September 21, 2014

How to Elicit a Child's Sense of Wonder

Steven Spielberg: “I had to the left of the camera a cardboard partition, and to the right of the camera a second cardboard partition. To the left of the camera, I put Bob Westmoreland, our makeup man, in a gorilla suit — the full mask and hands and hairy body. To the right of the camera, I dressed myself up as an Easter Bunny, with the ears and the nose and the whiskers painted on my face. Cary Guffey didn’t know what to expect. He didn’t know what he was gonna react to. His job was to come into the kitchen, stop at the door, and just have a good time. … And just has he came into the kitchen, I had the cardboard partition dropped and Bob Westmoreland was there as the gorilla. Cary froze, like a deer caught in car headlights … I dropped my partition, and he looked over at me, and there was the Easter Bunny smiling at him. He was torn. He began to smile at me — he was still afraid of that thing. Then I had Bob — I said, ‘Take off your head.’ Bob took off his mask, and when Cary saw it was the man that put his makeup on in the morning, Cary began to laugh. Even though it was a trick, the reaction was pure and honest.” Once for All – Futility Closet

Posted by gerardvanderleun at September 21, 2014 4:07 PM
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"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper N.B.: Comments are moderated and may not appear immediately. Comments that exceed the obscenity or stupidity limits will be either edited or expunged.

As a kid, my mother chose the toys we would receive during our birthdays and during Christmas. The toys she chose emphasized the confluence of simplicity, versatility and complexity (kids aren't stupid, ya know): Blocks, Erector sets, games such as Monopoly & 'Happiness'.

I would be puzzled at first of her choices and only later would I discover its long term play value (heck... the concepts of the game 'Happiness' still intrudes upon my thoughts today).

One year, Dad did the choosing and he went to us one by one and asked us what we would like. When came time for opening the presents, I was over joyed that I received exactly what I asked for: It was only later that I realized that something was missing with these toys and stopped playing with them soon afterwards.

Nope... not easy choosing toys. Santa must be wise, indeed... :)

Posted by: cond0011 at September 21, 2014 4:45 PM

"..confluence of simplicity, versatility and complexity..."

A good example of Simplicity and Complexity is the game of Chess.

Sorry for being ambiguous.

Posted by: cond0011 at September 21, 2014 5:34 PM