and our imaginations did the rest. Our parents read us bedtime stories and a crisp, laminated library card was the proud possession of every child in the neighbourhood. We created stories before we could read them. Of course, once we could read, our stories entered new galaxies. I have the privilege of meeting children from all over Cape Town. For many of these children, circumstances and their environments are not conducive to play and imagination. We have the research.
We know how important it is for children to be allowed to learn through play.
We know that story-telling has the power to colour their worlds with infinite possibilities, and yet we are often willing to ignore this need, deeming it “unimportant”. Play is not a luxury. We owe it to our children to create sacred spaces for childhood fun and exploration.
On November 19, in honour of Universal Children’s Day, Cape Town Embrace will be hosting a collaborative celebration of and for children in the company’s garden in Cape Town.
Inviting children and caregivers from across the city to join them free of charge, a magical world will be revealed to all who enter. For more information on the event, or how to help maximise children’s opportunities to reach their life potential, visit www.embrace.org.za
ý Julie Mentor is the project leader of Cape Town Embrace.
To find out more about becoming a funda Leader, visit http://nalibali.org/funda-leader. For more information about the Nal’ibali reading-for-enjoyment campaign and the ‘Story Bosso’ competition, as well as reading tips and stories in a range of South African languages, visit www.nalibali.org, www.nalibali.mobi or find them on Facebook and Twitter: nalibaliSA.
Nal’ibali is driven by PRAESA, 2015 laureate of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial award for children’s literature and reading promotion.