TH E

REP U BL I C O F C H I LD H O O D

K ATE D O U G L AS WI G G I N
AN D

N O RA AR C H I BAL D SMI TH

II

FR OEBEL S O CC UP A T1ON S
’
 «1
11
12 3 fi rp u b l i t of l il b bunh
The K in der gar ten is th e f r ee r e u b lic
f qf childh ood. F RO EBEL .

FRO EBEL S O C C U PATI O NS

’

K AT E D O U G LA S WI G GIN
AN D

N O RA A R C H I BA LD S MI T H

P r p ly th h a t th r k wl dg b t wh at th h a t g t
o er ou s n o o e n o e e u ou s o
b y w ki g orC n . A RL! LE

Th ti b j t f t d ti i t mak— p pl t
e en re o ec o rue e u ca on s o e eo e n o
m r ly d
e e h ight h i g
o t eb r0q h m m t ly
n s, ut 1 t e n ot ere
i d tri
n us b t t l v
ous , du y
— R m
o o e 1n us tr . u sx

BO STO N A N D N EW ! O R K
H O U G H TO N , MI FFL I N AN D C O MPAN!
61
12 M af i a M i , G ambn bge
'

19 00
 C O NTENTS

rm

TH E KINDER GAR T EN GI FT S AN D O CCUP ATION S CO N

SI D ERED AS A WH O LE
PER FO BA TI N G
SEW IN G
DRAW IN G

A HAND FU L OF SIMIL ES ON DI CTA T I O N

VEN TI O N
O BJE CTI ON S TO LI N EAR DRA W ING

C IR CUL AR DRA WIN G

FRE E H AND AND NATU R E DR AWING
TH E TH READ GAME

SLA T I NT E RLA CI N G

CL A! MO NG
D EL I

MISCELLANE OUS OCCUP ATIONS

SAND WORK
GENER AL REMAR K S O N THE OCC UP ATIO N S
S! NO P T I CAL TA B L E O F TH E G IFT S AN D O CCU P A T I ONS SH OW IN G
TH E CONNE C T I ON B ET W E EN TH E K IND ER GAR TEN AN D SCH OO L .

! Mm e A
. . de Portu gal !
 FRO EBEL S O CC UP A TI O N S
’

THE K I N DERG ARTEN G I FTS AN D O CC U

P ATI O N S C O N SI DERED A S A WH O L E

Th ese em p l oym en ts ai m at an d pr do u ce , fi rt s of all , i n man ,

an all -si ded dev el opm e t an d pres e n ntati on o f his t r
na u e ; he t y
ar e , in ge e r
nal t h e n ee d,f l f oo d f or
piri t ; th y a th u th e s e re e

eth r i whi h th pi ri t br ath a d li v th at i t m ay gai

e n c e S e es n es n

p w r tr gth a d I m ight add xt t b a th pi ri t al

o e ,
s en ,
n , , e en , ec u se e S u

q ali ti gi v b y G d t m a whi h pr d fr m h i p i ri t i
u es en o o n ,
c ocee o s S n

al l di r ti wi th i rr i ti bl
ec on s i ty ari l y app ar a
es s e n ecess ,
n ecess e s

m a if l d
n a dm
o t b ati fi d a
n ess , h a d m t i ma if l d
n us e s s e s su c , n e n n o

di r ti ec on s.
” 1

TH E
gif ts occupations and recreative exercises
, ,

O f the kindergarten were devi se d b y

T 1 “h
Froebel to satisfy wh at he terms the Kizd S
8 e

g e ar
t ti fy en sa s

eight instinctive activities of the child i ti t f ns nc s o

C hi l dh d ,
oo .

for play f or producing for shaping , , ,

for knowle d ge for society and for cultivating the

, ,
”
ground Professor William James with so me
.
,

what difler i n g insight divides the instincts of

’
,

children into four which he considers fun d a ,

mental namely construction imitation emula

, , , ,

F b l Ed ati f Ill a p ag 269 (tr b y J Jarvi )

1 ’
r oe e s uc on o n , e . . s .
2 KIN DER GAR TEN GI FTS AN D 000UP A TI ON S
tion and own ership
, These also ar e satisfied in
.

the kindergarten though we endeavor to trans

,

late em ul ation into aspiration and overweenin g ,

d esire for private ownership into a willingness

and an ability to u se all possessions for the com
mon goo d .

It cannot but be seen that although the gifts

Th i r D mi and occupations of th e kin d ergarten
e o

appeal to num berless minor needs and

desires of the child th eir dominant purpose is ,

the d evelopment of creative sel f activity and that -

,

while they serve to interpret the external world

to h im they at the sam e ti m e give adequate ex
,

pression to his internal world It is in his con .

cep ti on o f the value of creative activity of the ,

essential relation of i m pression and expression ,

O f the beauty and spiritual meaning of true work ,

of production that Froebel di ff erentiates himself

,

from all other educators .

In that wonderful volum e of his letters which ,

discloses on every page his lofty enthusiasm his ,

devotion patience courage self sacr ifice single

, , ,
-
,

min dedness — his inspiration in fact for such

, , ,

indeed it was are the following words in rela

,

tion to the instrum entalities of the kindergarten ,

and we give the m entire as a commentary upon

the man and his work
I mean that we shall be borne onward into
the very heart O f practical Christianity throu gh
these games and occupations of little childr en ,
 C ON SI D ERED AS A WHOL E
which we are contriving with such attention ,

loving care inwar d watchf ul ness and outward

, ,

work In the first plac e we thus avoid all those

.
,

sad consequences which arise from the neglect of

children in their earli est y ears For the great .

friend of children h as sai d Whoso shall ofien d

o n e of these little ones which believe in me it ,

w ere better for him that a millstone were hange d

about his neck and that he were drowne d in the
,
”
d epth of the sea A nd how many many chil .
,

dren often very tiny ones are there n ot wh o are

, ,

ofien ded in Jes u s sense of the word by the

’ ’

weariness which comes of doing nothing or by ,

being force d into unsuitable occupations ! In

the second place also we are ful fillin g on e of
, ,

the weightiest commands of Jesus whi ch he puts ,

into the words Whosoever shall not receive the

,

ki ngdom of G o d as a little child shall in no ,

wise enter therein Now the kingdom of Go d .

’

i s the kingd om of unity of union of u n ificw , ,

tion of unison of concord of love of peace of

, , , , ,

law of introspection of pe rception of the inner

, ,

essence which un derlies outer manifestations It .

is the kingdom of soci al union of trustfulness , ,

of belief of hope ; it i s that province of the O h

,

servation of the small which concern s it as mem

ber and part of the large of th e near as germ ,

of the far etc A nd all this will be by means

, .
,

of these games an d occupations early awakened , ,

nourished care d for an d d evelop ed in the child

, , .
4 KI N DER GAR TEN GI FTS AN D O C C UPA TI ONS

Herein lies the secret of the success which results

from the operation of this system of organized
occupations a success O ften apparently i n ex p li
,

cable and by man y spok en of as its magical

,
‘

eff ect herein lies that hallowing influence which

ext ends its attitude of belief and trust (that is ,

the childlike motherly brotherly attitude ) over

, ,

the W hole life of the child and which fro m this ,

beginning spreads ever widening throughout the

whole fa m ily For G od s will is to give help to
.
’

all mankind and that every on e should attain to

,

the knowledge of truth through the m eans which

He has made manifest in th e inner b eing of the
universe of living creatures These m eans are .

di splay ed in the pheno m ena of all creation and ,

before all else in the so u l in the m i n d and in th e ,

h an d as well of each m an in his individu al

,

capacity as of the vast collective unity of man

,
”
kin d h eld togeth er by G od
,
1
.

Th e seri es of kindergarten gifts and occupa

C onn c ti on
e
tions were the fruit of about fi fteen
years study thought r eflecti on repeated
’
, , ,

trial and wide experience on Fr oeb el s

,
’

“m "
part and th ey have as yet rec eived little
,

essential modification from the kindergartn ers of

to day
-
The two series show many points of
.

resemblanc e in their purpose and in their appeal

to the child and Froebel hi m self did not in writ
, ,

1 Fr oeb el s L etter s on the i n der gar ten ,

’
K tra t d a da
n sl a e n n n o

tate d b y Em ili e i chaeli s an d H M

e atl ey . K M r p ag 56
oo e , e .
 C ON SI D ERED As A WHOL E 5

ing at least make any marked d istinction between

,

them It is evident at once however that their

.
, ,

chief connection lies in the fact that impression

made through the gifts is converte d into expres
1
sion in the occupations The four essential .

points of contrast between the m may b e con si d

ered to be the following
a The gifts are analytic the occupati ons syn
.
,

thetic .

b In the gifts there is investigation combina

.
,

tion rearrangement of certain definite material

, ,

but no change in its form in the occupations the

material i s mod ifi ed reshaped and transformed , , .

c The res ul ts O btaine d in g

. i ft work are transi
tory in the occupations permanent
,
‘

d The gifts ascend from solid through divide d

.

soli d plane divided plane and line to the point ;

, , , ,

the occupations begin at th e point and travel th e

same roa d in an opposite direction until they ,

reach the soli d .

It should be note d however that co m monly , ,

only the fi rst si x gifts are introduced in regul ar

succession and that the last four (tablets sticks
, , ,

rings an d seeds ) are m ade supple m entary to the

,

1 ki d rgart wi l y l t a ri f bj t that l ad
Th e n e en se se ec s se es o o ec s e

t
o th efl p i f
u se urtai g m t i a d m ri al
o ss ess o n o ce n eo e r c n n u e c

con ce pt that a i t i gra p i g all th i g i th ir i rga i

s ss s n s n n s n e n o n c

a p
s t
ec s I th . pati th hil d fi d r l ati t th
n e occu on s e c n s e on s o e

f dam tal g m tri h ap that h h a l ar d t k w a d

un en eo e c s es e s e n e o no ,
n

h wi th l ar a d pr h w t r al i id a (W
”
e se es i i c e n ess n ec s on o o e z e e s . .

T Harri )
. s
.
6 KI NDER GAR TEN GI FTS AN D O CCUPA TI ONS

fi rst six and us ed interchangeably with the

,

occupations while regular occupation materi al

,

is provided to embody the res ul ts produce d by

them in p ermanent form SO far as our exp er i .

e nce go e s also the occupations are seldom intro

,

du ced in regular order of d evelopm ent (fro m

point to solid) but ar e al m ost invariably used as
com panions and helpm ates of the gifts .

Dr W N Hai l m an n gives the distinction

. . .

between the two series as follows

A gif t gi ves the child a n ew cosmos and the ,

occup ati on fi xes the i m pressions m ade by th e

gift
The gif t invites only arranging activities the ,

occup ati on invite s also controlli ng modify ing , ,

transform ing activities .

The gif t l eads to discovery the occz goati on to

invention The gif t gives insight ; the occup a
.

ti on power
,
.

Another slight distinction between them de ,

pendent upon the seco nd point of contrast is that ,

alt eration an d transformation of the occu p a f

tion material can only be contrived by the help

of simple tools : 1
the steel weaving needle the ,

w oode n modeling knife the creaser f or ,

paper interlacing the woo den pointer for the

,

thread game the steel pricking and sewing nee

,

dles and scissors the pencils the paint an d m u

, , ,

cil ag e brushes Non e of these are necessary in

.

1 H rm a P h n n oesc e.
e
 C ON SI D ERED AS A WHOL E 7

the gifts of course as n o al teration of the material

, ,

i s either possible or desirable .

The ideal gifts according to Dr Hailm an n

,
.
,

shou l d satisfy the following con d itions : Th i d l e ea

.1 They should each in its ti m e g

,
i gh m ,
n a

ful ly represent the child s outer world (m acro ’

cosm ) .

.2 They shou l d each in its time enable the

, ,

child to give satisfactory expression in play to its

inner worl d (microcosm ) .

“
. 3 E ach gift Shoul d therefore in itse l f r ep
, ,

resent a complete orderly whole or unit

,
.

. 4 E ach gift shoul d contain all the prece ding ,

an d foreshadow all th e succee ding gift

In Short each gift should in i ts time ai d the
, , ,

chil d to make the extern al internal an d the in

”
ternal extern al in the wid e st sense .

It h as been claimed that any occupation which

might be devise d would be Fr oeb el ian if we ,

ad here d closely to three points : S i m plicity co n ,

ti n u ity an d unity
, This statement however , ,

although true in on e sense i s con tra d icted by th e

,

fact that the occupations developed by Froebel

correspon d n ot onl y to those which have always
been in use among mothers an d children but ,

also (in essentials ) to the primeval arts They .

may be as they al rea dy have been changed

, , ,

modi fied an d supplemente d but they cannot b e

, ,

altogether supersede d for they are base d on the

,

universal instincts of childhood .

8 KI ND ER GAR TEN GI FTS AN D 000UP A TI ONS
Mr H C ou r th op e Bowen say s in this regard
. .

It m ust n ot however be supposed that an y

, ,

m anual work will do as an occupation Al l hon .

est work c ertainly produces a good cfiect

, and
,

do m estic service which is a child s public ser ’

vice most certainly ennobles a child an d i n , ,

deed all of us B ut just as in the songs and

, .

m e e —
ga s so h re a choice has to be m ade ; and
,

what is chosen has to b e adapted to the kinder

garten purpos e the purpose of mental phy sic al
,
-
, ,

and m oral development Not only has th e mate .

rial of an occupation to be easy f or a child to

manipulate and well fitted f or the work require d
,

(if it ; b u t the occupation in its elf must be vari ed

and m any si ded in its educative power m ust not

-

be si m ply imitative ; must draw into itself what

h as gone before and reach out to what is to
follow ; and must distinctly form a part of th e
organic unity of the whole kindergarten pro
cess 3 1 ’

The aim of the kin d ergarten as has been r e ,

p eatedl
y said is to strengthen, and develop pro
du cti ve activity but w e must be conscious of
,

ideas b efore we can express them and we must ,

gain the m astery of material before we can use

it as a means of expression Hence the first use .

of th e gifts is to waken by their suggestiveness

the m ind s sleepin g thoughts and the fi rst use O f
’

1
H Cou r th op e Bowen Fr oebel
.
,
an d Edu cati on by Self Acti o
i ty, pag e 149 .
 C O N SI D ERED AS A WH OL E 9

the occupations to train the eye and the mind to

”
be the ready servants of the will .

While the occupations as a whole apply the

pri nciples suggested by the gifts particul ar occu ,

p a t i on s conn ect with particu l ar gifts L et us .

review briefly the latter series before begi n nin g

in detail upon the former that we may see more ,

clearly the distinctive value of each and the way

1
in which the on e comple m ents the other .

The li st of Fr oeb el s gifts begins with the b all

’
,

an object comprising in itse l f in the Th Gift , e s

simplest manner the general quali ties ifii iiif t

d’ ’
r .
,

of all things . As the starting point of form -

,

the spherical it gives the first impression of

,

knowled ge in this d irection and being the most ,

easily moved of all objects is symbolical O f life .

It is as easily grasped by the hand as by th e mind ,

an d b ecomes the fir st known object w ith which

all other objects for th e child s after play an d
’

instruction are brought into relation Besides .

teaching form the bal ls are also inten d e d to teach

,

color hence their number of six repre senti ng the

, ,

si x stan d ar d colors d erive d from the spectrum .

For the purpose of acquiring clear distinct , ,

and correct ideas of things around us it is indis ,

p e n sab l
y n e cessary to become acquaint e d with
them in all respects and relations The ball is .

therefore made the object of a great variety of

plays and exercises in order that the chil d may
1
Th gi ft a tr at d i d tail i a pr v i
e s re e e n e vl m n e ou s o u e .
10 KIN DER GAR TEN GI FTS AN D O CC UPA TI ONS

know through actual experience all i ts qualities

an d uses .

Fr oeb el s second gift which consists of a

’

Se
con d wooden sphere cube and cylin d er is , , ,

connected with the former gift and ,

foreshadows that which is to co m e It emp h a .

sizes contrasts suggests variety and is most valu

, ,

able i n form teaching since we never so well ,

understan d the qualities of any object as when

we see it confronted with its opposite The new .

material of the gift and hence its greater weight

an d density and greater capability of sound are
so man y added charms to the child while he par ,

ti cu l ar l y delights in the revolution of the three

solids an d the di fferent geometrical form s which
are thus produced .

These three whole bo dies introduce d as fun d a ,

mental or norm al forms in which all qualities of

whole bodies in general are d emonstrated and
which serve to convey the idea of wholeness are ,

followed by the introduction of variously divide d

solid bodies viz : the third fourth fifth an d
, .
, , ,

sixth gift s or the building gifts

,
.

Of the norm al forms with which Froebel b e

Th B m
e u
gins he leaves the
, sphere and cylinder
“ G i ft s”
and chooses the one greatest in possi
b iliti es the cube f or a source whence by strictly
, , ,

systematized analy sis the rest may be obtained ,

.

Without a division of the whole Observation an d ,

recognition are next to impossible The rational .

12 KINDER GAR TEN GI F TS AN D O CC UPA TI ON S

The fourth gift another cube is so divided as , ,

Th Fe th
to form
ou r
eight parallelopipeds or bricks
two inches long on e inch wide and on e , ,

half inch thick We gain little new m ath em ati

.

Cal knowledge here only fresh ways of presentin g ,

th e old truths but find greatly increased facilities

,

f or teaching d imension and certain proble m s of ,

equilibrium presented in most attractive guise .

Next com es the fifth gift a larger block ou t ,

Th mm
e
twice in
,
each di m ension producing ,
Gm ’

twenty seven cubes three of which are

-
,

cut in halves and three in quarters Th e trian .

gular prisms of two sizes which now appear as ,

well as the greatly increased amou nt Of material ,

open a wide field in buildi n g while knowledge ,

in geometry arithmetic and philosophy grows

, ,

constantly wider and m ore accurate .

The sixth gift a cube th e same size as the ,

Th S ixth
e
fifth is divided into eighteen
,
bricks six ,

w"
columns (or bricks cut lengthwise ) an d ,

twelve square faced blocks (or bricks cut breadth

wise ) It far surpasses all the others in the beauty
.

o f the forms it produces and thus fitl y closes the ,

series of the buildi ng gifts .

The logical combination of parts to a wh ole

Fr m th i g
o
which is
n
require
s
d in using these blocks
t th
o ght renders the m a preparatory occupation
ou .

for s u cceeding co m binations of thought for the ,

right construction of parts into a whole always

follows certain laws thereby forming a serial con ,
.
 ERED
C ON SI D AS A WHOL E 13

n ecti on which in Nature is represented by the

linking of all organisms A s Nature in the o r
.

an i c world begins to form by agglomeration so

g ,

the chil d in h i s first occupation s commences with

mere accumulation of parts Order however is .
, ,

requisite to lead to the beautiful in the visible

worl d as logic i s indispensable for the formation
,

of cl ear ideas in the worl d O f thought an d Froc ,

b el s law of linking opposites affords the most reli

’

able and simplest guide to this end Thus belo w .

an d above are opposites in relation to which the

right an d left si d e of the form or fi gure built
serve as me d iative parts Carry ing ou t this prin
.

cip l e we have establishe d an admirable order by

,

which even the youngest child often pro d uces ,

though unknowi ngly charm ing an d symmetrical

,

results .

In the seventh gift we pass from solid to plan e ,

a step which was hinte d at in the b ricks Th S ee e e e ee

“if "
Of the fourth gift an d more d e finitely
,

suggeste d in the sixth The tablets are mad e O f

.

thin wood or pasteboard intro d uce color for the

,

first time since the fi rst gift and show the on e ,

inch square the right isosceles equilateral right

, , ,

scalene and obtuse isosceles triangle s Very beau

, .

tiful designs can be mad e with the tablets an d ,

they O ff er such facilities for instruction in plane

geometry as to warrant their systematic u se in the
school .

Th e slats of the eighth gift given f or the play

I4 KIN DER GAR TEN GI FTS AN D O CC UPA TI ON S

of interlacing form the transition from the plane

,

Th E ighth
e
to the line resembling the ,latt e r a l ,
G ft
‘ '

though owing to their width still ocen

, ,

py g i n space as a plane The sta ff s or sticks

.
( also
e ighth gift repr senting the embodied li e
) e
, n i t
self facilitate the elements of drawing serving as
, ,

m ovable outlines of planes The slats and sticks .

are to be looked upon as the divided plane in

order to adhere to their connection and relation
with the form from which we started .

The stick or straight line is then followed b y

Th Ni th
e
then
ninth gift or curved line shown in
G if t .

whole half and quarter circles or wire

, , ,

rings of three difier en t sizes .

The stick and ring might perh aps be con

sider ed as one gift illustrating the straight and
,

curved lines The former is especially wel l cal

.

cu l ated for number work and both gifts O ff er ,

abundant materials f or invention while the intro ,

d uction of the curve is of great advantage as

Offering relief to the rectilinear character of pre
vi ou s designs .

The last link in the chain of gifts is the tenth ,

Th T neh
e e
which b y means of seeds shells pebbles , ,

G3 “
etc i ll ustrates the point These are
.
,
.

u sed as a direct preparation for the occupation o f

perforating and serve for outlining various Objects

,

on the tables for making lines angles and geo

, , ,

metrical figures and for general designing

,
.

Thus the child has b een guided in a logical

 C ON SI D ERED AS A WHOL E 15

manner fro m the solid body through its divisions ,

an d through the embodied plane lin e and point , , ,

in matter an d by matter to the borders of the

abstract an d if the work in the occupations has
,

been properly done an d if the other in str u m en tal i

ties of the kin d ergarten have been wisely man
aged the child is ready to build the conventional
,

s tudi es of the school upon the fou n dation of hi s

objective kn owledge .

The occupations begin with the point which

close d the series of gifts and progress Th O p, e ccu a
“m
towar d the solid thus tracing the other
,
"

half of the circle of kindergarten i n str u m en tal i

ties A s they will be d iscusse d in fu l l in late r
.

chapters they will receive only brief d escription

,

h ere . F irst in logical order comes the occupation

of perforating the materials for which
,
P rf r ti g e o a n
are a stout needle set in a handle and
.

suitable sizes of card board The work p r oduce d .

i s very pretty an d d elicate and with the ad dition

,

of square d paper folde d over the card any lines , ,

angles or geometrical figu res may be m ad e as

, ,

well as objects connecte d with the chi l d s life an d ’

pleasing to his fancy .

The kindergarten sewing is closely connecte d

with pricking as all lines for m s and
, , ,
S wi g e n
designs which the chi l d sews must fi rst
.

be perforated With a large worste d nee dl e an d

.

zephyr of bright hues he follows the perforate d

d esign upon the cardboard ; or the whole surface ,
16 KI ND ER GAR TEN GI FTS AN D O CC UP A TI ON S

b eing pricked with hol es an equal distance apart ,

he sews out some invention of his own .

We have several kinds of drawing am ong ou r

occupations some or al l of which are
D r wi g
a n .
,

used in the various kindergartens Th ere .

i s first the linear drawing co m plete plans for

, , ,

which were left us by Froebel and which is ex ,

e cu ted upon checkered or dotted paper the size ,

of the squares being now ordinarily about one

quarter inch This with its various lengths of

.
,

lines angles etc leads directly to designing

, ,
.
, ,

and thus to the practical application of the law

o f mediation of contrasts The outline drawing .
,

performed by means of pasteboard patterns satis ,

fies a common instinct of children that of tracing ,

outlines an d prepares for later free hand work

,
-
.

This is also begun in m any kindergartens some ,

teachers using it to the exclusion of the other

three varieties and gaining most cre ditable r e
,

su l ts .We have also the circular drawing su g

gested by Froeb el and worked out very completely
by Miss E mm a Marwedel The preliminary work .

in this sy stem is perform ed b y means of wooden

circles of three siz es (two inch es one and one half ,

inches on e inch in diam eter) an d develops into

, , ,

the drawing wi th colored pencils of various leaves , ,

flowers roots vegetables and fruits It is closely

, , ,
.

conn ected in its later stages with free hand work -

,

and is int ended to give the child permanent i m

r essmn s of the universality of the spherical for m
p .
 C O N SI D ERED AS A WH O L E 17

The materials f or the Thread ga m e which ,

must next be considered are a thr ead Th r ad , e

Gm
of colored darning cotton whose ends

are joined an d which m u st be moistened before

,

using and a wooden pointer whi ch serves to p u s h

,

th e wet thread as it lies upon the square d slate

, ,

in to various forms an d figures .

In Paper twistin g we give the child a long

strip of bright colore d paper from an P e
-
, e ee
m m?
inch to on e thi rd of an inch in width ,

whi ch he folds twi ce or three times its entire

length and then ben d s into geom etrical figures
, ,

which he interlaces the on e in the other

,
.

Slat interlacing somewhat resem b les paper

twisti ng though it is much less difii Sh , I nt
, e ee

cult and its material s are thin flexible M i g n ”

, ,

wooden slats one half inch wide which nee d n o ,

previous preparation The child d elights to play

.

by hi m self with the slats an d soon learns to m ak e

,

a variety of fi gu res with them which hol d togethe r ,

when c a reful ly treated .

The material of the Weaving i s colore d pap er

mats cut in strips of various wi dths a ,
W vi g sa n .

margin be ing left on th e four sides an d ,

strips O f another shad e tint or harmonizing color

, ,

woven in with a S pecially d evised nee dle to form

the pattern Color is introduced e ff ectively here
.
,

an d d esigning admirably provid ed for We begin .

by weaving si m ple numbers then intro d uce com ,

b in ation s of numbers then numb ers woven i n a

,
18 KIND ER GAR TEN GI FTS AN D O C C UP A TI ONS

diagonal direction and by this means lead finally

,

to invention .

The nam e Pap er cutting sufficiently explains -

P p r
a e
this occupation whos e materials are scis ,

sors and squares triangles and circle s

, , ,

O f white or colored paper The papers are first .

folded and then ou t according to fancy or in ,

agreem ent with a certain geo m etrical progression ,

and the pieces are subsequently arranged in a

d esign by the chi ld He also cuts flowers fruits .
, ,

or any co m plete form from the paper without ,

folding and m ou nts the work upon cardboard

, .

P aper foldin g is performed by m eans of

P p r
a e
squares oblongs triangles ,and circles , ,
F l di g
of white or colored paper which are
o n .

m ade into a great variety of figures dependent ,

upon slight changes in a few definite funda

m ental foldings This occupation as E d ward
.
,

“
Wiebe says forms a com plete compendium of
,
”
elementary mathe m atics while it e m phasizes ,

i d eas of sequence and teaches accuracy and deft

,

ness of han dling .

In Peas work slender sticks or wires are unite d

,

by points represented by peas or tiny

Peas W rk o
corks dem onstrating that it is union
.

which produces lasting formation of matter .

M od eling in clay is the last of the occupations ,

(h y
e
accor d ing to the order in which w e are
Mfi mge
n ow considering them and i s a delight
'

full y simple an d valuable employment as charm ,

2 0 KINDER GAR TEN GI FTS A ND O C C UPA TI ON S

P eas work ( An occupation and

Skeleton of .
,

Solid .
y et a union of tw o gifts stick ,

and seed or line and point ) , .

Sixth gift .

Fifth gift Variously divi d ed

.

Fourth gift wooden cubes . .

Third gift .

Second gift ( Sphere cube .

, ,

and cylinder ) .

First gift (Worsted ball ) . .

Modeling .

We find in both series the same logical chain

of perception and subs equent representation and ,

the experim ental knowledge resulting fro mboth ;

and thus all parts and sections of this wonder
ful sy stem of plays an d occupations ar e logi cally
united with on e another s erving th e child s mind
,
’

as a faithful refl ector of its own internal d e velop

ment at every step .

The admirable way in which industrial training

is begun in the kindergarten by mean s
I d tri l
,
n us a
T of the g i fts and occupat i ons i s now b e
iip
r i g n
,

ginning to receive much public attention

g h
d g ar
n er '
.

It is with us the training of both hands

, ,

in exactn ess deftn ess and neatness educating

, , ,

them to do the will of the brain which stands b e

hin d them ; i t is training the eye to judge correctly
of lines and angles of proportion and symm etry
,
.

Undoubte dl y if industrial e ducation is to be car

,

ried on s u ccessfully it must be beg u n early

,
.
 C ONSI D ERED AS A WH OLE 21
“
As Dr Seguin say s : The working capaciti e s
.

to be train ed fro m infancy and m ore t echnically ,

at school are : 1 the s enses to p erceive ; 2 th e

, ,

mind to receive store and evoke id eals ; 3 the

, , ,

hand to execute a concept ; 4 the handling and ,

m an ce u vr in g of the instru m ents which extend

and enlarge the operations of the hand and of
the senses ; 5 the coOr din ati on and alt ern ate
, ,

subord ination of the senses in the acts O f percep

”
tion an d execution .

All these capacities we begin to train in the

kin d ergarten f or the working cap acity is the
,

foun d ation of the in d ependence of men of the ,

”
security moral education an d thri ft of society
, , .

Our beginning of industrial training however , ,

is n ot con fined to training the hand and eye

alone From the fi rst we lead the child to recon
.
,

struct to recombine with the materials furnishe d

, ,

him After he h as fo llowed a dictation from

.

the kindergartner in which blocks gayly col , ,

ore d sticks or bright squares of pasteboard are

, ,

arranged in a symmetrical design he is require d ,

either to add to the figure according to h is o wn

fancy to take it carefully apart an d construct it
,

again or to construct an entirely new figure from

,

the same materi al s .

After he has been in the kind ergarten a

suf fi ci ently long ti m e his great est d elight is to ,

“ ”
invent to make new combinations and d e sign s
, .

P ractical men wh o have looke d carefully at

,
22 KI ND ER GAR TEN GI FTS AN D O CC UPA TI O NS

these inventions have often Said that m any of

,

them would serve ad m irably f or d esigns in wall

paper tiled floors oi l cloths carpets etc — de
, ,
-
, , .
,

signs all these com ing from the child s own ’

brain and worked out by his own fin ger s wi th ou t

, ,
.

assistance or suggestion from th e kindergartner .

Does n ot this pro m is e well f or the artistic work

man of the future when th e child O f five to six
,

y ears is able to acco m plish such results through

industrial training ?
Thus we see that in the kindergarten not only
do hand and eye begin to receive their education ,

but new ideas n ew industrial types begin to form

, ,

in the m ind Fro m infanc y the hand is trained

.

to execute the ideas of the mind Without ideas .

,

what avails a skilled hand save to give for m to

,

th e id eas of others ? Without a skill ed hand of ,

how little use ideas when so few can be foun d to

,

execute them properly ? So l et us train hand

and eye and mind together hand and eye will ,

ing and deft servants to the min d which m ust ,

e ver be m aster .

B ut v al uable as the trainin g of eye and hand

may be which is given in the kin der gar
ten valuable as prom ises for the future
,

the designs and productions of the chil

dren y et it m ust be rem e m b ered that the true
,

worth of th e gifts and occupations lies neith er in

the opportunities th ey Offer for industrial training ,

n or for artistic development .

 C ON SI D ERED AS A WH OL E 23

Their pri m e value lies in the fact that they

aff ord full and free develop m ent for creative self
activity for the expression of the inner life of
,

the child and that in accompli shing this end

, , ,

they u ti l ize the activities an d interests whi ch are

natural to childhoo d .
 P ERFORATIN G

Mat er i als : A t t dar i g dl t i a w d ha dl ;

s ou n n -
n ee e se n oo en n e

ca rdb ard f o o a y d
n i r d h apesi i th r h k r d d tt d
e s e or s z e, e e c ec e e ,
o e ,

or pl ai a n cu s h i f f l t arp t bl tti g p ap r
on o e , c e , or o n -
e .

is d efined b y Froebel in his

P ERFO RATI N G
Co m plet e State m ent of the Means of Occupa
P f
ee eee ei e
tion used
e
in the K ind e rgarten as the ,
d fi d
e n e
co m bining of po ints into lines and
‘

thence into figures ; or the outlining of patterns b y ,

making rows of pin holes on a penetrable surface -

.

It corresponds with the pri m eval art of p u n c

turing (especially tattooing) of the ear
A pri m v l e a
1
li est savages and has alway s been i n
3223315 2
,

use in the nursery E very one who has

gfifiiig
a
fi
.

s een m uch O f children must have noted

that they s eem to feel a c ertain fascination in
thrusting pins through paper either following the ,

1 Herm an n Poesch e .

2 C ou l d ht r v r d r t r th h r
Ti m e , h i s fli g e e se , es o e e ou s,

Wh pl ayi g w i th thy v t
en ,
ti d fl w r
n es u r e s
’
ssu e o e s,

Th vi l t th p i k a d j
e o e am i ,
e n ,
n ess n e,

I pri k d th m i t p ap r w i th a p i
c e e n o e n ,

A d th
n wa t h appi r tha m y l f th whil
ou s e n se e e,

W l d t ftl y p ak a d tr k m y h ad a d
ou
’
s so S e ,
n s o e e ,
n sm il e .

WILLIAM COW P ER ,

On the Rec ip t of e my Mth o er

’
s P i ctu r e .
 P ER FORATI NG 25

outlines of apicture or working ou t their own ,

ideas This is caused n o doubt by the delight of

.

overco m ing the sl ight resistance of the m aterial ,

“
O f hearing its pleasant crunch as the i m p l e
ment goes through an d O f expressing their self
,

activity in so si m ple a mann er Froebel notes .

in som e of his writings that after the hole is

made they delight to hold it up towar d the
win dow and let the light shine through making ,
”
“
little stars as th ey call the m and all kinder
, ,

gartn ers will corroborate the observation This .

pleasure is perhaps akin to that they feel in

looking at the light through the lattice of their
fin gers and to that universal delight of A meri
, ,

can children at least in the Pin a P enny

“
,
- -

”
P oppy Show which as on e looks back to early
-
, ,

childhood was as al luring and as w ell worth the

,

price of admission as any gran d spectac u lar per

f or m an ce has prove d in later years .

A s P erforating h as more than any other occu ,

patio u been made the subject of general P f eh e

m
, er er e e

criticism on account O f its supposed tax

, fi
m ly
upon the eye it h as gradually been with
,
e’ '

drawn from kindergarte n afte r kindergarten until ,

now it is never se en among the babies and sel ,

dom with the older childre n in any free or public

institution an d in many localiti e s has n ot b een
,

used at al l for y ears It is still carrie d on in

.

some private kindergartens however where the , ,

s m aller number of children ad mits of more thor

26 PER FO R A TI NG

ough supervision ; but even there is not a regu

lar occupation being used chi efly f or C hrist m as
,

work or th e occasional decoration of so m e Obj ect

,

which is design ed f or a pres ent A s it is u n q u es .

tion ab l y d elightful to childr en and has certain

points of value which are shared by no other
occupation it merits if this be possible such
, , ,

modi fications of its present form as seem desir

able and nec essary and speedy return to its place
,

am ong the kindergarten materials .

A s it is the fi rst in the seri es of occupations

Wh w hich Froebel d e vis e d b eing th e oppo

mm
en d
en ,

e sit equal f the concrete point in the

s
e
e o
“ b gi m
e v‘
gift s eri es it shall be considered here
'

I n detail the various obj ections against its use

,

being reserved to th e latter part of the chapter .

If gi ven at all it should not be m ore than once

,

a week and to the older c hi ldren only certainly ,

not at an y ti m e to those under fi ve years The .

class should b e seated so that the light may fall

fro m the left and back upon the paper (though
this direction of course r efers to all work in school
and kindergarten and not to pricking only) and
, ,

it should n ev er be carried on for more than ten

m inutes and n ot at all on dark day s
,
The nee .

dles should be strong and coarse and the checker ,

i n g of the paper or cardboard should never be

l ess than a quarter inch We m ust reme m ber .

that the occupation is a constant practice in tak

ing aim and that this must be both wearisome
,
28 P ER FO R A TI NG

nee d le properly and to drive it vertically through

,

the card If it is driven obliquely th e edge on

.
,

the under side O f th e cardboard will be irregular ,

and the hole itself be ou t of line and wrongly

shaped instead of perfectly round .

If the cushion on which the child pricks is too

thick and soft the needle i s driven deep into the
,

card and the holes made app ear rather large and
coarse For this reason blotting paper makes a
.
,

us eful cushion for the O lder children and grown ,

persons who wish to do the fin e work which is so

beautiful may perforat e upon a folded towel or a ,

board O f so m e soft wood If it is desirable to .

manifold the design for the u se of s everal chil

dren in sewing three cards m ay be perforated at
,

the sam e ti m e It is n ot best however to prick

.
, ,

more than this nu m b er at once as th e holes in the ,

lower cards ar e thus m ad e too deep and the paper

force d ou t too far around th em .

It will b e se en at once that the work will vary ,

very m u ch according as a coars e or fin e n eedle is

us ed and wh e n both are e m ployed on the sam e
,

pattern very pretty e ffects si m ulating light and

, ,

shade m ay be produced Such work ho wev er is

, .
, ,

em phaticall y not f or children and is only of value ,

in decoration and as showing the possibilities of

,

Fr oeb el s m aterials when d ev elop ed to their full

’

extent .

A s perforating was form erly used the earliest ,

exercises for which full preparation had been

,
 PER FO R A TI N G 29

mad e by point l ay ing consisted in making holes

-
,

at th e intersecting point Of all the vertical S bj t f u ec s ee

P f m ‘mg
and horizontal lines upon th e squared e' ‘

paper or cardboard This would appear to be a.

very simple process at first glance but it is only ,

n ecessary to try i t once with a class of small chil

dren to be thoroughly convinced of the bliss of

ignorance in this regard This perforating w as .

first d one up an d d own the cardboard foll owing ,

the direction O f th e vertical line (the first on e

introduced ) an d th en horizontally across the
,

car d Next points were co m bined into vertical

.
,

an d horizontal lines on e space or quarter inch,

-

long three holes in a line ; and here entered

,

apparently insurm ountable diffi culties in regard to

leaving the proper interval between these lines ,

di ffi culties which were seldom overcome in

less than three or four exercises Then angle s .
,

borders squares two spac e vertic al and horizon

, ,
-

tal lines and their combinations w ere intro d uc ed , ,

and finally the whole school of lin ear d rawing

carrie d ou t the exercises being inte rsperse d with
,

the occasional perforating of object forms Now -

.
,

however whenever in o u r knowledge the occu

,

patiou is used at all life form s are fi rst intro ,

-

du ced as appe al ing most directly to the chi ld s

’
,

interest an d sympathies and these are closely ,

connecte d with the gift work during the study -

,

o f the ball f or instanc e circles leaves fruits

, , , , ,

an d vegetable s being perforate d These are all .

3 0 PER FO R A TI NG

drawn on a large scale and the holes made some ,

distance apart reducing the possible injury to

,

the ey e at least al m ost to a minimu m Lines

, , .
,

angles and geometrical form s which must de

, ,

pend for their proper execution upon the check

ered paper are almost entirely done away with ;
,

as such work is m uch finer requires greater ao ,

curacy of ai m and proves a greater strain on the

,

eye and on the finer m uscles of the hand and

fin gers Children are now seldom allowed to
.

perforate their own sewing cards unless the old ,

est class for instance volunteer to prick circular

, ,

sewing for the smaller children or so m e sym ,

metrical design of their own invention which they

propose to use as a present .

The various form s produced by pricking if the ,

work is well do n e ar e really exquisitely del icate

,

an d pretty ; the reverse side on which the broken ,

cardboard is lifted above the perforation being ,

considere d the right side and so mounted when ,

fi nished A ll sorts of life forms can be made

.
-

with this occupation ranging from fruits leaves , , ,

flowers and v egetables to coral se a weed and

, , , ,

snow crystals ; to bird s chickens lam bs or an y

-
, , ,

other animal ; to houses and hous ehold furniture ,

faces an d fi gu res and even to com plete pictures

, ,

whose outlin es are clear and si m ple and without ,

too much detail The wid e range thus given

.

all ows us to connect the perforating with any

subject which may be engaging the children s ’
 PER FO RA TI N G 31

atte ntion and thus to follow th e invariable rule

,

whi ch appli e s to all kindergarte n occupations ,

nam ely th at th e O bjects w hi ch th e chi l d p r icks

, ,

or s ew s or m o u l ds or cu ts sh o u l d b e i n l i n e
, , ,

w i th hi s do m i n an t i n ter ests an d n ever ar bi tr ari ly ,

s el ected an d p r esen ted by th e ki n der gar tn er .

Th ere is a certain vari ety of this occupation

known as raised or e m bossed pricking Shi
or pricki ng in relief
,

which is p ar ti c F ki g
,
m
u c n
,

u lar l
y exquisite Suppose for instance
. that a , ,

swan is to be m a d e in relief The paper is folde d .

over the card and a clear outline of the bird

drawn upon it his wing an d tail feathers his
,
-
,

proudl y arche d neck his eye an d beak and swe ll ,

ing breast all si m ply repres ented an d all con ,

fusion of d etails omitted This outline is then .

perforated with a fi ne needle the holes being ,

m ade quite close together the paper is taken ,

off and the swan app e ars upon the card

, This i s .

now reverse d an d with a very fi ne needle (No 10

, .

or 12 we p rforate with holes close together

) e set , ,

the entire form This of course depresses or .

,

makes hollow the on e surface an d elevates the

,

other so far as to make the fi gure stan d out in

,

reli ef above the plain cardboard Inste ad of on e .

needle set in a wooden or bamboo handle we may ,

use a large cork and set a numb er of n ee dles in

”
one end of it which enables us to raise the
,
“

pattern very quickly if it is a large and si m ple ,

one The work pro d uce d by this embossing i s

.
 PER FOR A TI N G

d ecidedly m ore beautiful than that of any other

occupation but it is just as decidedly only safely
,

to be don e by grown persons If a fruit or .

