Imagination, where will you take me today?

Internet, smartphones, laptops and e-books. Most of us use them every day or at least have heard about them. They are simply our tools. How come they’re mentioned in the books of Stanisław Lem from over half a century ago? In “The Magellanic Cloud” (original title: “Obłok Magellana”) from 1955, he wrote about a large database of publicly available data that anyone could access through a small TV set. Sounds familiar? It’s also hard not to be surprised by what he wrote in “Return from the Stars” (“Powrót z gwiazd”) from 1961: “It was even similar to a book, but with just a single page between the covers. When touched, subsequent passages of text appeared on it.” Did he not astonishingly accurately describe e-books and Kindles? 

A monster under the bed

For children whose imagination has not yet been limited by knowledge and experience, everything seems possible. Flying on a dragon, a purple fox, Santa Claus and talking animals? Why not? But also, a monster under the bed, ghosts or menacing shadows could also be real. Thanks to our imagination, we can get anywhere, anything is possible. It’s our imagination that drives us and changes the world, because, quoting Lem, “If people had only been doing what seemed possible, they’d still be in caves today.” Therefore, let’s allow our imagination run wild, going as far as imagining something that our rational brain objects to. Who knows where it’ll lead us? 

Pictures and wild imagination  

Are you eager to check how it works? Find a picture in the newspaper or on the Internet. Now each of you has to look at it and activate your imagination, creating an incredible story based on it. What does the photo show, how did it happen, what happened next? Then share your stories and enjoy their diversity. 

Everyone dreams in their own way  

Our imagination affects us and the world around us. We even imagine ourselves and we strive for this image. We imagine the world in which we would like to live and we try to make it that way. However, we are different and our ideas differ from other peoples. Prepare small cards with a circle drawn in the middle. Your task is to finish the drawing so that it depicts a specific thing. You should work independently. When you’re done, compare your drawings. Everyone should finish the drawing in their own way, because we all tend to have different ideas. That’s how imagination works and it’s a great thing about us. This is how art, fashion, furniture, buildings, parks, gardens, etc. are created. Thanks to our imagination! It makes us unique, too! 

Shipwreck survivors on a desert island 

Imagination is necessary because it allows us to think creatively. This gives us beauty in the form of art, takes us to extraordinary worlds in literature and changes our reality. So, imagine that as shipwreck survivors you find yourselves on a desert island. You have a box with various items at your disposal. It may contain, for example, paper clips, sheets of paper, buttons, a string, a cup, a foil bag and tissues. Together, think how you could use the items found in the box on the desert island. What would you use them for?

All source materials are prepared by the team of Kulczyk Foundation’s Education Department in cooperation with teachers and experts – pedagogists, psychologists and cultural experts – and verified by an experienced family therapist Kamila Becker. Kinga Kuszak, PhD, Professor of Adam Mickiewicz University, Faculty of Educational Studies, provides content-related supervision over Kulczyk Foundation’s educational materials. All materials are covered by the content patronage of the Faculty of Educational Studies of Adam Mickiewicz University.

The article was published on 22.05.2020 on the website of Instytut Dobrego Życia (Good Life Institute)

Authors: Anna Samsel (Kulczyk Foundation) and Anna Woźniak (Instytut Dobrego Życia)