Toying with loss
This activity is reproduced with permission from the board game "Kookception: Philo at Play" created by our community partner Brila as part of its philocreation approach.
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| Objective: To better understand the concept of loss by stretching it out in all directions through mini-missions of playful thinking! |
Duration: 15 to 45 minutes
Material:
Sheets of paper and pen
Coloured pencils and markers
Your imagination
Instructions:
Mission 1: Define the concept. Imagine a very curious alien who wants to understand the human world, but who doesn't have the same concepts on their planet. How would you explain loss to them by giving a definition of the concept and examples from planet Earth? Keep track of all your ideas because they will be useful for the following activities, like Creative Conception and Creative Construction!
Mission 2: Imagine the concept. If the concept of loss were a living creature, what would it look like and why? Close your eyes and visualize how it would act and speak, also thinking about its attitude and life plans. Then imagine that the concept of loss is going to a wildlife park to admire some animals in their natural habitat! What is the first animal it goes to see and why? What is its least favourite animal and why? Now picture the concept of loss making a page for its scrapbook to remember this special day: what animals does it draw and describe, and why? What are its impressions of its experience? Try creating that scrapbook page as if you were the concept of loss, including its sketches and its writing!
Mission 3: Compare the concept. It’s sometimes by making comparisons that you can discover new ideas! In this game of wacky metaphors, your task is to make a connection between the concept and something completely different: If loss were a type of toy, what kind would it be and why? Describe the toy as if you were a kindergarten teacher explaining all the toy options to a new student. What is so special about it? How is it different from the other toys in the classroom? What are some ways you can play with it or learn from it? Be sure to include lots of detail... if you'd like, you can even make a drawing of the toy of loss!
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Bonus: Are you still overflowing with ideas? Then imagine that the concept of loss is inventing a new international holiday… to honour all its wonderful qualities! What might a celebration of loss look like? Would there be special activities, special food, special clothing? What might loss say in its speech to kick off the annual event? If you’d like, you can even write and recite a part of its speech as if you were the concept of loss itself! Would some people really love this holiday? Would others want to ban it? What might be their reasons? If your creative juices are spilling over, draw out the poster for the International Day of Loss! |
| Tricks for tots: Have you heard of people who are colour-blind? They have lost the ability to see colours so it’s like they are living in a world of black and white! Imagine you had the special role of helping a colour-blind person appreciate what different colours feel like: what would you say to describe a bright red to them? What about a brilliant yellow? Or a deep green? Think of things that have those colours and of how they make you feel. What would it be like to not see any of those colours? What would be lost and why? |
Tips for teens: Some grief experts have noticed that when people experience loss, they tend to lose their capacity for gratitude along with it. Hence the common advice, “Don’t lose what you have to what you’ve lost”—that is, don’t suddenly forget about all the good in your life because one thing is no longer present. Of course, this might depend on how tragic and sad the loss really is: it may seem impossible to be grateful when you are mourning a loved-one who has passed away. To help make sense of the types of loss we may experience, try coming up with poetic parallels by comparing a loss to something else in a way that reveals its degree of significance for you. To help with details, imagine the curious alien from the first mission above: what comparisons would you give of the following losses to help the alien understand this complex concept?
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Share your creative reflections by sending them via email.
Include photos of your projects and notes of your thoughts, as well as your first name and your age!