,

flower or autu m n leaf is to be e m boss ed it m ay

, ,

be colored with crayons or paint ed in water ,

colors b efore raising and this eff ect is really so ,

exquisite that it should be se en to be appreciated .

The slight breaking of the painted surface s eem s

to soften the color and almos t to add the bloom,

of nature to the soft ch eek of the peach If a .

picture of a farm and out buildings with snow -

,

covered roofs fences and surrounding trees be

, , ,

paint ed the portions on which the snow lies may

, ,

all be raised the rem aining parts of the picture

,

b eing outlined only and thus a charm ingly real ,

i sti c e ff ect b e produc e d .

“
A large head of the hero O f the Story O f
”
P atsy was once beautifully painted in water
,

colors by on e of the students in ou r Training

School was surrounded by a circular band painted
,

in dead gold and then the whole picture raised

-
, ,

the effect when com plet ed being most unusual

and beautiful Calendar and picture fram es may
.

be charm ingly ornam ented with pricking in reli ef ,

as w ell as other articles such as lam p shades and ,

glove boxes If letters or figures ar e plac ed upon

-
.

these decorations it must be re m e m bered that

,

they as w ell as their positions m ust be revers ed

, ,

b efore p erforating as when completed the lower

, , ,

side is the right side .

 PER FO R A TI N G 33

Perforating has certain values which it shares ,

with all the other occupations and V l f , e ue o

P fm m g
whi ch are in brief that it satisfies the
er '

, ,

creative and expressive needs o f little children ,

which Froebel says are th eir most essential

, ,

needs that it gives manual dexte rity deepens

, ,

mathematical perceptions and cultivates a love ,

for the beautiful I ts especial and peculiar values

.

are that it leads the child to see w ith exactness

, ,

trains h im in eye measure thus enabling him to-

,

judge correctly of distances an d directions and ,

thoroughl y i m presses forms upon his mind Be .

fore the child can draw a leaf he can prick the ,

holes at proper distances in the pattern prepare d

for him and in seeing the outline grow under his
,

fingers he gains a distinct id ea of it and on e

, ,

which will be indelibly impresse d on his memory .

The proc ess is slower and more laborious than

d rawin g and therefore perhaps better remem
, , ,

bered Th e occupation points too with relen t

.
, ,

le ss finger to the absolute relati on of cause an d

,

e ff ect A wrong line in drawing may be eras ed

.
,

a wrong stitch in se wing cut ou t a wrong strip in ,

weaving removed a wrong touch in modeling ,

smoothed over but there is no erasure cutting

, , ,

re m oving or smoothing with incorrect pricking

, .

The hole may be partially covered by scratching

the cardboard over it but the mark may not be ,

remove d entirely and is thus an invaluable Object

,

lesson to a careless child .

34 PER FOR A TI NG

The Objections to p erforating we shall give in

a b
je
ti
le
c full
on s detail since though they appl y espe
, ,

O p ti ci all
a on her e the y are of certain weight
y
ccu .

as regards various oth ers of the Froeb el occupa

tions The whole question hinges upon the funda
.

mental versus the accessory m uscles —h ow far ,

the latter are used in the kindergarten and ,

wh ether th eir too precocious use will n ot res ul t

in deterioration and disease The first d evel .

oped organs of th e child are called fundamental

those develop ed later ar e called accessory The .

shoulder m uscle s are called f u ndam ental ; the

fi nger m uscles accessory At birth n erve centres .
-

are already developed that cause the shoulder

muscles to move The fi nger m uscles do n ot act .

till later which seems to indicat e that the latter

,

should n ot be exercise d until there is a suitable

basis in the form er Vi ewed in this light it is .
,

evid ent that m uch work b o th in school and kin ,

der gar ten is unsuit ed to the early motor ability

,

Of children .

Dr C C V an Li ew say s in an articl e on the

. . .
,

R elation of th e K ind ergarten to the P ri m ary

School : 1
I wish to call attention to on e line
Of work which kind ergart en and prim ary school
,

in rec ent y ears have pursued in com m on I refer .

to thos e exercis es requiring m inut e motor acti v

ity such as plaiting s ewing drawing to patt erns
, , , ,

etc whi ch have constituted prom inent occupations

.
,

1 Ed ati al R i w F br ary 189 5

uc on ev e , e u ,
.
36 P ER FO R A TI N G

looking at near objects is f or children from three

to six years ol d even in the b est light u n qu al i
, ,

fiedly harmful A ll strain of attention to near

.

objects in the evening when lam plight must be ,

us ed should especially be forbidden otherwise

, ,

the apparatus of accom m odation will get a on e

sided u se too early and near sightedness will be ,
-

”
i nvit ed 1
.

Th e m otor ability of ch i ldren at di fier en t ages

has only lately b eco m e the subj ect of serious
study an d it must b e continued m uch more fully
,

before we can judge absolut ely what occupations

are best suited to the kind ergarten and school
years Mr J A Hancock late of Clark Univer
. . . .
,

si t
y ( Worcest er Mas s ) has conducted various
, ,

investigations as to th e motor ability of children

on entering school and from his data we may ,

make some inferences as to our work in the kin

der gar ten A nu m ber of tests were m ade among
.
,

which were certain which attempt ed to determine

the ability of the child to control the muscles of
the arm and forefinge r The ratio of control .

of man and child was 1 to f o r the shoulder

and 1 to for th e finger While these results .

may not stand with further research it is safe to ,

infer that motor control in the adult so far as the ,

muscles are concerned is from three to six ti m es ,

greater than that of the child in the fi rst year of

1
W Preyer
.
, The Mi d f n o the Chi ld, Pa rt I .
,
Th e S en ses an d
th e Wil l page 60,
”
.
 P ER FO R A TI N G 37

school life Data obtain e d from the general te sts

.

m entioned seem to justify th e infe rences that

children have far less control of their muscles
than adul ts ; that generall y the girl at the sam e
age is steadi er than th e b oy ; that childr en early
learn to make m ovem ents involving large m uscles ;
that they succeed easily in large m ovements of
some degree of complexity ; and that th e order of
develop m ent of control is fro m th e centr e toward
the periphery body shoulder arm forearm an d
, , , , ,

hand In the hand control the index finger takes

.
,

preced ence of the others while fine an d compli ,

”
cated movem ents ar e m ade with d iffi culty
1
.

P rofessor H H Donaldson of the U niversity

. .

of Chicago in a r ec e nt articl e on The G rowth

“
,

2 ”
of the Brain in R elation to Training makes ,

the following remarks which serve to ad d weight ,

to the previous argu m ents : The d irect bearing

of th e se relations o n training may be briefly i n
di cated by revi ewing the control which w e p os
sess over the move m ents of the ar m In infancy .

the control of th e ar m is v ery imperfect and it is ,

moved as a whole the principal motions taking ,

place at the shoulder joint .

We should infer fro m this that the cells which

control thes e muscles are ear liest developed an d ,

such is apparently the case Now in a very gen .

1 Dr . Wm
H Bu m b am of C l ark Un i ve rsi ty
. .
, .

2
Tran saction s of the Illi n ois Soci ety f or Child-Study, Vol I , .

No . 1.
38 PER FOR A TI N G

eral way the processes of development and organ

,

i z ati on in the c ell s which control the movements

of the other joints of th e arm e ven to th e joints of

the fingers follow in regular order down th e limb

, ,

and the cell groups in th e brain stand at regul arly

-

increasing distanc es We should expect therefore

.

what w e find that th e power of control gradually

,

passes down th e li m b so that co m pl ete control of

,

th e fingers is the last to be naturally attain ed

”
.

Now if all th es e obs ervations upon the dev elop

,

ment of motor ability are correct or if they are ,

correct in the main then it is clearly wrong to

,

give either in kindergart en or primary school any

work which involves a co m plex co ordination of
the fin e r and m ore delicate m uscles for an y ,

form of early specialization which leaves u n ex

er ci sed and untested considerable portions of the

c entral sy ste m acco m plish es the end it gains at

the risk of ov erlooking the best capacities of the
individual and of disturbing the nutrition of th e
nervous s y ste m as a whole by an immoderate ,
”
ex ercise of lim ited portions .

It b efits us to consider wh en we study the pos

,

sible disastrous efiects of a too precocious u se of

th e fi ner muscl es n ot only the h ealthy normal
, ,

child but th e on e who is abnormal or n ervous

, , ,

or just recovering from illn ess Overstrain of .

an y kind h ere is doubly dangerous as it m ay so ,

easily l ead to chronic diseas e and loss of power .

“
In E dmund L ear s famous Nonsense B ook
’
 T
P E RFO R A I N G 9

there is a certain recipe for making an A m “

”
b l on gu s P i e in which after long and careful
, ,

preparation of the ingredi ents elaborate

W h at
,

com poun ding and sci en tific baking the C h g ,

an es
d ar e esi r a

whole m i xture when i t has reached the b l i th e n e

,
o p ti ccu a on .

point of exquisite co m pletion is to be ,

thrown out of window as fast as possible .

One is forcibly reminde d of the recipe in reading

this chapter on Perforating f or after dwel ling at ,

som e length upon its beauty and value argu m ent ,

after argum ent piled on e upon the oth er has be en

, ,

brought forward agai n st its u se We d o not in .

reality feel however that the occupation nee d be

, ,

altogether abolished for it seems to us that cer,

tain m odifications might be mad e in regard to the

size of the needles used the squaring of the card ,

board etc which might render it perfectly harm

, .
,

less while retaining all its valuable and pleasi n g

features To do all the work on a larger sc al e so
.
,

that the fundamental muscles and centres may be

called into play instead of th e accessory would
, ,

violate no principle of the kind ergarte n but woul d ,

only be such a modification of the occupation as

seems required by o u r growing knowledge of the
psycho physical nat u re of the child
-
.
 SE WING

Mt a er i al s w r t d dl wi th bl t p i t ; pli t
A l arge o s e -
n ee e un o n s ,

i gl
s n a d d
e, bl phy r f th i
n ou e l r
z e th i r ti t a d o e s x co o s , e n s n

sh ad ; ard Bri t l
es c p a t b ard f a y i a d l r wi th
, s o , or s e o o n s z e n co o ,

th d i r d p att r p rf rat d p
e es e it
e n e o e u on .

TH E
employment of som e sharp point ed i n str u -

m ent attached to a thread of various

substances for usefu l and decorative ,

s ewing is on e of the most ancient and

,

univers al em ployments The tool may .

be a thorn or a needle fashioned from ,

wood bon e or ste el ; the thread a tough grass

, , , ,

the fibre of a leaf or tree the sinews of an ani m al , .

or strips of its hi de ; o r it m ay b e the product

of the silkworm th e flax or the she ep — et all

,y , ,

have been used in much the sam e way and f or

the same purposes sinc e our pri m eval ancestors
first m ade hol es in the skins the y wore and drew
them together for a more co m plete covering .

And as it is now so has it ever been in regar d,

to th e two varieties of sewing for use and for ,

ornam ent E ven am ong uncivilized tribes and

.

s em i barbarians we find their scanty clothing em

-
,

broidered with bright colors and we know the art ,

to have been on e of the earli est employed by the

E as tern nations .
 SE WIN G 41

Ch il dren too readily take it up in the nursery

, , ,

partly by inherited instinct perhaps and partly , ,

by i m itation ; and a needl e a stout thread and a , ,

piece of cloth which is straightway drawn up into

,

surprising shapes an d strange bunches wi ll often ,

keep a little child amused an d happy for many

minute s together .

The fact that Fr oe bel s occupation mate rials ’

-

contain nothing n ew but are based on the con , ,

tr ar y upon the t r aditional e m ployments of child

,

hood is one of the str ongest argum ents in their

,

favor for they must have be en wholl y wrong

,

from a psychologi cal point of vi ew had they be en ,

evolved from his own mind instead of devised

fro m a careful stu dy of the playing child .

When w e consider the attractiveness of sewing ,

in itself and the joy with which all d fi

fig tf lg
r c
,
s t
little children greet its appearance in O p ti ccu a on .

the kindergarten we may be we ll assure d that it

,

contains a vast fi eld for the gaining of elemen

tary knowle dge if rightly used and s y stematized
, .

The mere placing and drawing in and ou t of the

needle woul d of course have n o educational
, , ,

value in itself though it would give to both girls

,

and boy s a valuable d exterity of han d not only ,

for future needlework but f or any sort of m an ,

»

ual labor requirin g delicacy an d skill If how .

,

ever we look upon the occupation and apply it

, ,

as an other attract i ve m eans of deepening the i m

pressions of form or outline an d color upon the, , ,

42 SE WIN G

child s mind and of fam iliarizing hi m with the

’
,

sp ecial characteristics of th e objects he sees about

him it a
, ssu m es at once a more i m portant p o
sitiou .

One valuable feature of kindergarten sewing

is the co m parative si m plicity with which its b egin
n in s may b e made If we ving or paper cutting
g a -
.
,

for instance were given on the first day th e child

,

e ntered th e kind ergart en he would fail a doz e n,

ti m e s before acco m plishing the resul ts f or which

h e ai m ed and repeat ed failur e is n ot easily borne
,

n or und erstood by a little child n eith er is it favor,

abl e to development at this ti m e of life We all .

feel it necessary to grasp perfection occasionall y ,

in order to gain courage to keep on and if this ,

b e true of m aturity and experience how m uch ,

more true m ust it be of the undeveloped human

”
b eing of th e soul in th e bud
,
“
.

Shy fretful unhappy n ervous little pupils in

, , ,

the kindergart en are enticed to industry more

frequently with this occupation than with any
oth er Th e pap er and p encil ar e too fam iliar
.
,

and associat ed too inti m ately with the arduous

labors of old er brothers and sisters at their
writing and ciphering ; the square piec e of col
ored pap er always see m s to appall them when it
is fi rst given for cutting or folding but no child ,

ever draws back or refus es th e cardboard with its ,

pretty drawn pattern and nee dle already threade d

with scarlet worsted .
44 SE WIN G
A
sewing card perforator has lately been in 1

vented which bids fair to be of th e great est

,

assistance to k ind ergartners in preparing f or sew

ing The machin e is strong and si m pl e and
.
,

allows the p erfect p erforation of half a dozen

cards at the same tim e Th e holes made are .

large round and exact and as the board is cut

, , ,

co m pletely through in perforating there are no ,

rough and broken edges on the wrong side Not .

only wi ll it be th e greatest saving of ti m e and

eyesight to the kindergartner and will produce ,

more perfect work but the size of th e p erfora,

tions ad m its of the eas y use of single z ephy r and

very large n eedl es thus rem oving the only reason
,

able obj ection to kindergart en s ewing so far as ,

the older children are concern ed at least , .

The child m ust learn to work upon his sewing

without turning th e card over each ti m e al though ,

of course he m ust turn it so m ewhat in order to

see where to place his ne edle In m aking the .

circle he should sew in and ou t all around the

, ,

first ti m e leaving the gates open as we say

“
, ,

familiarly and then sew back again an d close

,

the m This s eem s an easier m ethod for the

.

child an d is an economy in worsted The younger

,
.

children comm only have their ne edles threaded

and knotted and the thread tied in but as soon as , ,

practicable they should be taught to do this work

,

1
Th e Lou i se H . Or wi g S ewi n g C ar d Perforator .
(J Ral ph
.

Orwi g ,
Des Mi o n es, Iowa ) .
 S E WIN G 45

themselves as it is n ot at all di fficult when we

,

conside r the large e y es of the n eedl es now in

use.

It is always wise to converse with the children

about the mate rials they are using for thus they ,

learn to treat them with greater care D i sc ssi on

m
u

fi g
t ‘
and still more valuable lesson b e g g ;
e

1m m ”
gin to trac e the relation of th eir own
e m ploy ments to the gr eat industries of the world .

In conn ection with their s te el ne edles comes a

description of iron m ining ; with the cardboard
-

co m es th e s tory of the maki ng of paper ; and

with the worste d all sorts of fascinating tale s and
pictures and songs of sheep washing and shear
,
-

ing of faithful sh epherds and sweet white lamb

,

kins and wise bright eyed sheph er d dogs If the

, ,
-
.

children of ou r city kin d ergartens could onc e see

a sheep and note his size an d feel his thick wool
, ,

then all this conversation woul d have a solid basis

on which to rest F ailing the sheep however we
.
, ,

may bring his wool to show and to handle as well ,

as some rolls of th e wool as it is prepared in

th e mill for spinning Co ul d we introduce a
.

spinning wheel to the kindergarten — an d this

-
,

is quite possible in New E ngland at least

, we
might show the ch i l d ren the charming process of
converting the rolls into yarn and such an ex ,

e r i en ce coul d never be forgotten or erased from

p
the min d .

The first worste d s in sewing are commonly

46 SE WIN G
s electe d by the kindergartner in accordance with
what experience has taught her to be th e favor
83333 ?
1
ite colors of children Later on
. when ,
1

S wi g
e n .
their play s and experiences with the first
gift balls and supplem entary materials have been
more extended and when they have some p r acti
,

cal knowledge of colors we should provide them

,

with worsteds of every shade and tint and give ,

them the fullest power of choice guiding them to ,

make harm onious arrangements Here they will .

show great individuali ty selecting their favorite

,

colors and co m binations and often clinging to

,

them through a whole series of symmetrical de

signs .

I n sewing forms illustrative of animal and

vegetable life we should be careful that the
children associate the right color with each
object To be sure the four or five y ear ol d
.
,

child cannot m ake his work high art but we ,

can at least suggest that pink horses blue le aves , ,

and green pussy cats are not true to nature ; and

lead h i m to m ake his picture s as real as possible .

Often he selects the wo rs ted because it is pleasing

to his eye and gives no consideration to the color
o f the object he is to sew A question from th e
.

kindergartner or a suggestion of disapproval from

the other children will frequently set his mind
to working in th e right direction but if he still ,

insists f or instance upon sewing in bright y ellow

, ,

the turkey on his card it may well be doubted if

,
 SE WIN G 47

he has ever seen that fam ous bird and one sho ul d ,

straightway b e pre s en te d to hi s observation if ,

possible Failing that a colored picture may be

.
,

shown and thus the m istake rectifie d

, .

There is som e discussion among kindergartners

as to the advi sabili ty of coloring the C l ri g ,“ o o n

8 m
life form s in this occupation the point
-
,
6 “

at issue being that as sewing only represents

outlines of objects it causes confusion in the
,

child s mi n d if they are so painted as to r ep r e

’

s ent surfaces or soli d s This point we shal l not

.

attempt to settle here but whether or not coloring

,

be a vicious practice i t is certainly very much en

j oye d by the child and if he is allowe d to paint
the form himself with water color or crayon it -

would seem as if he might thereby gain a clearer

idea of the real appearance of the object .

In this as in all other occupations the chil d

, ,

should him self reme dy an y mistakes Th Ch fld t e o

he makes through haste or impati ence r m d y hi e e s

, ,
”k ”
or carelessness Of course it is the
.

kindergartn er s duty to see that his han d s are

’

clean and hi s table free from dust before he

begins work but if he drops hi s se wing on the
,

floor and soils it he must be given brea d crumbs

,
-

o r india rubber an d taught to make it clean ; if

-

he jerks the worsted through the cardboard so as

to tear it it must be men d ed with mucilag e an d
,

paper ; if he loses his needl e he must try to ,

fi nd it again ; if after he h as learne d to sew

48 SE WIN G
tolerably w ell he pull s his worsted in and ou t
of any holes in the card with o ut regard to the
pattern he m ust patiently take it out again and
,

b e ready to b egin work properly next ti m e The .

t eacher who corrects all his mistakes for the child

is kind in the pres ent only to be cruel in the
future — sh e ill pr epares h i m f or later school
,

work and still less f or complete living The .

lesson of cau se and e ff ect is bette r learned early

than late and a few tears , a mom ent s irritation
,
’
,

a fit of contumacy are n ot so hard to suffer now ,

as re m ors e and repentance would be b y and by .

We must inevitably bear the consequences of our

o wn errors in maturity and if we may learn to ,

avert the m by a little experienc e in y outh with

concrete things th en bless ed the teacher and the ,

t each ing If as A ristotle said w e learn to play

.
, ,

u pon the harp by play ing the harp and become

proficient in the virtues by practicing them so ,

the only way of beco m ing careful is by practicing

carefulness 1
.

We beli eve in this occupation as it is used in ,

Val e f
u o
the kindergarten n o t only in that it ,
s wm g
e
le ads the child to m anual dexterity
’

cleanliness careful artistic labor s ense of color

, ,

harm onious arrangem ent and s y mmetry of design , ,

Wh v r p il d ythi g at K il ha h ad t
1 “
oe e s o that i t
e an n e u o s ee

w a r p ai d
s e A b y h avi g br k
re a wi d w i
. ar l o n o en n o n c e essn ess or

mi h i f h ad t t k th fram
sc e h i b a k a d arry i t i
o a e e e on s c n c , n

wh t v r w ath r m ight b t Bl a k b rg a di t
a e e e e f f r e, o n en u , s an ce o ou

a d bri g i t b a k r p ai r d H r A r w d) ”
m il e s, n ( n m a al c e e . e n n von n s .
 SE WIN G 49

though these would in them selves constitute a

, ,

sufficient reason for i ts introducti on but as a ,

ple asant and simple means of storing his m ind

with ideas of things in general which we deem to ,

be of use in his develop m ent .

Mode ling is of course the best means of help

ing the chi ld to produce a real substan tial image
of things in t h e outer world and to ad monish h i m

t o look more closely to distinguish the differences

b etween them and bring them ou t in the plastic

,

clay which shapes itself under h is hand ; but

next to modeling sewing i s perhaps the most
,

valuable aid in prod u cing the sa m e efiect .

V isitors very often smil e with s u rprise at seeing

boys as well as girls s ewing in the kindergarten
but as the ide a is obviously n ot perfection in
needlework th ere is no reason why it should not
,

b e practiced by all Boys certai n l y require ski ll

.

ful ness of hand in their future labors an d they ,

enjoy this method of gaining it as well as girls .

Sewing is constantly used as a sort of inte r

preter of the occupations of stick laying and dr a w -

i n g working in the same field and by i ts remark

, ,

able ad aptation to c h ildish d esires maki ng a most ,

forcible and de finite impression of the instruction

we wish to conve y The three occupations should
.

be so thoroughl y connected that all sewing of lines ,

angles and geometrical figures should be an ou t

,

growth of previous experiences with sticks rings , ,

pencil and paper

, .
50 SE WIN G
We can that in sewing as in all other oc
see ,

cu p ati on s of the kindergarten we should follow ,

fg
o yfis
r
ov gs the plane laid down by Froebel in his
S w mg
e
syste m of gifts that is the uniting of , ,

form s or outlines of knowle dge with forms or

outlines of symm etry in order that no inborn fac
u lt of the child may lack its proper develop
y
”
ment Therefore we use a so called school or
.
,
-

course of lines in which as in linear drawing a

, , ,

certain logical plan is followed and also a syste m ,

of outlines which caref u lly arranged and graded

, , ,

appeals to the child s fancy and imagination and ’

leads him to inspect like objects in nature .

In the school of lines angles and geometrical , ,

figures we cannot be too careful about the order

of procedure nor too jud icious in forcing n ew
,

ideas upon the child s mind before he can prop ’

erly comprehend them Let him begin his work .

in this occupation by se wing a succession of pic

t u res of the first gift balls in the appropriate
colors Afterward s he may sew outlines of round
.

ing and round objects such as peaches cherries , , ,

apples which will supplement appropriat ely his

,

ball lessons and play s A compl et e series of form s .

for circular s ewing called the Botanical Sewing ,

Cards or Chi ldhood s Fairy Land of Leaves and

,
’

”
Flowers was worked out by Miss E m ma Mar
,

wedel This begins with various circles in which

.

form color place and d irection are illustrated an d

, , , ,

progresses fi rst to circles in comparative relation

52 SE WIN G

L I NEA R SEW I N G .

V ertical lines of on e space .

(The length of

the space is optional ) .

Vertical lines of two spaces .

Vertical lin es of on e and two spaces .

Horizontal lines of on e space .

Horizontal lines of two spaces .

Horizontal lines of one and two spaces .

Horizontal and vertical lines and their combi

nations .

Diagonal lines crossing on e an d two space

squares in both directions .

Com binations of diagonals of squares .

Diagonal lines crossing vertical and horizontal

oblongs .

Co m binations of these diagonal lines .

Curves used in various way s .

Co m binations of curves in circles and ovals .

Outlines of geometrical planes .

It is again a matter for the judgment of each

kindergartner whether the child shall sew an eu
tire card of one space lin es for instance or shall
-
, ,

d evot e half the card to these and half to the two

space In our opinion however the lin ear sewing
.
, ,

m ay be considerably abbreviated from its early

form as used in th e G erm an kindergartens with ,

ou t any d etri m ent to its real value .

We must re m ember that during the execution

 SE WIN G 53

of the school of lin e s the children are to have

a m ple room for invention which they m ay execute
,

fi rst in drawing and then transfer to p b j t S w ec e

mg
cardboard or may sew ou t upon the
,
'

card itself which should be perforate d f or that

,

purpose at the corner of e ach square Th ey must .

also have an opportunity to work ou t an y impres

sions they may have received from objects aroun d
them in Nature ; else by constant use of straight
,

lines they wi ll grow m echanical and the imagi ,

nation an d love of beaut y will lac k proper de

vel op m en t
. The selection of objects to be se wn
depends upon the central thought of the week ,

month or term in other words upon the d omi

, ,

nant interests of the child an d is never to be

,

arbitrarily selecte d by the kindergartner If sh e .

prepares for him any object of which sh e has a

goo d pattern or which pleases her taste it may be ,

as far re m oved from his present thoughts as Dan

is from Beersheba If this be so even though
.
,

th e form be carefully explaine d and a little vital

ity thus injected into it it will be so ou t of the
,

current of thought and feeling as to be of li ttle

educational value save perhaps to th e hands and
,

fingers.

The work upon which the child is engaged

needs constant question an d comment C m m o
M“
.

from the kindergartner else sh e can g

, illQ -

n ot be sure of his comprehension H e may have.

been tal king and singing of the cow f or instance , ,

54 SE WIN G
for quite a long period and apparently know ,

all about her milk horns hi d e and m eat yet , , , , ,

upon question it will v ery probably be found

,

that he supposes th e animal to be of the sam e

size as the picture he is sewing on a card four by ,

four inches This discouraging fact which is not

.
,

at all uncom m on and allied to m any others of the

same character quite justifies Dr Stanley Hall s
, .
’

re m ark that there is n ext to nothing of peda

o i c value the knowl edge of which it is safe to
gg ,

assume at th e outset of school life -

.

The child has now no difficulty with invention

if he has been led in the right direction
I v ti
,
n en on .

and has be en allowed freedom in which

to expand all hi s possibiliti es those inborn possi ,

b il iti es which seem to be in every child Unless .

we can develop inventive ability in every occupa

tion we have stopped short of the true ideal ;
,

perfect work is n ot enough it is not even espe ,

ciall y to be desir e d ; the purel y inventive work of

the child is the only real test of the value of our

teaching .

We shoul d not naturally expect perhaps to see

inventive power and a knowledge of the art of
,

de signing in the poor little denizens of wr etch ed

,

ho m es barren as they are of artistic influences

, ,

but w e do find and develop just that in the

free kindergartens through these wonderful ap ,

l i an ces of an educational system which works

p
through the heart an d soul to the mind and
 SE WIN G 55

fingers of a child We may not call these pro .

ducts of infantile skill true i n ven ti on s p er h ap s

'

, ,

since that word would imply a more conscious

u se of power ; but we ma y think o f th em as
“
fin dings of th e child 1
He has really found
a new and beautiful co m bination of th e old and
familiar lines and it is his own He beco m es th e
,
.

tiny Colu m bus of a new world of art Who can .

doubt that this glimpse of the beautiful wi ll r e

main as an ideal ? Who can doubt that when the
poor little on e has once experienced the joy of
creating he will long to feel it again and again ,

and be more i m patient of mechanical routine and

joyless monotony in h i s after work — knowing ,

that there is a higher and better way of working ,

a way in which each individual may give to the

world th e sam e old truths indeed but stampe d , ,

with a new i m age and glori fi ed by his own origi

n ali ty

A n aspiring teacher is prou d of the visible

proofs of her skill in teaching but th e ,

best proofs of that skill are not and g rt W rk ,

a en o .

never can be visible Th e child cannot bring , .

1 “ As soon as i d eas
r pr t th m l v i th rd r
n o l on ge ese n e se es n e o e

i whi h th i t lli g
n c e h a fir t p r i v d th m a
n e e n ce a s s e ce e e , s so on s

so m thi g h a b
e n m al t r d
s w r it l y
eco li k
e p e e , e e on on e n su

pr d i a ri f a i at d i m ag
esse n se es o th r m ay b ai d t
ss oc e es , e e e s o

h av tak p l a a art ifi ial m tal m p i ti a m difi d

°

e en ce n c en co os on , o e con

ce p ti f r al i ty a p
on o e ta w rk f pr d ti v im agi ati
,
s on n eou s o o o uc e n on .

Th frese m b i at i
ee co f i m ag arin p ta ly i y
on s o g es se s on n eou s n ou n

chil dr en Pr
.
”
Fi t Th ! a f Chi ldh d p 14 9
e ez
’
s rs r ee e rs o oo , . .
56 SE WIN G
them home in tan gible form and thus by thought ,

less parents they ar e oft en quit e unnoticed We .

wish kind ergarten work to b e beautiful c ertainly , ,

but n ot at an y sacri fice or over exertion of th e -

’
child s powers The work aft er all is said and
.
,

don e is not the end but on ly th e means In i t

, , .

s elf i t is like all other m eans worthless except

, , ,

that it has been wrought in love patience p ers e , ,

ver an ce and und erstanding

, A s Dr H ail m an n
. .

says , the trul y valuable results of the kinder

gart en are to be sought in th e drift an d ten
d en ey of the head and heart they beco m e m ani
f est i n the m od e of thinking and f eeling ; th ey
are known by their p er m an ence and th eir growth ,

and the y se em to be part an d parc el of the child .

”

We Sp eak of th e greatness of the idea of p er

sonal activity in Fr o eb el s sy stem ; and in deed
’
, ,

We learn thro u gh d o ing is one of th e articles

of ou r educational cre ed ; but the foundation of
that creed lies still d eep er .

B eing is as m uch b ett er than doi n g as it is ,

far more difficult ; f or mere activit y is alway s a

truncat ed con e ; it has n o point with which to
pi erc e the high est and n o occupation whatever
, ,

of any e ducational sch em e in t h e un ivers e can ,

have an y m oral b earing unless it is rooted in

th ese truths ; unless it is th e outgrowth of th e
child s individual powers an d has becolme n ot
’
, ,

m ere doing but actual living

,
Therefore if we .
,

want beautiful work we m ust try to touch the

 SE WIN G 57

springs of action to influe nce the wi ll power not

,
-
,

the fingers of the chi ld ; th en he will strive f or

perfection hi m self with touching zeal We shall
,
.

“
be working in him to wi ll and to do ; we shall
not then have to drive ; we may beckon and he ,

will be glad to follo w .

B ut here l et us note on e thi ng ; we m u st judge

children by their e ff orts and not by their produc
tions Th e child born with clum sy fin gers proba
.

bly tries as hard as his little neighbor who do e s

everything well and he therefore needs en cou r
,

agem en t and comme n dation instead of compar

,

ison with others to his disadvantage .

The objections to sewing from a physio p sy -

ch ol ogi cal point of vi ew are su b stan O b ti jec on s

t th O o e ccu

ti all y the sa m e as to perforat i ng and P ti

,
a ou .

are given so fully in the previous chapte r as to

need no repetition here They do not hold as
.

much weight perhaps in regard to s ewing although ,

even here the strain of the fin e work upon the

accessory muscles of ve r y young children is much
to be deprecated .Since most kinde rgartn ers ,

howe ver are now awak e to this danger there is

, ,

every hop e that such changes will everywhere be

made in the occupation as to av ert it altogether .

Th ere is no reason why the sewing patterns

should not be designed on twice as large a scale
as at present much larger n eedles used and
, ,

single instead of split zephyr be employed f or

working .
58 SE WIN G
The invention of th e s ewing card perforator -

before mentioned allows th e pricking of larger

holes and these should be made at least half an
,

inch apart f or the youn ger children If th e card .

board n ow em ployed does n ot prove strong enough

for the heavy worsted Bristol board might be ,
-

substituted or p erhaps the wee ones of the flock

,

might u se past eboard or leath erette glued to th e ,

ordinary cardboard which would admit of the use

,

of double zeph y r .

The occupations in general require somewhat

i l ess concentration than th e gifts and
S L
t
g
e
p
r
I
p
e
S z l la
,

i d
r o . therefore the time devoted to their use
may well b e on e of great sociability Free con .

v ersation should alway s be allowed although in ,

gentle tones so as n ot to disturb other classes .

It is in these quiet s un shiny hours wh en the chil

,

dren are blissfully happy in their e m ploym ent

and perf ectly unconscious and unconstrained ,

that th e kindergartn er learns best to know her

little flock The bits of childish philosophy or
.

of borrowed grown u wisdom that drop fro m

p
-

their lips the odd sayings t h e miniature ex p er i

, ,

en ces the friendly advic e and warnings to erri n g

,

neighbors the snatch es of hap py song th e t ender

, ,

words and caress e s to this favored among women

as she passes on her errands of help and couns el ,

all are so many indications of th e inner life of

h e r charge s If sh e r epresses all this gentle
.
,

lightsom e play of life and happiness and content ,

60 SE WIN G
1 A piece of work m ust never be sent to the
.

’
child s ho m e unless it is done as well as he can do
Cl i g
os n
it f o r so m eti,
m e s our only way of reach
Th gh t
°u
ing the parents is through this very
s '

work coming to them as a message and telling

, ,

them h ow the child spends his tim e when away .

2 The child should strive to m ake the wrong

.

side of the work as neat as the right There .

ought n ot to be any real wrong side in work or ,

people either ! It m ust be diff erent but it n eed ,

not be untidy and to allow the little on e full

,

liberty to cross and knot an d tangle and waste

the worsted on th e reverse of th e card so long as ,

the face of it looks well is absolut ely to foster ,

deception and falsity in concrete things .

3 In sewing vertical and horizontal lines let

.
,

on e side of the work be like the other so that the ,

child s idea of direction m ay be clear and distinct

’
.

With vertical lines w e should guide the child to

sew fro m the top to the botto m of the card and ,

with horizontal from left to right ,

.

4 If a child has fin ish ed a card with so m e

.

difficul ty and has needed considerable aid in its

,

acco m plish m ent l et him do another of the sam e

,

kind entirely by hi m self and he will observe with ,

pride his i m prove m ent .

5 In ever y possible way we should impress the

.

child with the idea that he is working f or oth ers ,

as well as f or himself and thus d ev elop his better

,

nature This shoul d b e ou r ai m in all these

.
 SE WIN G 61

small in d ustries which we d eem so val uable an d

,

whi ch are so dear to children .

The dainty cards embroidered with such care

and looked upon so proudly by the little ones ,

may all be mounted in books f or a present or ,

they may be made u p into some pretty useful

article at Christmas ti m e an d d elight the parents
,

with the marvelous achievements of their babies .

B ut the kindergartner must beware lest such work

be allowe d to remain a d elight and a pro fi t not ,

to the community but to each chil d al one an d

, ,

thus foster selfis hness He should be gui d ed to

.

a willi ngness to give up his work occasionall y f or

the com m on good and so h i s benevolence an d
,

social effi ciency be d eeply stirred in coii p er ative

exercises that lead hi m to a practical union in
work with other child ren .
 DRAWING

Con si d e i n g th e i m
r p rta f dr aw i g a a p art f d a o n ce o n s o e uc

ti on g,
t th
on e a r a a d v
e s i ti th at h i j ym t
e ssu n ce n con c on s en o en

o f th phy i al w rl d i b a tifi d a d i r a d th r b y
e s c o Th s e u e n n c e se e e . e

en tir w rl d f f rm a d l r p
e o i t l f t hi m
o o A w n co o o en s se o . n e

sen s e aw ak whi h r i v th liv li t i m pr i

en s, cO ece es e e es ess on s . n e

l ar
e t appr
n s i at oat r — t v al l v a d r j i
ec vr
e n u e, o u e, o e, n e o ce o e

i t b a ti
s e u es. GO ETH E .

Th l v f drawi g h w i t l f i m a y f rm
e o e o Th hil d n s o s se n n o s . e c

draw wi th hi fi g r i th ai tra
s s tl i i th a d
n e n e r , ces ou n es n e s n ,

m ak had w pi t r
es s th wall b l w
o th wi d w p a
c u es on e , o s on e n o -
n e,

a d n v r i t l d d rfa w i th h i m tl y fa i a d v
co e s s c ou e su ce s o e n c e s, n e en

bi t hi es ki i t th f rm f m a d a im al
s coo es n o e o s o en n n s
”
.

SU SA N E BL ow . .

t p i drawi g i t l ar t
As th e first s e n n s o e n o see co rr tl y i t i ec , s

evi d t th at all th x r i
en b th i gi ft a e e e c ses , o n s n d p ati
occu on s,

pr par f th
e f th p
e or il a d h al k A
e u se o e en c n c . s th m di ati
e e on

of w rd a d bj t drawi g i
o n f v a t im p rta
o ec ,
n s o s o n ce i i t r a ti
n s e c on

on th mi d a d a th
e l f al l t h i al pr
n ,
n s e sou o ec n c ocesses, i t is th e
i di p abl b a i f i d tri al d ati ”
n s en s e s s o n us e uc on .

S U SA N E BL o w . .

rawi g f r i h a m a f xpr i g i d a a d m a
D n u n s es e n s o e ess n e s, n n

fir t r s rt d t i t f that p rp ; b t wh i t i p v rt d
eso e o or u ose u en s er e e

a d fail t a
n m pli h thi p rp
s o it d
cco t pr d th b t
s s u ose , oes n o o u ce e es

r l t A y m th d that t a h w rd b f r i d a i radi
esu s. n e o e c es o s e o e e s s

c all y wr g a d a y m th d th at t a h
on ,
n draw i gw i th t i g
n e o e c es n ou us n

it a a m a s f xp r i g r pr ti g i d a i radi all y
e ns o e ess n or e e sen n e s, s c

wr g b a i t l av
on ,
t th at wh i h ti m l at
ec u se a dd v l p
e es ou c s u es n e e o s

th p w r
e f th m i d R pr d i g a li
o e s o wi th t
e i d ri g
n . e o uc n n e ou con s e n

i t l gth
s en di r ti d v ry li ttl t i r a
or ec pwr
on oe s e e o n c e se on e s
’
o e .
 D RA WIN G 63

Th at trai i g whi h l ad p pil t b imi tat r l y d

n n c e s u s o e o s on , oes

l i ttl t d v l p th ght a d a ti
e o e e o Draw i g ght t t a h
ou n c on . n ou o e c

se e ni g d i g a d k wi g D raw i g
,
o n , g ht t
n l t i v at t
n oh n . n ou o cu e e

h a d a d th y a d i r a th k wl dg f th bj t
n n e e e, n n c e se e n o e e o e o ec

r pr t d
e esen e .
”
W W S EER . . P .

T HA T drawing i s on e of the earli est arts of

primeval man is a f ac t too clearly e vi A ti q ity f n u o
A i
deuced and too wi d ely known to need iigi ig
’ r i
’
vv x

extensive comment here From that rude pic .

ture on the rocks b y whi ch the cave d weller

indi cate d man escaping in aff right from the ap
proach of some prehistoric monster to the like ,

ness of that monste r etche d on his own bones ,

the rebus like inscriptions on the tombs an d mon

-

u m en ts of the E gypti ans and the hieroglyphics ,

and picture writing of pri m itive tribes some of

-
,

which are still in use we come finall y to ou r mo d ,

ern letters which occupy the highest ste p in the

,

scal e of the language of signs P icture writing .

-

in shorthan d as it were may still be seen per , ,

f ectl y illustrated by the whole written language

o f the C h inese an d shoul d we trace the art of ,

d rawing from i ts earliest inception we shoul d ,

fin d that its value in ornament w as commonly

recogn ized even earlier than its value as a means
o f record an d commun ication f or it is a univer ,

sal truth that man d evelops the ornamental dur

ing the infancy of every race before the usef u l 1

, .

1 “
Foll owi n g th e dis tin ct teachi n g of is o h t ry parti a
, an d c

l a l y th e
r t
e ac hi ng of pr hi t ri t
e s o c im es, i t i s l ar th at th
c e e

ar ti sti c fa l t i
cu es of h ma b i gs w r
u n e n e e th e fir t t d v l p a d
s o e e o ,
n
64 D R A WIN G

Nor d o we n eed to prove that drawing is nat

ural to children and is one of the first m eans ,

353 2110
1 which
1 they use to make the inward ou t

C h fldh d ward and the outward inward A soft

oo
, .
,

smooth surface whether it be sand or earth or , , ,

mud or snow o ffers irresistible attractions for

, ,

marking and rude Sketching even to grown p eo ,

ple and some of us have not even yet passed

,

the ti m e when a cloudy window pane ofier s a fas -

ci n atin
g fi eld for th e pursuit of art What .

