People search their world for what is important to them. They look for what they need. They see what they want. This is as true for preschool children as well as the adults. Children also look for the things they need and want. Ex: A tired child looks for a place to rest.
Looking and Seeing:
Children look in many different ways such as touching, patting, poking, picking and even tasting. Children look for what they need, but they also see what they find to be stimulating to them. This may be because it is colorful, exciting, different, interesting, changing, moving, and varied. The list of stimulating things is seemingly endless.
Some basic points to be considered while preparing a stimulating activity or object are:
It should be experienced with more than one sense
Possible to interact with it.
Create interest among children
Should be well placed activity
Projects to be rewarding or recognizing
Sensing, feeling and Imagining:
There are basically three types of sensing and feeling. The 1st is contact with the world outside of the person, actual sensory contact with things and events. It is seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching. The 2nd is what people feel within themselves. This includes what they experience under their skin. Itches, tensions, muscular movements, discomfort and emotions are all a part of this type of sensing. The 3rd type of sensing and feeling goes beyond the present and reality. It is usually called fantasy, and includes dreams, memories, images and guesses.
Teachers can encourage the aesthetic sense in children in a variety of ways. Ex: Science activities lead themselves very well to beauty and artistic expression. Since children use their senses in learning, science exhibits such as rocks, wood and leaves can be placed in attractive displays for children to touch, smell and explore with their senses. Reading readiness activities, when children are learning about things like letters and letter sounds are another avenue for aesthetic experiences. The imaginative use of color, shapes, sounds and forms can be incorporated into teaching practices it make these experiences aesthetic.
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