Mt. Vernon Register-News

Opinion

September 30, 2008

Culli: A little imagination goes a long way

By Tesa Culli

It’s amazing sometimes how much enjoyment a child can get out of building materials and their imagination.

I was reminded of not only that, but also of how creative and innovative my youngest son really is this weekend.

It all started with a trip to Big Lots. I was window shopping for fall decorations, but Caleb was on the lookout for Halloween costumes and any toy that caught his fancy. He had $20 that was absolutely burning a hole in his pocket.

It didn’t take him long to locate several things worth salivating over — all of them Kinex building system pieces. For those of you who don’t know what Kinex are, they are plastic gears and rods that can be fit together to make everything from a picture to cars and Ferris wheels. They’re kinda like a cross between Legos and Tinker Toys, with the Erector concept thrown in.

Caleb already has a tub and a couple of supplemental kits of Kinex at home, which he pulls out on a regular basis. But when Caleb saw the additional parts — at the right price, if Mom pays tax — his eyes lit up. He tried to talk me into fronting him $7 for the bigger set, but I told him that I have a budget, and he has a budget, so he has to live within his means. I did cave in and pay for the tax on the $20 tub.

As soon as we got home, the lid came off, the pieces emptied from their plastic wrappers and the building commenced. Lobster-clawed cars, airplanes, boats with three tiers of sails were created on our living room floor. He would follow the directions for a project, then decide that he could improve upon it. I was amazed at the boat he made and then included two planes and a “swamp boat” as added armament.

Yes, the television was on for part of his two-day building frenzy, but it was definitely background noise. Some things he built he promptly tore apart. Others, he took to the spare bedroom to keep as models.

It reminded me of the limitless imagination and creativity children possess. But children don’t consider creativity as work, the way we adults sometimes do. For them, it’s fun.

Next time he gets out the Kinex, I think I’ll take the time to build alongside with him instead of being his audience.

It might be fun.

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