”
child as a thoughtful kindergartner has lately
,

“
said ,
from G iotto down has not been r ep r i ,

m an ded f or defacing margins of books the wall ,

paper and woodwork in his e fforts to satisfy the ,

longing to create outward ly the pictures whic h

float before his inward vision It is a wis e mo
ther who destroy s such idols only by supplying
better ones which in this case com e in th e form
,

of suitable materials to s erve this craving .

The kindergarten cannot be too m uch prize d

for having gathered in the now scattered work
an d play occupations which once kept together ,

around the hearth children with their parents in

1 ”
the spare hours of the evening an d among th ese ,

occupations drawing is perhaps the most v al uable ,

as it is without doubt the most universal .

that th a t e r of th ose ti m w a al way f a d rati v at r

es s s o eco e n u e .

the e xi t s en ce of m an y p i m i ti v ati
r e nb i g ly k w t
on s e n on n o n o us

b y th i r a t r
e r em ai n s .
”
(Pr fo essor H ry Tal b t )
en o .

1 E Segu i n
. .
 DR A WIN G 65

In all civilized nations children are now taught

to draw but the object of this instruo Obj t f
, ec o

tion by all these varied methods is not $23 ,

for the most part and certainly not in the ear

,

lier stages to make artists It is

,
or it shoul d
.
,

be at all events —, the education of the eye th e ,

training of the m ind and the c u ltivation of an

,

other medium of self e xpression The increased

-
.

attention given of late years to dr awi ng in ou r

schools h as proved as Dr W N H ail m an n say s
,
. . .
,

“
that there is no child devoid of a serviceable
amount of talent for drawing that all c h ildren ,

can learn to draw just as all children can learn to

speak ; and that the attention given to th i s su b
ect h as stimula ted in our youth the tendency to
j
choose avocations in life that call f or the exercise
”
of artistic taste and technical skill .

We nee d not discuss here the merit of the

various systems by which d rawing is Dr wi g a n
gym “
taught in the schools of the Unite d O

States The mass of literature on the subject

.

and examples of the practical work are within

the reach of all an d O pen to the critical judg
ment of any person if that person be s u ffi ciently
,

fair and lucid l n m i nd to hear and read patiently

and weigh carefully the argum ents for and argu
ments against ; the protestations of faith in and ,

heretical denials of the attack and defense con

stan tl going on among the champi ons of d rawing
y
systems It seems to an impartial ob server that
.
66 D R A WI N G

there i s some good in all of them when rightly

interpreted and that there is little good in any
,

when in the hands of the wrong person .

The lively di scussion as to the sy ste m s of draw ~

K i d gw
n er
ing in schools however is equaled
, an d,
t D w mga
en ’
even possibly exc elled by the agitation
'

of the same matt er in kindergarten circles N0 .

on e of the Froebel occupations is in so chaotic a

state as drawing E very training teach er has her

.

o w n method or methods of teaching the branch

which are in many respects quite unlike thos e of

any other training teacher ; every kindergarten
centre is try ing exp eri m ents on di fferent lines is ,

casting aside ol d syst ems and taking up n ew on es ,

or possibly reversing this proc ess ; there is little

agree m ent any where save in a quit e general di s

satisfaction with what has be en done an aspi ,

ration after better things and a discont ent ,

which is perhaps as John R ichard G reen say s

, ,

“
the only true source of progress
-
It is idle .

for the kindergartner to suppose that sh e can so

arrange h er sch em e of drawing as to satisfy the
artist the artisan and the designer while sh e
, , ,

avoids everything which sh e is warned against

by the phy siologist and the psychologist and puts
into practice all that they reco m m end at the sam e ,

tim e follo wing ou t her ow n ideals gratify ing the ,

child and k eeping in fellowship with the leading

,

drawing sy ste m s It is true that Solomon sai d

.

that he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise but ,

68 D R A WIN G

principal kindergartens of the world ; we shall

end eavor to give the various arguments f or and
against the m and having presente d all sides of
,

th e subject as clearly as may be in o u r power ,

leave to our readers the d ecision as to which and

h ow m an y of the methods they Shall u se in teach
ing the art to little children
.
 L IN EAR DRAWIN G

Th e roll i n g sph ere , th e th r own an d falli n g ston e, th e w ate r

damm ed u p an d gu i d ed i n to li ttl e d i ve rgin gdi t ches, hav e tau ght
th e c hil d that th di r ti e ec on of th e ef ecf t of p w ri
o e s al way s l in
e ar .
”
FR . FR OE B E L .

drawi g of l in es preced es th e d raw i n g of figu res so

As th e n ,

al so th e re pro cee ds from i t th e i v e ti on of fo rm s as ce di g to n n , n n

im i tati o a d co p y i g; a d fu rth er afte r th e p p il h as m ade

n n n n , , u

th e r eq u i re d progr ess i n geom e try a d m ath em ati cs p rspe cti v e n , e

drawi g i n s tru cti on regardi g li ght an d shad e as w ell as draw

n ,
n ,

i g fr m n atu r e l an ds cap e d rawi g e tc wil l f ll o w

n o , Th e l as t n ,
.
, o .

ai m hr e e , as e v rywh r
e e e, is th e r pr
e ese n a t ti on of th e h u m an
figu r
e .
”
FR FROEB EL . .

pra ti d y f
Th e u n c ce e e o a ch il d wil l fir t tak e i on l y th e pri s n n

c i p al li f bj t a d f th
n es o o fir t th traight
ec s , bfr n o ese s e s on es, e o e

it a ma t r
c n rv s erfa a d filli gi W ti th am
cu es, su ces , n n n . e n o ce e s e

c h ara t ri ti i th p pl w h fir t pra ti d th i
c e s cs n e f eo e o s c ce e sc e n ce o

ar hi t
c t r Th ir d rawi g
ec u e . i t f tl i l i ar p
e n s con s s o ou n es, n e re r esen

tati on si trai ght tr k wi th t rv

n s p r p ti v a i
s o es , ou cu es or e s ec e, s n

th fir t att m pt
e s f hil d r
e B VO N M A R EN H
so c —BU LO W en .
”
. Oe .

Mat r i al f L i ar Drawi g Ch k r d d tt d pap r

e s or ne n : ec e e or o e e ,

th i
e s ze o f th q ar i th tw rk b i g mm l y ab t
e s u es n e n e o e n co on ou

on e q art r i h ; l at q ar d d tt d th am al ;
u e n c s es s u e or o e on e s e sc e
1

s l at a d l ad p
e n il a d l r d ray
e en c s, n co o e c on s .

FR O EBEL S idea of d rawing an d his plans for

’
,

i n troducing it as on e of the fi rst oce n F m m ro

p a ti on s for y oung children are exceed

Ex “
, ,
Dm m g
i n gl y ingenious The touching or han .
‘

dli n g of the solid body (the most important means

1
S lat a w m hl es d th a f rm rl y
re n o uc ess u se n o e .
7 0 LI N EAR D RA WIN G
of acquiring knowledge during the fi rst year of
a child s life the period of his unconscious su s
’
,

cep ti b il it
y) is now chang ed to the looking at
objects presented to his observation and r ep r e ,

senting their images by drawing ; so that the

image of a body so to speak takes the place of , ,

the body itself In drawing the child has

.
,

reached the ideal representation of solids by ,

means of light and S hade marks made upon a ,

surface to repres ent outlin es We have a com .

p l ete transition from the tan gible solid to the

”
ideal representation of it .

Fr oeb el s method of drawing unites all other

’
1

kindergarten occupations into an organic succes

sion by following the use of blocks (solids ) lay
, ,

ing of tablets (planes ) and sticks and rings ,

( lines ) These.occupations are preparatory ; th e

lay ing of sticks was a sort of drawing in wood

lines and gave to the child his fi rst ideas of
,

invention by m aking it easy f or h i m to devise

, .

figures in which opposites should surround a

centre .

Froebel observed with greatest love and dis ,

crim ination the nature and natural instincts of

,

the child ; and th e pleasure found in scribbling ,

that universal instinct of childhood being l egi ti ,

mately controlled and di rected is m ade the basis ,

1 A com pl t d ri pti
e e esc on of Fr o eb el ’
spl a f Li ar Draw
n s or n e

i n g i s to b f
e d i Th
ou n n e Edu cati on f
o M a (tr b y
n J phi . ose n e

Jarvi s , ) pag es 0
2 9 to 221 .
 L IN EAR DR A WIN G 71

o f kindergarten drawing an occupation both ,

artistic and mathematical valuable alike to h e ad ,

and hand for mental training manual d exteri ty

, , ,

and cultivation of the aesthetic nature Drawing .

is of paramount importance as an occupation ,

because the child is enabled by it to reproduce

quickl y and easily the images i m parted to hi s
mind and to gi ve them a visible representation
, ,

whereby they become truly objective and are only ,

then un d ers tood .

The child at the early age of three to fi ve

,

years i s considered by many persons to U f th

m
, s, o e
"
be hardly able to execute satisfactory g
freehand drawing ; and therefore an l n , ,

ter m ediate step is to be provide d which will serve ,

to develop the correct eye an d steady han d Th i s .

intermediate step i s supplie d by the use of the net

or square consisting of any open space forme d by
,

the intersection of vertical an d hori zontal lines ,

and in this the child finds the necessary ai d ,

for it is only an ai d an d not too great a on e the , ,

dots lately introduced answering the same p u r

1
pose The chi ld must b e just as painstaking wi th
.

as without them an d by their help he aecom

.

p l i sh e s quite won derful and beautiful results .

These squares com m only about on e fourth ,

i nch in size are fou n d on slates as well as on

, ,

paper ena b ling him to fin d di stances an d com pre

,

1
A tri a n gu l a r ne tw rko on th e sam e scal e is al so som e ti m es

u se d .
72 L I N EA R D R A WI N G

hend measurement — training hi m to exactness

,

of observation and correct e e measur e

y
-
.

Froebel explains as follows the principle on

, ,

which the drawi n g net or web is form ed and its

, , ,

value to the child :

A ll formation is on the condition of uniting
various parts ; what is united form s as it were , ,

a web or texture and that exists only b y th e

,

connecting of opposing lines or threads as f or , ,

exam ple the web of the spider which only thus

, ,

holds together N o organism exists without such

.

a knitting of parts without at least ap p r ox i

,

mately form ing a web e ven if it is n ot visible to

,

the eye The magnifying power of the micro

.

scope shows u s plainly the net like web whether -

,

it is upon a leaf or upon our skin or whatever

, ,

it m ay be E ven the s m allest cell which is not

.
,

vi sible to the eye consists of a web and every

, ,

thing which comes into view from the invisible

point can be formed in n o oth er way than b y
being produced thus from different directions or ,

shot forth as in the process of crystall ization

, .

E very w eb also form s a net in a certain way , ,

by the crossing of the lines running in opposite

directions But this net exhibits at every cross
.

ing or every point of contact a centre which is

, ,

to be referred to some circumference as it were , ,

and every square of the net is a division which

ofier s the best means of arrangement of the dif

fer en t parts of a whole .

 L IN EAR D R A WIN G 73
“
For this reason I give my child ren a net
consisting of perpendicul ar and horizontal lines ,

which serves as a guide for drawing all forms ,

an d regulates and facilitates the proportions of

parts to a whole and their correct and equal

,

co ordination P ainters use a net f or the same

.

purpose in their copi e s of pictures .

‘
The net aff ords the m ost inte l ligible image of
the joining of opposite s by the opposite direction
,

of its lines The web of all nature s forms is ’

.

alway s a net and expresses the law as the norm

,

1 ”
of all formation .

Thi s method ingenious as it is simple sho ul d

, ,

lead the child early to copy objects of natu re f or ,

if he has gained command of his pencil and h as ,

learned how to manage str aight an d curved lines ,

the rest is sure to follow .

The school of linear drawi ng as use d in the ,

kin dergartens of to day d iff e rs some Li n r

-
, ea

what from the so called Froebel school

-
,

but none the less carries ou t his i d eas $3353 ,

“w “
of d evelopment exactly being there ,
e

fore similar in theory but proceeding in a simpler

,

and somewhat abbreviate d manner This method .

beautifully supplements the other occupations an d

the outline lessons in sewing stick layin g etc , , .
,

an d by giving the child in comparatively few les

,

sons lines of di fler en t lengths an d directions

, ,

enables him to handle his pencil easily an d freely ,

1
R mi i
e f F b l pag 23 1 23 2
n scen ces o r oe e , es , .
74 LIN EAR D R A WIN G

and gives him mobility of hand and wrist by exer

cising them in every possible way .

The course pursued is much the same as that

already gi ven f or linear sewing the two occupa ,

tions being pursued along parallel lines on e inter ,

r eti n t h e other
p g .

a Ve rtical lines of one

. space .

Horizontal lin es of one space .

Com binations of v ertical and horizontal lines

producing angles squares borders and symm etr i
, , ,

cal figure s .

6 Vertical lines of two spaces

. .

Horizontal lin es of two spaces .

Co m binations etc as above , .

, .

0 V ertical lines of two spaces

. .

Horizontal lines of on e space .

Co m binations etc leading finally to the figure

,
.
,

which we call f am iliarly the vertical oblong .

”

d Vertical lines of one space

. .

Horizontal lin e s of two spaces .

“
Co m binations etc leading to the horizontal
,
.
,
”
oblong .

e. Diagonals obtaine d by crossing on e space

square in both directions .

Combinations resulting in square turne d on

point .

f . Diagonals of two space square -

.

Com binations etc , .

9. Diagonals of vertical oblong .

O q art r i h m r
1 n e u e n c , or o e.
76 L IN EAR D R A WIN G

pealing in the kindergarten to his attention in ,

the string by which the ball is suspended This .

practice is supported by Dr Seguin who say s .

,

By the phy siological metho d the child draws in

th e fo l lowing order : fro m a vertical line to a
1 ”
horizontal thence an oblique a curve
, , .

Against this opinion howev er must be pitted , ,

that of Henry T B ailey supervisor of drawing.

,

for Massachusetts who states as explicitly : Th e

,
“

easiest order f or children in drawing is first th e

horizontal then the vertical th en the oblique line
, , .

Children need most practice on horizontal and

vertical b ecause they naturally make u se of ob
”
lique lines .

This is evidently a matter which only extended

observations of children will settle and it behooves ,

the kindergartner speedily to engage in th e se oh

ser vati on s lest it prove that her m ethod of intro

du ci n g the lines may have been incorrect from

the first .

Th e rapidity with which the ch ild goes through

110 m
“,
the school of linear drawing is de
31m g
ifi d
ver s
, p end ent altogether upon his ability to

execute the lines an d make use of them

e ‘

in invention Of cours e however he is neve r

.
, ,

to be detai n ed upon a certain kind of line until

he can draw it perfectly That is not to be ex .

p ec ted at this early age and is not even to be

d esire d f or a gain in execution here would mean
,

a loss of power later on .

E S g i Ed ati1
.p ag 169
e u n , uc on , e .
 L IN EAR DRA WIN G 77

Wi th the small er chil dren the lines are always

to have the light of fancy t h rown upon them and ,

every kindergartner who woul d b e successful

must have an unfailing supply of the oil by whi ch
this light is fed A row of on e space vertical
.
-

lines f or instance is comparatively uninspiring in

, ,

itself but how fascinating it is to play the y are

,

fir e crackers an d make believe

-
that Ted dy h as
pulle d them all ou t of the package an d is laying
them on the table on e space apart so that he can
count them If it is a review d ay an d the on e
.

space horizontal lines are next to be drawn it is ,

obvious that they are the fir e crackers lighte d an d

-

thrown down and ready to go off with a d elight

ful splutter an d bang Then the angles of course
.
, ,

are parts of a frame that the men are putting up

to hold the evening fi reworks and the ve r tical an d
,

horizontal lines combine d into a border or G reek

pattern will be the rockets hissing an d zi gzag
,

ging across the sky by and by Now it i s obvious

.

to any person of sentiment that the squares must

be the boxes the fi reworks were bought in an d ,

let u s make a great many an d have a magnifi cent

display
Let us remember however that this fanciful
, ,

interpretation of the lines must have a vital

relation to the leading thought in the chi ld s min d’

and the subject f or the month though it is to be

,

hoped that these last are always synonymous .

Th ere i s no beauty pleasure n or fi tness in talki ng

, ,
78 LIN EAR DRA WIN G
at.
of the lines as soldiers marching when every ,

child is aglow with the recollection of the dancing

h ear he saw on the way to the kindergarten nor
of playing they are fence posts when everybody
is thrill ed with the Christm as spirit and thinking
”
of the Wond erful Tree The kindergartner
.

who makes these mistak es and th ey ar e not as

,

unco m mon as might h e wished is on e wh o has ,

but a faint vision of the truth .

When the child i s drawing we Should also as , ,

Froebel advised join to his action the explain

,

ing word ; that is connect the visible with the

,

audible and thus bring it nearer to his insight

, ,

recognition and inner perception Froebel says

,
.
,
”
in the K indergarten Wes en The drawing of
,

lines of the curved as also of the straight lines

, ,

should be combined wi th the explaining word or

with the enlivening little song such as the earlier
,

ball or sphere songs not only to awak en th ereby

, ,

but also to cultivate an d strengthen the general ,

”
activity of the child .

Drawing and r e drawing a line without con si d

-

ering its length or its direction may give added

dexterity but it can give nothing else f or it is
, ,

a purel y m echanical process A ll these s m all i n

.

du str i es of the kindergarten m ust be lifted from

the mechanical into a higher realm and must be
connected with the intellect and sym pathies of the
child This view of work in the Fr oeb el system
.
,

which is on e of its distinctive pecul iarities accords ,

 LIN EAR DRA WIN G 79

well wi th Schiller s word s in the Song of th e

’

Bell :
A d w l l i t tam p
n e h ma ra
s s ou r u n ce ,

A dh
n e n ceth gi ft t d ta d
e o un er s n ,

That Ma w i th i th h art h l d tra

n n e e s ou ce

What r h fa h i w i th th ha d
’
e e e s on s e n .
”

The lines an d their connections and d evelop

ments shoul d never be pre sente d arbitrari ly to
the child an d set f or him as a copy but sho u l d ,

be the outgrowth of previous work with sticks ,

when he h as h i mself discover ed f or instance h ow , ,

vertical and horizontal lines may b e joine d into

four positions of right angles and how these may ,

be combine d into squares etc The world wi d e , .

-

di ff erence between precept an d experience lies in

the two metho d s of teaching .

In all this linear drawing the chi l d shoul d be

taught to see what he is d oing an d see m u“ ,
”m m
the en d of the line before he makes it .
”

The vertical lines shoul d be d rawn f r om up to

d o wn the horizontal from left to right If a long
, .

line is to be m ade a dot should be p lac e d at the

,

b eginning an d the end an d then the two points

,

be connecte d with a swift light stroke The chil .

d ren should use l o n g pencils an d the teac her ,

should take especial pains to see that they d o n ot

bear upon them too hea vily The habit of eras .

ing is especially to be condemne d an d constant ,

care should be used in guarding against it for it ,

i s on e very easily acquire d The left han d shoul d.

80 L I N EAR DR A WI N G

be e m ployed as well as the right in many of the

exercises and drawing bet ween the lines f r e
,

qu ently be practiced .

In drawing the child has ful l scope for i n ven

Di t ti m
c a o
tion for synthetic
, exercises which have
”D m g
r
been made natural and easy f or him by
n ‘

former analysis H e has now for the first time

.

the full delight of producing and if his training ,

has been careful hi s de signs will b e symm etr i

,

cal i n form and ex ac t in detail To this end we .

must be especially careful in all ou r dictations ,

and in the s equence of lines and figures which

we present to him They are most val u able for
.

concentration of mind and are so mingled with ,

mathematical exercises that they fix in the mem

or
y all foregoing lessons in direction and number .

We shoul d b e careful that the child und erstands

each lesson as he passes over it we must use ,

fam iliar term s for the v ertical an d horizontal

lines the acute and obtuse angles until h e can
, ,

readily re m ember the proper ones and require ,

h i m often to point ou t to us in surroun ding ob

ects these same lines and angles that e may
j w ,

be sure of his comprehension The dictations .

will e m brace as in the gifts form s of life beauty , , ,

and knowledge and of course have a direct b ear

,

i n g upon th e child s inventive work Th e lan

’
.

guage in which the y are given should be p erfectly

simple and plain and we should be absolutely
,

assured of what we want to say b efore we say it .

 L IN EAR D R A WIN G 81

One h as only to tr y the exercise with a class of

adul ts an d note the resulting mis takes to b e ,

convinced of the vital necessity of clearness of

thought as well as speech in dictations .

Nor shoul d we be too inflexible an d dogmatic

in these exercises but should give the chil d as
,

much free d om as he can wis ely be intruste d with .

It is a thousan d times bette r to dictate hal f the

central fi gure an d let him complete the other half
than to make h i m fo llow yo u r words to the last
quarter inch when it w as perfectly obvious some
,

secon d s ago what the d esign was to be Wh o h as .

not seen the kin d ergartner holding her chil d ren

by sheer force of will they straining at the
,

leash meanwhil e — an d insisting that the exercise

,

shall be a d ictation pure an d simple an d that ,

any hapless wight who guesses what is going

to come next an d d raws it shall erase hi s guess
,

an d wait f or the spoken word .

It is wise now an d then merely to give the

centre of the d esign an d let each comple te it as
he desires for the in d ivi d ual variati ons on the
,

same theme will be most pleasing an d inst r uctive

to the chil d ren . A t an other time we may com
p l ete the fi gure and encourage the chil d to invent
an appropriate bord er or we can give the bo rd er
,

and call for a centrepiece .

Other useful variations of the exercise are to

d raw a fi gure line by line u p on the blackboard ,

and let the ch il dren follow or to Suggest a gr oup

,
82 L I N EAR D R A WIN G

work invention on the board or on large paper in , ,

which each child of the class S hall take part .

Memory drawing too is often advisable the

, , ,

kindergartner or an older child drawing a figure

upon the board which is quickly erased and then
repro d uced by the class Such exercises must .

o f course be very simple at first and gradually

beco m e more complex .

The copying of the child s own inventions in ’

C pyi g
o
sticks
n
tablets and, rings is extr ,em ely ,
I v ti
n en
interesting and bene ficial b ecause it r e
on s.
,

su l ts i n drawing o n reduced or extende d scales .

The space on the tables b eing one inch square ,

and that on the paper being generally a fourth of

an inch he m ust make his calculations and trans
, ,

fer the design to the smaller S ize so that it will ,

meet hi s ey e wh en complet ed as the invention ,

in miniature The use of colored crayons for the

.

copying of these inventions as well as sometim es ,

for the drawing of the school of lines gives n u ,

bounded pleasure to children and should be con ,

si der ed as Spencer say s

,
as the natural sti m ulus
,

to the mastery of the comparatively di fficult and

unattractive form .

Slate drawing has grown entirely out of favor

81 “ m
,
in many kindergartens as an excessive ,
i g
n “

use of it undoubt edly cultivates a habit

of too great pressure on the pencil and a hard

touch whi ch are disastrous to paper drawing

, .

Another objection to it is that the ease with

84 LI N EAR D R A WI N G

sym m etrical forms and d esigns They almost in .

variably say that at all events if these appear it

, , ,

must be du e to individual talent and n ot to the

F roeb el s ystem But w e know the perfection of
.

e very detail in that system how th e child is acted ,

upon and how he responds to the surrounding

,

influences He understands perfectly though u n

.
,

wittingly Fr oeb el s law of th e connection of oppo

,
’

sites and without any learning of dead rules or

,

philosophic abstractions he goes straight to the

mark and creates his form whatever it may be ,
.

To an outsider the inventive power of the chil

dren appears more curious and wonderful than it
really is for none but the initiated real ize the
,

e ff ect of the d aily training on the child ; the

great perfection o f observation which is culti
y ated the clear impressions rec eived the strict
, ,

discipline of min d an d above all the atmosphere , ,

of harm ony and beauty surrounding him which ,

develops all that is aesth etic within him and makes

him an e m bry o artist without special e ff ort on ,

his part A n d why should he not b e so ? The

.

kin dergartner is or should be an artist hers elf

, , ,

in th e large meaning of the word and She is the ,

child s daily companion and exa m ple His play

’
.

is replete with grace poetry and harmon y his , , ,

hourly occupations are bright with color and full ,

of s y m m etry precision and dainty neatness

,
A ll ,
.

his possibilities are expanding in an atmosphere

of love joy sym pathy hu man afiecti on and com
, , , ,
 LIN EAR D R A WIN G 85

p an i on sh i in th e society of d ozens of small

p ;
beings for the most part t r ying to be generous
, ,

kind an d lovely literal ly all the arts wait upon

, ,

h i m why should he not be or grow artistic ? I s

,

there n ot a grave fault somewhere if he appears ,

to have no love for the beautiful or po wer of p r o

du ci n g it after he h as been acte d u p on by his
,

surroundings for a su fficiently long time ? Our

general system of public inst r uction too often su c
ceeds in well nigh destroying the creative power
-

“
in child ren and all but overwhelming an d i m
,

er i ou s genius is crushed beneath i t relentless

p s

metho d s so that A rt instead of becoming the

, ,

id eal of the whole race unveils herself only to ,

the eyes of a few .

A n d no art is merely ornamental ; it is also use

ful It has been said by experienced M al
.
an u

and practical men that in nine trades

ou t of ten a b oy who can d raw well h as
m m

a vast ad vantage over on e wh o cannot The su b .

jcet of manual training in e d ucation is n ow en

grossing so much attention that people cannot
fail to see how a d mirably it is begun in the kin
der gar te n .

The training must of course be entirely of a

, ,

preparatory nature with us in d ee d it may be ,

questione d whether in any case a chil d coul d

, ,

master a trade d uring his school life or whether ,

it is best that he should d o so but what we de

sire is the training of the eye an d han d in d esign
86 L IN EA R D RA WIN G

and the principles of construction so that when ,

o u r childr e n co m e to the work of life the y will

not be entirely unprepared A s the director 1

.

o f the P ublic Industrial A rt School of P h i l adel

phia has wisely said R egard f or the individual

,

ity of the pupil is the thing to be constantly kept

in V iew ; to give additional power and facility to
hi s hand ar m eye and brain
, , ,G ive h im the .

power to think and create anew see that his eye ,

is trained his hand made dexterous and his brain

, ,

quickened and you may trust h i m to learn with

,

ease the art of handling machin e s or instru m ents

of precision He will handle an d use them th e
.

better that his whole organization has been

trained Michael Angelo said Man must carry
.
,

h i s m easuring tools in h i s eye not in his hand

’
.
,

That teaching children how to use th eir hands

would be allied to developing quickness of per
ce ti on
p and cleverness in g e neral great writ e rs ,

and thinkers long ago held to be true and it is ,

n o w being successfully d e monstrated Charles G . .

Leland al ludes to this in an article on Hand “

”
Work in P ublic Schools an d goes on to predict ,

that the education of the future will e m brace

hand work at every stage fro m the kindergarten
-
,

upwar d It will b e artistic at first because art is

.
,

easy but gradually it will ripen into th e p r acti

,

cal or technologic al .

If ou r youth were all fam iliarized with work in

J Li b rty Tadd 1 . e .
 LIN EAR DR A WIN G 87

school if it had been associate d in their min d s

,

with art an d d esign it is cer tain that all p r eju ,

d ice against i t as work would di sappear an d ou r

A merican child ren would have less an tipathy to
hand labor - .

We must remember however in conclusion , , ,

that whatever the technical value of d rawing or

its usefulness as an accomplishment i ts highest ,

value as Dr H ail m an n says lies in the respec t

,
.
,

ful loving nurture an d d evelopment which it gives

,
”
to the art imp ul se of the learner -
.

DR A W IN G as EDUCA TION I r s Paam m r VA LU E r n ovm) . .

I N GE RM A N S CH OO LS A N D FA cr oa ms Th e Un i ted S tates .

con su l at C h emn i tz h as b een m u ch im presse d wi th th e i m p or

ta t pl a whi h drawi g h l d i th h l f G rma y a d

n ce c n o s n e sc oo s o e n , n

ha m mari e d th r
s su l ts f h i z b rvati i a r p rt whi h
e esu o s o se on s n e o c

h ad j t b us p bl i h d b y th S tat D partm t
ee n u s e e e e en .

I v r k w th v al f d raw i g h wri te ti ll I am
n e e n e e ue o n ,
”
e s, c e

to G rma y e At M a nh i m i ts m a i g a a
. ti al part
n n e e n n s n e ssen

o f a G rm a ed ati h ad j t b g t daw
n e uc m onI aw us e un o n on e. s

i t i m p rta
s to th
o j w l ry trad at Pf r h im Th m r I
n ce e e e e o z e . e o e

st d i d th
u e q ti f G rma
e d ati
u es p i al l y t h i al
on o e n e uc on , es ec ec n c

e d ati th m r draw i g I f d I t i th b gi i g a d
uc on , e o e n ou n . s e e n n n n

en d f all t h i al d ati
o ec n c e uc on .

A g d k wl dg oo f d raw i g mak
n o a b y m r e f lt
e o n es o o e u se u o

hi m pl y r th a a y th r bra h
s e o e I t i b li v d h r th at
n n o e nc . s e e e e e

t b
o ab le t mak b il d a ythi g
e o m t b ab l first t
e or u n n , on e us e e o

d raw i t Th agai a d raw i g m ha i a ar y h m xa t

. en , n , n ec n c c n c r o e e c

i d a f th i g
e s o I t i th n t m t l y i Ch m i t b t
s seen . s e cu s o n o on n e n z , u

i
n e e v ry i ty I hav vi i t d th C ti t a d m r p iall y
c e s e on e on n en , n o e es ec

i Germ a y to
n d t trai ed d ra gh t m
n , t
sen xp si ti a d
ou n u s en o e o on s n

fai r f th p rp se f pyi g d ig
s or e u w ma hi
o t o co n es n s, n e c n e s, e c.

H w w ll th y h av d
o e th i r w rk i
e i th m a f a
e on e e o s see n n e nu c o

t
ur es o f Ai l a C hap ll C r f l d Pla
x Lei p i Ch m i t e e, e e , u en , s c, e n z ,

Fran kf rt a d B rli o , n e n .
88 L I N EAR D R A WIN G

p rta
Th e i m f thi t dy m ay b o i th m a y h r
n ce o s s u e se en n e n ou s

d v t d t i t fr m th ki d rgart t th
e o e o i v r i t y N0 th r
o e n e en o e un e s . o e

t dy i t h i al h l g t
s u n ec ma y h r n c m r ar f lsc o o s e s so n ou s or o e c e u

i tr t i
n s uc I day h l on v i g h l a d S d ay h l
. n sc oo s , e en n sc o o s, n un sc oo s,

i t i th s am thi g — d raw i g ! draw i g! drawi g! I t i a

e s e n n n n s n

ai d rath r th a a i j ry t th
e m m ry I t trai
n th m i d a
n n u o e e o . ns e n s

w l l a th y I t i a gr at a aid t th r a i g p w r
e s e e e . s s e n o e e s on n o e s

a i l gi
s s o m ath m ati c or I t i th v ry f b th O
e cs . s e e essen ce o o . n e

i al w ay d al i g w i th r l ati
s s m ak i g
e m p arin ki g e on s , n co s on s, see n

e xa t c n ess B id a . f th h arm i es a d b a ti f l i
es , sen s e o e on ou s n e u u s

d vl p d
e e o e .

What I wa t t p i t t i i t pra ti al v al n Th ag to o n ou s s c c u e. e en s

o f h i th U i t d Stat
o u se s w h h a t d th
n e hall f al i n e es o un e e s o s e n

R b ai x Ly
ou a d Tr y , t tw ty y ar ag w m
on s , n o es en or en e s o, n o co e

to C h m it Pl a
e C r f l d G ra a d Gl a h a
n z , I t wa f
u en , e e ,
e ,
n uc u. s or

m rl y f r w k i Ly
e ou Tr y a d ee tw
s day at n on s or o es, n on e or o s

Ch m it Cr f l d
e n Pl a
z , N w it i f r w k h r a d
e e , or u en . o s ou ee s e e, n

d ay i th Fr h t xti l
s n tr I d t ay that thi r m ark
e en c e e cen es . o n o s s e

ab l eha g i ti r l y d t d rawi g a d d ig i g b t I d
c n e s en e ue o n n es n n ,
u o

c l ai m th at a v ry l arg p art f i t i N am I ale i my e o s . or on e n

b li f th at drawi g m ay b a x ll t b ti t t f l gi a d
e e n e n e ce en su s u e or o c n

m ath m ati e f I f d aft r I h ad b g th i r p rt b k

cs, or ou n , e e un s e o , oo s

p bl i h d i G rm a y tai i g th am i d a
u s e n e n con n n e s e e s.

Th b t a xi l i ari t th i m agi at i
e es fa y a th dif
u es o e n on o r n c re e

f er ent tyl f d raw i g

s O a th r l ai m
es o i t a th b t ai d n . n e u o c s s e es

t t h i al kill f
o ec n trai i g th y th b t h l p t a ap p
c s or n n e e es , e es e o n re

c i ati f bj ti v a d p r p ti v f rm a d th appr i ati

on o o ec e n e s ec e o s, n e ec on

o f l i ght a d h ad w I t i al n r gard d a a gr at ai d t th
s o . s so e e s e o e

un d r ta di g t m tal m a ri g
e s n n ,
-
o en e su n .

I al w ay fi d t h i al t a h r th i a ti v r th bj t
“
s n ec n c e c e s en us s co e e su ec .

I k w wh at p i i
n o m a fa t r r h l d i r gar d t i t I k w
o n on s n u c u e s o n e o n o

h w ag rl y th
o e r ati e f Fr h fa y (fa ta i ) a d i m agi
e c e on s o en c n c n s e n

n ati aon pi d h r a d m ad h ap r th a i Fra a d l d

r e co e e e n e c e e n n n ce n so

al l v r th w rl d By a d b y w i th a wi d r d v l pm t f
o e e o . n ,
e e e o en o

thi a t G rm a y wi l l t d t g t Fra f i d a Wi th
s r ,
e n n o n ee o o o n ce or e s.

th p w r t p t d w
e o e p ap r th m y riad f rm f d i th
o u o n on e e o s ou n n e

f r t a d fi l d t m ak m bi ati t d pi t thi g
o es s n e s, byo e co n on s, o e c n s seen

th m i d y w ill m v l ti a d p rf t i d p d
’
e n s e e, co e n o e es n e ec n e en en ce.
 M
A HAN DFUL O F SI I L E S O N DI CTAT I ON
VE RSU S IN VE N T I O N

D I CTATI ON is the science ; invention the art of

applying the science .

Dictation furnishes the means ; invention is the

end .

Dictation is on e of those unobtrusive agents

which lie ou t of sight as the root does in the
,

gr oun d ; invention is the blossom The fruit is.

the conscious use of power in after years .

Dictation is the moving cause ; invention the

e ff ect.

Dictation is the text book ; invention works

-

through the book but clothes each word with new

,

meani n g It uses th e book merely f or a text an d

.
,

the sermon S houl d illuminate the text an d l ift i t

,

into a higher significance .

Dictation is the ladder on which to climb

invention the blue sky beyond .

Dictation is the eggshell the thing visible ; in

,

ven ti on the living thin g that issues therefrom ,

the life principle

-
.

Dictation furnishes an inwar d gui d e a govern ,

ing law ; invention l ifts it up an d chan ges it into ’

something higher than law If there is too much

.
9 0 A HAN D F UL OF SI MIL ES ’

law the higher powers are too full y employe d in

,

obeying it ,
creation languishes .

If an eggshell were too thick the principle of

,

life for the protection of which it alone existed

, ,

would be stifled .

Dictation is the letter ; invention the spirit .

It is the letter which i s in d anger of killing but ,

the S pirit giveth life .

All great achievements are the res u lt of pre

liminary discipline of mind h eart or body ex
, , ,

cept in the case of genius which i s am enable to

,

n o laws an d works accor d ing to no fixed theories ;

,

that sort of creative genius i s higher than law ,

an d can aff or d to do without it .

92 OB JE C TION S TO L I N EAR D R A WIN G

visible Shape corresponds but in a very li m ite d

way to what is in the child s mind It rather ’
.

suggests new things to the child than expresses

thoughts already his .

The Committee on K indergart en and on Form ,

Study and Drawing pres ent ed a report to the

,

Ne w Y ork Conference of E ducational Workers ,

as long ago as October 1889 in which the net , ,

work drawing was criticised as follows :

“
Drawing should be a means of thought ex
pression The ol d network sy stem of drawing
.

on checkered paper sho ul d be discarde d It is .

wrong in principle it cram ps execution prevents

, ,

consideration o f the drawing as a whole d ebars ,

the child from the free expression of thought ,

an d is at variance with all oth er work of th e

”
mod ern kind ergarten .

For thos e who still believe in linear drawing ,

however there i s a little hope in spit e

, ,

o f th e above criticisms and a few cham ,

pions y et re m ain to lead them agai n st

the foe Dr E S eguin although he criticis es the
. . .
,

b i lateral plan
- and the too symmetrical ex er
,
”
cises of kindergarten drawing defends as fol ,

lows th e u se of the network or the dot

From the standpoint of th e principles th ere ,

is only one true drawing that is fro m nature i n , ,

stead of from others drawings ; and two m ethods

’

( )
a one which l eaves th e fi eld or plan to draw

upon — a blank upon which the i m agination

 OB JEC TION S TO LIN EAR D R A WIN G 93

images and the han d traces the image ; (b) the

,

secon d method covers the plan with lines or

points of reference which serve as guides to the ,

eye an d han d Froebel ad opted this latter course

.
,

li kely the easier f or infan ts whose h an d alert at , ,

automatism is irresolute un d er the d ictate s of a

,

1 ”
yet co n fuse d imagination .

P rofessor T G Roop er in h is stu dy in prae

. .
,

tical psycholo gy called Drawing in Primary

,
”
Schools defends kindergar ten drawing very
,

warmly an d some of his remarks will be given

,

in full as h is opinion as co m ing qu ite from the

, ,

outside must at least be i m partial He says

, .

K indergarten d rawing on square rule d pape r is -

,

to begin with a happy and an absorbing occupa

,

tion ; were it no more it would be valuable for ,

this alone But it is much more Children can

. .

early learn from it what i s the use and meaning

of sym metry an d this without technical language
, .

The point to remember is that Froebel was ,

much intereste d in crystallography an d i ts con

n ecti on with geometric al forms A ll kin der gar .

ten d rawing which is not fo u n d e d on geometrical

forms is d ebased and not accord ing to the i d ea ,

of the foun d er Symmetry is not the same thing

.

as proportion but is of even greater practical

,

value in every day life It is my belief that

-
.

it is of great consequence to establish early in th e

min d of a chi ld conceptions of symmetry such as , ,

1 S
g i Ed ati p ag 169 e u n s
’
uc on , e .
94 OB JE C TION S TO LIN EAR D R A WIN G

I think drawing on square rule d paper leads to

,
-
.

We hav e seen how large a share the mi n d

has in combining the impressions which it r e
cei ves from the outside and we can understand
,

h ow important are the early images which a child

learns to construct for itself in interpreting i m
pressions Geometrical patte rns both in curved
.
,

and straight lines see m to me the be st foundation

,
”
for this all important sense of symmetry
-
Pro .

f e ssor Roop er also defends the drawing of curv es

on square ruled paper as the natural form is
-
,

based upon the geom etrical on e an d the regular

,

curves may be used as an introduction to the

artistic curves of growing and living forms such ,

as the bran ches of trees the veins of leaves or

, ,

the shape of f r uit .

There is another serious question however to , ,

Evi l Eff
ec s t be considered in using the network in
ii
i fi
ik i i drawing and that is the evil physio
,

logical an d psychological efiects of too fine work .

The size of the squares has grad ually increased

on kin d ergarten paper until n ow on e never sees

the checkeri ng of on e sixth an d even on e eighth

of an inch upon which linear drawing was so m e
,

times executed a d ozen years ago The squares .

n ow used are commonly on e fourth of an inch

in size but those kindergartners who continue to

,

u se the ne twork woul d probably be much more

nearly right an d certainly far safer if they i n

, ,

crease d the scale to a half or three quarters of an

96 O B JE C TION S TO L I N EAR D R A WIN G

and the motor nerves of hand and eye leading ,

to so m e strain in ey e and tendency to chorea

,

( if in subtl e for m ) in m uscular syst em .

The evil psychological e ff ect is just as certain

if not quite so obvious it tends to fix to ar r est
, ,

i m agery and thus produce that cramping e ff ect

,

which you speak of having noticed In holding .

attention to minute work there is certainly a ,

habit formed which thwarts attention of the free ,

easy flow it m ight otherwise attain The large .

flow of imagery is balked in being h eld down so

minutely and narrowly Free coarse work grad .

u all
y refining itself seems to
, me the law
This fi ne work it see m s to me calls attention
, ,

to technique bef or e the idea is formed therefore ,

disturb ing and hindering the growt h of the idea .

First the crude idea then the technique in order

,
”
to perfect the idea seems to m e th e law
, .

The only objection to be made to this opinion ,

so far as w e see at l east is that it is ,

01 ”
,

323 3
1
-
questionable whether children naturally
sti ti
n c ly
ve
m k p tty
a e e i ncl i ne to large movements and large
Fig ”
ur e

desi gns l n dr aw mg or whether on the , ,

contrary they do not instinctively make petty

,

“ ”
fi gures . Just so in the infanc y of a rac e as ,

Charles G Leland say s .

