Treasure BasketsArticle | Updated 10 years ago A treasure basket filled with treasures. WA Museum Used to store all your precious things in life” June Colquhoun, 2012 Treasure baskets are used around the world by children and adults alike. From holding toys, to containing a random assortment of objects deemed significant by the owner, these baskets can be used to hold just about anything. Importantly, the point of a Treasure Basket is less to do with holding items, and more to do with containing new worlds of discovery. A treasure basket filled with Xavier's treasures: His fake desk grass, his Kodak Bantam, and his nano block Moai. Image copyright WA Museum For toddlers and young children especially, Treasure Baskets are often used to engage new ways of heuristic play. That is to say, simple everyday objects stored within such baskets can be used in combination with a child’s naturally inquisitive mind to explore different types of materials and spatial interactions. For the children, the baskets act as a portal to a world of new experiences and interactions. As for older generations, such baskets can function as windows into the past, being used to hold objects that represent significant events or periods in their lives. Most importantly, an object placed within a Treasure Basket, no matter its novelty, is transformed into just that: a treasure. The object’s physical nature matters less than the stories that object can tell. Further Reading Gascoyne, S. (2012) Treasure Baskets and Beyond. McGraw-Hill Education. Berkshire, England.