A sense of space.

The French philosopher Gaston Bachelard talks about the concept of needing space for dreaming. This is true for everyone, but particularly for children. In his seminal work The poetics of space he writes "Sometimes the house of the future is better built, lighter and larger than all the houses of the past, so that the image of the dream house is opposed to that of the childhood home…...maybe it is a good thing for us to keep a few dreams of a house that we shall live in later....for a house that was final, one that stood in symmetrical relation to the house we were born in, would lead to thoughts serious, sad thoughts and not to dreams."

For children, their home is their first space. Children grow and learn, within their home environment. It is the first space they experience before moving on to a wider context of the world. It is that safe space from whence their perceptions of the world gradually broaden.

Children often experience new concepts through their engagement with picture books. They have a concept of what they know. They see the stars and the sky outside their window, in the night sky and in their picture books. They understand the concept of the sky as a space and can relate to it even though it is outside their immediate realm. The sky is meaningful to them well before they have a chance to experience the sensory adventure of flying in the sky, or swimming in the ocean during a rain storm.

Picture books help children make the leap from their safe space at home, to the space of imagination, allowing them space to dream.

The perfect title to get children dreaming, to lose themselves in their sense of place? Try What the sky knows by Nike Bourke. Illustrated by Stella Danalis, this book provides the perfect opportunity to scaffold learning opportunities for children. With collage the artistic medium of choice by the artist, try craft activities relating to collage. Think textured papers, fabric, moon beams and glue sticks. Fun to be had by all.

What the sky knows by Nike Bourke, illustrated by Stella Danalis.
University of Queensland Press, Brisbane 2005.