“
it perfects the petti
,

ness of illuminating manuscripts before designing

grandly To begin with large figures then if , ,

the above theory b e well founded would be to ,

contradict in that respect at least the parallel

, ,
 O B JEC TION S TO L IN EAR D R A WIN G 97

betwe en the development of the chil d an d the

race ; but there is no doubt that we may easily
make too much of thi s theory an d strive to carry
it farther than it shoul d legitimately go .

P ractically we can lay it do wn as a p r inciple ,

that the chil d wh o has been too long accusto me d

to short lines sm al l designs an d petty fi gures will
, ,

never be able to do the large free work which is

so valuable , so artistic an d so eff ective though
, ,

the reverse of the principle is as certain ly n ot

true for in this case as in al l others the greate r
, , ,

inclu d es the less .

 O UTL IN E DRAWING

Obj ects whi ch th e chil d cou l d m ov e whi ch w ere in si ght , ,

h e l ai d th e b oard o b
on ch tabl a d dr w th eir form s ,
r en ,
or e, n e on

th e pl an e s rfa e f ll ow i g th e b ou d ari es f th e O bj ts w i th
c , o n un o ec

h is h an d Soon sciss rs a d b x es b t soo

. al o l eav es a d o n o , u n , s . n

twigs even hi s own han d or th e sh adows of O bj cts w ill b e

, , e ,

thu s copi e d . FR FROBB E L . .

Th e En cycl ope dia Bri tan n i ca says th e

h il dr wh l ft t c en , en e o

th m l v d raw i
e se tli a d w k w that th arl y ra
e s, n ou n e, n e n o e e ces

di d Th Egy pti a
so . a d th a i t R ma
e d w rd ns n e n c en o n s u se o s

whi h xpr d th
c e pti th at drawi g w a d i l i
esse e con ce on n s on e n n e .

Th h i t ri al d v l p m t f d rawi g m ay al way b
e s o c e i
e o en o n s e se en n

th pra ti
e f h il dr c wh l ft t d aw f th i r w am
ce o c en en e o r or e o n us e

m t Th y b gi a th h m a ra
en . e b ga wi th fi m tli
e n s e u n ce e n ,
r ou n es

r pr ti g m a d a i m al
e e sen n al l y i pr fil Th
en xt n n s, u su n o e . e n e

thi g th y d if l ft t th i r w i ti t i t fill p th
n e o, e o e o n ns n c s, s o u e

spa m ark d
ce s so t w i th l r th bright t th y a g t
e ou co o s , e es e c n e .

Thi i g i
s prim i ti v a t
s en u n e e r .
”

Mat er i als f or O utl i n e Dr awi n g: S i m pl e f rmo s of an imal s,

fr i t fl w r g m tri al pla fig r
u s, o e s, eo e c n e u es , e t c .
, cu t fr m
o h avy e

l r d ar d b ar d bl a k a d l r d p
co o e c o c n co o e en cil s un r ule d p ap r e or

sl at es.

T HERE is perhaps no art which like drawing , ,

E th fi s
is at e
th e sa m
c
e time so purely aesthetic
ifil éfig
p
and so thoroughlye
practical It rewards .

“ Dm W’ g D
its devotee with equal b en eficen ce be
’

he artist or artisan It is of as much service .

to the man who designs a bookcase as to him ,

1 0
0 O U TLIN E D R A WI N G

ering lines and make thick strokes If it be a

, .

pleasure to h er to handle the p encil a real delight ,

to draw if only a row of lin es so long as they

, ,

are straight and regular then h er children will ,

find it a pleasure too and there will be inward , ,

and outward rejoicing in the drawing hour This .

love of drawi ng is a special bent of mind or

fingers better developed in so m e people than in
,

others but it can be cultivated to a great extent

, ,

and there is no reason why every kindergartn er

may n ot with sufficient trouble and study and by
, ,

the aid of the various methods at her com mand ,

make her children thorough little artists in the

bud .

Though the kindergarten system of drawing

d oes not profess to do more than lay the
Wh t K m a
d g t
r
er a foundat
eni on for future art i st i c work y et ,
D w mg
ra
sh ldou
mp h “
if properly
ao carr i ed ou t i n i t s vari ed
Oo .

branches it should and d oes accomplish

certain things .

The child who has spent three years in the

kindergarten should have good co m mand over his
fingers should be able to draw curved lines as
,

well as straight and mak e u se of both in sym

,

metrical design ; h e should have some conc eption

of color and its artistic use and have an idea , ,

however small of freehand dra wing ,

.

One common and well founded objection made -

to kindergarten drawing is that as it is com ,

m on l y used it does not make the children suf

,
 O U TLI N E D R A WIN G 0
1 1

ficien tly self dependent The network or dot .

, ,

has been considered invaluable as a guide to e y e

and fingers We hardl y thought we could teach
.

drawi ng to such little child ren without it an d by ,

i ts u se beautiful results were certainly aecom

p l i sh ed but we must reme m ber that it never was

intende d to be anything but an ai d an d when ,

the fingers had attain ed some dexterity it was ,

expected that we shoul d be able n ow an d then , ,

to dispense with it A child learns to walk

.
,

clin ging to its mother s han d ; he needs her ai d

’

and encouragement but surely there comes a time

,

when he may essay a f e w tre mbling steps alone ,

when he may let go h er hand and trust to hi s own

e ffo r t We sho u ld not then u se the network or
.

the dot so constantly as to hinder the ch ild from

ever taking a step alone .

Linear d rawing though it gives comman d o f

,

fingers correctness of eye kn owledge of straight

, ,

and curve d lines and power of combination an d

,

invention can scarcely be call e d save in these r e

, ,

s ects a preparation f or free h an d work Ther

p , e .

fore we need another branch of d raw V l f

, a ue o

ing which shall supple m ent the linear ,

giving what it lacks ; and this we find a d mira

bly supplied in outline d rawing This f or four .
,

reasons has not been su ffi ciently use d in many of

,

ou r kindergartens — First it is comparatively

, ,

di ffi cult to provi d e good patte rn s ; secon d they ,

are n ot at all d ur able being mad e of paste ,

10
2 O U TLIN E DR A WIN G

board ; third the work needs rather more ove r

,

sight for its proper perform ance than does the

lin ear drawing ; and fourth m any ki n der gar t , ,

ners hav e failed to appreciate its im portance Its .

value however i s recognized by Froebel when he

, ,

say s : Much is developed in the child by this

“

action more than it is possible to express ; he

,

gains by thi s clear co m prehension of the form ,

the possibility of repres enting the form separate

fro m the object the possibility of retaining the ,

form as such the stre n gth ening and fitting of the

,

arm and hand for the free representation of

”
form 1
.

Outline drawing is performed by means of a

H w it i
o
seris
e s of pasteboard patterns includi n g ,

9 10
61 1
1 1113
geom etrical form s forms of ani m al life , ,

household furniture etc each pattern being ,

.
,

carefully shaded and decorated by the kin der gar t

ner The pasteboard m odel is laid on paper
.
,

o r the unrul ed side of the kind ergarten slate ,

by the child who holds it in position an d marks

,

its outline When the outlin e has been drawn

.
,

he S hould add the various finishing touches after

the model in his possession this work bei n g n e ,

cessar il y freehand If it is a cat he m ust add .

,

e yes whiskers m arks to show th e division of the

, ,

f eet into toes etc if it is a leaf he must add the

,
.

stem the m idrib and the veins E very kinder

, ,
.

garten should possess full sets of th ese patterns ,

Ed ati 1
of Ma p ag 44 (Jarvi tra l ati )
uc on n, e s ns on .
 0
1 4 O U TL I N E D R A WIN G

needs but a magic touch to transform the circle

into a kitt en a Jack o Lantern a rabbit a sle ep
,
- -
, ,

ing bird a globe of goldfish a teakettle a su n

, , ,

hat a round ey ed m oon a down y chicken or the

,
-
, ,

head of an al m ond eyed Chinese baby -

.

The geo m etrical form s may also as has be en ,

sugge sted b e used in producing form s of beau ty

, .

The child makes really bea u tiful inventions by

placing th e patt ern in various positions and ,

tracing th e outlin e working according to the ,

connection of opposites and thus making a com ,

l te figure The form s of l if e are more di ffi

p e .

cult and complicated but the y may be caref u lly ,

graded and s ets k ept in stock for both older and

younger pupils For th e y ounger we may have
.
,

eggs of various S izes and kinds on which the spots

are to be plac ed si m ple leaves like the eucalyptus
, ,

where the midrib only is shown ; fruits vegeta ,

bl es pitchers cups teakettles hats bells flower

, , , , , ,

pots etc ,
.

For the older ones we may have any pattern , ,

V ri ti f
a e
not too
es o
delicate or di ffi cult which ou r ,
P tt r
a e n s.
brains may devi s e and our fingers serve
to work ou t In the insect world bees an d but
.
,

ter fli e s beetles an d dragon fli es are e asy of

,
-

accomplishment ; ducks and geese swans and ,

ostriches birds resting and flying when d rawn

, ,

on a moderately large s cale can b e successfully ,

outlined fish and reptiles pigs and horses dogs , ,

an d cats many kinds of leaves and the simpler

,
 O U TLIN E D R A WIN G 10
5

flowers can all be drawn if the child has p r ac

,

tice d the simpler m od els well an d been trained to

,

be exact in his work and careful of his patte rn .

If he has been al lowed to drop his simple mo del

on the floor without rebuke to convey it to his
,

mouth in temporary abstraction or use it as a ,

weapon against his neighbors you may be sure ,

he will do the same with the ani mal or the leaf

it has taken you half an hour to prepare for him .

So at the very fi rst lesson we should insist upon

great care in the use of these patterns sin ce with ,

the best of treatment they do not long remain in

goo d condition .

When the child is su ffi ciently ad vance d an d

h as drawn the outline of the pattern a C o n cti on n e
w i th F
number of ti mes he should lay i t on e h d p m
, an
r ee
.
.
i g n
sid e an d try to sketch it his eye being
,
'

the only guide ; while later on he should try to ,

d raw it from memory This is an important step

.

toward freehan d drawing an d is real ly n ot so

,

difficult f or the chil d as might at fi rst appear .

There is great d anger in giving indiscrimi nate

praise in all this work Undoubte dl y the child
.

should be encourage d an d his efforts appreciated ,

but there is no reason why he should be told his

work is beautiful when it bears no resemblance
-
,

to the pattern he is Oopying If he makes a .

vertical line as straight as an arrow through

, ,

the mi ddle of a geranium leaf an d on either side

,

draws slanting lines that look like nothing but

10
6 O U TLI N E D R A WIN G

h erri n g bones in what respect are these like the

-
,

beautiful curving v eins of the leaf itself ? If

“ ”
w e tell hi m his work is beautiful why should ,

“
he try to do better n ext time ? Is n ot beauti
ful quite well enough
Nor should we hurry him in this outline work ,

but rath er hold him back His natural desire . ,

“ ”
appears to be to get his paper full and have ,

another pattern as soon as possible It is ou r .

plac e to inculcate such maxim s as Haste makes

Waste Q uality not Q uantity It is not ab so
, .

l u tely essential that he S hould draw ten leaves as

quickly and as carelessly as possible an d then ,

e xchange his pattern with his n eighbor but it ,

is essential that h e should dra w one leaf moder

at ely well and at least slowly and with care We
, .

som eti m es content ourselves with too little in o u r

labors with the children They can do really .

good and artistic work and that Without over ,

sti m ulation or pushing but if we are content with

,

less than th eir best we shall always get just that

, ,

and nothing m ore .

It is th e first st eps which cost in the kinder

garten If we ar e untiring in ou r efior ts to make
.

the children neat and carefu l during their first

year of s y stematic education then neatness and ,

carefulness will grow to be second nature with

them and having sown the good s eed we shal l
, ,

find it springing up and b l ossoming in a thousand

lovely forms .
10
8 O U TLIN E D R A WIN G

outlin e them in their position on the table When .

he is giv en a leaf show him how to m ake th e

,

branch and l et h i m draw a nu m ber of leaves in

,

various positio n s attaching them to the branch at

,

proper distances This work m ay be very well

.

done w ith the natural leaves when the childre n ,

are so m ewhat advanc ed and are beginning to ,

have an idea of freehand drawing They have .

already some co mm and of their fingers and pen

cil an d can hold th e leaf in position and trace its
,

outline without tearing the delicate e dge Single .

flowers can be v ery prettily done Th e si n gle .

d ahlia the wild rose the marguerite th e si n

, , ,

f gzg
n
r
ig
v
fi g
gle sunflower
n
; in fact any flow er h av

Fl w r
o ing on e row of petals radiating from a
e s

round or oval centre can easily b e drawn E ach

, .

child is given a m odel the size and shape of

th e centre of the flowe r and al so a m odel of ,

on e of the petals Having draw n th e c entre he

.
,

can move the pattern of th e petals around in r eg

ular order until all ar e drawn and can after ,

ward add the ste m and leav e s according to su g

gestion When the children can do the leaf and
.

flower work with com parative ease on the slates ,

they m ay use paper and colored pencils filling in ,

the outlin e with the appropriate color This of .

,

course is a delightful ex ercise an d afior ds a

, ,

good opportunity for artistic e ff ects in color .

This work may also be co m bined with paper

cutting Th e children m ay draw the leaves an d
.
 O U TL IN E DR A WIN G 10
9

flowers on the proper colore d paper afterward s ,

cu tting them ou t and d ecorating them and past

ing them in their books of school work .

Outline drawing being an absolutely flexible

occupation there i s n o reason why it
,
C ti on n ec on

should n ot be relate d whenever gi ven DfrOwtl i

, ,
o u ne

to the other work of the week an d thus With idi

a n
« e:
w rk ,
o .

aid in strengthening the d esire d impres

sions E nough patte rns can be fashioned to suit
.

any thought which the kin d ergartner d esires to

express and thus the han diwork of the chil d b e
,

only another note in a strong harmonious chord ,

instea d of the touch upon a single string i n com ,

l ete in itself an d relate d to nothing else

p .

Al l this work of course d eman d s carefulness ,

pati ence an d perseverance on the part

,
D m d f e an s o
of k i ndergartner and ch i l d As f or the th W rk e o
Ki d r
.

m
on n e
ki n d ergartner sh e must ever be shod
sh
u
,

wi th the shoes of patience an d clad with

the garment of perseverance She kn ows that .

in all work in proportion as the resul t is bean

,

tiful an d artistic so the e ff ort use d to prod uce it

,

must have been long continued There is no .

royal road to learn ing nor has on e ever been,

found to manual dexterity Continued practice .

is necessary until the hand and fin gers have b e

come trained into good habits into rapid u n con , ,

scious response to the dictates of the mind .

Outline drawing is a very simple occupati on it ,

i s true but it is valuable in various ways an d in

, ,
110 O U TLIN E D R A WIN G

order that the child may gain real goo d from it ,

the kindergartner must exercise constant care

that he does his best and that the models sh e
,

sets before him are well made and well chosen

- -
.

If sh e attends to these essentials and if the

,

atmosphere of her kin dergarten is a serene an d

harm onious on e with no hurry or worry or fret
,

fulness or fever about it then all things conspire

,

together for the child s bene fit and in this as in

’
,

all other occupations the man ual and ment al

results obtaine d will be really beautiful an d sat
i sfyin g
.
112 CIR C UL AR DR A WI N G
“
the subject of drawing : Little of this can be
d one in the kindergarten because the fi ngers are ,

still too weak Stick lay ing takes the place of .

-

drawing and the making of ci r cl es with the slate

,

pencil of which the children are so fond ; and

,

this can be carried to the repres entation of si m ple

form s of l eaves and flowers In another plac e
h e shows quite elaborat ely how the child through ,

the sketching of all kinds of curvilinear r ep r e

scutations in the sand or dust or on a window ,

pane covered with a film of moistur e at last ,

re aches drawing as such of lin es and he adds , , , ,

“
d istinctly of th e cu r ved li n e fir st an d af ter
,
”
w ar ds Qf th e s tr ai gh t l i n e 1
.

Miss Mar wedel s system of circular d rawing ’

w as describ ed by her under the name of

Th m
w dl Sy;
t
e e Childhood s Poet r y and Studies in the ’

ciii f
t
e’ ’’
n x ar Life Form and Colors of Nature , , ,

the whole scheme however embracing , ,

exerc i ses with the first and s econd gifts circular ,

sewing and plays with the ellipsoids and with the

,

colored wooden rings which sh e term ed Baby s ,

’

Ri n gol ettes It is based upon the strength of

.

her feeling that the S i m plest form s of nature

which surround the child are earli est co m pre
hended by him and first awaken the wish of ,

i m itation E ducation must avail itself of this

.

”
fact sh e said not with the heaping together of
, ,

externally gi ven words stifling all individual

W N H ail m a Th Ki d ga t M g O t b r 1882
1 . . nn , e n er r en . essen er , c o e , .
 CI R C UL AR D R A WI N G 113

conception but by activity whi ch le ads to true ,

knowledge This is of course the purest kin

.
, ,

der gar ten doctrine and the whole system seems ,

to follo w out quite perfectly Fr oeb el s suggestions

’

in regard to the use of the curve .

“
In a li ttle pamphlet entitled A System of ,
”
Child Culture Miss Marwedel thus describes ,

her circular d rawing and we give the descr i p ,

tion in full as the original is n ow diffi c ul t to o h

,

ta i n
I . Th e Sp h er e D i vided . In to h al ves, quarters, g
se

m ents, h oll ow, ncentri c h emispheres an d th e ovoid

co ,

i n th e sp h ere T h is b ri gs b efore th e ey e of th e ch il d
. n

a s eries of geom etri cal b ases of p l ant f o r m s s u ch as -

,

th e calyx th e op en flower b l ossom an d l eaves wh il e

, , , ,

th e ci cl e m ay serve to co n vey a pi cture of th e i n er

r n

stru ctu e of tr ees an d b ran ch es

r Th e parts ar e to b e .

co i ed in cl ay in em ent or b y draw i n a d s h din

p c , g n a g
,

f om th e m odel s
r .

II . M th e odical Maki n g an d Ap p l ica t io n f

o the
Ci r cl e . form s givi g vi ews of th e circl e as h ot
Use n ,

tl es l ids rings of diff erent sizes In makin g th e circl es

, , .

th e ch ild m ay at first u se com p ass es and late r eye ,

m easurem en ts .

1
( ) F in d in g th e ce n tr e of t h e pap er .

()
2 M a k in
g th e ce ntr e wit h a dot .

3
( ) P l acing a ring or circul ar f or m on th e pa er
p ,

cen tre to centre .

( )
4 T r ac in g t h e cir c u l ar f or m w it h p en cil — to b e
don e w ith th e l eft h a d as w ell as th e ri gh t All th ese
n .

ex ercises to b e executed at first on th e b l ack b oard th en ,

114 CI R C UL AR D R A WI N G

on r with b l ack
a
p p e , an d fin al ly with col o ed r p e ncil on

drawi g p ap ern .

Ser ies A .

For ms o
f K n ow l edge .

Maki g ir cl e a d fill i g it with l ines

n th e c dr awn n n ,

eith er f r m th e circu m f e en ce to th e cen tr e or th e r e

o r ,

ve se Use of b oth h a ds Th is exe cise devel op s

r . n . r

th e m u ch n eeded flexi b il i ty of th e w i st r .

Maki gth e cir l e i th ree si es f or com p arison

n c n z .

Ap p lyi g th e th r ee p rim a y col ors

n r .

I nven ti ons .

Ser i es B .

For ms of K n ow l edge .

C om p ari son b etw een e xe r c ses i 1 an d 2 in Seri es A .

Maki n
g co n cen tric circl es .

Ap p lyi n g th e thr ee secondary r

col o s.

Inv en ti on s .

Ser i es 0 .

Com p ari son of e xercise 2 (Seri es B) with e xercises

1 an d2 (Seri es A) .

Mak ing th e circl e divid ed fr om

, th e cen tr e by e
y e

m easu re .

App lyin g th e th ree terti ary col o s r .

I n ven ti on s .

Ser i es D .

I n dividual an d coOp er ati ve invention s , us ing col ored

circl es , h alf-cir cl es, etc .

Ser i es E .

Four Ch arts on th e O rigin of Secon dary an d Ter

ti ar y Col ors .
116 C I R C UL AR D R A WIN G

Much practice is required before the little child

can hol d even the three inch wooden disk firmly -

in place trace its outline and then fill it into a

, ,

circle working from circum ference to centre with

, ,

round and round movements of th e pencil The .

t wo inch disk is next to b e conquered then the

-
,

o n e inch using successively the re d

-
,
yell ow and , ,

blue crayons and lastly the three S izes drawn

,

together f or com parison first in vertical th en in,

horizontal lines touching each other Now sim

, .

l e inventions in the thre e sizes and colors ar e

p
attempted an d then com parison m ad e between
,

the three circles arranged concentrically the ,

colors of orange gre en and purple n ow being

, ,

introduce d Miss Marwedel considers these on

.
,

the Newton and Brewster theory as the second ,

ary colors and provid es for a s eries of exercis es

,

with overlapping circles which Show that a coat ,

ing of the red crayon laid over the yellow will

produce a more or less recognizable orange .

No w the broken ring or half circle which gives -

th e fi rst id ea of the end (or bud ) co m es into u se ,

and the inventions grow much m ore elaborate as ,

it is possible to use thre e size s of circles three ,

of half circles and the six colors

-
, The next se .

ries of exercis es takes up the regular separation of

th e circle into halve s thirds fourths fifth s and
, , , ,

sixths the si x colors b eing used in succession

, ,

an d the orderl y fractional divisions being i n

tended to prepare for a corresponding division

 CIR C UL AR DRA WI N G 117

in the petals of flowers The three te r ti ar y col .

or s citr ine russet and olive are n ow applie d in

, , , ,

1
a series of exercises an d inventions both in d i ,

vi d ual an d coop erative are provide d f or , .

A ll this work in colors upon complete curves ,

broken curves circles and hal f circles is NM ,

-
,
O hm“
preparatory as Miss Marwed el said to, ,

a stu dy of the life form an d colors of Nature , , .

We now enter upon na ture work takin g up first ,

the frui ts as being attractive in appearance ple a ,

san tl y known to all chil d ren an d most closely ,

connecte d with the ball F ir st the sphe r e must .

b e stu di e d however and d rawn from the object

, ,

itself an d as this i s the fi rst time that atte n

,

tion h as been d irecte d to light an d shad e some ,

patience will be require d as well as con sider a p

ble practice before the fun d amental principles

of shad ing are discove r ed an d the chil d ren h ave ,

learne d how they may turn a flat d i sk into a ve r i

table ball with softly roun de d si d es The time .

an d pains spent here however are fitl y bestowe d , , ,

f or all the beauty an d val ue of the subsequent

d rawing d epen d s upon h ow well these fun d a
mental principles are taught an d h ow well they ,

ar e un d erstoo d an d practice d .

When the sphere can be d rawn in a tolerably

1
Th e x r i a arra g d a rdi g t th N wt
se e e c ses re n e cco n o e e on an d
B r w t r th ry a d d av r t h w th f rm ati
e s e eo , n en e o o s o e o on of th e
t rtiari
e i tri
es , ( ra g a d gr
c ) r t ( ra g a
ne o n e n een , usse o n e n d vi o
l t) li v (gr
e , o a d vi l t )
e een n o e .
118 CI R C UL AR D R A WI N G

satisfactory m anner the fruit nearest it in shape

,

is to be studied the childre n s electing it th em

,

selves and generally agreeing at o n ce upon the

orange Of course the blending and overlaying
.

o f colors and the shading are more elaborate her e ,

as w ell as the stroke of th e pencil which differs ,

from the absolutely circular move m ent used in

maki n g the disk and all these are alway s to be
,

studied from the natural object Then another .

nearly spherical fruit the peach f or instanc e is

, , ,

r epresent ed and so on through a series of fruit

,

studi es E ach of these is drawn within a circl e of

.

suitable size that i ts approach to and departure

,

from the geom etric outline may be clearly noted ,

-
i t is repres ented in the natural size and studied
from the natural object .

Vegetables next occupy the fi eld always lead ,

ing the children first to select the on e m ost nearly

spherical then to handle it and study its varied
,

tones of color and its distinctive peculiariti e s of

form E ach vegetable is still represented within
.

the circle for the obj ect of the entire syste m is

,

to show that from that form all else in nature

is evolved The pencil stroke again d i ffers her e
.
,

and the reason why we may no longer draw ex

”
actly round and round or from top to bottom , ,

is easily found ou t b y a little study of the surface

of the beet or the turnip .

The repres entation of flowers in the circular

d rawing system begins as in all the other series
, ,
120 CIR C ULAR D R A WI N G

wed el has never atte m pted anything of this kind

, ,

but there seems no r eason why an anim al series

shoul d not follow the botanical form s an d be ,

much enjoyed by the children of the connecting

class for instance Many young ani m als when
, .
,

quiet or asleep rese m ble sph eres as closely as

,

do the fruits ; witness for instanc e the downy , ,

chicken the yellow fluffy gosling the kitten or

, , , ,

the rabbit There are a variety of picture books

.
-

for chil d ren which make use of this res emblance ,

and show by a few slight touches the trans

, ,

formation of a ball into a drowsy cat or the rear ,

view of on e intently watching a m ous e hole of -

,

the mouse hi m self of a long eared rabbit of a ,

-
,

lam bkin a squirrel a baby bear a puppy a

, , , ,

turtle a bird asleep on his perch a globe fish

, ,
-
,

a pouting pigeon a hedgehog or a porcupi n e , , .

“ ”
The Nim ble Penni es a s eri e s of sketches by ,

Boz ,
lately publish ed in Little Men and
”
Women give many us eful suggestions for this
,

work and the m ajor part of the designs in The

,

Magic P ear 1
could be appropriated f or circular
drawing In these the pear is successively trans
.

form ed into an elephant a m ouse a dog s h ead , ,

’
,

a roost er an owl a cat a duck swi m min g a vvi de

, , , ,

mouthed fish a frog a robin an d a rabbit and

, , , ,

on e change is quite as e asil y eff e cte d as another ,

apparently Older children wo ul d greatly enjoy

.

depicting this animal s eries and it would n ot be ,

Th M
1 agi P ae d ig b y Mrga J S w
c e r y,
es ns o n . een e .
 CIR C UL AR D R A WI N G 121

at al ldi fficult to procure livin g m odels of so m e

o f the above sugg estions an d coax the m into su f
,

fici en t quietude for a has ty sketch .

One objecti on to be made to circular drawi ng ,

though this do es not apply to the sys P ss ib l e o

tem itself but to its application is the

, ,

D m g r n
fact that the drawing and coloring of ’

the fruits leaves flowers etc is so often done

, , ,
.
,

from copies and n ot from the objects The whole .

intent of the work is obviously to lead the child

to the appreciation and interpretati on of nature ,

an d this object is never gaine d by interposing a

copy between Nature s handi work and the in ter

’

preter The rud est colored sketch of a pe ach

.
,

which the child makes from the peach itself is ,

worth imm easurably more than the finely exe

outed copy of a pictured peach Such copies as .
,

P rofessor T G Roop er says soon become deeply

. .
,

engraven on the memory an d supplant the more

,

accurate mental images formed by the conte mpla

tion of the object ; and secondly they form a
, ,

kin d of moul d into which all fresh observations

ar e run and thus pre vent the child from gaining
,

n ew knowledge even by a pro longed study of the

,

obj ect The imperfect mental i m age hin ders the

.

acquisition of knowled ge partly by preventing,

an y attention being pai d to especial features or ,

features n ot previously obse rved and partl y ,

beca u se through mental laz iness the fa m iliar

, ,

ment al and conventional image of the object su p

122 CIR C UL AR D R A WIN G

plants the fresh image before it has had any

permanent eflect The child looks and learns
.

nothing Eyes he has but he cannot see

.
, .

Is there n ot also a certain obj ection to the

, ,

somewhat analytic method which studies and

represents on e single flower and on e single leaf
by the m selves without regar d to their connection ?
,

Sho ul d not the process of drawing be rather a

synthetic one and show the flower and leaf to
,

gether as they grow upon the stem ?

,

Lastly is not the smallest drawing pattern

,

on e inch in diam eter — so m ewhat too small and ,

wo ul d not the s eri es of three disks be materially

improved for the use of little children if the size ,

were increased fro m on e half to on e inch ? All

these questions are put tentatively an d may be ,

answered by each kindergartner f or herself .

A famous E nglish artist has spoken of the 1

1 : kindergarten in words which apply quite

2
7

3335113
1

Dr w i g
a perf ectly to circular drawing
n . The .

“
Froebel sy stem he says teaches children by , ,

forms before they can rea d and write and I b e ,

lieve it is right The more you te ach children

.

to look for b eauty around the m the more the y ,

will think of it in later life Then let us open .

their eyes to the beauty of nat u re and l et the m ,

find joy in for m and color It will b ear fruit as .

,

throughout life they will be guided by taste and ,

”
art an d industry will profit b y it .

La r Al m a Tad ma R A
1 u en ce - e ,
. .
124 CIR C ULAR DR A WING
simplicity of its laws let us lead the child to
,

u se its relation to all that exists in order to ,

create in the unity of right seeing right d oing , ,

and right knowing the poetry of childhood foun d

,

1 ”
in Nature s great alphabet of form
’
.

1 Em ma Marw d l Ki d ga t
e e ,
M g O t b r 1882
n er r en essen er , c o e , .
 FREE HAN D AN D NAT URE DR AWIN G

“
I t is th e fa l t
u of all cu rr ten tm sys e s of d raw i ng a th t th
ey

l imi t th e y ou thf l u m i n d to smal l i v ti n en on s . All w h o p r o

p ose to t eac h or l ea r n ar t in a y f
n m h or s ou l d se r i ou sl y con si d e r
f r ee han d as th e tr ue k ey to all i t pra ti
s c ce . I t is a r t
g ea sti m u
l an tt qo ui c k
n ess o f p r pti
e ce on .
”
C HA S . G L E LAND
. .

see ms to be suppose d by some critics upon

IT
kin dergarten d rawing that Froebel con “ w h “ , o

fined h i s plans for the occupation ex B fifif m

‘ r

elusively to that d epartment of the art f w RE P

(l
a ,

m m ”
which coul d be executed upon the net
or checker work and whi ch would le ad even tu ,

ally to designing while giving ideas of symmetr y ,

and regularity an d th e d evelopment of geometric

form That this is n ot so however is e vi d ent to
.
, ,

any on e who will read his writings carefully an d ,

note that h e explicitly states that af ter the pupil

h as ma d e the require d pro gress in the p r eli m i
naries then perspectiv e d rawing appreciation of
, ,

light an d shad e an d d ra wing from nature will ,

follow .

As a matter of fact these have n ot followe d i n

most cases an d many drawing te ac hers mm
, ,

have even gone so far as to say that

p r p r ti e a a on
kindergarten d rawing absolutely u n fits f Fr or ee
m d WM“
.

u
the chil d for working from nature .
126 FR EEHAN D AN D N A T UR E DR A WIN G
That there is good cause for such a criticism in
some quarters at least n ot even the willfully blind
,

can d eny but it may well be asked how much of

,

this u n fitn ess results from the sy stem and how ,

much from the interpreter Many kindergartners .

have aug m ented all the bad features of the Froe

b el drawing by u sing to o small ch ecker work ;
by giving p etty trivial figure s in dictation there
, ,

b y filling the child s mind with petty i m ages by

’

detaining him so long on one kind of line as to

give a per m anently cram ped position of the hand
by using the linear drawing only to the exclu ,

sion of the other m ethods and by deferring until

,

v ery late in the kindergarten course or not intro ,

du ci n g at all the curved lines w hich ar e so valu

,

able for later school work and for sketc hi ng and ,

so satisfying to the child There is of cours e no

.
, ,

need for any of these abuses but no person of ,

experience can deny that they have been the rule ,

rather th an the exception in linear drawing

,
.

So far as the network is concerned it was ,

merely intended as an aid to eye an d fingers when

these were too weak and unpracticed to carry
ou t the d i ctates of the mind and if used merely as ,

an aid and for preli m inary exercises would prob

, ,

ably do n o harm but on the contrary be quite

,

useful if the scale upon which it was constructed

w as large enough not to injure the eye or require ,

too delicate movements of the hand and fingers .

It seems undeniable however that drawing b y

, ,
128 FR EEHAN D AN D NA T URE DRA WI N G
It i s easier say s Mr Ch arles G Leland to
, . .
,
“

learn to draw well than to write well and there is ,

no child who would n ot do both adm ira

d fi d
e n e '
bly if it were obliged fro m the fi rst hour
to use f r eeh an d that is to say to control the pen ,

o r pencil from the sho u l d er allowing the arm to ,

rest on the table j ust enough to prevent fatigue .

To adopt such a method of drawing in the kin

der gar ten if it i s practicable would c e rtainly sat
, ,

i sf y the ph y siologist and the psy chologist would ,

co m e nearer to suiting the artist and would me et ,

with no disapproval from those who feel that the

object of kinde rgarten drawing is not the i m it a
tion of art form s but the cultivation of artistic
-
,
”
self expression
-
.

The great argum ents ad vanced by the cham

Fi t E
rs
pions
x er
of fr e ehand drawing or plastic ,
i i n
c ses
Fr h an d
ee drawing as it is sometimes called are ,
m i g n
that in the natural order of mental de
‘

vel op m en t synth etic exercis es should co m e before

,

analytical mass before d etail and the whole b e

, ,
”
fore its elem ents Children says Mr Court .
, .

hope Bowen and a great many adults also do

, ,

not see outlines at all at first or only very di m ly ,

.

Things appear to th em as m asses of color or

light and shade with edges not by any means ,

sharply defined We should begi n with mass e s .

of color and light and shade and work gradually ,

towards improvem ent of outline at least so it ,

”
seems to some of us .
 FR EEHA ND AN D N A T URE DRA WING 129

These arguments seem to be borne ou t by the

spontaneous drawings of children so far as these
have been studi ed the results of special observa
,

tions in this line by several p ai dol ogi sts proving

,

that you ng children (five years and under) do

not regard d etails in things but look upon them
,

as wholes capable of being put to some practical

u se
.
”
Our own experi ments in a d iff erent line
have gone to prove the correctness of the observa
tions by showing that very young children natu
rally concern themselves little about the size or
form or color of an object or animal but very
, ,

much about what it can do an d what it i s goo d

for.

The first exercises in freehan d d ra wing are

upon circles thus connecting with the stu dy of
,

the sphere The child shoul d b e carefully traine d

.

in th e position of han d an d pencil an d paper and ,

know before the d rawi ng begins what he is ex

c ted to do an d the manner in which it i s to be
p e

done It is well f or the teacher first to draw a

.

n u mber of circles u pon the blackboar d so that all

m ay watch the round an d round movement of the
chalk in some kindergarten s the chil d ren execute
all the fi rst exercises on the blackboard as it is ,

thought that they thus become accustome d fr om

th e beginning to larger freer move ments
, It is.

well also in the beginning to practice circ ul ar

movem ents in the air in time to m u sic or a song
, .

One might suppose that it woul d b e very easy f or

13 0 FREEHAND AN D NA T URE DR A WIN G
child ren to make approximately perfect circles in
this manner but partly because the y have never
,

observe d the form closely and partly because ,

their hands are untrained th ey co mm only pro ,

duce at first parallelograms ellipses polygons

, , , ,

or strange am orphou s blur s and unint elligible

scratches E ven the circular move m ent of the p en
.

cil is n ot easily learned and must be practic ed so

,

often that it b eco m e s necessary in ord er to avoid ,

m onotony to join with the work

, as Froebel ad
vised i n the K ind ergarten Wesen the ex
p l an ator
y word that speaks to the m ind or the ,
”
clearing rejoicing word of song
,
Color may also .

add its magic touch here and make the work all
golden to the child He may have bright chalks
.

for the blackboard and crayons or powdered pas

,

tels and stu m ps f or the paper the color being ,

us ed if considered desirable as a legiti m ate r e

, ,

ward for e ff ort and i m provement .

If the circles are drawn on paper each e ffort ,

should be discuss ed and compared with oth ers to

see whether the form is in the middle of the
paper wh ether it is of an appropriat e size and
,

has a proper margin wh ether the circular form

,

is approached or reach ed an d w h eth er the d esired

,

stroke has been kept throughout The child tak es .

great d elight in his own i m prove m ent and if his ,

practice pap ers ar e kept and shown h i m from l es

son to lesson he will observe with pride his stead y
,

climb round by round up the ladder of progress

, ,
.
13 2 FR EEHAND A ND NA T UR E DRA WING
top and som etimes is n ot conn ected with it at
,

all ; though the fact that it is always con sp i cu

o u sl y drawn somewhere on the paper is proof ,

that it is seen and considered important Re .

eated effort is necessary h ere co m parison with

p ,

th e teacher s ball and with the balls of other

’

children before it i s properly drawn and even

, ,

th en it is a circle with a string and not a sphere , .

Th e gradations of light and shade which are ,

ne eded to make it look spherical are much more ,

di fficult and can only be represented ap p r ox i

,

mately b y little children Som e kindergartners

.

prefer a fruit a rosy apple for instance — i n

, , ,

st ead of a ball for this first sketching as the ,

variety in color is more attractive and the gloss ,

on its rounded sides makes the high light m ore

easily seen If the kindergartner uses a reading
.

glass to focus the rays more perfectly it will be ,

an illum ination to the children as well as to the ,

apple and if the fruit be placed on white paper

,

th e shadow will be seen m ore easily A great .

m any exp eriments will be made here before satis

factory results can be obtained for it is essential ,

that in various playful way s the kindergartn er

, ,

shou l d le ad the children to see f or th em selves

the ligh t and the shadow and not point it ou t ,

to the m or indicate in so many words the fault

,

in the sketch We may of cours e use parti

.
, ,

colored apples as well as red for this first work ;

, ,

but it is easier to see the light on a d ark red fruit -

 FREEHAND A ND NA T UR E DRA WING 13 3

than on a yellow on e f or instance Then follow , .

pears tomato es oranges etc and any vegetables

, , ,
.
,

which are approximately round and regular and ,

by and b y if we have patience we shall be aston

, ,

i sh ed at the truth with which the child represents

simple objects After a year s traini n g the child
.
’
,

of five y ears draws quite w ell and with expr e s ,

sion flowers an d fruits an d leaves an d other

, , , ,

simple objects as a vase or a cu p to hold the

,
s

blossoms a flower pot with its growing plant or

,
-
,

a bunch of cherries with its leaves It is th e eas .

ier to teach the child to d raw in this m ann er b e ,

cause he is entirely without the embarrassment of

”
knowle dge whi ch as the artists say so perverts
, , ,
”
the appearance of things and therefore draws ,

from what he sees and not fro m what he knows ,

.

All the other occupations and gift work of the

kindergarten are so many aids to d raw
A i t ss s an ce
m g f or they all culti vate ob ser vatl on
,
f th r
,
o o e
K d g in er ar
d evelop the aestheti c nature and tram tm Wmrk t ,
en o o
g '

the h an d th e eye and th e mind Model

, ,
.

ing is of particular value in this regard for by ,

handling the soft clay the child makes the very

obj ect which he subsequently draws and so learns ,

to know as he could in n o othe r way its distin o

, ,

tive peculiarities of form We have no con cep .

tion until we have tri ed to model an object how

, ,

little w e ever knew about it tho u gh we m ay have ,

l o oked at it every day of ou r lives si n ce child

hoo d Mo d eling cutting and drawi ng are now
.
, ,
13 4 FREEHA ND AND NA T URE DRA WING
used as means of expression in th e m ajority of
ou r schools and the res u l ts ar e ful l of promise ,

to those who b elieve in spontaneity rath er than

imitation .
1

Freehand drawing howe ver whether it be us e d , ,

as an introduction to design p r to th e ,
Th t e ru e

r e r e sen tatl on of natural ob ects

£2233;
f
p 1 o
j re ,

quires a teacher who thoroughly under

stands at least the elem entary principles
of art Sh e h as no traditions to follow no ab so
.
,

lute and form al s y stem to cling to and so much ,

depends u pon her judgm ent and experience an d

taste and artistic f eeling that it is i m possible for ,

her to teach drawing as it should be taught u n ,

less sh e can draw well herself 1

Fortunately we .
,

can all learn the art more or less succ essfully if ,

we begin early enough b u t if the years have gone

by and left us absolutely without capacity f or this
mode of thought expression it is b etter to i n -
,

trust this departme n t of our work to some on e

who does un derstand it .

1 “ Th e on l y text b o k fr
whi h m ay b l ar d thi fi - o o m c e e n e s n e

a t r f ov ri g arti ti xpr i t li ttl hil dr i th at

u n co e n s c e ess on o e c en , s

of th i p i rati al a d
e th i a ti i t rpr t r
n s onwh i a n en us s c n e e e , on e o s

d v t t th a
e o ee f al l th at i tr
o tr ti v a d f g d
e c u se o s u e , con s uc e, n o oo

r p t Th a t f l i g m
e u e . t thr
e gh v l ti ary
r ee n co es n o ou e o u on or

h r di tary pr
e e b t thr gh r v l ati Th t a h r w h
o cess es , u ou e e on . e e c e o

h a th s xq i i t wi d m t d t t th b ddi g g i a d th
e e u s e s o o e ec e u n en u s, n e

fai th t awai t i t bl m i g w ith g tl appr iati

o h i a
s osso n en e ec on ,
s e s

r v l at r Th r i
e e p at t m th d f
o . h t a hi g a d
e e s n o en e o or su c e c n ,
n

th t a h r a th hil dr
e e c
fri d i th
e , sl y pra ti e c en s
’
en , s e on c ce

(Am al i H f r )
”
m a al nu . e o e .
13 6 FREEHAND A ND NA T URE DRA WING
hand n earl y if not quit e as well as the oth er an d ,

neith er make objection to doing so nor sho w less ,

ability in the right hand in consequenc e whil e ,

marked i m provem ent results in other directions .

