In the autumn of 1973, in an essay published in "FORUM" (Volume 16, Number 1), David Hawkins, scientist, mathematician, educationalist and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Colorado, argued that a truly democratic education required not so much a revolution in teaching methods as "the radical reconstruction of subject matter itself." What the author of this article wishes to do is to reclaim David Hawkins's vision of a democratic education--a vision which principally derives from John Dewey--and to explore it further by examining one particular young child's creative practice and noting its far reaching implications for teaching and learning.