An environment rich in sensory experiences is extremely important for healthy development in children. The fact that we sense ourselves within our physical bodies is the basis of our self-awareness.
Through the sense of touch we make contact with the external world and learn more about our boundaries, which contribute to our self knowledge.
Through the sense of smell, the sense of taste and the sense of sight, quality and matter are revealed to us. By using these senses, we differentiate between a good and bad smell, sweet and sour tastes, colours, meanings of colours, etc. In this way we learn to differentiate and form opinions. We develop taste and a feeling for good and evil. The sense of warmth enables us to penetrate through the surface of bodies and objects and to perceive something about their condition.
The sense of hearing, the sense of speech, the thought sense and the sense of self enable us to perceive our own self in relation to other people. All these senses make us social and responsible human beings.
Stockmar paints, crayons and modelling materials are deliberately designed to appeal to the childs senses. In our technological world, virtual reality often replaces genuine experience. Stockmar products are aimed at providing genuine artistic experience which develop and enhance the senses.
Basic experiences like feeling, grasping and shaping act on the childs brain and have a positive effect on the sensory motor development. In todays world such a stimulus is more important than ever before. Only when children are able to register the effect of the external world on their senses can they take their stand in the world with confidence. There is a circular movement from experience of self to experience of the wider environment.
In order for the senses to be holistically addressed and stimulated, the materials need to be of a quality that is not just measurable, but is also subjectively perceptible from an experiential, feeling level. The packaging, colour, scent, shape, properties, ease of handling and artistic possibilities all contribute to a total aesthetic and sense-imbued experience.