Linear drawing can b e quite easily done with

th e left hand but p erhaps the b est fi eld for it is
,

the blackboard where the children have room for

,

large designs and can work first with on e hand

, ,

then with the oth er and fi nally use both in a ,

series of exercis es .

The correct holding of the fingers and of the

hand for the free u se in drawing requires a
, ,

533 2
8
1
; corr e spondingly corr e ct fr ee use of th e

C hi l dr
en
whole right arm ; this requires again ,

indispensably a corresponding use of the other

,

li m bs and the whole body of the child who draws ,

if it wo u ld represent what it creates with free

action of the body and with a free spirit For a .

free skillful use of the body presupposes n eces

, ,

sar il y a free bright spirit as both mutually con

, , ,
”
dition on e another 1
.

The child shoul d be taught to sit upright while

d r awing — this is i m perative fro m a hygienic
,

point of view for bending over the work is a

,

proli fic cause of curvature of spine an d near

sightedness He cannot make large move m ents
.
,

or get free execution if he is allowed to rest his ,

nose on the paper and as an aid in this matter he

,

should use l on g pencils H e should also hold .

Fri d ri h Fr b l
1 e c oe e .
 EREEII AN D AND NA T UR E D RA WING 13 7

h is paper square on the table parallel with i ts ,

edge and be taught to work from the shoulder

,

and n ot let the weight of h is bo dy fall upon his

arms A ll these positions however must be
.
, ,

taught whil e the preliminary exercises are being

practiced so that they will be natural an d easy
, ,

for when it comes to sketching to hold the child ,

back with d irections about positions of bo dy ,

arms paper an d pencil wi ll take all the joy and

, ,

freedom from the work an d very li kely di scourage

,

him al together .

Whe n the child r en have h ad a little practice in

pencil hold ing though this many of I ll tr ti
, us a ve

them have had be fore co ming to the

kin d ergarten they will take the greatest pleasure
,

in i llustrating simple poems and stories and the ,

youn ger they are commonly the more rapi d and

, ,

con fid ent are their sketches and the more u n ,

daunte d do they seem in the face of d ifficulties .

In fact they do not recognize diffi culties at

,

all generally speaking an d are j u st as read y to

, ,

d raw the tossi u-g ocean as a mu d pud dl e These -

.

d ra wings are most val u able f or the stud ent of

childhoo d an d the less previous instruction the
,

child ren have ha d the better for this purpose as ,

the d rawings are then more spontaneous The .

poem or story must be well known of course so , ,

that there may be a more or less clear mental

image of the objects or personages mentioned ,

an d then after it h as been repeate d these will be

, ,
13 8 FR EEHAN D A ND NA T URE DRA WING
rapidly drawn and with little h esitation It is .

most i m portant that th e kind ergartne r should add

n either line n or suggestion to th ese rude pictures ,

for their great est valu e is in th eir spontan eity .

If sh e gath ers and preserves from year to year

, ,

large collections of the illustrations sorting them ,

according to the age of the artists sh e will do a ,

s e rvice to education since many valuable dedu c

,

tions m ay be made fro m them and a s e rvic e to

,

h ers elf because she will thus the b ett er under

,

stand th e individuality of e ach child u nder h er

care It is to be regretted that m ore really good
.

v ers e s and si m ple po em s suitabl e f or children of

kindergarten age ar e n ot to be had f or these are ,

most us eful for various purposes b esides that of

illustration Th e kindergartner however who
.
, ,

keeps a scrap book into which she may gath er the

-
,

us eful bits of flotsa m and jetsam from her daily

reading can suppl em ent thes e with s elections from
,

the various collections of children s poems and ’

thus always have so m ething appropriate at hand .

The spontan eous drawings above described are

useful in another direction becaus e the y gre atly
,

increas e the su m of th e teacher s pleasure Of ’

.

cours e this pleasure m ust be quite concealed wh en

the sketches ar e being m ade but th ey are often
,

so original so quaint so unconsciousl y hu m orous

, , ,

that th ey touch all th e secret Spri n gs of laughter .

In so m e kindergart en norm al schools a com

l ete course in blackboar d d rawing is now given
p
14 0 FR EE HAN D AND NA T URE DR A WING
might be i m agined A series of picture tale s
.

the P eter and P atty Stories — was published

in Bab yl an d a few y ears ago and these lent
“
,

themselves charm ingly to the above method of

illustration the children by the aid of the pic
, ,

tures telling the story the m selves with the great

,

est glee when once i t was begun An y continued .

story might easily be told on the same plan as the ,

kindergartner could select from the books at her

,

com m and such pictures as sh e co ul d best make

, .

”
Th e K indergarten B lackboard by Miss Mario n ,

Mackenzie Miss B ertha H i n tz s Illustrative

,
’

”
Bla kboard Sketching A ugsburg s seri e s E asy
c
,
’

Things to Draw and several of the P rang Art

,

Manuals are all very valuable aids to blackboard

work as the pictures are presented si m ply with
, ,

bold outlines an d the elimination of all u n n eces

,
»

sary detail .
 THE T H READ GA ME
Mat thr ad f bright
er i al s : A e o -
col o e rd ri g
da n n co tt on ; a
sq ar d lat ; a w d p i t r th
u e s e oo en o n e e si z e an d hap s e of a sl a e t
p ilen c .

TH READ S an d cord s are the basis of many

amusements which are trad itional in
every co u ntry Wh o h as not seen h ttl e $ 2
Pl

5
a
.

m
3

child ren absorbed in their knitting with g m

i ?
e

a spool an d pins wh o has n ot taken ,

part in th at game in wh ich a knotte d string by ,

d exterous manipulation an d much slipping on and

over little fi ngers becom e s the Single an d Double ,

Cross the P ond the Fish the Tailor s Long

, , ,
’

Scissors an d finally the Cat s Crad le ; wh o has

,
1 ’

not watche d boys intent up on learning to tie the

various knots the slip knot sq u are knot sailor
, , ,

knot overhand fi gure of 8 and bowline an d

, , ,

wishe d that some of the ar d or an d f u ry of per

1 Thi s rl y all part f th w rl d Th
gam e is f ou n d in n ea s o e o . e

Dyak ati v
s , or f B r na v ry kill f l at i t m ak i g
es o o n eo , re e s u ,
n

m a y ki d
n f p l i g fig r
n a d th
s o Ma ri f N w ! al a d
uz z n u e s, n e o s o e e n

a real f d f i t Th l att r al l t Ma i th am f
so on o . e e c
'

i n , e n e o

th i r ati al h r b y wh m th y ay i t w a i v t d I t
e n on e o, o e s s n en e . s

vari patt r r pr t i i d t i Ma i li f a d th r
ou s e n s e e se n n c en s n n
’
s e n o e

ev t f rm i g a ki d f p i t ri al hi t ry f th
en s, o n try
n o c o s o o e cou n .
”

The ! ou n g Folk s
’
Cyclop e dia f Games
o an d Sp or ts .
14 2 TH E THREAD GAME
f or m an ceshown therein might b e transferred to
the tasks of th e school ? A nd this sa m e child
ish pleasure in handling the soft pliable thread
becom es th e basis of m any useful and b eautiful
occupations in lat er life — the knitting tatting , , ,

crocheting darning sewing netting em broider

, , , ,

ing dra wing in which are a solac e to so many

, ,

weary hours .

Th e thread gam e in the kindergarten difler s

a little from any of these am us em ents and indus
Th Th r d
e tri es but it is a v er y pleasing occupa
ea ,
G m i
a e
t h K ld
l
e t i on neverthel ess and not only pleas
u er , ,
m’ en
ing but possessing certain wel l defin ed
'

-
,

points of value The thread used is of brigh t .

colored darning cotton from twelve to eighteen

inche s long the ends being knotted together
, .

The knot should be made as small as possible ,

and care should be taken that th e thread lies
quite s m ooth before fastening else it will curl and ,

writhe like a snake when we atte m pt to m ove it .

It should be thoroughly moistened before using ,

and i s then laid on a squared slate Th e child .

now takes his wooden pointer and push es it into

any form suggested by the kindergartner this ,

being the fundamental figure of a s equenc e to be

dev eloped later Of course if a square or circle.

is to be the fundam ental figure no di m ensions ,

need be given but if w e are to work from an,

oblong for instanc e we must know its required

, ,

length and width The child shoul d not touch .

14 4 THE THREA D GAME
expression they p r ovide but in th e gratification of
,
” ”
healthy curiosity as to the how and why of
things the furnishing of a rational interpretation
,

of so m e of the phenomena with which this great ,

mysterious unknown world is filled

, .

The thread representing with equal readiness

,

the straight line or the curve corre ,

s on ds to the stick and rin

p g in the gifts .

By means of the pointer and the check

ers on the slate it may be pushed into number
,

less forms both geometrical and artistic and may

, ,

al so be mad e to repres ent fruits l e av e s flowers , , ,

v egetables household implem ents and furniture

, , .

We commonly be gin by making some simple geo

metrical form as a circle for instance ; then per
,

haps we push it ou t a certain num ber of spaces at

the upper edge and make a pear pull it down at the ,

lower edge and m ake a leaf push it out at the sides ,

and make a diam ond shaped window pane and go - -

,

on,
until in one charm ing sequence we hav e made
from ou r acco m modating friend the circle a ,

heart a dum b bell a carrot a toad stool an u m

,
-
, ,
-
,

brella and a pair of spectacles the children ex

, ,

clai m ing with d elight at each n ew and unexpected

form If the kind ergartner has any faculty f or
.

rhyming and can improvise as Froebel advised

, , ,

some littl e verse which will bring in this hetero

en eou s collection of articles one can imag ine the
g ,

merri m ent that will follow .

If we began with a pentagon we may d i r ect ,

 THE THREAD G A ME 14 5

that all its corners shall be pushe d in a certain

number of spaces and so proceed until we have
,

produce d a series of forms of symmetry some of ,

which are as graceful as bi ts of seawee d with ,

their many branching fronds .

The fundamental form f or all these tr ansforma

tions must be lai d with exactness else E t , x ac n ess

the chi ld ca n not follow the dictations i v

“£

properly an d h e must push the thread the r e

,

quire d number of spaces an d no more or less

, ,

or he wi ll fail to get the d esire d fi gure For this .

reason the occupation as h as b een sai d is n ot

, ,

suitable f or the very youngest children as it ,

requires a little more care than they co u l d be

expecte d to give Th e thread game i s on e of ou r
.

most eff ective means on thi s accoun t for teaching

, ,

the relation of cause an d e ff ect If in the fi rst .

few moves of a sequence the chil d makes a serious

mistake there is n o redress He cannot go f or
,
.

ward f or h is fi gure is probably already so unlike

,

that of any on e else that he cannot follow the

dictation an d he cannot go back to the beginning
, ,

u n l ess all the other members of the class are wil l

ing an d would be justi fi ed in waiting f or him
, .

He must simply si t still till the brief dictation is

over and then be re ady f or the next seri es of
,

fi gures or the free invention

,
.

Invention is so easy in the thread game and ,

the work is enjoye d so thoroughl y that the occu ,

p a t i on i s a very u s eful on e to give when the

14 6 TH E THREA D GA ME
child ren seem a little tired or have been having a ,

more difficult gift exercise than usual

I v ti
.

n en on .

After dictating the fundam ental form

and the first few moves it is well oft en to leave,

th e children quite unham pered and let th em go ,

on by th emselv es and make their own discoveri es .

The kindergartner should be at hand however , ,

for sh e wi ll constantly b e needed to adm ire the

successes to h ear the fanciful nam es appli ed to
,

the form s produced to sy mpathize with th e fail

,

ures an d encourage try ing again and to see if ,

the successful child can retrace the st eps by which

he h as reache d some particul arly attractive form .

With a square table at which four children can

,

sit on e on each si d e an d a longer heavier thread

, , , ,

or cord group work can be carrie d ou t success

,

fully and the very care whi ch each must exercis e

, ,

lest he pull the figure too far his way or dis ,

arran ge his neighbor s side of the pattern makes

’
,

the work when com pleted a great er pleasure

, ,
.

The thread game though it may be class ed,

V l
a ue of among the minor occupations and is n ot ,
“
32m? at all essenti al to the scheme of kinder
garten handiwork is yet quite valuable in som e
,

directions It is very seldom us ed and yet the

.
,

fact that children like it so w ell and that there ,

are no serious objections to be made against it ,

should recom m end it to our attention .

The fi gures produced with the pliable thread

have the charm of unexpecte dness and of nov ,
 PAP ER IN T ER LACING

Mat er i al s Wh i te or col o e r d pap r tri p fr m

e s s o on e f rth
ou

ht
in c o an in cha n d mo r e in w i dth a d fr m tw l v t
,
n o e e o e i ght
een

h
in c es l on g .

PA P ERinterlacing is commonly classed as one

P p r o f the so called minor occupations which
-

m
a e ,

jgg most kind ergartners would consider as

t ’

c ,

1mm“
bei n g slat int erlacing peas work chain ,
-
,

making bead stringi ng cardboard m od eling

, , ,

rolled strip work paper interlacing and th e , ,

thread game Intertwining or paper twisting as

.
, ,

it is quite as co m monly called is if carried out , ,

to its full extent the m ost difficult of an y of these

,

occupations and is therefore only suitable for the

,

older children in the kindergarten save perhaps ,

in some of its preli m inary exercis es such as the ,

making of angles and si m ple figures .

The long strips for paper twisting may be had ,

Pr ac ti cal of cours e at th e k indergarten suppl y ,

stores but may also be cut in large

,

quantities at any bookbin d er s or the wholesale ’

pap er establishments The long strips are given .

to the children the glazed paper being best ,

adapted to th ese first efior ts which require so

much fumbling and experi m enting and the m ate ,
 PAPER IN TER L A CI N G 49

rial color length and width ar e f u lly discussed

, , ,
.

The inch wide strips are commonly use d f or these

-

preliminary exercises as the principles of turn ing ,

an d folding corners and fastening en d s are b est

learned on a large scale The strip is fi rst folded .

in half its entire length and then hel d by both

, ,

en d s and placed in such positions d ictate d by th e ,

kin d ergartner or on e of the more capable chil

,

d ren as will help in developing and fix ing i d eas

,

o f position form direction etc, Next the d esire

, ,
.

f or pro d ucing something is gratifie d and the ,

paper is bent into a right angle using the li n e s ,

on the table as a guide It is d iscovere d now .

that the right angle is only shown on the inside

of the strip the outer e dge making a slanting
,

line where the corner is turne d We coul d prob .

ably go over n o more ground than this in the fi rst

exercise even with quite capable children and
, ,

a pleasant finish to the play would be to put all

the right an gles into a common stock an d make a
group work invention which may be laid ou t on
-
,

a large table by several of the children accord ing

to the suggestions of the class This may su b se .

quently be mounte d by the kindergartner an d ,

serve as a souvenir of the fi rst play with the inter

lacing strips .

For the next exercise the strip will be folde d as

before an d two or thre e simple fi gures S b q t
, u se u en
E m m
made from it a square an oblong and , , ,
‘ ‘ ‘

a triangle perhaps Not more than this if as

, .
,
15 0 PA PER I N TERL A CING
much can be done in on e lesson as the principle
, ,

of turning the corn ers will not yet be obvious to

all and the fastening of the ends presents still
,

another diffi culty Thes e large squares and other

.

figures may be given to the babies and serve as

fram es f or their simple work .

When the paper twisting is taken up again ,

the strip given is th e h alf or thre e quarter inch

,
-

width and th e children are taught to fold it twic e

, ,

first bending and creasing down on e third of its

entire length and then doubling the other third
,

over upon thi s This process of course m ak es

.
, ,

the paper on e third as wide and three ti m es as

strong The si m ple forms must now be made
.

again with the narrow strip for the chil dren are ,

n ot yet ready for the interlacing or weaving of , ,

on e figure into another A s a step toward this

.
,

however there may be another co op erative ex er

,

cise John may give his square to Lucy for i n

.
,

stance rec eiving h er triangle i n return and the

, ,

kind ergartn er may intertwine each pair f or them ,

while the y look on with eager adm iring eyes , .

The pretty design thus made m ay be m ount ed on

paper as a pres ent or used for the child s book
’

of kindergarten work .

A m echanical contrivance c al led the Little

Creaser has lately been in vent ed which is a ,

great help in folding the paper into thirds It is .

a b ox li ke wooden arrangem ent with two b ent

-
,

wires an d grooves in the bottom and a cover which ,

15 2 PAPER I N TER L A CING
parallel with th e edge of th e table while the sec ,

ond is woven into it under on e side and over the

,

other — und er — over until it lies securely fas

tened into the first in diagonal position the two ,

form ing a very pretty star like figure An y two -

.

similar geom etric form s m ay be thus int ertwined ,

the b est eff ects b eing produced fro m the regular

figures and subs equently a vari ety of th es e inter
,

lac ed m aking a large d esign Most of the G er

, .

man G uides give elaborate exam ples of inter

twining and a seri es of plates fro m th e designs
,

o f Mme K raus Boel te are to be had so m e o f

.
-
,

which are v ery intricat e and interesting and ,

would see m al m ost i m possible to an y fingers but

those gifted with a m agic touch A ll kinds of .

charming e ffects in contrasting col ors and in vari

,

ou s ton e s of one color ma y be produc ed with the

,

interlaced figures f or we have all th e resources

,

of the m od ern color m arket in th e engin e colored

- -
,

coated and glazed pap ers at ou r disposal

,
.

The strips m ay be folded four or five ti m es

when older childr en or grown p ersons are using
the occupation m aking a v ery pretty eff ect when
,

contrast ed with the broad ribbon li k e app earanc e -

of th e strip folded onc e E laborate borders m ay .

also b e int erlac ed to surround the d esigns to orna ,

m ent b ox covers and fram e the various kinds of

handiwork and a f u rth er and very pleasi n g m odi
,

ficati on may b e added to the occupation b y fold

ing the corn ers of th e figure s into on e or a series ,
 PAPER IN TERL ACI N G 15 3

of rosettes The process b y which the se rosettes

.

are folded is not one which can well be describe d

in written words though it is not particularly dif
,

ficu l t and is easily learned from dictation or illus

,
~

tr ati on .

As paper twisting illustrates the straight line ,

it may be used to produce any simple F rm ,

m
o ”

life forms but it is perhaps inad vi sable 53 3 m

,
B y eau ’
to employ it for this purpose as it can
'

only be done by p as ting the strips in position an d ,

allows n o interlacing of fi gures which is of course

, , ,

the idea on which the occupation is based We .

m u st always begin with the geometrical forms as

a foun dation and one of the chief value s of inter
,

twining i s that it shows so beautifully the devel

o m en t of symmetrical figures from the mathe
p
m ati cal basis This lesson cannot be so well
.

learned if we u se the strips for making life forms ,

and we also lose in a measure on e of ou r op p or

, ,

tu n iti es f or teach ing the practical working of the

law of me d iation of contrasts .

P aper interlacing may be ma de quite useful in

the school on account of the trifling ex Us d mm
, e .

pense of the materials an d because it $ 31

32 ;
m m"
nee d s no previ ous preparation which ,

latter fact is a matter for serious co nsideration

when one has fi fty children in charge and only
on e pair of hands It may be used to illustrate
.

the various lines an d angles eith er from dictation

or from d rawings on the blackboard for impress ,
154 PAPER I N TER L A CING
ing still further the si m ple geom etrical form s ,

their nam es and the num ber of their sides and

angles and may also after foldin g in halves or
, ,

thirds be creased into inch es and us ed f or esti

,

mating distances and di m ensions The figures .

produced may be devoted by th e pupils to group

work inventions f or this coii p er ative work is
,

more than ever necessary n ow that the children s

,
’

individuality i s more fu lly d eveloped th eir am bi ,

tion growing and the ti m e approachi ng wh en

,

they must assu m e the duties of th e citiz en We .

have seen the blackboards in a pri m ary school

room very e ffectively bordered with broad three
inch strips of paper twisting folded into a run
ning design and fasten ed in position with small
brass headed tacks The children took th e great
-
.

est pride i n this border which was the work of

,

the entire class .

Dr H ail m an n makes th e following suggestion

.
,

in his K indergarten Occupations in th e School

as to the connection of intertwining with draw
“ “ ”
ing : These form s he say s ,
yi eld excell ent ,

m aterial f or drawing exercis es on th e slate or on ,

the blackboard There can b e n o obj ection to

.

exercises in extending th e form s in drawing by ,

p erm itting the addition of m ore lines On .

the contrary these exercises are of great valu e

, ,

since they train the pupils in the difficult art

o f recognizi n g the si m ple types from which all ,

forms however complicated are derive d Thus

, , .
 SLAT IN TERLA CI N G

Mt Thi
a er i al s n u n col o e r dw d oo en sl a s , of t bi r h ak c , o , or o th r
e

t gh w d ab t t
ou oo ,
ou en in ch l ga es on n d on e hal f i h wi d
n c e .

TH ERE is much similarity between slat work

P ll l b
ar a e
and
e
paper twisting the ai m o f both be ,
0
333 35? ing th e interlacing or weaving together
I t mmg
e’
n
of two or more independ ent figures
'

They give much the same i m pressions of form

size num ber position and direction and are
, , , ,

equally useful in design but the form er occupa

tion is si m pler than the latter and better adapt ed ,

to the repres entation of objects connected with

the child s daily life and sympathy They dif
’
.

fer however i n mat erial in color in the fact

, , , ,

that the slats are ready for i m me diate use while ,

the papers need preparation by folding and also ,

in that com plete figures only are interlaced in

paper twisting while in slat work separate slats
,

representing lines are interwoven with the geo

metric forms .

The slats are a part of the eighth gift but as , ,

note d in the previous volu m e ar e used commonly

1
,

for interlacing and as a preparation for weaving .

1R p bl i of Chi ldh d V l I F b l Gifl p ag 145

e u c oo , o . .
,
r oe e s
’
s, e .
 SL A T IN TERLA CING 157

That they are properly classed among the gifts ,

however is proved by the fact that the forms pro

,

du ced with them are not necessarily permanent ,

but can be resolved into th eir original elements

without change in the m aterial .

The slats are early introduce d in the kinder

garten though with no attempt at first I ntr d cti on
, o u
81 "
to use them for interlacing but mer ely
3
,

to pave the way for the sticks and to teach si m ,

ple lessons in regard to the directions of li nes the ,

parts an d the spacing of the table etc an d thus , .

,

prepare for later dictation Save in peas work .

-
,

this is the only occupation in which woo d is

employed so we have a wide fi eld f or all the
,

char m ing stories songs and poems we can gath e r

, ,

together on the subj e ct The exercises must be .

brief when the slat is fi rst used and as they are ,

not yet concerned with making are apt to grow ,

a little tiresome if n ot enlivened by the kin der

”
gartner The songs of the Carpente r the ,

Trees an d the Wood sawyers

,
1
may appro -

p r i atel
y be s u ng n ow as w e ll as those ol d kind er
,

garten favorites the Sawing Song an d the

,
”
Joiner .

Miss E milie Pou l sson s d elightful book In ’

”
the Child s World in i ts various chapters on
’

Woo d Trees and the Carpenter is a storehouse

, , ,

of valuable material f or sto ries all of which of , ,

1
Ki d
n er gar ten Ch i mes (Kate D . Wiggi ) p u blish ed
n , by Oli o

ver Di t
so n Co .
15 8 SL A T I N TERLA C ING
course are equally as useful with the building
,

gifts ; and her Old Fashioned Rhyme which -

,

follows the wood in all its process es of tr an sf or

mation fro m the tree to the house should be ,

memorized by every kindergartner .

There ar e a num b er of things to be found out

Fir t E
s xer about the slat besides its material its
2mm color l ength and width ; an d the chil
, ,
"
?

, ,

dren if properly l ed m ay m ake a series of sci

, ,

e n tific experim ents w ith the si m ple bit of wood .

To ill ustrate the law of balance the slat may be ,

pois ed on the back of the hand on the fin ger ,

ti ps etc and finally serve as a see saw laid across

, .
,
-

a small block two of the wooden lentils merrily

,

riding at each end and an appropriate song

being sung Nor would it be waste of time if
.
,

it were th e close of an exercise for the kinder ,

gartner to cut ou t hastily a pair of ru de paper

dolls for each of the s m all teeters We may .

well believe that there would be much more thor

ough investigation into the laws of equal dis
tr i b u ti on of weight if these attractions were ,

add ed .

Mm e K raus Boelte gives the following ple a

.
-

sant exercis e bringing ou t elasticity vibration

, , ,

an d also rhythm The children are directe d to.

hold the slat firm ly projecting halfway over the ,

e d ge of the table to press the proj ecting part ,

down release it quickly and not e th e buzzing

,

or whirring sound to be heard and the vibration

160 SL A T I N TERL A C ING
in contact with the other three an d is supporte d ,

by th em in such a m anner that two slats rest on

one side of it whilst the third th e middle on e
, , ,

rests on the other side a complete figure wi l l be

,

produced which can be li fted from the table .

The theory of weaving the slats over and under

seems a si m ple on e enough but experi ence will ,

show that there is a wid e gap between theory and

practice Though th e child must b e shown at first
.

how to weave th em togeth er yet h e will never ,

really learn the process until h e has exp eri m ented

by hims elf and probably m ad e s everal failures .

He may have achi eved an apparent success with

hi s we aving and yet as he att em pts to lift the
,

for m it falls into pi eces in his h ands It was .

”
the on e sl at says E dward Wiebe which owing
, , ,

to its dereliction in perfor m ing its duty destroyed ,

the fi gure and prevented all th e other slats from

”
performing th eirs The wise kindergartner m ay
.

use this little occurrence f or th e pointing of a

story on the value of coii p er ation and the moral , ,

if it is n ot too strongly insisted upon will sink ,

into the heart of th e child weighted as it is by ,

his experience with concrete things .

With a few slats the child can make a variety

of life for m s as stars fans gates picture fram es
-
, , , ,
-
,

trelli ses boats etc and wh en he has once grasped

, ,
.
,

the principle b y which th e figures hold togeth er ,

he will invent freely with th e m aterial Many .

b eautiful forms of symmetry can be made also ;

 SL A T IN TERLA CI N G 161

but though al l these must rest upon a foun dation

of knowle d ge forms y et the geometrical outlines
,

are not as easily stu di ed here as in the paper

twisting for they are somewhat confused by the
,

crossing and interwoven sticks For number .

work however slat weaving is much better

, ,

adapted than the former occupation and thus ,

again gi ves evidence of its kinship to the stick

family As the interlaced fi gures grow more com
.

plex the width and length of the slats may be

,

reduced and the ends pointe d or rounded thus

, ,

producing very dainty little designs which may

be mounted on heavy colored paper For kinder .

garten children however the width of the slats

, ,

should not be lessened and it would be be tter for , ,

the fi rst exercis es if th ey could be had d ouble

,

the present width Some authoriti es ad vise soak

.

ing the m a half hour in warm water before at

tempting to cut them but thi s though it makes , ,

the wood more pliable tends in ou r experience to ,

d iscolor it .

Slat interlacing has never been a very popular

occupation in ou r American ki n der gar
tens but when on e considers the mat la i g
,
c n

ter it is really diffi cult to know why this shoul d

,

be so It needs no previ ous preparation there

.
,

fore is well adapte d for use when the kinder

gartner is tired or hurrie d ; the children l ike it
very much and the older ones after the fi rst few
, ,

lessons in weaving the fig u res can b e left quite ,

162 SL A T IN TER LA CING
by themselves in ti m es of exigency and trusted ,

to experi m ent and work on most industriously .

The designs produced are large and free having ,

none of that delicate prettiness (or pett iness )

about them which so distinguishes paper twisting ,

and the mat erials h andled are so substantial in

size as to produce no strain whatever on the ac
cessor
y m uscl e s and the finer nerve c entres The -
.

work is adm irable too in developing am b idex

, ,

ter i ty for the left hand is constantly called into

,

play in holding and w eaving in the slats and it ,

connects admirably with design in industrial and

mechanical drawin g .

The slats have long b een in use in the school ,

sl t W rk i
a o
but commonly
n
are only emplo y ed th ere
th S h l
e e °°
for n umber work and for word making
°
- -
.

Many teachers have as yet little idea of the value

of the kind e rgarten occupations for what is called
”
busy work Froebel say s in this regard
.
1
The ,

plays and occupations of children sho ul d by no

means be treated as offering merely means for
passing the ti m e (we m ight say f or consu ming ,

ti m e ) hence only as outside activity but rather

, ,

that by means of such plays and employ ments the

child s inn er m ost nature must be satisfied This
’
.

truth has indeed been before expressed ; but on

account of its deep importance for the whole life
of the child and man it cannot be too often r e ,

p ea t ed too i,
m pressivel y stated nor can its truth ,

be too ofte n established fro m all p om ts of view .

P dag gi p ag 10
1
e 8 o cs, e .
164 SL A T IN TER LA CING
on the blackboard and a f ew ornamental touches
in colored chalks added by th e kindergartner ,

an d what a light u pon the historic meaning of

the day wo ul d rush into the brains of Ivan Mi

ch alitschke and Ingeborg Svendsen and Din n e
y
O Hool ah an !
’

G roup work also both in school and kin der

-
, ,

garten may be very be autifully carried ou t when

,

the teacher clearly understands the principles on

which it rests and is fully convinced of their i m
portance and thus the entire band of children be
,
”
united by th e magic of Together .

We scarc ely realize perhaps th e value of i n , ,

du str i al training as so sweetly and natu

Ilidiig tfi l
’
-
a
Tr i i g
an n rally b egun in the kindergarten There
.
.

needs no argument to prove h ow much more help

ful and useful it is to the child to fall in love ,

with industry and journey with h er willingly

,

hand in hand than to be bound to her side and

,

lashed reluctantly along in the chain gang The -

kindergart en children love to work it is their ,

greatest pleasure their highest desire ,

they ,

have to be coaxed and gently entreated to be idle

and they com monly know no punishm ent so se
v ere as to be divorced from th eir b eloved occu
p a t i on s When . in th e futur e e ver y child in the

republic has passed three of his m ost i m pres

si on ab l e y ears in an at m osphere of h e art y happ y ,

industry and when creative handiwork is con

,

tinn ed th roughout the schools in connection with

 SL A T IN TER LA CING 165

purely mental training then there nee d s no p r o ,

phet to foresee the b ri ghtness of the day that

will dawn The popul ar feeling in regard to t h e
.

dangers of i dleness i s well reflected in the wise

,
”
proverb Idl e fingers ar e the devil s tools and
,
’
,

in Dr Watts s ol d couplet
.
’
,

S ata fi d m m i hi f ti ll
n n s so e sc e s

F i dl ha d t d
or e n s o o,
”

an d thatthis popular feeling h as a strong basis of

fact is abundantly prove n by the statistics which
show th at seven tenths of the convicted criminals
~

in the Unite d States have never le arned a tra d e ,

nor follow ed any industrial pursuit .

A n e m in ent divine h as lately summe d up the

1

matter in most e ff ective fashion in the following

words Industrial ignorance is the mother of
idleness the grandmother of desti tu tion the great
, ,

g randmother of socialis m and nihilistic discontent .

So far as the battle of life is conc erned to train ,

child ren s i d eas without training their fi ngers is

’

like putting a regiment through musket d rill

it is healthy discipline and aflor ds pleasant d ress
parade but will avail little before the ene m y
, ,

unless with al l other acqu irements they have

, ,

learne d to shoot .

1 D Ch a H Pa kh r t
r. s . . r u s .
 WE AVING
Th e ar t of w eavi n g i s ex ceedin g ol d,
As w e b y Ki n g Dei o ces h av e b een t ol d .

’
d that Gh el e w eavin g fi st b ga
T is sai n r e n ,

Whi ch h ath d sce d d si c fr m m a to m a e n e n e o n n .

Th m th er t a ght th i r d a ght er si r es thei r so

e o s u e u s, n s.

Th i a li
us s niv l y it r s n e u ccess e un ,

For gen eral pr fit a d f r r ati

o ,
n or ec e on

Fr om gen e rati t g rati

on un o en e on .
”

Mt q ar a d bl g p ap r m at f vari
a er i als : S u l r e n o on e s o ou s co o s

a d i
n t i t
s z es , cutrip fr m i ghth t
n h al f i h wi d
o s s o on e e o on e n c e,

a d
n rr d d b y a appr pri at m argi (th r pr t th
su ou n e n o e n ese e esen e

w arp) ; tri p f im il ar w i dth a d harm i i g l r (th

s s o s s n on z n co o s e

w f) a t l w avi g dl (th h ttl )

oo s ee e n n ee e e s u e .

WEAVI N G p erhaps the most anci ent of the,

manufacturing arts whose inv ention is lost in ,

the mists of antiquity is that industry by which

1
,

threads or y arns of an y substanc e are interlaced

, ,

1 “Th a t f pl tti g wh i h arri

e r o i i t th g rm f th
a n ,
c c es n e e o e

a t
r f w vi g i
o f i m m m ri l
ea n di v r bl a ti q i ty
, s o e o a , un sco e a e n u .

Th r e e h ardl y hav b a tim wh m di d t w v

can e een e en en n o ea e

t g th r twig r d t f rm a r d t t v ri g a prim
o e e s or ee s o o u e en co e n

i ti veh A d
ou se . pr f f th i m m n ti q i ty f thi
on e oo o e e n se an u o s

pra ti i gi v b y th
c ce s m r m
en f twi g r d t e n u e ou s n a es or s, ee s, e c .
,

i di ff r t l a g ag
n e en whi h n d ri v d fr m w r d ig i fyi g
u es, c ar e e e o o s s n n

t tw i t
o sw v ,
orTh w r d w a
ea e i t l f (G
. w b ) i e o e ve se er . e en s con

t d w i th a S a kri t r
n ec e t m a i g m h th am thi g;
n s oo ve, e n n uc e s e n

a dw
n fi d thi
e am
n r t r pp ari g agai i th L ti
s s e oo vc ea e n n n e a n

v im en a tw i g a d i ti a vi — th l a t
, n am d fr m i t
v s, n e, e s so n e o s
,

t d il whi h w h l d j dg w r
en r s, c , d f pl atti g b f r
e s ou u e, e e u se or n e o e
168 WEA VING
ago times in the far E ast must have presente d
a charming sight for we read that their houses ,

were always built near the shade of tamarind an d

mango trees under which at sunrise they fixed
,

their loo m s The older kindergarten children

.

woul d de l ight in a story about these brother w eav

er s
,
and also in the strongly contrasted picture
of the Lapland maiden as sh e sits at her loo m ,

of reindeer bones in her dusky ice hut with its

,
-

blubber lamp .

The pages of the Ol d Testament are rich with

references to weaving and weavers witness ,

E xodus E zekiel Chronicles and the book of

, , ,

Joshua We read that the first men to teach the

.

art to the Hebrews were Bezaleel the son of Uri , ,

and A holiab the son of Ahisamach

, .

From the history of Samson it is evident that

the cultivation of flax and the arts o f spinning
and weaving were practiced by the Philistin e s ,

and Solomon greatly increased the industry am ong

the Hebrews From the far E ast the art passed
.

long before Homer into G reece and thence over ,

all the shores of the Mediterranean In Ovid s .

’

Metamorphoses we find the following descr ip

tion of weaving
Unt th li d b am th w arp i ti d
o e so e e s e ,

Wh i l h l l w e th p art i g thr ad di vi d
o o con es e n e s e,

Thr gh whi h a th a d h ttl wiftl y pl ay

ou c ou s n s u es s ,

A df nth ph y
or w ft pr p ar a
e z er ady w a yr
1 e e e e .
”

1
Mt e a morp hoses, VI .
, O Roor ke
’ ’
s tra n sl a ti on .
 WEA VIN G 169

In the pages of Theocritus Ovi d Homer Vir, , ,

gil Herodotus and other G reek writers we fin d

, , ,

most beautiful word pictures of woven stu ff s and

-

of weaving as an industry There is no such

.

imagery in ou r modern literature concerning any

handiwork of the present day as can be found in
these classics.

The art of weaving was unknown in G reat

Britain pre vious to the R oman invasion A fte r .

the R omans had obtained a footing they estab ,

l i shed a woolen manufactory at ‘Vi n ch ester .

They also taught the natives the culture of flax

1
and the art of weaving .

The simplest form of weaving is that employed

in making the mats of uncivilized races Mt W a eav
i g W v r
.

n ea e

These are woven in the same way as Bird s .

the fi rst mats in the kindergarten u sing in place ,

o f paper the fi bres of veg etable growths —the ,

ends of these fi bres being fastene d to a stick

to keep them in plac e How the early savage
.

races originated the art of weaving cannot n ow b e

known but it may have been from stu dying or
,

imitating the habits of certain bird s A mong the .

most noticeable of these are the weaver birds of

A frica the name having reference to the remark
,

able way i n which their hanging nes ts are con

structed ; these are woven in a very won d erful
manner of various vegetable substances an d are ,

objects of great interest One of the bird s stays

.

Gil r y
1
W av i g
o on e n .
17 0 WEA VING
inside the other outside and the outside bird
, ,

pushes a strip of grass through the strands the ,

bird within pushing it back in another place ; and

so the y w e av e the strip out and in till the baby s
’

cradle is finishe d From a kindergarten point of

.

vi ew weaver birds m ight be said to have origi

,

n ated group work also as som e of th e speci e s

,

build in co m pan y e ach contributing som ething

, ,

the whole form ing an u m br ella like roof und er -

,

which the nests are arranged with wonderful

regulari ty .

In its first stages weaving is quite di ffi cult for

,

the little pupils It is not an occupa

£532i
.

n
W vi g
ea n tion suitable for babies and sufficiently
.
,

co m plicated problems can b e d evised with it to

occupy a child twelve or fourteen years old The .

slat interlacing of the previous occupation is an

admirable preparation for weaving and the slats ,

are used for learning the first principles of the

art For this purpose they should be a half
.
,

inch broad (preferably an inch ) as strong and ,

thick as they can be found and if used with ,

oil cloth or brown pap er mats are much more

- -
,

attractive if colored These heavy mats of oil

.

cloth or manilla paper are easily cut ou t by the

kindergartner and are used merely as a prepara
,

tion for the more d elicate paper weaving It will .

be a great help to the child in learning to raise ,

and depress every other strip with his wooden

'

slat if these are painte d alternately with water

,
17 2 WEA VIN G ’

also be woven into this warp made of cords an d ,

th e work be most appropriate for the y o u nger

children .

Considerable practic e is needed b efore the chil

dren fully grasp th e principle of passing the slat
over and under th e alt ernate strips and we ne ed ,

here all the helps of color and attractive material ,

as well as of i m agination lest they grow discour ,

aged and get a thorough distaste for the work

1
.

Songs and stori es are nec essary here and the slat ,

must be played with constantly and the work ,

“
made m ore interesting by m aking believe that
it is an engine steaming under archway s or a dog ,

with his nos e to the ground following a trail or ,

a b rook playing hide and s eek with the children - -

,

and running ou t of sight and th en e m erging su d

den l y The bright colored paper mats and the
.

shining ne edle which are to follow this first work ,

must also be shown else the child will think h i m,

self a modern prototype of Sisyphus when he ,

i s confronted l esson after lesson with the heav y

, ,

mat which is never finished and which he n ever ,

takes hom e .

B ut having conquered th e practice mat an d its

accompanying slats the fi eld is not yet w on , ,

H om er s d escri pti on of Pen el op e at h er w eav i n g (O dyssey

1 ’
,

! VII ) v e ry w ell fits som e of th ese sm all ki n de rgart en w ork ers

.

as th ey b attl wi th th ir di ffi l t m at pr bl m
e e cu o e s

L wly h
“
o t d wi th d j t d v i w
s e sa an e ec e e

Th fl y t hr ad h
e eec w ry fi g r dr w
e s er a n e s e .
 WEA VIN G 17 3

a lthough victory is ind eed in sight Before a .

chi ld can weave in even his fir st strip with the

long desired paper mat a certain a m ount of d eli
-
,

cacy of touch is dev eloped in simply learning to

place the strip in the needle without te aring or ,

injuring it Openin g the mouth of the needle

.
,

as we say fa m iliarly and placing the strip in it

,

successfully is indeed no smal l acquirement for a

,

begi nn er especially for on e wh o has heretofore

,

had little acquaintance with tools However .

,

with patience on the part of both kind ergartner

and pupil even this great feat is accomplish ed ;
,

an d the joy displaye d late r while watching beau

,

tifu l desi gn s growing under tiny fin gers more ,

than comp ensates for this and all other labors .

With this diffi culty overcome there re m ains ,

yet to be practiced the management of A mbid xter e

the needle with the right hand while ,

the left manipulates the mat and when the chil d ,

is more ad vanced we may reve rse this process

, ,

thus gi ving greater development to the left hand .

In no other occupation does that neglecte d mem

ber play a more i m portant part an d since the ,

aim is the equal and constant use of both hands ,

weaving must satisfy the advocates of amb idex

ter i ty an d be recognized as of the highest edu
,

cati on al value W eaving is also on e of the best

.

tests of eye measure The child who possesses

.

