This means that the imagination begins pure - it involves only natural situations which occur in the life of the child, family participation, being in nature, seeing people, etc. It changes when different experiences are added to it. Still other situations are those special ones, which create special bonds or positive everlasting impressions. Montessori believed that the adult should safeguard the natural imagination of the child, and not to confuse it with fantasy. Fantasy is not always something which comes from the natural imagination.
Adults create a lot of fantasy, packaged as child imagination.
Look carefully at the creation of toys, the humor and characterization in TV shows, and the all-encompasing repetition of super heroes and characters in clothing, cereal, games, lunch boxes, comforters, watches and hair accessories. They are designed by adults with an adult imagination. It is an interesting thought that our children create themselves based on what they take in. Today, they can take in and become a character via all of the character paraphernalia at stores, never completely understanding what the creation is, or whether it is real. When I was a young child, I had a collection of 50 dolls, for which my father built shelves.