The Never Ending Child’s Play

Nature is rich and diverse. If one comes to another, life begins. If two wooden animals come together, or more of them, then the play begins. There is no end: eating, hiding, fighting, hunting, being born, suckling, being eaten … Each animal has its character, its peculiarity. And every animal fulfils a role, is needed. The child slips into different roles. The little ones still believe in “good” and “evil”, the older ones already have a deeper understanding.

The wood is friendly, it is warm and it is soft. The child meets nature with sympathy. It does not need to see the teeth of the tiger, nor the muscles of the horse, nor the eyes of the eagle. They know they are there, they see it in front of their inner eye,  imagination is turned on.

Some of the wooden animals, my children are playing with, are somewhat faulty, imperfect, or they have broken ears, nose, peak, others are only roughly sawn or carved by the children themselves. Nobody bothers, they are simply completed in the head.

It is a pleasure to watch the children play and a reward. All my work was not in vain.  It works. The animals become alive, are loved. And I see, I do not have to bother doing anatomical details. That would not only be very much trouble, the details would even disturb imagination. And last not least, I would ridicule myself in trying to copy Creation.