”
a true eye weaves over one an d un d er on e or
, ,

“ ”
over two an d un d er two as the case may b e , ,
174 WEA VING
perhaps without kno wi ng the num b er of stri ps
at all si m ply following by e y e the strip already
,

woven A nother child who can count pretty well

.
,

cannot measure distance at all but while it is ,

a test it will also tend to dev elo p an accuracy

,

of e y e which wi l l b e of incalculable value in all

lat er work .

To return to the little one and his first paper

W i ge av n mat and strips With that mat co m e s
as
l i ti g
.

cu t va n
th Vi t
e r a new r esp on s1b 1h ty No mat eri al has
u es. .

been given before that required such careful

handling in taking fro m and returning to the en
,

vel op e The child feels this responsibility and

.

is delighted To be sure he usuall y separates

.
,

all the strips at first (though warned n ot to do

so) but as the mat must still be finished with
,

them crum pled though they b e he realizes that

, ,
”
here willful waste makes woeful want Here .
,

too econo m y is taught for when he tears up or

, , ,

scatters his strips over the floor he soon co m es ,

to grief ; lacking th e material needed to finish

his m at he learns to be m ore careful half u n con
, ,

sci ou sl
y perceiving the connection of cause an d

e ffect .

Weaving has also a high m oral value if judged

by St P aul s words . Tribulation maketh p a
’
,

ti en ce ; and patience experience and ex p e ,

r i en ce hope Indeed when inventions are at

, .
,

tempted it is only after endless patience a nd

various experiments that on e attains success an d ,
17 6 WEA VING
o fthe absence of all curved lines and this diffi ,

c ul ty tends toward the danger of introducing too

f e w of the m Some authorities argue that as
.

the occupation is really not w ell adapted to the

production of life form s they should n ot be ,

atte m pted at all ; but a great sourc e of pleasure

to th e children would b e lost if this advice were
followed It is of cours e extrem ely diffic u lt to
.
, ,

make life like figures with the broad strips used

-

b y th e y o u ngest children but still it is n ot i m p os ,

sible of acco m plishm ent in a rough sort of way , ,

and w ith the finer m ats a great vari ety of forms

can be produc ed any si m ple patt ern us ed f or
,

B erlin wool work being suitable for the purpose

-
.

No on e who has seen the buildings furniture , ,

clocks lam ps vases flags leaves ships etc

, , , , , , .
,

m ade with the finer weaving can fail to ackno w

ledge their val ue even though th ey m u st all be
,
~

rectilinear figures ; and that they can be poetic

also is abundantly proven by th e little mat sent
us from the E m press kind ergarten in Japan on ’

which is woven snow covered Fujiyam a with the -

,

white moon shining down upon it .

Since in all kind ergarten occupations we seek

, ,

to develop the child s creative power l et ’

,

us note th e effect of w eaving upon the

inventive ability The developm ent brought
.

about in all the various things which are taught

by this occupation : color its contrasts and har ,

mony form distance and direction and the em

, , , ,
 WEA VI N G 17 7

new manipulation of material should lead

ti r el y ,

t o invention and the most practical results h e

,

obtained E n dl ess designs for oil cloths carpets

.
-
, ,

wall paper tile floors lace curtains towels table

, , , ,

linen etc may be made with thi s simple mat an d

,
.
,

strips of pap er The fact is that in weaving th e

.

inventive powers of pupil and teacher also are

developed and by it in apparent play minds and
, , ,

hands are practically trained as th ey coul d n ot be

in precis ely the sam e way in any other occu
patiou .

There are a variety of ways in which in ven

tions are m ade in weaving Someti mes th e child .

marks off upon his squared slate or paper a space

equal to the size of the mat he is to use and ,

there makes his design which he afterwards ,

copies with the mat and strips ; sometimes he

us es square tablets for th e purpos e and lays his
1

pattern upon the table first and both th e se ,

m ethods are valuable if in no other way f or the , ,

exercise in calculation which they give A gain .

,

h e may begin directly upon th e mat without the

intervention of any other material and weave ou t ,

his design with the needle and strips If he i n .

vents anything i n this manner at first it will ,

gen erally be in the nature of a lucky hit for ,

though he intends to make something he has ,

com mo n l y no ide a what it is to be He can often .

make very charming e ff ects in these fi rst ex p e r i

1
R p bl i of Chi ldh d V l I F b l Gift p ag 13 7
e u c oo , o . . .
’
r oe e s s, e .
17 8 WEAVING
ments if he puts two strips in hi s needl e at once ,

and weaves them in together each tim e pushing ,

on e afterwards to th e botto m of the mat and an

other to the top This will at least make the

.

patt ern sy mm etrical and often produce a very

good design The inventions need n ot only de
.

pend upon form f or their beauty b u t also upon ,

efie cti ve co m binations of color There are two .

manilla mats which come in every package of

w eaving which are most us eful for inv ention as ,

the h ea vy paper is n ot as easily cru m pled by th e

repeated eff orts of the young experi m enter and ,

if we give h im with these mats a box of strips ,

”
which are th e left overs of man y term s of
-

weaving he will often produce a rai n bow m at

,

which will be a veritable feast of color Strips .

of di fier en t widths may appropriately be used f or

many of the inventions and so serve the double ,

purpose of using econom ically all materials and

adding vari et y to design .

It is very us efu l now and then with the older

D i t ti ,“
c a on
childr en to dictate a si m pl e pattern in
w mg
eav '

weaving When the y understand the

.

principle on which the occupation re sts and are ,

familiar with the si m ple nu m bers they can follow ,

directi ons quit e re adily Dr W N Hai lm an n . . . .

says in this regard 1

I cannot dismiss the occu
patiou of weaving without pointing ou t the great
val ue of occasi on al exercises in dictation direct ,

1
W N Hail ma Ki d ga t C lt p ag 10
. . nn ,
n 0
er r en u u r e, e .
180 WEA VING
lation E very figure and design in weaving if
.
,

the element of form be under consideration is ,

brought about b y the connection of opposites ,

the fi gure in on e row b eing transposed into an

opposite position in th e next Th e contrasts .

o f ov er and under are united in e very mat and ,

each strip is kept in plac e by weaving th e on e

b elow it in a diff erent mann er Thus in th e .
,

simple pattern of over thre e und er on e the first , ,

strip is run in over three strips and under on e

, ,

all across th e m at but the second is wov en und e r

,

thr ee over on e and the two to gether make th e

, ,

pattern .

It is w ell to use for the first paper mats thos e

, ,

Br d
oa d anhaving regularly alternated broad and
fill? narrow strips B efor e the child has .

sufficient powers of calculation to m aster over

one and under on e he may be asked to pick up ,

all the wide strips on his n eedle and leave the

narrow ones ; in th e n ext journ ey across taking
up the narrow and leaving th e wide A certain .

kind of m ats is now m anufactured cut in alt er

nate wid e strips and groups of very narrow ones ,

two three or five m a group B eautiful patterns

, , .

may be m ade b y si m ply wea vin g over one and

under one and an entirely di fferent design in on e
,

m at is m ad e b y passing the n eedl e over all th e

broad strips fro m anoth er m at in which the needl e
,

has b een passed under th em There are oth er .

mats which are graded from narrow on the sides

,
 WEA VI NG 181

to wi d e in the centre and vi ce ver sa strips being

, ,

cut accor d ingly These mats are useful for o cc a

.

sioual introduction and give fresh enthusiasm to

,

a discouraged child perhaps but the criticism on

, ,

them might be that th e eflor t is not comm ens u rate

with the e ffect the pattern being beautiful while
, ,

no skill is needed to produce it These mats do .

nothing whatever towards the development of in

ven ti ve ability their only purpose being to in cu l
,

“
cate thoroughly the principle of over on e an d
under on e They are more arti fi cial than Fr oe
b el s ori gi n al material and d eman d less from the
’
,

child .

Mathemati cally considere d weavin g seems one ,

of the most perfect syste m s that could N m ber u

have been devi sed for teaching children

to count and to calculate Words are nothing .

to a child ; it is what he sees an d what he does

that he remembers He may b e told a hundred
.

“
times that t wo an d two are four an d he may ,

even learn to repeat it but had it been an

,

“
n o u n ced that two an d two were fi ve he would
have given the statement the same cred ence But .

”
wh en he can re al ize number corporeally so to ,

speak the impression is a mind picture an d h as

,
-
,

b ecome lasting An d since nu m ber is inh erent

.

in this occupation it is i m possi b le to use it and

,

exclude the sci ence of numb e rs thus mak ing w e av ,

ing of more value mathematically than any other

occupation We have here the means f or teach
.
182 WEA VING
m g the lem ents of arithmetic as in paper fold
e ,

ing we teach the elements of geo m etry First w e .

,

have th e unit over one under on e then over

, , ,
”
two under two and so on thus giving very good
, , ,

ex ercis e in counting and furnishing as K oehl er , ,

“
says an orderly s eries of obj ect lessons on the
,
”
first few nu m b ers Wh en the m ats of si m ple .

principles have b een woven th e combinations of ,

num b ers included in them is easy to the child .

The mat becom es his slate or blackboard on , ,

which he weaves out his tables in addition su b ,

traction and m ul tiplication or si m pl e problem s

, , ,

the strip ov er two meaning as much to him as

the figure two to a child in the primary school .

The m ental training in calculation which this com ,

bining of numbers gives is invaluable Weaving , .

may be considere d too as bearing the sam e rela , ,

tion to number lessons with the gifts that draw

ing do es to the laying of form s in sticks and
rings being more abstract than counting with
,

th e blocks and l ess abstract than figuri ng

,
Th e .

”
num erical progression in th e ordinary school
of w e aving is first sim ple num bers over and
1
, , ,

under one two three and four strips ; then com

, , ,

h i mations of nu m b ers two and on e th r ee and o n e , , ,

four and on e two and three three and four , , ,

1 Fr oeb el ’
s Sch ool of Weavi g i s to b e
n f ou nd i al l th e ki
n n

d ergarte G i d n u es,
”
an da r t v r ty
g ea a i e of c l r ed pl at s i l l
o o e ,
us

tr ati g d esign s f
n or th e occu p ati m ay b
on ,
e h ad of an y ki d er n

gart en su ppl y t r s o e.
184 WEA VING
h im . It supplies material for creation it devel ,

o s th e perceptive faculties sharpens the s ens e

p ,

of color and giv es pleasure and profit to chil

,

dren of widely difier i n g ages Not the least .

among its values is that th e finished work m ay

be m ade up in so man y pretty and us eful ways to
serv e as l ittle gifts Th e mats m ay be cut from
.

morocco leath erette cardboard or ivorine and

, , , ,

woven with strips of silk velvet or ribbon and , ,

thus serve for blotters calendars portfolios b ox , , ,

covers handkerchi ef cases lam p mats and cornu

, , ,

copias Th ese ar e all trifling things enough in

.

on e se n s e ; but in anoth er nothing is trifling ,

which the chi ld m ak es with an honest loving ,

purpose and as car ef u lly an d artistically as his

,
'

”
powers a d mit In th e Paris kind ergarten work
.
,

say s an observer 1
th e id ea of decoration is made
,

inseparable from that of com pletion The high .

est use includes beauty i n all work The weaving .

is not so m uch with pap er as with worsted which ,

i s a m ore useful mat erial and adm its m ore easily

of d ecoration A little woven square of colored
.

worst ed m ay serve as a m at or a holder and a ,

co m bin ation of squares can be used as a cov er for

table b ed etc ; each piece may be decorat ed in
, ,
.

harm onious colors and d esigns or in portions of

o n e larg e d e sign A ll m anual training is relieved
.

o f its purely industrial aspect by the artistic i m

”
p ul se of the French peopl e .

M L i a Par
1 H pk i
rs . ou s so n s o n s.
 WEA VIN G 185

Weaving may be made of consi d erable value

in th e school though it must be so man W vi g ,“
, ea n
th
aged as n ot to require m uc h previous e

preparation from th e u nfortunate teacher who

has se venty children in her sole charge Mrs . .

E L H ail m an n h as devise d some small mats

. .

on which arithmetical problems m ay be quickly

woven ou t and which ar e thus w ell fitted for the
,

school ; an d if the patterns are woven as they

shoul d be so that the strips do not slip about but
, ,

remain firmly in place it is an easy matter for ,

the children themselves to clip the ends an d gu m

the e dges of the mat down upon them Here .
,

too di ctati on s are especially valuable and easily

,
r

carried ou t and the occasional copying of a sym

,

metrical figure or form of life from the black

board might be allowed 1
while for the older
children some written problem might be set
, .

This might be for instance : Weave three dif ,

f er en t designs suitable for towel borders across

y our mat ; make an appropriate design for an
oil cloth weave a pattern showing two fi gures in
-

alternation which could be us ed for wall paper -

,

sho w me upon your mat the various ways in

which the number ten may be produce d b y a dd i
tion .

Letters an d numbers may easily be woven upon

the mats but this would be of n o especial value
, ,

1
r
Di ag ams f or Pri mary S h c ool Weavi n
g m ay b e h ad of th e
Mil t on Bradl y C e o .
186 WEA VIN G
save as an ex ercise in ingenuity and in i ll u str at
ing th e capabilities of th e occupation The m ats .

may also b e woven by th e older children in the

standard patterns us ed in can e weaving and thus ,

serve as an explanation of that industry There .

is a vari ety of th e work called Freehand Weav ,

ing which is a union of this occupation and

,

paper interlacing and which is very us eful in the ,

school as it include s measuring cutting folding

, , , ,

and weaving as well as practice in co m binations

,

1
of color A ll the forms produced are d efinit e
.

finished objects as napkin rings picture fram es , , ,

book marks baskets etc and thus the work in

-
, , .
, ,

i ts relation to later industry resembles Slojd , .

Wea vi ng when considered as a pri m itive oce n

,

St fio es’
patio u relat e d to the industri e s of
,
ani
g m
w mg
$
eav
23 mals
;
o ff e rs a delightful fi eld for
,
stori e s .

The marvelous hom es and webs that

'

the spid ers make m ay be illustrat ed and the i n ,

eident related of gallant R obert Bruce and th e

lesson the spid er taught h i m Then we may tell .

that swe etest of Togeth er stori es (translat ed

“

from the G erm an ) How the Little Boy got a

“
,
”
New Shirt and we m ay revel to our h eart s con
,
’

tent in tal e s of wonderful birds nests built in ’

wonderful places We sho u ld always have a col .

lection of nests in the kindergarten to show th e

children carefully explaining of course th at they
, , ,

1 Ma n u al s f or Fr eh an d Weavi n g m ay
e be o btai d fr
n e o m E .

L . K ll e o gg Co .
188 WEA VING
the web an d weaving gam es on e of which I ap
, ,

pend on account of its particular usefulness

, .

First choose a row of children for threads of

the warp standing at such a distance from each
,

other that a child m ay pass easily betwe en the m .

Second choose a child (or children ) f or thread of

,

woof who at the third line of the verse begins to

,

pass before the first in th e r ow behind th e seco n d ,

on e before the third etc

,
after weaving through , .

th e l i ne taking his place at the en d

,
.

The threads of the warp and woof change to

”
children again sing and clap in tim e , ,
.

B ut we have y et to v iew the occupation of

weaving in its artistic asp ect The
$ 3533:
.

W vi g
ea n great end of art is to give pleasure
. .

The eye and the car ar e the chief av enues of

artistic delight and have the power of protract ,

ing enjoym ent without fatigue It is for this .

reason that artists strive so earn estly towards

the gratification of these two s enses Am ong the .

susceptibilities touched by artistic arrang em ent ,

may be noticed the sense of u nity arising wh en a ,

great nu m ber of things are brought under a com

prehensive design as in weaving ; th e practical , ,

arithmetical and artistic making an easily ap p r e

,

hended whole out of a numerous host of p ar ti cu

,

lars Besides being a source of pleasure art has

. ,

an elevating and refining influence on the m ind

and character for there is an ins eparable conn ec
,

tion between the beautiful an d the good O b ser .

 WEA VIN G 189

vation teaches that the full u se of ou r senses is

only to be acquired by suitable training How .

fully thi s training is e ff ected in the gifts and

occ u pations of Froeb el o n l y those initiated can
,

appreciate and understand Weaving on e of the .

,

m ost beautiful and useful of his occupations de ,

vel op s the eye and the hand the memory imagi , ,

nation and calcul ative powers

,
all a ff ecting the ,

child s after life be he artist or artisan But con

’
,
.

sider in
g it specifically a s to i ts artistic value
, ,

Froebel says The beautiful is the best means of

,

education for the human race We know the .

perfection reached by the human race in art has

been developed from simple elements as a foun
“
dation so the child must have the elements of
,

the beautiful before he can comprehend it in its

,
”
whole exte nt .

In the kin d ergarten occupations we have won

der f t devise d means of teaching the l i h
iq m j
o or en o
vw
elements of art weaving being n ot the i g
.

n -
,

least val uable ; for it may be mad e most artis

tic in color an d design An d this brings up the
.

most striking characteristic of the occupation ,

its color which was briefly touched upon in

,

the beginning of this chapter A chi ld craves .

color as he craves sunlight an d fresh air and in ,

weaving he is feasted with it But though he .

adm ires naturall y the bright hues an d their rich

, ,

efiects he does not un d erstan d that al l b right

,

colors do n ot when combine d produce these rich

, ,
19 0 WEA VING
e ff ects an d that subdued tints are just as n eces
,

sary as the brighter ones The occupation will .

be especially beneficial to h im and he will learn ,

to harm onize colors more succ essfully if h e is al ,

lowed with occasional suggestions from the kin

der gar tn er — to choose his own materials The .

combination of color in this occupation sets it

aside from all others for in nothing else is com
,

bining color an absolute necessity while the eff ect ,

of the repetition of a fi gure either occurring in

straight lines or alternating as in the tr an sp osi ,

tions f or covering a surface is a marked feature

, , .

There h as been of late some question among

biologists as to wh ether at the kindergarten ,

period of the chi ld s life when the brain is de

’
,

vel op in g so rapidly it is wise to give such strong

,

stimuli as we provi d e for the color sense (in w eav -

ing f or in stance ) when we lay before the li ttle

, ,

o n e all the riches of the modern color market It -

.

is best perhaps to think of the matter seriously

, , ,

though so far as ou r experience goes there have ,

b een as yet n o evi l results from the practice .

There is a possibili ty however that if we cen, ,

tr ed the child s attention too much upon match

’

ing classifying and harmonizing colors to the

, , ,

parti al exclusion of form work an d if we con -

,

tinne d this through the primary school we might ,

1
lead the child as Dr Harris say s into habits
,
.
,

of impertinent and trifling attention to ele m ents

1 R
p tof th C mmi tt f Fif t
e or e o pag 17 ee o een ,
e .
 PAP ER C UTTING

Mt q ar
a er i al s q il at ral tri a gl a d i l f whi t
S u es, e u e n es , n c r c es o e

or l r d p ap r f r i h
co o e e i ,di am t r ; b l t p i t d i
ou n c es n e e un -
o n e sc s

r ; m il ag p a t a am l hair br h m all p i t d
’
so s uc e or s e c e s- us or s o n e

s ti k a d a l th f pr i g
c ,
n c o or ess n .

AL MO ST m var iab ly says Herbert Spencer , ,

“
C tti g
u n
childr
,
en show a strong tendency to
f cut ou t things in paper to make to
o , ,
C hi ld
buil d ; a propensity which if duly eu
r en

cou r a ed and directed will n ot only prepare the

g ,

way for scienti fi c conceptions but will develop ,

those powers of manipulation in which most peo

”
ple are so de fi cient The baby of three months .

delights to tear papers attracted as m uch per , ,

haps by the sharp ripping sound and the rustle

, ,

of the fal ling fragm ents as by the sense of his

mastery over material and the fancy that he i s ,

doing something of great difficulty and value .

Some children who have a strong inherite d s ens e

of form are early able to tear form s from paper

which are easily recognizable but when the con ,

structive instinct is thus far developed the u se of ,

the scissors is com m only ardently desired The .

”
instinct of i m itation as P erez says so active , ,

in all young animals con d uces to the rapi d d e ,

 PAPER C U TTING 19 3

vel op m en this heredi tary faculty for every

t of ,

child daily sees his mother or nurse cutting some

thing and i s fascinated by the movement of the
,

bright scissors the soun d of the sharp steel bl ades

,

as they clash against each other and the rapidity ,

of the e ff ect produced The fascination is over.

m astering he will and m ust have the scissors

,

and as if the desire i s balked he commonly ob

, ,

tains them surreptitiously and commits all sorts of

vandalisms it is wis est to give him something to
,

cut and thus make the enjoym ent legitimate an d

,

above b oard The instinctive mother has satis fied

-
.

the child s love of ou t form s ever since scissors

’

and paper were fi rst invented and who does not ,

remember sitting at m other s knee and watching ’

her ou t out houses and furn iture and rude ani ,

mals and most wonderful of all strings of moon

, , ,

face d dolls with balloon like skirts and tiny feet

,
-

set at right angles to each other — all holding ,

hands an d evidently tripping through a sort of

stately rhythmic dah oe ?
A t about the thir d year however the child , ,

wants to do the cutting hi m s elf and the thought ,

ful mother supplies him with n e wspaper or cheap ,

brown paper and blunt scissors and lets hi m ex

, ,

e r i m en t in her presence it b e ing fully un d er

p ,

stood i n the beginning that the y oung ex p e r i

menter is to pick up all the scraps from th e
carp et when he tires of th e play Afte r he h as .

handl ed the scissors a little and can cut in a ,

19 4 PAPER C U TTING
tolerably straight line he may be provided with
,

simple pictures advertisements etc from maga

, , .
,

zines or newspapers (really good subj ects only

,

being provided) and allowed to ou t these ou t and

,

paste them in scrap books assorting them accord ,

ing to some preconceived plan .

Many children will now d elight in free cut

ting s m ooth white or colored paper being
,
G tti g
u n en

r ow de for th i s purpose but there 1s

0
333 5313: p
d
” great dl ff er en ce in ability in regard to
,

3;$3113
1

the originating of forms in this man

ner Preyer mentions a child who in his fourth
.
,

year without instruction coul d cut ani m als out

, ,

of paper with the scissors (giraffes grey hounds , ,

horses lions camels fishes ) so that everybody

, , ,

recognized them at once Such a talent however .

, ,

if it be a talent and not an indication of positi ve

,

genius is very rare in d eed and in our experience

, ,

with many hundred little children has only been

shown by one in an y m arked degree All chil .

dren however wh en ol d enou g

, ,
h even if th ey have ,

no talent for originating forms will d elight in ,

picture cutting and also in cutting pap er dolls

,

and their volu m inous wardrobes D eaf m ute chil .

-

dren are found to take particular pleasure in the

occupation and early becom e proficient in it if
, ,

at all encouraged ; and any s m all suff erer wh o is ,

long confi ned in bed will find cutting his bes t

,

defense against fatigue and monotony Th e .

universal interest in silhouettes an d the pleasure ,

19 6 PAPER C U TTI N G

less attention because it does not forc e its elf

,

upon our notice in the sam e unpleasant and

occasionally very expensive m anner Ordi .

n ar il
y nothing ,
is done to aid this natural ten
den cy of childhood to help the child in his ,

e ndeavors Th erefore it was that Froebel

.

endeavored to satisfy as early as possible th e , ,

desire of children to reunite things s eparated .

Cutting has been one of the n eglecte d occupa

C tti g
u n ti ons in too many kinde rgart ens partly ,
m th K m
.

e
d g t
er ar en b ecaus e the ruled paper som etl m es used
.

for it has been thought too expensive and also ,

becaus e it is supposed to need much oversight

for its successful perform ance The squares h av .

ing triangles on on e side crossed in lines as a ,

guide to the eye in cutting are expensive it is , ,

true but w e may alternate their use with squares

,

o f plain paper by which just as desirable results

,

can be obtained .

The argument that the possession of scissors in

the school room will lead the child to acts of law
-

less destruction at hom e seems to have little foun

dation The child who is forming good habits
.
,

and learning day by day to employ his activities

happily and rationally m ay b e inclined indeed to , , ,

use at home th e tools with which he gains so much

pleasure at school ; but he will b e likely in nin e ,

cases out of ten to use th e m with care an d dis

,

cretion We must rem e m ber also that blunt

.
, ,

pointed scissors are us ed f or kindergarten cutting ,

 PAPER C U T TI N G 19 7

re d ucing to a mini m um the danger of their deal

ing out death and destruction ; that th e kinder
gartn er is never abs ent from the little group
making u se of them and that l ast of all children , , ,

who are appropriately and busily e mployed have

little desire or leisure to u se their tools as i m p l e
m ents of warfare To teach the proper use of
.

such instruments is the best means to prevent

”
their being used improperly and th e child who ,

h as learned h ow to cut so m ething re al ly pretty

and interesting from bits of pap er is m uch more ,

likely to use the scissors at ho m e for that pur

pose than for clipping the baby s curls the cat s
,
’
,
’

whiskers or cu tting holes in mother s apron

,
’
.

The square will not be a n ew form to th e child

when first introduced for cutting for Pr li m i ry e n a
C v r
,
on e sa
h e will often have drawn it and laid it ti on .

with sticks and will be fam iliar with the faces

,

of the cube while he has already folded the paper

,

square into some si m ple li fe form It is always .

best however to give a bit of a revi ew in a play

, ,

ful way in order to be assure d that each child

,

kn ows and can point ou t the right hand front

corner the left hand back corner the front edge
, , ,

the back e dge etc for any mistake in the di

, .
,

rections based upon these terms will in cutting ,

even more than in folding bring irretrievable ,

disaster The material too needs an expl ana

.
, ,

tory word though the children have handled it

,

before in fold ing sewing d rawing and prickin g

, , , .
19 8 PAPER C U TTI N G

Perhaps some little one is now developed enough

to tell us where Mistress Wasp the first paper ,

maker gets the materials for her work and with

,

what pretty artific e sh e uses it And how does .

the rag picker h elp u s and what have the cotton

,

plant and the little blue eyed flax done for the -

paper cutting ? Ah ! and here are the scissors !

Where di d th ey co m e from ?
and before
that ? and b efore that ? I wonder wh o
could find me a piece of iron in the cabinet .

And so on , not eno u gh to weary ; just

a word here an d there till at last the children ,

silently think as one of them in deed said on e day

, ,

with serious face an d wagging head It takes a ,

much of helpers to get th ese little things .

If the chil d ren have had in the nursery such

Fi r st E
n g
exercises with the scissors as have be en

indicated they will be quite re ad y in

,

th e kindergarten to do very beautif ul work with

a little guidance A s a matter of fact however
.
, ,

on e frequently finds only two or three out of a

dozen five year ol d children who have the least

- -

idea even of holding the scissors G irls gener .

ally understand the work better than boy s the ,

latter often regarding the scissors with a dubious

interest as th ey might some wild creatu re which
,

was m ost attractive and y et might be suspected

,

of a desire to bite .

For such novices a good deal of preli m inary

cutting i s necessary before they can follo w a d eli
20
0 PAPER C U TTIN G

as a guide to the ey e The first cuts will b e mad e

.

according to th e suggestion of th e ki n der gar t

n er, and later on the child may work ou t his
o w n id eas The cuttings having been made he
.
,

can make his own disposition of the pieces using ,

them all in so m e original design He may first .

experim ent by pasting th em on larger squares of

brown pap er and when he acquires su fiici en t dex
,

ter i ty m ay paste them on cards appropriate col

, ,

ored paper or in his book of school work

, .

A fter the first few cuttings we wo ul d advise ,

l eaving the children v ery much to their own

devices providing they have been so trained that
,

we can trust to th eir using all materials wis ely

and economically at least if not artistically If
, ,
.

we carry th e m through the whole sequence of cuts

b efore allo wing th em to invent they may well ,

doubt if more worlds are left to conquer .

The first cuttings of the squ are may be as fol

lows :
1 Verticall y through centre of triangle
. .

2 O n e space to right
. .

3 One space to left

. .

4 B oth sides of centre

. .

5 Centre and both sides

. .

6 C entre and two spaces to r l gh t an d left

. .

7 Through centre horizontally

. .

8 One space above centre

. .

9 One space below centre

. .

10One space above and below centre

. .
 PAPER C U TTIN G 0
2 1

11 . Centre also above and below

,
.

12 . One or two oblique cuts .

13 . G reater number of oblique cuts .

14 . Combinations of verti c al and oblique cuts .

15 . Combinations of horizontal an d oblique

cuts .

One or two curve d cuts

16 . .

17 Co m binations of curved cuts

. .

The equilateral triangle is also use d as a

groun d form for cutting being folde d into si x
-
,

smaller equilaterals on e laid upon the oth er , .

The forms produce d are exce edingly pretty and

arrange themselves naturally into fi gures rese m
bling the triangle hexagon an d dodecagon in , ,

general outline With the triangle as with the .

,

square and circle we follow the same course of ,

lines as in lin ear drawing fi rst the vertical , ,

then th e horizontal the oblique the curve 1

The , , .

child however would be a gr ayb eard before he

, ,

left the kin d ergarten if he were de taine d there ,

long enough to execute the prescribe d schools of

cutting with these three ground forms ; an d not -

only so but he would lose the exercise of his free

,

creative activity which as Matt hew A rnold says , , ,

“
i s the highest function o f man ; and is proved
to be so by man s fin d ing in it his tru e happi ’

”
ness .

1
p t ri f di r ti
Com l e e se es o ec on s f or th e Froebel Sch oo l of cu t

ti g w i th th q ar tria gl
n e s u e, n e , an d r
ci cl e , m ay b e f ou n di n th e
vari Ki d gart G id
ous n er en u es .
 0
2 2 PAPER C U TTI N G
Dr W N H ail m an n long ago sounded a few
. . .

notes of warning to the kindergartn er as to th e

use and abuse of Schools of work and th ey ,

ar e given h ere becaus e the ne e d f or th e m has n ot

,

yet pass ed away Make yo u rs elf thorough mas

.
~

ters of the schools of work he says artists in ,

them ; but at the same ti m e do not forget that ,

the y are m ean s and do not transform the m into

,

en ds . The phy sical mental and moral growth , ,

of th e child is the end his physical mental and , ,

moral vigor and soundn ess are the crite ria of

your work Fair work is thinkable without a
.

knowledge of schools bad work is not u n

co m mon with a p erfect knowledge of them The .

kindergartner who makes schools the end of ‘ ’

h er work has ceased to be a kind ergar tner and

, ,

has beco m e a schoo l teacher in every s ense of the

-

word She has been seiz ed by the machin ery

.
,

and has become a part of it She is aiding in .

th e downfall of th e kindergarten p r ep ar l n g for it ,

”
the fate of obj ec t t eaching - .

It was Fr oeb el s invariable rule that in the

’

seri es of sym m etrical figures all th e

pi eces cut from each ground form
shoul d be e m ployed in th e d esign into which it
is subsequently made This rul e was based in .
,

his opinion on two principles ; first on that of

,

unity or conn ect edness binding into a whole by ,

a synthetic proc ess all the scattered el em ents

pro duced by analysis and showing their inter ,
 0
2 4 PA PER C U TTI N G

the sake of usi ng all the m at erial is poor economy

and wors e art There is evidently much weigh t
.

in these argu m ents also and th ere ar e as m an y ,

promine n t kind ergartners and training schools

who adopt th e ar tist s vi e w of the m atter as th ere
’

ar e of thos e w h o hold to th e e arlier opinion ad

van ced by Fro ebel .

When we begin upon th e occupation of paper

P r ac ti cal cutting and while
, t h e childre n are ex
D mm
’r e ’s

p er i m e n ti n
'

g with the practice paper it ,

is i m portant to teach th em to hold the scissors

“
easily an d com fortably I ll cutting long lines
.
'

th e scissors should b e opened wide so that the ,

e ntire length may b e cut at o n e ti m e In cutting .

curve d lin es the scissors and paper should ap

proach e ach other e qually both d e scribing th e ,

curve In cutting around s m all curves into s m all

.

plac e s it will b e found necessary to use th e points

,

of the scissors with very short cuts Of course

the child will learn all thes e things by exp erience ,

but Madam E xperi enc e keeps a very dear school ,

as Franklin tells us and it is th e o ffic e of th e

,

kindergartner to save the child fro m so m e of th e

errors which he would m ake if left to blund er
along alon e Wh en th e cutting has be en done in
.

thes e s ym m etrical form s th e child carefully u n ,

folds his c entral figure and s m ooths it out aft er ,

wards opening the s m aller pi ec es and arranging

th e design If there is n ot ti me to fold dra w
.
, ,

cut and paste in on e exercis e e ach child m ay lay

, ,
 PAPER C U TTI N G 0
5

h is pieces away in an envelope until next lesson ,

as Fr oeb el us ed to do wi th his little ones .

Th ere are various opinions as to the kind of

adhesive matt er to be e m ploy ed in pap er cutting ,

so m e kindergartn e rs reco m m ending flour or corn ,

starch som e ordinary mucilage and some gu m

, ,

tragacanth The last nam ed substance makes a

.
-

us eful paste because it leaves n o stain on the

,

delicate tinted paper an oflen se which gum arabic

-
,
-

is very likely to com m it Two children may have

.

a small dish of paste between them and if pro , ,

vided with camel s hair b r ushes are less lik el y to

’
-
,

put it on with that lavish generosity which is

wont to distinguish their use of the common
mucilage brush They must be taught too not
.
, ,

to cover the pieces as thickly with paste and stick

them down as tightly as if they were to meet the
stress of winte r and rough weather but only to ,

touch the centre of the fi gures lightly with the

bru sh an d leave the edges free .

The color of the background on which the d e

signs are paste d is a m atter for consideration an d ,

it is most interesting and pro fi table for the chil

dren to allow them to experiment with back
grounds , p asting a group work design f or i n -
,

stance first ou a sheet of black cardboard then a

, ,

si m ilar one on white an d finally on gray that the

, ,

di fference in e ffect may be noted A background .

of gra y or light chocolate is now generall y con

, ,

si der ed preferable f or all cuttings .

 0
2 6 PAPER C U TTI N G
It is the practice in some kindergartens always
to m ount upon the sam e she et as the design a
, ,

folded paper (either square triangle or circle ) , , ,

having the same lin e s traced u pon it as were cut

in m aking the figure This renders it possible
.

al ways to reproduce the cutting which is very ,

desirable if it is a particularly pleasing one ; and

also makes clearer to the child the processes of
h i s success .

Fr oeb el s interest and profi ciency in th e science

’

R lati on f
e
of
o
crysta ll ograph y ar e clearly reflected

in paper cutting and he m akes the rela

,

g ph”
ra
t l on more ev1den t l n h l s di ssertat i ons on
”
the subject in the E ducation of Man
“
The .

various form s produced in the series of form s of

beauty naturally classify th em selves into three ,

four six and twelve sided figures and often quite

, ,
-
,

perfect repres entations of the fibrous radiate , ,

leafy la m inated and m e m branous crystals fall

, ,

from the shining scissors The delight of the .

unexpected waits upon the scissor work for com -

,

m on l y in free cutting we have but th e vaguest

idea of what we are going to m ake and when the ,

ou t form prov e s beautiful we experience a su r

,

prise and pleasure like that when a fresh turn of

the kaleidoscope brings a new crystalline dance to
view .

“
Those lili es of the sky the snow flakes can ,
-
,

”
be as easily cut as the lilies of the rocks and
“
,

old er child ren and kindergarten students often

 0
2 8 PAPER C U TTI N G

Dolls fruits leaves parasols fir trees houses may

, , , ,
-
, ,

be m ad e in this m anner and as the work is gen ,

e r all
y fre ehand it gives valuable
, assistance in
making the two sides of the figu re alike .

The freehand cutting as far as life forms are ,

Freeh a d conc
n
erned is v e r y rude at fir st and the
, ,
c tti g
u n
child is frequ ently obliged to interpret
his work e ven to th e exp erienc ed and i m aginative
kin dergartn er at his side When how ever we .
, ,

are tem pted to grow discouraged with the crudity

of the form s we can r efr esh o u r so ul s with Fr e e
,

bel s words in the Mother Play

’
-

Th e thi g a hil d a m ak
n s c c n e

May r d a d w rthl b
c u e n o e ss e

I t is h i s i mp u l se to cr eate

S ou l d gl adden
h th ee !

Should we com p ai e the majority of the life '

forms cut in freehand work even by ou r older ,

school children in A merica we should have cause

-
,

to blush for th em when contrasted with the ex q u i

site grac eful artistic figures which the Japanese
, , ,

kindergarten bab y of five or six years produces .

Wh en we gaze upon the cherry blossom s float -

ing on running water the fleu r de lis growing ,

- -

up fro m the marsh a m id its tall gre en leav es the ,

purple aster and th e m any petaled ch r ysan th e -

m u m waving across the page with their own free

gesture and the fantailed goldfish gasping and
,

undulating do wn among the sea weeds we are -

,

mind ed to devote to the waste basket the clumsy -

 PAPER C U TTI N G 2 9 0
e fforts of Jack and Isaac and Mikey and Adolph
and Hans A nd yet the free productions of on e
.

child ar e just as valuabl e as those of anoth er ,

when we reflect that the purpose of both is to

make the inward outward and th e outward i n
ward and the im m ense superiority of the free
,

work of Japanese children m ay well teach us a

useful lesson of the value of h eredity in ar t and ,

re m in d us of the centuries of patient unrewarded ,

labor art for art s sake which lie b ehin d this

’

dear brown skinned black eyed little brother

-
,
- .

There is a series of fre ehand cuttings based on

geometric form which is used in some kinder
,

gartens and from which ad m irable resul ts are

,

obtained The first st ep is spirals

. .

Taking a square of paper we cut into it one ,

half inch from the edge then follow ou t a spiral ,

curve cutting ever closer and clos e r to the cen

,

tre until the entire sheet i s one spiral thread of

,

paper If th e children ar e too young to make a

.

snail as they call it it will aff ord them n o s m all

,
’
,

interest or pro fi t to watch the kindergartner ,

with steady han d cut on an d on Taking an , .

other square we cut in this a continuous series of

,

squares within squares n ever breaki ng th e thr ead ,

until the centre is reach ed A s in the e ff ort to .

pare a whole apple without breaking the paring so ,

here great ski l l and foresigh t are demande d The .

s econd step is that of cutting si m ple life form s ,

in which the un d erlying fi gures of circle oval , ,

21 0 PA PER C U TTIN G
square triangle or oblong are m odified by som e
, ,

outer addition such as the apple other fruits etc

, , , .

Both the form cut and the background from

which it has b een taken should be kept and pasted
side by side in a scrapbook The third step is .

the modification of th es e forms within the set

geometric outlin e such as a house front with ,

windows and d oors or a h emisphere which ou t ,

lines the continents .

The fourth step is that of artistic designs ,

such as snow flakes floral or historic art form s A

-
, .

series in this departm ent m ay be develop ed fro m

the seaweeds and ferns which present such an ,

unli m ited variety of fancy traceries One little .

lam e girl w h o began her simple scissoring in

,

the kindergar ten d eveloped such skill that in ,

after years she was able to support herself by the

artistic forms sh e created which were purchased ,

by the city confectioners A nother unique artist .

cuts at a glance exquisite silhouettes of an y face

brought before him The scissors like the pen .
,

cil can become the tool f or artistic work with

, ,

1 ”
practic e .

The value of paper cutting in the school for ,

geometric work f or the m aking and ,

Sh l
c oo .
mounting of sy mm etrical designs and
life form s is at once evident and with drawing ,

and modeling is one of th e popular kindergarten

occupation s am ong m ost teachers Much less pre .

1 Ki d
gant M aga i
er S pt m b r a
r end O t b r 1893 z n e, e e e n c o e , .
212 PAPER C U T TI N G

tu n i ty it gives for the exercise of creative self

1
activity an instinct which if deni ed legitimate
, , ,

expression voices its elf in destruction It is a

, .

great assistance in form work teaching by simple -

,

concrete means all lines angles rectilinear and , , ,

curvilinear figur es ; it s erves to still further i m

press the practical worth of th e law of mediation
o f contrasts ; it gives valuabl e training to hand

an d e y e and mast ery over tool and m aterial ; it

,

opens a broad fi eld for design leading up to ,

artistic productions and beautiful orna m ents ; it

is a useful m ode of ill ustrating stories and lessons ,

and teaches carefuln e ss and accuracy and wise ,

use of material Lastly when we consider its .

