Are all animals beasts? What makes something a beast? Are the people in this room beasts? Can we have beasts inside of us? (In our mind, actions, thoughts, fears, etc.) Why do we think things that scare us are bad? Have you ever thought you were really different from someone else, and then realized that … Who is the Beast?
If you were Elmer, would you have gone to Wild Island? How could the animals have a revolution? What do you think would cause a revolution? Do you think it is a good idea to befriend stray animals? What do you think Elmer’s parents thought when he did not come home? Imagine that you could … My Father’s Dragon
WHAT IS IT TO CREATE SOMETHING? Have the following things been created? If so, how? Trees. Children. Stories. Pizza. Clouds. Ideas. Bananas. Leaves. Rivers. Paintings. Gardens. Colors.Do you think something can exist without being created? Give an example. Do you think that someone made you? Why or why not? Do you have to be there … Yellow and Pink
What is a tesseract? How can we understand the concept of the fifth dimension? Is time what you see when you look at a clock? Do we need time? What does it mean to waste time? What is infinity? Is it an eternal present? What does that mean? What is the past? Does it exist? … Wrinkle in Time
Rules and Reasoning Do rules require reasons? Can you have a good rule based on bad reasons? A bad rule based on good reasons? Are there any rules that don’t need reasons? What makes certain reasons good ones? How do we determine if a reason is a good one? Being and Doing Are there things … Why do I Have to Eat Off the Floor?
Max experiences the fantastical forest and monsters as if they are real. Does that mean that the forest and monsters are real? How do you know whether something is real or imagined? How do you know whether or not you are dreaming right now? Is it possible for time to go by without anything changing? … Where the Wild Things Are
Why was the boy embarrassed about his idea? Why did it take the boy so long to share his idea? Can ideas follow us around? Where do ideas come from? Do ideas add to our lives? Can you imagine a world without ideas? Contributed by Gobe Hirata
What does it mean to be real? List some things you know are real? How do you know they are real? How do you know something is real? Is real how you are made, or is it something that happens to you? Can loving something make it real? If you can touch something, is it … Velveteen Rabbit
Would you drink from the spring of immortality? Why or why not? What would life be like if we didn’t die? What is time? What is the meaning of life? What does it mean to grow up? Why is death frightening? What would happen if no one ever died? How do we make other people … Tuck Everlasting
WHAT IS MAGIC? Is magic real? What kinds of things are magic? Imagination and Existence Can anything you imagine really exist? If you had a magic pebble like the one Sylvester found what would you do with it? What would you wish for? What other ways could you get your wish? Do you think the … Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
PLATO is part of a global UNESCO network that encourages children to participate in philosophical inquiry. As a partner in the UNESCO Chair on the Practice of Philosophy with Children, based at the Université de Nantes in France, PLATO is connected to other educational leaders around the world.
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