Rediscovering the Joys of Discovery

". . .And then the evil sorcerer swoops down from the trees, but he doesn't realize that I'm holding the magical sword and standing in the safety ring. . ."

What's better than spending time in the imaginative world of a precocious child? How about spending two weeks in the imaginative worlds of thirty-one precocious children? This session's Sweet Soul participants are truly exceptional, and every time I step into their ever-expanding orbits of thought, I find myself amazed and delighted (and occasionally reduced to giggles).

"I just found a diamond made of pure gold!"

"I just cracked the secret code!"

"I just turned the sorcerer's empire into a giant candy land! Want some bubble gum?"

Eight children are jumping up and down, unable to contain the thrill of creative discovery. Two of them start tugging on my T-shirt (a shirt which, despite the "Sweet Soul" lettering on the front, almost certainly smells less-than-sweet after a long day at camp). These children have spent the entire morning and afternoon in dance classes and workshops, and it appears that what has thoroughly exhausted the adults was just a warm-up for the kids. Both mentally and physically, they're right on top of their game.

In my past work with children, I've had to consciously foster outside-the-box creativity. Not so here at Sweet Soul! As soon as I suggested a game of Clue Hunt during our playtime at the park, eight children immediately hopped aboard my train of thought and took off, full steam ahead! Wizards, fairies, witches, and ingenious solutions to a staggering number of problems seemed to materialize effortlessly from the depths of these kids' gray matter.

Maybe I've taught too many classes in disadvantaged areas, but I'd almost forgotten what it was like to teach a group of children who genuinely love the performing arts and who are eager to dive headfirst into new experiences. Both the older and the younger groups at Sweet Soul have latched right onto the the Broadway-style tunes that we've been learning in music class. They've also been processing rather complex ideas of rhythm, harmony, and counterpoint with relative ease. Often, while eating lunch or shuttling the kids from class to class, I'll hear a group of children start singing one of our songs ("I'm the star blinking in your twinkling sky; I'm the star gleaming on your stage. . ."). It makes me smile. There's nothing I enjoy more than watching children fall in love with something I love so much myself.

The breadth of thought and freedom of expression which seems to come so easily to these children is a testament to the care and dedication of their parents. On our way to the park today, I had a scintillating conversation with a 3-year-old about the artwork of Jackson Pollock ("I made a Pollock painting at my biwfday pawty by splashin' da paint evwiwhew!"). And yesterday, I sat through a brief dissertation about Maya Angelou, delivered by a 5-year-old who wants to grow up to be a concert pianist/gymnast/famous author (". . .with REAL books in a REAL library!"). These kids are passionate about life, about art, about discovery. And isn't discovery where passion originates?

I love the fact that kids have the power to remind adults of that simple truth.