,

industrial value it paves the way to th e cutting ,

o u t of garments and to designs for house deco ,

r ation and various oth e r branches o f industry .

brary f th Chil dr
I n th e li B il di g at th W rl d
o e en s
’
u n e o
’
s

1 ai w r h g v ral fram d p i t r
r e e un whi h w r m ad wi th
se e e c u es c e e e

n ei th r p ile br h Th y w r th rigi al w rk f a
en c n or us . e e e e o n o o n

en e rg ti b y f t y a wh g i d m a d d a t rdi r
e c o o en e r s, ose en us e n e s u e

i tr m t tha
n s u i th r f th
en H i m th r
n ie r h ad arl y
e o e se . s o e
’
s sc sso s e

attra t d hi att
c e ti a d b y ti d a d r p at d ff rt h
s en on ,
n con n ue n e e e e o e

d v l p d th a t f pi t r m aki g wi th th t l H w a
e e o e e r o c u e n ese oo s . e s

n ot ati fi d w i th m r l y
s s etti g p i t r f till l i f b t h e e cu n c u es o s e, u e

m t t ll a t ry ab t th i g
us e Os o f th p i t r t l d th
ou n s . n e o ese c u es o e

t ry f th fai i
s o o m i g at m i d ight t d a
e r am g th fl w
es co n n o n ce on e o

1 “ C r eati ve y Fath er Gi rard sh ow s i ts l f

i m ag
i n a i on t ,
sa s , e

at a v ery t d r ag f if th e l i ttl e hil d li kes t gi ve pro f f

en e e or c o o o

h i s stre gth b y d troyi g h e al so d l i ght i pr d i g aft r

n es n , e s n o uc n ,
e

h is ow n fa h i s on , thi n gs n ew an d b eau ti f u l .
”
D e l E n sei gn emen t
’

R ’

gl
e u i er de la L an gu e Mat er n el e, l Li v I I I . . p ag e 88 .
 PAPER C U TTI N G 2 13

er s . t k a l arg h t f whi t gl a d pap r tti g

Th e b oy oo e s ee o e z e e , cu n

i t i t a d ig wh i h xpr
n o es d hi m tal pi t r f th da
n c e esse s en c u e o e n

c ni g fai ri a d th wayi g gr wi g b l m i g pl a t l if Th
es n e s n ,
o n , oo n n e . e

a ti
c a d th
on hara t r f th
n e ti r c wa m i takab l y
c e o e en e s cen e s un s

th r l t f r ati v p w r Th b y d ar d t w rk t th
e esu o c e e o e . e o e o o ou e

fa y f fai ry tal w i th th i r a d
n c o e d d i pr d i g e sc sso s , n su ccee e n o uc n

a b a ti f l p i t r
e u Th d li at whi t tra ry w a l ai d v r a
u c u e . e e c e e ce s o e

sc arl t b a kgre d whi h thr w i t r l i f v ry ti y p tal a d

c ou n c e n o e e e e n e n

e v ry gra f l tl i f th d a i g fig r
e ce u ou Thi
n e origi al e nc n u es. s o n

b y wr t th l i
o o e f a p atri ti h ym i th
e n es oam m a r wi th o c n n e s e nn e

hi l v r
s c e i r a m pa yi g th l tt r d w rd wi th gg
e sc sso s , cco n n e e e e o s su es

ti v ill trati
e us Th w r d light
on s wa
. t l y tra d ie o
”
s n o on ce n

d l i at l tt r
e c e t i t
e th p ap r b t a h l tt r w a i ll mi
e s cu n o e e ,
u e c e e s u

n at d w i th r al i t i
e d ig eO v r th sti r w rd h g a
c es ns . e e en e o un su n ,

w i th i t ray r a hi g t a h l tt r Th i i ti al l tt r f a h
s s e c n o e c e e . e n e e s o e c

li n ew r d rat d i e e h a w ay a t i di at th m a i g f
eco e n su c s o n c e e e n n o

th ti li
e en N d
re ri pti f th w rk a d i t j ti as
n e . o e sc on o e o c n o us ce ,

th r w a a d l i a y a d gra a w ll a tr gth a d b a ty
e e s e c c n ce , s e s s en n e u

i i t wh i h
n ,
mm a d d admi r ati
c co Ki d ga t Maga i
n e on .
”
n er r en z n e,

O t b r 1894
c o e , .
 PAP ER FO L DING

Mat er i als S qu ares, tri an gl es, an d ci r cl es (u su al l y fou r i n ch es

in di am t r) of
e e en gi n r d gl a d a
e- co l o e ,
z e
,
n d t d pap r dy d
coa e e s, e

in al l col o s , s r had es , an d ti t nObl g

s. on s an d h x ag ae al on s re so

s om e tim es u s e d .

PA P ER has long b een so ch eap and abundant a

Pa p r F b
e
fabric
o
that f or m an y y ears m others have

used it to delight their children In the .

o p t i m“
fir el i t winter e venings before the days
ccu a
,

of th e useful (and ugly ) match o u r gr an dm o ,

th er s folde d dainty lam plighters under the watch ,

ful eye s of an ad m iring little group and when ,

the pretty work was over marvelous paper boats ,

an d boxes and wind m ills were fashioned f or the

expectant audience .

Man y times in the quiet home life of the G er -

man p easant Fro ebel w ith that all inclusive gaz e

,
-

of his saw par e nts and children united in this sim

ple art and notic ed the unfailing delight which

,

it evok ed and since his desire was as h e say s to

, , ,

attain the universal elem ents of proper work f or

childhood he gathere d this flower also to twine
,

into th e garland of kindergarten occupations .

Cheap and si m ple ar e the materials which these

employ and yet so fr ugal is th e chariot that
,
“

bears the human soul that a mere valueless bit

216 PAPER FOLDI N G
are not astonishing enough we can cap them by ,

tru e tales of paper car whe els rails sewer pip es -

, ,
-
,

cornic es fri ez es tiles mant els entire houses even

, , , , ,

— and also t ell of a substance called a i er scu l

p p p
-

tor which is fr e qu ently used in G erm any instead

,

of clay for modeling .

The occupation of Folding though on e of the ,

M t h r m ost artistic and valuabl e which Froe

a e ,

w i th
C l se s
F ld i g
o n
bel has given us is at the sa m e ti m e , ,
P ap e r s “

one of th e m ost delicate and difficult r e ,

quiring perfect eye m easure and great accuracy of

touch f or its proper perform ance ; indeed thes e are
two of th e great est advantages gained by its exe
cu ti on Th e dictations should not be given to th e
.

child until he is able in so m e degree to foll ow , ,

th em with tolerable neatness else h e will grow ,

discouraged and careless losing his pleasure in ,

what i s invariably a de l ightful occupation if

, , ,

given at the proper stage of the child s develop ’

m ent If we wish to use it with th e younger chil

.

dre n ,as it is so helpful to e y e an d fingers w e must ,

make it play and n ot work Th e practice forms .

m ay be cut from brown paper so that the fail -

,
f

ure s of th e little p eople will n ot b e too expensive .

and th e form s should not b e less than five inches

in diam et er for th es e preli m inary exercises We .

begin with the square co m m only and although ,

there m ust be a littl e drill on its shap e an d color ,

its edges and corn ers y et this must all be given,

at first in the form of play .

 PAPER FOLDI N G 217

It well to accusto m the child to select his

is
o wn color fro m th e first expressing his prefer
,

enc e in w o r ds and either taking th e paper fr om

,

a sheaf which we hold b efore hi m o r when old e r , ,

asking that it be selected from the box Th ere .

is no need of allowing ev en the four year o l d chi ld - -

to point sil ently at what he wants unl e ss he be ,

a d eaf mute for even if he do es n ot kn ow the

-
,

color he can very easily touch the paper and say , ,

”
Please give me that square Occasionally the.

kindergartner desires for so m e special re ason that

all the papers sh al l b e alike and occasionally , ,

too there is not enough of the desired color to

,

go around which casualty give s Opportunity for

,

graceful surrender of preferenc e in favor of some

on e else We m ay be well assured however
.
, ,

that we give little training in color when we han d

o u t the papers in reg ular rotation and that the ,

boasted development of indi viduality in the kin

der gar ten i s n ot attained by treating every child
al ike .

It is a pretty and a useful exercise at fi rst to

scatter the squares on a low table and then , ,

having given ou t the balls according to prefer

e nce l et each little on e select a paper to match
, .

Corners may be taught by playin g P uss i n the - -

Corner and if a tin y pasteboard pussy is given

,

to each child he will be very ready to l et her r u n

,

to the right hand back th e left hand front corner

, ,

etc E dges m ay b e ta u ght by considering th e

.
218 PAPER F OL DI N G

square a table cloth and letting the children

-

fringe it with scissors and if we wish to distin ,

guish the different edges what so easy as to set ,

the table and put Harry s blue plate (a colored ’

circle ) near th e front edge mother s pink plate ,

’

near th e left edge and so on ? E ach fold which ,

the child m akes in the square at first should open

up a new play possibility and thus b y and b y
-
, ,

when th e preliminary handling and a f ew crude

notions of dictation have b een learn ed he will ,

have grown so in love with the work that he will

follow difficult directions with delight and take ,

pleasure in the wide field of geometrical know

ledge which Opens before him .

Let u s play to d ay wh en we have had a little ,

F ld i g
o
talk
n
about the shape of the square its ,
P1 1
3 "

corners edges etc that it is a she et of

, ,
.
,

paper and we are going to use it for a lett er to

,

m other Yes we will all have pencils and how

.
, ,

shall we b egin it and what shall we tell

her ? Don t write too heavily little ones ! If
’

i t s very nicely done I 11 fold an envelope for

’ ’
,

each one and you can tuck in th e letter and put

,

a kiss on for a stam p That will carry it safely .

,

I am sure .

Or perhaps it is a sheet of drawing paper and ,

will you all draw me a pretty picture ? (Now

you shall see intent eyes gathered brows pursed , ,

u p lips stern holding of the pencil and marvel

, ,

ous hierogly phic scratches and cryptograms in

22 0 PA PER FOLDIN G
shingles may be quickly drawn on each on e an d ,

the joy is intense if a slit is cut in the

Fir t F ld
s o .

ridge pole and a tiny folded chimney

-
,

inserted A song would be appropriate here

. .

When we have made the second fold in the

Se
con d paper it is obviously a
, window .

Md '

Who is looking fro m your windo w ,

Harry and from yours Mattie ?

, Yes , ,

I think it wou l d be charming to make curtains

wi th the pencil but there are several kinds of
,

curtains you know We m ight make shades

, .

with tassels or sash curtains or lace draperies

, , ,

or pretty cotton hangings with pictures on them .

Shall we sing See the Little Window

Bright
Most of these plays are given on the supposi
tion that the kindergartner is using stifl brown
paper for the preliminary exercises If the paper .

i s s ti ff and heavy e nough w e may pinch it up a ,

li ttle on the two folds and m ake a hanging basket ,

from it suspended by worsted cords ; or it may b e

,

c al le d a parasol and gum m ed upon a stick f or a

,

handle or it will stand up adm irably upon the

,

table an d serve as an umbrella t ent

,
- .

When fi rst folded into the triangle the paper

fizqh
d may
an be a hill and adventurous l entils ,

F ld
o s. make bol d slides down its precipitous
height ; or it may be a shawl with a scallop ed
bord er hastily cut out If each child then folds .

it around Thum bkin s chubby shoulders and th e ’

 PAPER FOLDIN G 221

kin d ergartner pencils a little face on the thumb

nail then what delicious merriment what kisses
, ,

and cu ddlin gs and b y e lows -

The first pentagon may be set up on the table

as a ship and while it ski m s along a S b q t
, , u se u en
“ mm“
sailing song be s u ng ; the fi rst hexagon
may be call ed a tray whi ch may be decorate d a ,

little and weighted with a d oll s cup an d saucer

,
’
.

1
The Little Waiters wo u ld be a pretty song
for such a play ) Then the smal ler pentagon .

may be a hous e or a d og kennel an d the fi rst -

,

square a han dkerchief case tied with worste d and ,

fil led with a tissue paper handkerchief or an en ,

vel op e which may be ad d re ssed and stamped and

,

th en hol d a letter or a valentine with a bit of

colore d paper for a se al .

Of course it is understoo d that all these are but

suggestions illustrative of what may be d one with
,

the fi rst foldings whi ch are someti m es rather diffi

,

cult an d d iscouraging for the children .

There is a sequence of simple fi g u res all life ,

form s an d all folde d so as to stand erect Pig s

, “ ”
o .

upon th e tab l e whi ch we call the Pig “ en ce "

,

sequence an d which we have found very useful

,

before the fold ing of symmetrical forms is begun .

If you should make the little fi gures and if the

names attached shoul d seem to you unnatural we ,

can only say that they have met with unbounde d

All th e wh h h v b een m en i on e d t f
1
son gs ic a e ar e to be ou n d
in Ki n der ga ten r Ch i mes (Ka e D Wiggi n ) O li
t . . v r Di t
e so n CO .
 '

222 PA PER FOL DIN G

applause and d elight from those cap tion s critics , ,

the children the m selves .

We call the form s successively the large tent , ,

the snow bank or hi ll s ide the horse car the sm all

-
,
-
,

tent the table the car d case the fireplace the

, ,
-
, ,

box the two canoes the salt cellar the wood

, ,
-
,

basket and finally th e P ig

, th e crowning glory ,

of the sequence a star of the purest ray and of

,

the first magnitude .

Only two or three of the se should be mad e at a

lesson indeed not more than one after the card
,

c ase is passed G reat attention must be paid to

.

neatness and as each simple form presents itself

, ,

the kindergartner may join the children in play

ing wi th it The tunnels can be united into a
.

mammoth snow shed A blin d ing snow storm - .

-

can ap p ear and the children may gi ve shelter to

,

a flock of poor little shivering lambs hastily cut

o u t of white paper for the occasion This is a
( .

charming story station and what d elight to tarry

-
,

there a mom ent and tell a suitable story and then ,

”
sing My Lambkin and This is the way the
“
,

snow com es At their table s they can

give dinner parties and very sm all bits of paper ,

cut by their own hands to represent d ishes will

give them great pleasure .

In these hal f hours spent with the younger ones

the kindergartner will be able to give the greatest
d elight and it is in these very mom ents of close
,

and familiar companionship more than in the

224 PAPER FOLDI N G
carries it with contagious gayety and irresistible
spirit mixed with sweet com m on s ense We con
,
-
.

f ess that te m p erament has much to do with it but ,

if you have n ot the genius of play you can still

d o wonders if you have sympathy tact quick i h , ,

telligen ce ready wit and modesty

, , .

There is another variation of folding called

P p r
a e
paper p asting which ma y be made of ,
P ti g
as n
great service as the child cli m bs th e
.

hill Di ffi culty He is given the usual square of

.

paper and after he has m ade the first two folds

, , ,

cuts it in quarters according to the lines pro , ,

du ci n g four smaller squares He repeats the .

folds w ith the small pieces thus gaining much ,

extra practice and then arranges them in a design

,

which he pastes on a square of brown paper In .

the next exercise he makes another fold or two ,

cuts the square makes the lines again uses the , ,

quarters for an invention and so on using suc , ,

cessi vel y the open square the triangle the penta , ,

gon hexagon smaller pentagon etc until he h as

, , , .
,

arrived at the point where he can complete a

fun damental folding in one lesson The children .

may also combine their quarters and make large

g roup work inventions
-
occasionall y .

All Fr e ch el s occupations inculcate in greater

’

or less proportion the sam e practical ,

F ld i g
o
an d Pl
n
virtues
an e ; virtues alwa y s requiring a cer
G m try
eo e
tain am ount O f education and develop
.

ment in every child no matter how wonderfully ,

 PAPER FOLD I N G 225

endowed he m ay be economy n eatness perse , , ,

ve r an ce indus t r y pa ti e nce etc — but each too

, ,
.
, , ,
,

has i ts specifi cvalue its s al ient point of exc el ,

lence which sets it apart from all oth ers and

, ,

ke eps in view the training of special faculties or ,

capabili ties .

While paper foldi ng includes much that is

taught in other ways it la y s the foundation as , ,

does nothing else for the acquiring of the funda,

mental principle s of geom etry the mensuration of ,

all the si m ple plane figures with whi ch we d eal in

ordinary daily avocations the general relations of ,

surfaces and a knowledge of the difier en t tr i

,

angle s quadr ilater al s and polygons

, ,
.

Al l this i s made wonderfully clear by the va

rions foldings in their si m ple derivation fro m
,

the square circle or equilateral triangle By i n

, , .

formal questionin g as the child proceeds from ,

o n e form to another bringing into view oblongs , ,

triangles pentagons and hexagons in counting

, ,

their sides corners and angles ; in seeing the

, ,

square as a whole divide itself into halves quar

, , ,

ters eighths and sixteenths ; in m easuring with

, , ,

e y e and hand the degrees of the different trian

,

gles sharp blunt and equal sided and noting

, , , ,

their development from and relation to the right ,

angle is it not easy to m ake this by intelli gent

, ,

use a co m plete compen d ium of eleme ntary mathe

,

maties ?
In commenting upon Professor Denton Sni der s ’
226 PAPER FOLDIN G
sayi ng that Dante had the temperam ent of a
,

Plato and the training of an Aristotle Miss ,

“
E lizabeth Harrison writes : How many lesser
Dantes have been spoiled because h avm g the ,

dreamy m y stical te m peram ent the y have not

, ,

been trained as children into habits of exactness

, ,

and practical utility ; or having mathe m atical

,

precision by nature have been robbed of poetic

,

training by ridicule or too much dealing with the

,
”
commonplace things in life .

A full series of questions is appended some of ,

which are usually brought out in the various con

ver sation s between the kindergartner an d the

older childre n Most of the m however are better

.
, ,

adapted to the connecting class or the primary ,

school than to the kindergarten Of course we

,
.

should only u se and vary the simpler ones until ,

the class is advanced considerably in the study of

form and number The children may be able to
.

fold quite well various si m ple forms without com

prehending all included in them .

W hat have we here ?

How do you know that it is a square ?
H o w many edges has it ?
H ow many corners has it ?

What more can we say about the e dges ?

Why do we call it a square ?
B ut the door and the wind ow both have e dges .

Ar e they square
Why is the door not square ?
228 PAPER FOLDI N G
Fold the lower corner to the upper ; what have
we n ow ?
How many corners an d edges has it ?
A r e they all the sam e length ?
Where are th e two sharp an gl es ?
Which angle is th e largest ?
W hat kind of an angle is the upper one
'

A nd what do we call the other two angles ?

Open the pap er ple ase, .

Do you see the folding you have just m ade ?

Turn the paper so that y ou see the sam e li ne
running up and down How man y lines do you
.

see

How many parts do you see between the lines ?

A re th ey all alike ?
Fold the lower corner to the upper again an d ,

open it as before .

It looks quite difler en t does it not ? Can any

,

on e tell me why ?

How many lines has it now ?

How many triangles can you count now ?
A re they alike ?
How m an y angles in each ; how many in all ?
How many triangles in the upper half ?
How m any in th e lower half ?
How m any in both ?
Can you see one little point where the lines all
me et and cross each other
Fold one corner the lower
,
exactly to th at
,

middl e point neither above nor below

, .
 PA P ER FOLDI N G 229

How many corners did we fold

Whi ch on e was it ?
How man y are left ? i ,

Do you know the name of the fi gure we have

made
How many si d es and corners has it ?
Which corner is opposite the lower
Fold that on e down now just to meet the , ,

lower corner Do not lap it over but just let

.
,

them look at each other .

How many corn ers are folde d n ow

How many are left ?
H ow many sides an d corners h as this fig
which we have just m ade
Shall I tell you its name
F old the right corner in to meet the others
now the left and we have a square again smaller
,

than b efore .

What do you see on this side of the square ?

Turn the paper entirely over and place it cor
n er w i se .

Now fold the lower corner to the middle the ,

upper corn er d own the right corner in and then

, ,

the left corner .

Now we have a square again still smaller .

Do you see four triangles all pointing toward s

,

the centre
Turn the paper entirely over an d what do you ,

see
A fun d amental form h as n ow been fold ed an d ,
23 0 PAPER FOL DI N G
we procee d in the first sequence with the tr i an gu
, ,

lar side ; in the second with th e reverse side , ,

showing the four squares For the third and .

fourth sequences we use a di ff erent fundamental

folding much more difficult to give by dictation
, .

We give exercises with the equilateral trian gle ,

and with the circl e in exactly the sam e mann er , ,

and on precisely the same plan ; first bringing ou t

all possible knowl edge of the form itself then ,

proc eeding to th e si m plest possible instructions

by which to fold the fundam ental figure finally ,

l eading the children to make from this their own

1
co m binations .

The dictations at first are very simple and con

stan tl
y diversified by play The kinder .

Di t ti
c a on s .

gartner shows how with a larger piece

of paper when the directions do not seem to
,

be clearly understood and sh e constantly moves ,

about through the li ttle flock inspecting the fold ,

ing and giving a word of warning or encourage

, ,

ment to those who ne ed it She m ust see that .

the children fold on th e tabl e ; that the y work

always by opposites and that th ey never turn the ,

paper about when following dictations It is .

e asier to fold th e right hand corner in than the -

left an d the little people m ust be watched else

, ,

1
Nu m e r
ou s d esign s an d direction s f q r ti
or f l di n g th e
o s u a e, r

an gl e , an d ci r cl e in t f rm
o o s of lif a d b a ty a
e nt b f de u re o e ou n

in all th e Gu i des, ”
an d to b e b ght f ki d rgart
ou o ppl y n e en su

tr
s o es.
23 2 PAPER FOL DI N G

Two other seque nces com m only us ed grow from

a second funda m ental folding a littl e m or e com

plicated and these are classed according to their

,

gen eral app earance In one sequenc e the corners

.

point toward and in another radiate from th e

, ,

c entre th e inn er ed ges of the squares being

,

folded .

These forms are capable of alm ost endless vari

ati on s and are all fold e d without onc e cutting
,

the original square of paper Inde ed this is one .

,

of the m ost telling points of Fr o eb el s sy ste m th e

’
,

d e velop m ent of a thousand beautiful and artistic

form s with scarcely an y tools from the smallest
, ,

possible amount of material of the si m plest kinds ,

fa m iliar indeed to everybody but to none except ,

the initiat ed disclosing these in finite possibilities .

The square of colored paper for instanc e is a , ,

very com monplace thing to the outsider but the ,

chil dren have the open sesam e with which to

transform it into a hundred charm ing d evices as ,

wel l as to wake it into mim ic life in th e shap e ,

of a bird or chicken or even to coax it into a

, ,

miniature ship purse or tall hat It is quite

, ,
.

i m possible to give in written words such an idea

, ,

of this i m portant occupation as can be gained

b y practical lessons and repeated observation .

Nearly all the form s can be given by dictation to

the child if he is suffi ciently advanced ; if he is
,

not we confine ours elves to the simpler foldings

, ,

making as many changes as possible to give vari ,

 P A PER FO LDIN G 23 3

ety to the lessons until the pupil becomes more

,

e xpert In so m e of the di fficult foldings r eq u i r

.
,

ing d elicat e handling we show the child by fold

,

ing on e corner ours elv es and allow hi m to gain his

,

o wn exp e ri ence by folding the r em aining three .

This can be done whenever the dictation becomes

v ery co m plicat ed .

We can accustom the children to give lessons to

each oth er and lead the m to exactn e ss fro m the
,

very beginning They will see clearly for the m

.

s elves that the m ost infinitesimal d e viation from

,

the line or centre at any one point of th e folding

, , ,

brings m isfortune and failure at every succ eeding

point and they will be correspondingly exact in
,

their task if we have develope d in them a str i v

,

ing towards the very best of which they are

capable .

Many of the forms of life are too complicated

to give to a whole class and we are
Li f F rm
,
e o s.
obliged to show th e children how to fold
them taking the m in groups of three or four and
, ,

folding our own piece of paper as a mo del These .

life form s should be rep eatedly practiced as th ey ,

constitute such a fund of enjoy m ent for the little

ones in the family circl e where they can amuse ,

each other for hours with scraps of newspaper cut

and folde d into shape Fro ebel says in regard.
,

to them : The paper prepared for thi s en d fur

nishes opportunity to m ake experi m ents on material
thi ngs an d it is that which the chil d seeks in the
,
23 4 PAPER FOLDIN G

blin d gropings of his undeveloped impulses The .

efior t of his littl e powers is increased by giving ,

him the requisite material and showing him th e ,

right use of it For exam pl e the child tri es to

.
,

make a form ou t of a piece of paper a box a ,

-
,

little bird or so m ething else H e does n ot suc

,
.

ceed becaus e the pap er has n ot the right form

, ,

and he do es n ot know th e requisite manipulations .

In the kindergarten h e rec eives pap er of a square

form and is shown h ow h e can bring ou t the de
,
”
sired thing from it 1
.

Most of th e life forms are produced fro m the

square although a vari ety m ay also be m ade from
,

the triangle oblong and circle Many of th em

, , .

ar e flat picture form s but the children e n joy ,

rath er better on account of the reality of their

,

appearance those that stand up al on e as well as

, ,

thos e that can be put to som e practical u se A .

windmill that will revolve wh en put on a stick or

a hatpin a boat that will sail a basket that will
hold som ething are obviously most attractive to
,

young p ersons of great activity and practical abil

ity Wh en these young persons have attained
.

some dexterity in folding the y can make soldi ers ,

’

caps large enoug h to wear on Washington s birth ’

day stars that may ornament a pic ture fra m e

, ,

school bags stout enough to carry papers in bal ,

loons f or the Chr ist m as tree an d boxes to hold ,

seeds ; and the thought that their productions are

R mi i 1
of F b l p ag 75 76
e n scen ces r oe e , es ,
.
 23 6 PA PER FOLDIN G
what joy y our work would h ave given to that
gentle child lover in G erm an y forty y ears ago
-

Som e allusion has already be en mad e to th e

color training given by folding and to ,

th e obvious n ec essity that the child

shoul d be left as n early fre e as possible to th e
exercise of his individual preferences in s el ecting
colors There is no di ffi culty of course in regard
.
, ,

to the folding of single form s but wh ere a n u m ,

ber of sy mm etrical figures ar e group ed u pon a

page artistic com bination is requisite to produce
,

a pleasing e ff ect Fortunat ely however paper

.
, ,

folding is not on e of the first occupations given

in the kindergarten and by the ti m e the child
,

reach es the stage when bl ending of colors is

necessary he has received so m uch training with
,

the oth er m ateri al s of the kindergarten as to have ,

some little ide a of e ff ective color com binations .

The expert child m ay m ake a charm ing eflect

with his inventions if he folds th e for m s double ,

that is lays two squares togeth er and folds th e m

,

as on e which will give a dainty colored lining to

,

ev ery qui l l ros ett e and corn er

, ,
.

Invention is eas y f or th e chi l d in foldi n g if w e ,

I v ti
n en do not dictate too m any figures to h im
on s
and Gr p ou
W k or b efore we set h i m free to work thus ,

exhausting all th e si m pl e figures which would

naturally suggest th em s elve s to h im A ft er w e .

have gi ven h i m so m e id ea of th e law of opposites ,

we may leave h i m to th e joy of m aking his own dis

 PA PER FOLDIN G 23 7

cover i es,an d the figures thus brought ou t which ,

going from th e sim plest proceed st ep b y st ep

easily to the m ost co m plex only app ear diffi cult , ,

and b eyond the child s powers when we do not ’

,

”
know how they have proc eeded fro m each oth er 1
.

Miss Peabody said sh e had seen in one kinder

garten five hun d red di ff erent figures made ou t of
the si m ple square variously folded an d cut and
, ,

advised that we should call the atte ntion of the

“
children to the fact of this endless capacity of
developm ent of the simplest and most uninterest
ing form by the exercise of human ingenuity act
ing accor di n g to l aw Thus they will realiz e that
.

beauty is not an outwar d thing but an inwar d ,

”
power which they exert .

The children in ou r opinion invent much more

, ,

freely with the five inch and even with larger-

,

squares than they do with the ordinary sized

,

papers for the form er give them more room to

,

work and a larger surface seems to ofler greater

,

possibilities of transform ation .

When we are using the folding f or d ecorati on ,

or f or group work of any kind various sizes of ,

papers m ay be used the four inch square serving

,
-

as a centrepiece while the inch squares are folde d

into a border for instance Suppose the chil
, .

dren are decorating a box together as a present

f or some sick playm ate They m ay make a great .

many tiny foldings and arrange them in the shap e

R mi i
1
e of Fr b l p ag 76
n scen ces oe e , e .
23 8 PAPER FOLDIN G

of a circle a maltese cross or a star If the col

, ,
.

o r s are well m anaged th e foldings done smoothly , ,

and pressed flat the eff ect is v ery like mosaic

, .

We m ay also m ake a sort of inlaid work res em ,

bling parquetry b y folding th e design in on e or

,

tw o tones and filling it in with a s m ooth back

ground of si m ple foldings in on e color For i n .

ven ti on s too the plain paper between the folded

, ,

corners may someti m es be cut out and thus quite ,

a different eflect produced .

E dward Wiebe says of pap er folding : We

V l f
a ue o
P p r F ld
a e
do not int end si m ply to W hil e away ou r
o
i g
n own and the ch i ld s p r e01ou s ti m e in ’

folding ; but we are engaged in an occupation

whose final aim is acquisition of ability to work ,

and to work well ; one of the most i m portant

claims hu m an society is entitle d to make upon
”
each individual .

The value of folding in geometry teach ing has

been fully shown and we should here make the ,

distinction that whereas in paper cutting we pro

duce th e figures b y cutting away a portion of the
ground form in paper folding we produce th em
,

upon the ground form .

Its value in cultivating am bidexterity has also

been mentioned and this inde ed co u ld b e carri ed
,

o u t more full y than is at present done The occu .

p a ti on has besides ,
a c ertain industrial worth as
,

relate d to the folding of garm ents and doin g up

of packages It gives wonderful general dexter
.
24 0 PAPER F OLDIN G

p aci tyIt i s p erhaps the most difficult of all

.
, ,

the occupations wh en developed to its full extent

, .

A ll the beautif ul develop m ents of the art by ,

which it is seen h ow on e after the other sev eral

, ,

series of geo m etrical forms ar e developed fro m

some fundam ental form are admirable training
,

for the kind ergartner and t each er both as m anual ,

art and practical geom etry ; but a comparativ ely

small range is all that little childre n can com
pass Its value however is great as bringing
.
, , ,

forward the lessons l earned with the gifts and ,

other occupations in another for m and on e which , ,

by requiring the contributive skill of the child

tests the previous acquirement and gives more ,

thorough possession of it B etween recognizing

.

certain forms an d producing them there is a long ,

distance which the childish int elligence atten

, ,

tion and memory must have traversed in its slo w

,

and gradual advance before the latter stage is

reached .
 P EA S WORK
Mat er i als D i ed
r
whi h h av b p
ak d b f r e as , c e e en so e e o e u si n g,
a d l
n d r p i t d ti k Ball f w ax a d l ay a
s en e o n e s c s . s o n c re al so

som ti m
e m pl y d a w ll a ti y
es e o rk b a d wi r
e , s e s n co cu es , n es .

B EFO RE the child begins syste m atic work with

this occupation he must learn to know T F i y -

i;§ f
,
e a1
n o
thoroughly the material s which it em S i c en ce .
”

ploys and if hours of time ar e given to the play

ful study of the p ea alone th ey will be well spent , .

Here he gets a peep at Nature s mysteries of ’

growt h an d germination and in the sim ple botany ,

lessons which must perforce be given his feet , , ,

are set on th e pathway that leads to the Fairy

“

”
land of Science .

Let us begin with the study of the d rie d peas ,

giving a s m all boxful to each child and l et us ,

have exhaustive observation by th e child ren of

their shape size color texture practical value
, , , , ,

and activities A s the preliminary steps in peas

.

work are suitable for even the youngest children ,

and therefore must be short we may close the

, , ,

exercise with a group work play in the sand -

table With small iron rakes and hoes the

.

sand is worked over and then roll ed perfectly ,

level with a miniatu re gar den roller Now the .

24 2 PEAS WOR K

peas are brought and used to lay d esigns upon

,

the smoothly prepared surface circles stars , , ,

crosses borders,
— or e v en the outli n e of a pea
,

vine with its leav es and flowers may be followed

, ,

if the kind ergartner will trace it with a sharp

pointed stick .

For the next exercise two peas may be given ,

o n e of whi ch has b e en soak ed for so m e hours

and their appearance m ay be contrasted and the ,

di ff erence between them felt as well as seen Now .

comes the gold en opportunity for a talk about

the ba b y plant asleep in this pale tinted cradl e -
,

and with a pin w e may show the child how to

loos en an d take off the outer skin letting the ,

hal ves fall apart This must be done very deli

.

catel
y and reverently and the children will
,
marv el

at the perfect division of the seed lobes and the -

,

tiny delicate germ that can so plainly be se en

, .

Of course all have eat en cooked peas but it m ight ,

be well now to let them taste on e of the halves

they have produced so that they can tell what
,

good foo d th e baby plant is to fe ed on as it grows .

The little pea curled up th ere in its cradle m ust

, ,

feel so m ething like a little boy asleep in a sugar

barrel m ust it n ot ? A pleasant fi nish to this
,

tiny botan y lesson will be to bring a large b ox of

prepared earth and let each child plant a few
,

peas allowing th em aft erward to sprinkle the

,

little garden with a few drops of water If the .

b ox i s set in a sunny window it will n ot be long ,

24 4 PEA S WOR K
’
the baby s feet are stretching down and the ’
,

t nder leaves its head growing up

e
, Peas ,
’
.

often grow several inches high on the cotton and ,

by this illustration the downward and upward ,

growth of root and ste m th e knowledge of where ,

each part found its food and of the essential con ,

di ti on s for plant life are clearly shown in a way ,

”
which wi ll n ot be easily forgotten 1
.

Th e best variety of pea f or this occupation

”
P r a ti al
c
see
c
m s to b e th e P hilad elphia E arl y ,
D m m
‘r e
as it splits m uch less easily than so m e
"

of the other kinds It is best to soak the m over .

night and then let them dry an hour or t wo b e

l

2
fore using as they must n ot only be soft enough
,

to b e pierced b y the sticks but hard enough to ,

hold the m securely The slender pointed sticks .

may b e bought by the package at an y ki n der gar

ten supply store and toothpicks may be used for ,

the first exercis es although as they are all of the , ,

sam e length elaborat e form s cannot be produced

,

with th em The mat erials should be given to

.

e ach child in a box o r deep tray which he m a

y , ,

keep upon his table for there is no need of add ,

ing an elem ent of disorder to the lesson by the

necessity of chasing the frolicsome spheres where
ever they may chance to roll The peas may .

easily b e split and the sticks broken even in the ,

1
Kat e H H en n essey ,
. Ki n der gar ten Maga i z n e, May ,
189 0.

2
Som e ki d rgart r ad vi dryi
n e n e s se n
g th em as l on g as th ey ar e

so a kd e .
 PEA S WO RK 45

hands of the skillful worker and th es e fragments ,

should all be placed careful ly in the box again .

The small cork cubes and wir es ar e m uch

stron ger and more durable than the form er mate
rials of course but the y are m ore than twice as
, ,

expensive and the wires are scarcely suitable f or

,

the nursery or for very little children for though

, , ,

the y are blunt yet too d eterm in ed a pressure on

,

the m is likely to r esult in injury to th e hand .

S m all balls of com m on b eeswax or of clay are , ,

employed for the c em enting points by som e ki n

der gar tn er s and all children enjoy their use now
, ,

and then as a change from the ordinary m aterials

, .

Herm an G oldam m er speaks of the desire which

make s its elf m ore and more observable Fi r t Ex s
m
that gg ivg
e
i n a child as h e increases in age ik ,
s

o f seeing d efinit e results proceed fro m his activity .

He is no long er governed by the instinct which led

h i m without apparent object to destroy every
, ,

thing to reconstru ct it again and th en again to

, ,

destroy it In its stead has arisen a higher a cre

.
,

ative instinct which mere action no longer satis

,

fies which for i ts satisfaction requires a pleasure

, , ,
”
caused by the objects created 1
.

Al though this cr eative instinct h as been so m e

what gratifie d by the use of th e peas in flat d e
signs si m ilar to those made with the lentil shell
, , ,

and ellipsoid yet it is now ti me to make so m e

,

thing real with them and to associate the line ,

Th Ki d ga t pag 134
1
e n er r en , e .
24 6 PEA S WOR K
with their use A few peas and some long sticks
.

are given at first perhaps and the children learn

, ,

to thrust the stick into th e p ea properly holding ,

it near the end and working on the table Now

, .

they have made a hat p i n a cane a poker a h am -

, , ,

m er or a dru m m ajor s stafi and whatever ’

-
, ,

nam e they s elect f or th e obj ect wi l l give rise to

a play or song or th e t elli n g of som e appropri
,

ate incident With a pea on each end the stick

.
,

looks like a glove m ender or a pair of wagon -

,

wh eels — or better still a dum b bell and n ow

, ,
-
,

let us m ake two of th em and have so m e fairy

calisth enics We should also during these first
.
,

plays practice the stringing a stickful of p eas

, ,

which repeats the suggestion of the tenth gift

work that a line is m ade up of a succession of
,

points We n ext progr ess to the uniting of two

.

sticks b y a pea m aking a right angle which of

, ,

course is a carpent er s square and is used i m me ’

,

di ately for measuring and for testing th e accuracy

of the spac es on the tabl e P ut a pea on the free .

ends of both thes e sticks and another stick across ,

and we have a little musical instrument — the ,

triangle that w e use for marching Now with .

,

another stick and two peas f or a handle make ,

the r od for striking it and we w ill b eat them in ,

perfect ti m e with a song fir st giving each child ,

a bit of worsted from which to suspend his tri

angle After this th e child m ay m ake acute an d
.
,

obtuse angles the various quadrilaterals and poly

,
24 8 PEA S WOR K
gether m ore firmly than p eas and sticks and f or ,

delicate form s wires m ay be used with th e peas .

The little obj ects are often v ery m uch i m proved

by the addition of tinfoil which wraps so firm ly ,

aro u nd the sticks and s erves as a s eat to th e chair ,

a top to the table a glass f or the bureau or a

, ,

mattress f or the bed Wheels m ay b e made out

.

of button moulds for the tiny wagons carts and , ,

wheelbarrows and fastened to th e axle with s m all

,

peas so that they will r eally turn ; and no child

,

who has ever m ade one of these v ehicles and

trundled it along the table with Shem and his
wife fro m the Noah s ark elegant and impassive
’

upon the seat but would look upon the chariot of

,

the gods as a shabby affair in comparison .

It is needless to t ell of the nu m ber of life forms

which m ay be m ade with peas work for th eir ,

name is legion wh en kindergartner and children

are provided with s u ffici ent stores of ingenuity
and patience Doll s furniture however is al
.
’
, ,

way s e specially enjoy ed and a d elightful group

,

work exercis e is to furnish four roo m s in a paste

board doll house the various pi eces of furniture
-
,

being apportioned to the di fferent classes accord

ing to th eir age and ability and the work b eing ,

e xecut ed in successive lesson periods for several

we eks .

The buildings the older children con struct ,

houses barns dog kennels etc may very well be

, ,
-
, .
,

used in the sand table and serve as a group work

- -
 PEA S WO RK 24 9

ill ustration of the life of th e far m er H ere to o .

, ,

th e far m and gard e n tools th e hay racks carts

, , ,

and barrows may b e used while th e roads gar, ,

den plots and flower b eds m ay be outlin ed with

p eas the fences m ade of p eas work and the fields
,

and barny ards fil led with white sheep and cows ,

which are easily mad e of a bit of cotton pul led

into shape with sticks for legs and eye s of ink
, , .

Th e work which may be done with peas and

sticks in plane geometry has already G m tri al eo e c
WM“
be en m ention ed and much information
,

as to the skeletons of solids is gaine d in the mak

ing of life forms which must all be frame d on a
,

basis of forms of knowledge Peas work how .

,

ever exc ept i n its simplest for m s requires much

, ,

patience and much manual skill an d it is not pos ,

sible for children under si x years to succee d w ell

in m aking the diffi c u lt geometrical figures thos e ,

for instance which ar e many sided an d whi ch

,
-
,

show the development of one form from another .

“
It will be reserve d as Wiebe says f or the
, ,

pri m ary and even a hi gher gra d e of school to

, ,

proceed farth er on the road indicated and in this ,

manner prepare the pupil for a clear understand

”
ing of regular bodi es .

The inte rior of things is known only by its

”
exterior manife stations say s Fr oeb el R lati on f
, , e o
“
and the skeleton bodies made with 503 x 3115
6

lm p hy
sticks and peas are so m uch m ore i n '

structive as they allow th e observation of th e

25 0 PEA S WOR K
outer form l n its outlines and at the sam e ti m e ,

bring to view the inner structure and being of

”
the body A ll the r egular solids the octah e
.
,

dron dodecahedron tetrahedron square p yramid

, , , ,

etc as well as all forms of crystals may be i m i

.
, ,

tated and not only their out ward contours but

, ,

their i m aginary axes diagonals and planes can , ,

be easily repres ent ed and therefore the p eas work ,

is capable of being made an auxiliary of im m ense

importance in teaching solid geom etry cry stal ,
”
l ogr ap h y and stereo m etry 1
, .

Its value in the school will be evident from

E m pl y o what has already been said for as a
m t i th
,
en n e
Sh l
c oo qui et occu p atl on devoted perhaps to
.
, ,

the making of letters and nu m bers the working ,

ou t of problems written on the blackboard the ,

constructing of geo m etrical solids the inventing ,

o f symm etrical figures borders and practica , ,

ble life forms it is e m inently well suited Its ,

.

great cheapness is another point in its favor for ,

the boys will delight to whittle ou t the sticks of

di fler en t l engths which th ey m ay tie up in pack ,

ages of one h u ndred each and the p eas are of ,

v ery trifling cost and m ay easily be rais ed by the ,

children if there is a garden plot attach ed to the

,

school Dr W N H ai l m an n s P ri m ary Helps

. . . .
’

wi l l be a usef u l book to teachers who have no

practical knowledge of the occupation an d a com ,

l t set of plates illustrating the various forms

p e e

H rm a G l d amm r Th Ki d ga t
1
e pag 13 8
n n o e , e n er r en , e .
25 2 PEA S WOR K
ters in the art can be used in connection with the
pea as f or instance G eorge Macdonald s Story
, , ,
’

of the S eeds in David Elgin b r od Andersen s ,

” ’

”
tale of Five P eas in a P od and the chapt er on
,

Treasure B oxe s from Jane An dr ew s s The ’

”
Story Mother Nature Told Then there is th e
.

