What happens when you let you imagination run riot in school?
Meet Philip, the imaginative main character in the new book “On Planet Fruitcake” by Anne Fine. We meet purple cows. . . brains in pots. . . a clever and beautiful chicken. Anne has created yet another book with the rich school life but this time she also introduces some critical thinking and famous philosophical questions into the story.
Anne Fine says that young children seldom have a clue about what a philosopher is, or does. But philosophy is more about an approach to things and even young children have the most important ingredient for engaging in philosophy – a curious mind. Questions such as “Is it always wrong to lie?” and “Would I be me if you scooped out my brain and put it in someone else’s body?” will spark interesting discussions where critical thinking skill may be required and of course a great Lat Jump may that transport kids to other planets. . .
The funny illustrations by Kate Aldous makes this book a real treat about a very normal classroom where some chaos is created by one very imaginative kid.
Children’s literature is often deeply philosophical and a good resource for starting such conversations. Today, critical thinking is not seen as very different from creative thinking. Several skills are involved in critical thinking.
- Take the information into account.
- Understand the key points and evidence presented.
- Analyse and compare the key components.
- Draw conclusions.
Go here or here read more.
Links to some sites that inspire critical and creative thinking.