”
lovely L egend of the Sweet Pea and f or fitting ,

play s and songs we have E m eli e Pou l sson s In ’

”
My Little G arden B ed The G reat B rown
,

House ; Fr oeb el s Little G ardener and G ar

’

den G ate ; and Storm and Sunshin e and

”
R ain Song from K indergarten C hi m es .

All ou r music books hold charm ing plays and

-

songs on the subj ect ; for planting gardening , ,

rain an d sunshine springti m e germ ination and

, , ,

growth are favorite subjects in the kin d ergarten

,
.
 CLA! MODE LING
Mat
er i al s whi h a Cl ay ,
c c n be b ou ght p wd r d
, o e e or inbri k c s,

a d m ix d t
n th
e pr p r
o e o e con sis e n c t y ,whi h a
or c c n be f d ou n

r ady pr par d at a p tt ry 1
e e e o e .

ACC O RD I NG to G reek mythology , P rometheus ,

the wise the all knowing was the fi rst A ti q ity
,
-
, n u
“ th A “
sc u lptor f or he forme d men of clay
, ,
e r

mixing it with water from the rivers an d fashion

ing them in the image of the gods .

There i s an ancient G reek trad ition too that a , ,

potter s d aughter C or é by name once saw upon

’
, ,

the wall the s h adow of her lover and as he was , ,

about to set ou t on a long journey sh e sought to ,

preserve the d ear image by sketching its outlines

with a bit of charcoal The devoted father then .

took clay from the pots that he w as shaping an d , ,

to make it more endur ing mod eled the figure fol , ,

lowing the l ines trace d by his d aughter and thus , ,

so goe s the legen d originated the art of mod eli ng

,

in clay .

It is incontestable says G oldammer that , ,

the forming of shapes in soft material i s among

the most primitive occupations of the human race ,

an d that it serve d as the point of d eparture f or

Wa i al
1 d f ki d rgart m d li g
x s so u se or n e en o e n .
25 4 CLA Y MO DELIN G
all the plastic arts It is therefore on e of th e
.
, ,

best means f or carrying out Fr oeb el s idea that ’

the occupations of childhood should run through

a course similar to that of the general develop
1 ”
ment of human civilization .

Modeling in clay is as ol d as weaving and ,

corresponds with the primeval art of pottery .

O n e of the first things men attempted was the

fashioning of tools and w eapons an d next as the , ,

first step in civilization cam e the making of r e ,

ce tacl es
p such as
,
bask ets and bags pots an d ,

pans In all th ese things form was nec essary

.
,

and w as developed by m eans of ar t and industry .

The pots had to b e m oved and lift ed and so ,

handl es were added or the surface was roughened,

by means of ind entatio n s and of additional forms ,

whic h made ornaments ; and then also marks , ,

were put upon them to distinguish the use made ,

o f the di fferent pots and the di ffer ent contents ,

which ulti m ately led to the m ost elaborate decora

tion .
2
By and b y som e bright spirit who had
”
,

noted the e ase with which objects and figures

might b e m odeled their durability and the fact
, ,

that th ey were equally well understood by all

intelligenc es all ages and all races conceived
, , ,

the idea of apply ing the art to the recording of

events and thus histor y began to be written by
,

means of sculpture A s the materials for model .

1 H rma eG l d mm r Th Ki d ga t
n o a Part I I p ag 147
e , e n er r en ,
.
, e .

2
L Al m a Tadem a, R A
.
- . .
25 6 CLA ! MODELIN G
vide some exercise whi ch shall gratify the passion ,

since if given ful l swing for a tim e it is much

, ,

more likely to exhaust its elf .

There is absolutely no objection — p sych ol ogi

cal phy siological hygienic artistic or spiritual
, , , ,

— to be made to the occupation and et on e oc

y ,

casi on all y meets in the kindergarten parents who

, ,

forbid their children its u se f or fear that they ,

may soil thei r clothing ! There is in fact little , ,

danger of soiling the clothing with clay and none ,

at all (as is som eti m es suggested) of its injuring

the skin It will do no harm even to the most
.

d elicate of fabrics and even if it did the ques

, , ,

tion must be decided as to whether the chi ld is to

exist f or the sake of the clothes or the clothes ,

for the child .

T eachers also so m etimes object to modeling on ,

the gro u nd that it m akes the roo m and the tables

u ntidy but this obj ection (a pu erile on e in an y
,

cas e) may be reduced to a minim um if the work ,

is properly carri ed on .

The com mon gray clay which costs two or three

Mi i g d cents a pound is qu i te good enough
x n an
C i gf
ar n or
th C l y
e a f or ord i nary model i ng and may usuall y ,

b e bought ready mixe d at the larger art store s .

A better quality the artists clay in bricks or ’

,

clay flour in box es — may be had at th e ki n der gar

ten s u pply stores at five c ents a pound ; but we
have comm only use d a yellowish powdered clay , ,

very much cheaper than either of these such as ,

 CLA Y MO DELIN G 25 7

can be bought washed but unmixed at any manu ~

factory of drain and sewer pipes E nough of this .

clay to last fi fty childr en a year can be bought

f or a dollar or two so the obj ection of expense
,

o f material which is so m eti m es made disappears

, ,

at once A n easy way to mix the powdere d

.

clay is to tie it up in a cloth like a pud ding ,

and put it to soak in water enough to cover

it After it has been immerse d an hour or so
.
,

knead it smooth without untying the cloth or ,

work it with a wooden pestle and then examine ,

the result It is d iffi cult to explain in word s

.

just how it will feel if it is in good con d ition f or

working but it must not be wet enough to stick
,

to the hand nor d ry enough to feel hard an d

,
”
crumbly Of course either diffic ul ty is easily
.

rem edied and experience will familiarize on e with

,

the elastic feeling it has when it is just right ,

and with the requisite oily glistening loo k it h as ,

when smoothed Clay in lum ps or bricks may be

.

broken in small pieces and prepared as above but ,

o f course requires more kneading All scraps an d .

fragments l eft from work all failures an d exp er i ,

m ents if kept clean can be returned to the stock

, ,

and again moistened for the m ore clay is worked ,

over the smoother and finer it grows It is gen

, .

e r al l better to prepare it the da y before the m d

y o

eling exercise and it should alway s be covered

,

wh en not in use with seve ral thickn esses of dam p

cloth or enameled cloth whi le if kept in a lar e
,
g ,
25 8 CLA Y MODELIN G
tin b ox a wooden b ox li n ed with zinc or a stone
, ,

j ar it will remain in much b ett er condition

, .

The tables are covered with enameled cloth by

so m e kindergartners for the clay work
m l d
,
En a e e
but th i s I S scarc ely necessary If each
” d ch i ld be prov i ded with a large mod eling
£33 3
an

board which should be quite s m ooth

, ,

and surroun ded if possible with a raised edge

, ,

or r i m Then if th e sleeves are pushed up th ere

.
,

need be no soiling of clothing and if the children ,

are properly trained no clay will be dropp ed on ,

tables or floor while every crum b n ot em ployed

,

in the exercis e will be saved and worked over

again Large slates ar e also som eti m es used as
.

m odeling boar d s but have th e disadvantage of

,

breaking rather easily if too m uch pressure is

laid upon the m ; an d som e kin dergartners allow
the children to model upon the enam eled cloth ,

W ithout boards No tools are n eeded f or the

.

kindergarten clay work that wonderful G od , ,

given instrum ent the hand with its useful thumb , ,

its delicate an d slender fingers its large and clasp ,

”
ing palm being all that we require When the
,
.

modeling is m ore advanced however the kinder , ,

gartner may produce h er ow n si m ple box of tools

and lend on e n ow and then to the child who can ,

u se it for some e specially delicate bit of work .

A ll we require th en f or th e occupation is properl y

, ,

prepared clay two hands and a board to work

, ,

o n a d
n-
yes o n e thing more — w e do nee d
, , , ,
26 0 CLA Y MODELIN G
the entire time they ar e study ing the first gift an d
the sphere of s econd gift Now as they under .
,

stand th e clay b etter and can handle it more per

f ectl y they b egin upon th e cube and cy linder and
,

their related for m s and progres s to the cone the

, ,

p y ram id and the various pris m s alway s moulding

, ,

the typical solid first and then a series of life ,

form s based upon it allowing the children to s el ect

,

those which are n earest their interest or fancy .

This method is clear coherent and sy ste m atic , , ,

and while it gives play to the child s creative ’

powers in the life forms which are model ed it ,

stron gly insists at the sam e time upon the con

, ,
”
structive principle of the external universe .

Som e artists insist that only natural forms Should

be modeled in th e kindergarten as fruits flow , ,

er s ,
and v egetables but if the object of kin
,

der gar ten mod eling is n ot to learn a technical

”
process in th e art of sculpture but to give a ,

thorough knowledge of form to encourage ex ,

h au sti ve observation and to a fford a plastic me

,

diu m for the expression of ideas — i f th e latter ,

theory be true th en it would appear to be quite

,

as proper for the child to model a lunch basket

as an orange .

The babies will probably m ake s everal efforts

Fi t M d l
rs before th ey are able u n assisted to roll
o e
, ,

lif l
l x er '

es and m ould the shapeless clay in their

hands until they produc e a ball Another exercis e .

may be devoted to making two balls of different

 CLA Y MODELIN G 261

sizes which the y should do without help from

,

the kindergartner Th ese m ay be provided with

.

strings which ar e thrust deep into the ball and

,

which will stay firm ly if allowed to dry in place .

Next a great vari ety of marbles may be made ,

and these may be gayly painted if desired and ,

then the little ones may experi m ent on making

large beads which of course are only m arbles
, ,

each on e pierced with a hole A ft er these are .

dried they may be colored to suit the fancy or left

,

in their natural state and then strung on cord or

,

r i b bons f or bracelets and n ecklaces or combine d ,

with straws and papers for long chains .

The geometrical soli d s are not only to be

mould ed but they are also to be embedde d an d
,

impresse d in order that they may be m ore fully

understood The child is always d elighted to
.

sink his woo d en ball de ep in a mass of clay and ,

to observe the rounded cavity it leav es when

drawn ou t A ll th e soli ds are to be t r eated in
.

this way and they are also to be impressed upon

,

thick sm ooth slabs of clay the i m pressions gener

,

ally bei n g made in the form of an invention which ,

the child works out by hi m self .

The fi rst essential for succ essful kindergarten

modeling is a teacher who understands Ess nti als e

the nature of the clay its possibilities $ 33 3,

,

l mg
and limitations as a material who knows ,
e ‘

how to care for it and keep it in condition who ,

can u se it successfully herself who knows how the

,
262 CLA Y MODELIN G
children should use it what res ul ts should be ex
,

t ed fro m the m and who has a definite plan in

p ec ,

m i nd through which sh e guides the work “

If .

g iven in a fit condition with simple interesting ,

form s to stim ulate the children perfect results fol ,

”
low say s the Director of one of o u r art schools
, .

The response to touch is im m ediate both in clay

”
an d in children .

Upon this first e ssential depend the other two ,

which are that the clay should be given out i n

proper condition and that there should be models
,

enough f or all to see and handl e .

We should make the work on a large scale .

Prac ti cal
If children ar e set to m aking pett y
s gg ti m
u eS ‘
balls and blossoms and m iniature fruit
'

and similar silly and mean work they will keep ,

1 ”
on making m ean things .

Study the model carefully bef or e givi ng out the

clay noting its general shap e its characteristic
, ,

and important details and calling u pon each ,

child to point out any individual peculiarities of

his particular model .

Teach the children to work as rapid ly as possi

ble an d not fuss and putter over the clay
,
.

We are not aiming at careful finish but at truth ,

o f form .

The juice of the clay is its life blood Teach -

.

the child to handle it so as to exhaust this as

little as possible and if h e has made a series of
,

1 C ha G L la d s . . e n .
264 CLA Y MODELIN G
stem s and leaves They are neither lifelike n or
, .

artistic and have the added disadvantage of eu

,

during but for a mo m ent Many things can be .

done with wax or papier m ach e for which clay ,

is n ot at all adapted It is i m possible and unde

.

sirable to m ake a clay leaf or the handle of a cup

as fragile as the m odels all we can do is to pro ,

duce the general form and the characteristics .

Model the edges of an y geom etric al solid as ,

the cube f or instance with the fingers inst ead , ,

of try ing to get them b y slapping it on a board ,

or cutting it with a stri n g or wire It is not , .

desirable that the clay cu b e should look as if it

were wood .

Constantly watch the children in their work ,

asking questions which shall act as suggestions ,

and when n ecessary sh ow the class with the clay

h ow the thing shoul d be done .

If any object is too difficult to be finished in

on e exercise scratch the child s initials on it and
’

, ,

lay it away in a dam p cloth in a covered tin box ,

until the next lesson .

Do not allow the children to move the models

about on the table Teach th em to place and
.

keep the object whatever it may be in on e posi

, ,

tion and to model it as it looks in that position

,
.

Do not try to im itate detail as every vein in a ,

leaf f or instance or every angle in its s errate

, ,

edge Al l we can do successfull y is to give th e

.

general character of the leaf .

 CLA Y MODELIN G 65

The han dl e of an object as a pitcher for i n , ,

stanc e is b est mod eled o u t of the l u m p of clay

, .

and not stuck on but if the latter m ust be done ,

it will adhere better if it is scratched on that ,

i s if lines are m ade in the clay so that the piece

,

has points to hold to .

P artic ul arly good productions of the chi ldr en

may be preserved in little cabinets It i s alway s .

well to have such a collection to inspire som e dis

cou r ag ed worker or to show visitors the scope
,

and m ethods of kindergarten clay work .

The subjects for modeling are clearly indicate d ,

if we follow a geometrical plan for after

the chi ldren have modeled any solid and li g
fi ?
r ,

,
e n
m
.

have embedded an d i m pre ssed its diff erent faces ,

the y take up a series of related life forms When .

they have made the sphere successfully for i n ,

stance they mould an apple a peach a teakettle

, , , ,

a round lunch basket ; when they have studi ed

the cylinder they mould a cucumber a drum or a , ,

spool of thread alway s s electing common fam iliar

, ,

objects of which models can easily be had When

, .

the solid s have been modeled the hal f soli d s and ,

-

planes are to be consid ered with the examples ,

under th em 1
.

The older childr en are quite successful with

animals as pigs ducks frogs elephants or any
, , , , ,

creatu re with large strong outli nes an d little ,

1
Clay Md l i g i th S h l R m b y Ell
o e n n S Hil dr th
e c oo oo , en . e ,

gi v
es su gg ti a t th
es typ i al xam pl
on s s o ese c e es .
266 CLA Y MODELING
d elicacy of finish Th e legs may have a bit of .

stick or wire thrust through them , to keep th em

, ,

st eady though we advanc e th e suggestion with

,

modesty f or w e know that so m e persons consider

,

this a vicious practice We fail to see however .

, ,

why it is n ot as justifiable f or the child to

strengthen the legs of his pig with a stick as it is
f or th e sculptor to ti e A pollo s ly re in position
’

with a cord or to support Jove s comm andi n g

,
’

right ar m with an iron r od If it is object ed as .

,

it often is that th e child should n ot m odel pigs at

,

all but only geometric forms fruits vegetables

, , , ,

and leaves vas es forms of historic ornam ent etc

, , , .
,

we can only answer that in o u r conception of kin ,

der gar ten clay work a pig is just as suitable a ,

subj ect f or mod eli n g as an E truscan vase and ,

might hav e an even more vital interest to a sm all

person of five or six years .

Most of th e m ore difficult objects which the

child m od els and especially th e obj ects of ani
,

mal and vegetabl e life ar e to b e made on a base , ,

o r thick slab of clay as it injures the form to ,

attempt to lift it from the board b efore it is dry .

The slab ho we ver m ay b e lift ed with a string

, ,

without injury to t he modeled object .

When the chi ldren are studying the geom etric

Ti l d
es an solids they m ay m ake thick tiles of clay
P p
,
a er
W i ght
e of an y appropri ate shape square oblong
s,
, , ,
Le aves
an dV tr l an gu l ar hexagonal or octagonal and
ase s .
, , ,

impress their invente d form s upon them These .

268 CLA Y MODELIN G
speci al mod eling rooms a m ong their other con
n i en ces an d though th e se ar e n ot n e
M d li g
o e n
v e ,

R m
cessar y the y are o f course both useful
°° 8'
, , ,

and pleasant Here there are l o w oil cloth cov

.
-

ered tables th e m ost approved fashion of m odel

,

ing boards a closet that holds the large clay ves

,

sel s the extra stock of clay th e geo m etrical and

, ,

other m odels th e strings and the kindergartner s

, ,
’

tool box ; here there are shelves fo r the tin boxes

in which unfin ished work is kept glass door ed ,
-

cab inets f or successful productions and running ,

water for al l the little hands when work is over .

Here too the baskets or b oxes are kept in whi ch

, ,

the work is taken hom e for experi ence has shown ,

”
that un m erciful disaster generally waits upon
the atte m pt to take it ho m e in the hands .

There is a m arked d earth of stories and songs

St ri s
o e ,
wh i ch m i ght be us eful for clay W ork ,

for the former only two now occurring

“0”
to us Miss Sara Wil tse s Grandm a
,
’

”
K aoline and O u ida s Child of Urbino which
,
’

,
”
is to be found in B i m bi her volu m e of chil
“
,

dren s stori es There are no really good m odel

’
.

ing songs except Pat a— ,

Cake perhaps though -
,
”
,

most of us have so m ething which we have long

used but have thought scarc ely good enough f or
,

publication There is unlimited material h ow

.
,

ever f or talks and conversations and if we could

, ,

take the children to a pottery and let them see ,

the wonderful potter s wheel in operation a well ’

,
‘

spring of inspiration would b e provided .

 CLA Y MO DELIN G 269

The chil d needs fi rst say s Dr C C Van ,

. . .

Liew a means of expression that wi l l V l f

, aue o
“N w“;
respond easily and rapidly to both his e

physical and mental in di vidual ity and which ,

shall accord more perfectly with on e of Fr oe b el s ’

soundest pri nciples the spontaneity of the child s

,
’

activity .

This means of expression is supplie d by the

clay, a quiet pliable substance
.
, draw n from , ,

Mother Nature s ow n gre at storehouse the si m

’
,

l st of all the kindergarten materials an d the

p e ,

on e which o ffers le ast resistance Work with the .

clay follo ws the natural order of form s tudy ,

which is first to make a form in th r ee di m ensions ,

“
and as it uses a lan guage which appeal s gen
er all
y to all intelligences it surely is wise as , ,
”
Spring says to use it as on e means of training
, .

A gain as he points ou t neatness skill in con

, , ,

trolling both hand s and a knowledge of many ,

properti e s of matte r can very easily b e gaine d by

,

all children through playing while the few who ,

are born artists wi ll expand in natural growth

”
from the beginning Clay work is easy f or
.

th e child — very easy in its first stages — f or it

, ,

responds to the lightest touch and ofler s little ,

resistance to weak u ntraine d han ds Th ere is

, .

great diff erence in the natural ability of children

‘
to model an d this di ff erence seems to be both
,

individu al and racial the Ital ian an d Mexican ,

child ren in ou r experience showin g marked

, ,
27 0 CLA Y MODELIN G
superiority in the art Those wh o are least suc .

cessf u l however evidently n eed it m ost and

, , , ,

fortunately there is little roo m f or discourage,

ment however unobs ervant and unskillful on e m ay

,

be for it is im possible to spoil the gen erous mat e

,

rial Clay m odeling i n fine in its relation to art

.
, ,

and industry in its cultivation of the powers of ,

observation and expression in its training of the ,

hand and e y e and in its app eal to the natural ,

delights and instincts of the child stands pre ,

eminent among the kindergarten occupations .

S I! TEE N S ON S WH ! CLA ! RE A MODE LI N G S H O U L D B E

E N C OUR A GE D I N TH E PR I MA R ! G RA D E S O F TH E P U B LI C
S C H OOL S .

1st . B ecau se som e f rm

o of m an u al t rai n i n g, som e s u d
y t
of h
t in gs t ou g t h e m ak i n g o f hr em , i s ah th n ece ssa ry ad
ju n ct to an i n te lli e n
g sy s e m o f e du ca i on t t t .

2d . B ca e m d li g i
use l ay i th at f r m
o e n f m a al n c s o o n u

r
t ai n i n g b st i ted t thsu ar l e
y y ear f h iol dh d b i g
e e s o c oo e n

a n on - r esi ta t pl ast ic m at ri al it yi l ds t th e sl ighte t

s n ,
e , e o s

t ou c h .

3d . B ecau se cl ay is apl a ti m edi m i t i s th e e b est

s c u on

p
ada te d to acq u ai n t th ch i l d w i th a k
e wl dg f f rm no e e o o ,

si z e, an pr p rt i d o o on . H ca e t i cr a n n odim i i h i e n e se or n s s z

an d m ass i w d n oo or p ap e r w i th th e sam e ase a d c e n on

v en i en ce .

4 th . xp e si v m at rial th at ca
B ecau se i t i s th e l east e n e e n

b e s pp l i d t s h a v ast ar m y f chil dr
u e oas th e pr i m ary
uc o en

s h
c l m st pr v id f
oo a d fr m wh i ch a y thi gl i k e sat
u o e or ,
n o n n

isf acto y r l t s ca b e b tai d

r es u n o n e .

B ecau se al l m o deli n gin cl ay as it i s con du ctedi n th e

5 th .

(C hi cag)
o p u bli c sch o ol s is don e w i th ou t u se of tool s, o n l y
27 2 CL A Y MODELIN G
r ea di n g an d w r i ti n gw i th ou t r e cei vi n
g a n ew idea or h av i n
g
h i s i n di i du al v e xp eri en ce e n l a ged r .

13 th . B ecau s e ex ce ssi v e de al i n g w i th s ch sym b l s u o ,

n u

b al an ced b y ha d w rk
n o , ten ds to m ak a ch il d a m achi
e n e, a

p a rr ot-li ke cr at r e
e u .

14 th . B ecau se th e de v el p m o en t of
g en e alr i n tel l i gen ce
in a c hi l d cou n ts f or m re th a
o n an y am ou n t of b
a st act r
in f rm ati
o on .

15 th B a e. ec u s r eadi n
g an d wr i ti n g an d a r ith m ti c a e re

n o t i th m l v s
n e se e e du cati o n t hey ar e th e m ean s to an

en d, n ot th e en d an d b ecau se th e cu l t i v at i on of th e taste
t hr ou
gh a
y t f rs ud
m a d d v l
of p m t o f t h i m agi n a e e o en o e n

ti oni a e sit
s
y t r i gh
n ec st ch o i g f wh
o at t r ad wr i te os n o o e or .

l 6th B eca s . f th pr m i e c
u e o f e rv s di as s i
e o n n e o n ou se e n

ch il dr whi h phy icia s l aim i th r l t f a t m atic

en , c s n c s e e su o u o

b r ai acti i s fficie t y vi tali ed b y phy si al activ ty

n on l n u n i 1
z c .

ga t M
1 Ki d ag a i
n April 1893
er r en z n e, .
,
 MISCE LLANE OUS O CCUPATI O NS

C hain M ak i n g ; Bead Strin gi n g ; Roll ed S i tr p W rk ;

o Peg
Til es ; C ard b oar d M o d eli n g .

T HERE are various occupations in common use

i n the kind ergarten which have not been men
ti on ed in any on e of the preceding chapte rs since ,

( with th e exception of cardboard modeling ) they

se em to lie somewhat outside of Fr oeb el s scheme

’

o f g eo m etric progression from point to soli d .

They ar e scarc ely howeve r s eparate occup a

, ,

tions in th em s elves but rath er ou t 00,3 “ t

, )

growths fro m or variations of thos e

,
ti m
that have already b een discuss ed and ,
‘

as the principles on which th ey rest have thus

been full y set down we need h ere only treat of
,

their practical application .

These occupations are f or the most part very

simple ones suitable for the nursery or S i mpl
, e

for the younger kin dergarten classes and ,

m “
though th ey aff ord suitable e m ployment en

for children in that they d irect their natural

”
activity to the attainment of d efinit e en d s while ,

developing a certain amount of skill yet their ,

scope in the line of invention is comparatively

s m all embracing f or the most part only ex p e r i
,

ments in color .
274 MISCELLA NEO US O CC UPA TIONS

C HA I N MA K I N G .

Mat er i al s : p ap r hai
For e c n s, s tri p s of col o e r d pap r g m m d e u e

at on e en d, ab tf ri h
ou ou n c es l on g an d on e hal f t thi rd f
o on e o

an h wi d
in c e.

The pap er strips f or chain making will be cut

f of the requisite l engt h and widt h at an y
or

Ch i an s paper warehouse f or a trifling su m or

.
,

may be prepared by the kindergartn er herself

from the large sheets of paper The strips us ed .

f or interlacing may also b e cut up into chain

papers though this is an un n ec essary exp ens e
, ,

for the work of preparing the m is very si m ple

and can well be done by the advanced kind er
garten class es The y ounger children comm only.

receive the papers already gumm ed and moisten ,

1
them with a bit of sponge or a s m all brush ;
the older on es are allowed to put on the paste or
mucilage th em selves as an exercise in daintiness
and dext erity .

All li ttle children take the sincerest pleasure

D li ght f
e
in m aking
o
chains and garlands wh eth e r ,

Sg fifi f these be f flow rs l aves nuts b ans

r ‘
o e e e , , , ,
mg ‘

cones sh ells pods paper stra w or , , , , ,

beads and they d elight to adorn th em selves with

,

the products of their skill when com pleted as did ,

their savage anc estors once upon a ti m e .

In the first exercises in chain making two ,

1 At l eas t thi i th i t ti
s s e n en on , b u t th e m e th d
o of Natu re h as
an i rr esis tibl t m ptati f th
e e on or e ma j ri ty
o .
27 6 MISCELLANE O US O C C UP A TI ON S
drap eri es and sash curtains f or the windows It .

is found that th e work is alm ost invariably ap

r eci ated e ven b y th e rud est and m ost ignorant
p
m oth ers and th er e is scarcely a ho m e which th e
,

kindergartner enters where sh e fails to find th e

children s chains carefull y preserved and hung
’

upon th e wall out of reach of the inevitable pre

dator y baby .

STR A W CH AI N S .

Mt a er i als : White an d r d traw thr q art r f a

col o e s s ee u e s o n

in ht a i hi l
c o n n c n en gth ; ti y q ar a d ir l
n fs l r d
u es n c c es o co o e

p ap r ( r d gl a
e or ou n ss b ad ) ; a w r t d
e s dl a d h av y o s e n ee e n e

thr ad e .
1

Straw chains so m eti m es called Daisy chains , ,

pres ent a few more di fficulti es both f or kinder ,

gartn er and children than those made of pap er , ,

but they are very pretty and somewhat more dur

able .

Th e straws may b e bought by the box ready

P p i g
re ar
cut in
n
suitable l e ngths o r the kind e r ,

M t ri l
ae
gartner may cut th em h erself from the
a s .

ten inch whit e ones aft er soaking th e m in wate r

-
,

a short ti m e Colored straws m ay also b e used

.
,

o f course but th ey ar e more expensive

,
and are ,

n ot r eall y necessary as the char m s o f color are ,

supplied b y the pap ers These are com m only .

cut by the kindergartn er from her odds and

1
In tri
s n i
gn g b ad a d trawe s n s s a v ry fi w i r
e n e e m ay b e u se d
an d th e n ee dl di p
e d wi th
s en s e .
 MIS CELL AN E O US O C C UPA TI ON S 27 7

ends of m at erial a boxful being constantly kept

,

in s tore E ach child must b e supplied with a deep

.

tray a box or dish of som e kind to hold his

,

straws and paper and his needle is usually given

,

to him read y threaded and the thread knotted at

,

on e en d and tied into the eye at th e other .

He must be directed now to thrust his needle

through the centre of on e of the papers F ir t s
Tm “
and string that first for if a straw be
,

fi rst used it will probably slip over th e knot .

After this he is simply to go on stringing straws

and papers in alternation u n til the chain is com
,

plete d but those who have superintended the

,

occupation will probably agree with us that si m

p yl is hardl y th e word to use here for the pre ,

liminary d ifficulties which surround the youth

f u l workman are many and serious The needle
.

refuses to go through the mid dle of the paper ;

the paper tears ; it is strung on with the colored
side down ; the straw splits ; it slips over the
knot ; the knot gives way ; the needl e unthreads ;
the threa d breaks ; the chain drops and the ,

straws fall off ; the boxes ar e upset and materials

strewn on the floor ; the chain ge ts entan gled
with itself or w ith its n eighbor ; directions are
,

forgotten an d twenty straws are strun g with

,
’
ne er a paper to keep them company or vi ce ,

ver sa we need scarcely go on for ex p er i ,

ence will supply all omitted d etails Th e picture

.

is p erhaps painte d in too dark tones however for , ,

27 8 MISCELLANE O US O CC UPA TI ON S

all these catastrophes will scarc ely occ u r in a

single exercise and some gifted on es am ong the
,

children n ever m eet with any of them .

The making of straw chains has certain defi

V nite values and though more di fficult
f j
g
a
e
s
,
O e

O p ti
ccu than pap er chain making is som ewhat
a on .
,

more educative The child gains with the occu

.

p at i on a m ore d efinite knowl edge of position as ,

the centre of each bit of paper m ust be found

with eye and ne edle ; h is attention is directed to
th e various colors and he learns to alt ernate
,

them in strin ging the pap ers or to follow a cer ,

tain sequenc e in their arrange m ent ; and finally , ,

he receives much drill upon th e nu m ber on e .

These straw chains are often used for sash

curtains in the kind ergarten and if longer straws ,

and round glass beads are employed really us eful ,

porti eres in the Japan ese style m ay be made .

Long cyl indrical glass beads may also be used ,

inst ead of straws (but of course are vastly m ore

expensive ) and with these materials th e vexa
,

tious thread and needle may be dispensed with

and fine pliable wire used with a loop or twist
, ,

at on e en d to hold the beads .

28 0 MISCELLANE O US O C C UPA TI ON S
and si m ple one an i n nocent vanity which is an
,

instinct and an inheritance and as such des erves ,

gr atification rather than suppression He can .

learn combination of color alternation of form and ,

size etc with th e beads while stringing th em f or

, .
, ,

his own or his play m ate s adorn m ent and thus ’

,

acco m plish a vari ety of objects at on e ti m e The .

stringing of glass beads has n ever b een a uni

v ersal occupation in Am erican kin dergart ens to ,

ou r knowl edg e at least but it is v er y co m m on in

, ,

so m e part s of E urope and also in Japan If fine , .

,

pliable wire be used instead of needle and thread , ,

th e work becom es very si m ple and the articles ,

made have th e advantage of durability A s vari .

ou s sizes a great nu m ber o f col o rs and at least

, ,

two kinds (sph eres and cylind ers ) of beads ar e

to be had there is m uch opportunity f or vari ety
,

of arrangem ent ; and sy mmetrical form s as well as ,

form s of vegetable life flowers fruits leaves , , , ,

etc . are easily m ade with th em the designs

, ,

b eing subsequently sewn into place on paper or

cardboard .

Th e various purposes which b ead stri n ging

may serve have been touch ed upon in
15
1
223
f
6 o

S t i gi g
r n th e f oregoing pages but it m ust n ot b e
n .
,

forgotten al so that th e work is of value in its

e qual em ploy m ent of both hands and that like , ,

all the other occupations it gives free play to the ,

child s activiti es and leads h i m to see that his

’
,

productions are of c ertain defin ite value .

 MISCELLANE O US O CC UPA TION S 281

Th e obj ection to bead stringing as it is som e ,

ti m e s used is evident eno u gh that is b ti

,
ajik , ,
c
e
on s

the m inuteness of th e b e ads and the W r ,

o

strain on the ey e and on the accessory m uscles in

picking the m up holding the m finding the p e r , ,

f or ati on s and stringing th e m

,
If beads no larger .

than those co m monly used for embroidery are em

ployed in the kindergarten the occupation in ou r , ,

Opinion becomes u n q u alifiedly har m ful

, .

BU S! W O RK TI L ES .

Mat r i al e s : rd i i h
Boa s s x n c es s q ar drill d wi th h
u e, e ol es on e

hal f i n c h apart ; w d p g oo en e s on e i h l g i th
n c i on ,
n e s x col o s. r
The busy work tiles we r e invente d by Mr s .

Alice H Putna m of Chicago and are Fm , m y

.
, , a ,
W“ m “
well adapte d to the use of the yo ungest
children being employe d to teach elements of
,

color position direction and nu m ber The child

, , , .

i s give n a tile and a little dish or box full of ,

pegs and is then asked p erhaps to pick o u t all

, , ,

that ar e of the s ame color as a b al l held up by

the kindergartner and to put the m in the holes , ,

either in a horizontal lin e across the tile or in a ,

vertical line up and down it A s econd lin e of .

th e same color may be made and th en anoth e r ,

ball m atched and so on until the tile is fil led ; or

, ,

if the colors are known by nam e directions f or ,

the di fferent rows are given Thus th e six colors .

may follow each other in regular order on e ach

lin e ; the whole tile may be fill ed with one color ;
282 MISCELLANE O US O CC UPA TION S
the colors may b e arranged in t wos in thr ees , ,

in fours etc ; the direction of th e lines may

, .

be changed as vertical horizontal slanting ; or

, , ,

various figures as squares an d oblongs m ay be , ,

d escribed with the p egs Only the m erest su g .

gestions are necessary as to th e use of th e busy

work tiles for no k indergartn er can fail to under
,

stand th eir capabilities f or si m pl e exercises wh en ,

once sh e has se en th em The y may be used to .

represent a flower garden sometimes a double ,

r ow of p egs outlining th e square and serving as

a fenc e while the inn er holes are filled with

,

flow ers ; they may si m ulate a farm yard and th e -

,

inclosure be fill ed with sm all anim al s from a

Noah s ark ’
it matters not to what purpose the y
,

be devot ed so long as it is in lin e with the

,

general thought and such as to int erest the chil ,

N e e ssi ty
c
dr en U nl e ss the tiles b
. e used with

agg
it
g such a d finite purpose their ffect upon
e n e
e e ,

th ” U
e se ‘
the child is positively harm ful Let no .

on e suppos e that the littl e on e is learning an

y
thing by their use when he carelessly takes u p ,

th e pegs without r egard to color and sticks the m

, ,

in th e holes auto m atically intent only upon fin ,

i sh in g the task Such work is fit f or a ma .

chine but n ot for a hum an being and if long

, , ,

continue d will stifle the creative and expressive

,

instincts .
2 84 MISCELLANE O US O CC UPA TION S

feet long and a foot or so wide are fam iliar to us , ,

and were m ade in an E nglish convent in 163 9 .

O n e is a coat of arm s ex ecuted in colors to the

,

minut est detail surm ounted by the fam ily m otto

, ,

and surround ed by a border of impossible flowers ,

which c ertainly represent a year s labor — the ’

other a m ost fantastic illustration of the Apoc

al yp se with the seven stars
,
th e s even candle ,

sticks the four beasts the tre e of life an d as

, , ,

man y other objects as could be crowded into the

li m ited space — the whole wrought ou t in rolle d
,

paper strips .

The papers used for this occupation in the kin

T R
h
e oll de
der
gar ten may be bo u ght in packag e s
ffi gg at th e supply stores may be cut by the
i
g ,
d gm
er en
kindergartn er or can often be pur
‘

chased very ch eaply i n large quantities at print

ing houses or wholesale pap er stores as the waste
, ,

left fro m cutting sheets of a certain siz e is exactly

what we require A strip on e half inch wide and
.

si x or e ight inches long will serve f or the first

exercises in rolling an d quite a little practice is

,

required before the children learn to moisten the

en d slightl y in order to take the sti ff eni n g out of
,

the pap er ; to keep th e glaz ed side ou t ; to hold

th e strip fir m ly and roll it into a straight com
, ,

pact little cylinder E ven the first eff orts h ow

.
,

ever though th ey b e com paratively unsuccessful

, ,

are not without their pleasure f or they are us ed ,

at once by the children in all kin ds of fanciful

 MISCELL AN E O US O CC UPA TIONS 285

plays and serve very well for curls such as we

, ,

used to mak e with dandelion stems .

By and by however the art of rolling is

, ,

l earned and then the cylinders are F rm s

, o
“I m
pasted tightly Now they s e rve as cans
.
,
‘ ”

spools rolls of carpet oil cloth or matting and

, ,
-
, ,

can be used very ni cely to play keeping store ,

while the children soon learn to pull ou t on e end

o f the roll in conical shape and make it into a

candl e or a potato masher One of the greate st

,
.

joys of the occupation is to make fir e crackers -

,

an d with the proper width of red paper an d bits

of string which are rolled into the cylinder at
,

the beginning each child can easily make a num

,

ber of crac kers an d finally twist them togeth er

,

into a bunch in regulation style A ll kin d s of .

furniture m u sical instruments to ols kitchen uten

, , ,

sils an d various articles such as music rolls fi el d

, , ,

glasses step ladd ers etc can be made wi th a

, , .
,

number of the cylinders of various shapes an d

sizes glued together One wide strip for instance
.

— tightly rolled an d fastened serves for a roll

ing pin with two narrower s m all er roll s glue d
, ,

on for han dles ; the l egs of a table may e ac h be

mad e of two rolls fastened on e on top of the

,

other an d glued to a square of pasteboar d f or

a top ; a mirror frame may be fashione d of the
rolls an d silver paper serve as the glass ; an d as ,

an exercise in group work a mo d el kin d ergarten ,

may be mad e co m ple tely furnishe d h u ng with

, ,
286 MISCELLANE O US O CC UPA TIONS

pictures and equipped with piano dru m horn

, , , ,

triangle and other m usical instruments The

,
.

children will learn wi th practice to roll the strip , ,

in tapering style as for the old fashioned lam p ,

-

lighters and this introduces n ew possibiliti es of

,

m aking obj ects The rolled strip work is in .

,

truth on e of the most suggestive of the minor

,

occupations and the form s produced share with

,

the buildi ng gifts with peas work and clay and , ,

cardboard mo deling the great advantage of stand ,

ing erect and thus lending themselves more per

,

f ectl y to purposes of play .

C A RD B O A R D MO D EL I N G .

Mat er i als : Car d an p a t b ard ; i r a d k i v

d s e o sc sso s n n es ; r r
ul e s ;
gl u e , or pa t s e ; a th f pr i g a d a hard b ard
cl o or ess n , n o .

Cardboard modeling seems to be a union of

the occupations of drawing cutting pasting and , , ,

folding and in order of geometric progression

,

lies between peas work and clay modeling since ,

the representation of objects by means of con

n ected surfaces follows skeleton objects (lines
connect ed by points) and precedes solids , .

The occupation in its m ore elaborate form ,

requiring the use of pasteboard knives

6 23 5553
1
,

Md h g
o e metal rulers glue and heavy w eights
n
, ,

for pressing is b etter adapted to the connecting

,

class than to the kindergarten and can easily be ,

made of sufficient diffi culty to suit the powers of

much more advanced pupils It may be ma d e .
288 MISCELLAN EO US O CC UPA TI ON S

worked ou t in cardboard There are certain pre .

scribed formul ae f or making all the form s geo ,

metrical and artistic which have been m entioned

, ,

but they are much too detailed and lengthy to

b e given here A littl e pam phlet by E m ily
.

A Weaver called Paper and Scissors in the

.
,
”
Schoolroom 1
,gives full and clear instructions
for making an elaborate s eri es of form s and Her ,

mann G oldammer in his G uide especially r ecom

, ,

“
m ends Seidel and Schm idt s A rb eitsschule ’

“
and G eor gen s Orbis L ab or i s as furnishing a
’
,

variety of valuable m odels .

Many of the little objects may be m ade of cel

U f C L
se O e
l u l o i d or ivorine instead of cardboard ,

the sides lac ed together with ribbons ,

P ’ b d
as e °ar
the edges cut out in curves or the
‘

shapes of flower petals and so mak e very pretty ,

and useful gifts Wh en the children are strong

.

enough and experienced enough to use a knife ,

the trays and box es may be mad e in conveniently

large size and cut from heavy pasteboard Then .

if the y are covered with colored paper and se

curely fastened with glue the y will m ake m ost
useful receptacles for the various kindergarten
materials Such a set of trays and boxes would
.

b e an ad m irable exercise in group work for the

older children .

The print ed sheets m ade in G erm any for card

board modeling are familiar to all of us and are
Mil t Bradl y C
1 on e o.
 MISCELLANEO US O CC UPA TIONS 289

to be h ad in every large toy store These are .

more often s een in the nu r sery than in P i nt d

m
r e

the kindergarten but e ven th ere are f r e 233

,
“m u g
quently us ed as mode l s for dolls f u r n i ’ n

ture the child ren cutting th e various pi eces from

,

cardboard and decorating them like the patterns

with crayons or water colors E ach child of th e .

highest class is often given a heavy pasteboard

b ox at the begin ning of the school year which h e ,

decorates like a room an d furnishes with his

own handiwork in cardboard mod eling d uring the
term The ex ercise is a very us eful on e as it
.
,

gives ample room for the development of indi

vi du al i ty an d the little rooms when finished are
,

charming gifts to children who have been less

favored by kindergarten a d vantages .

There are also sheets p ri nted in colors which

show all the buildings in a vill age the churches ,

schoolhous es shops cott ages barns inns ; and

, , , ,

e ven bridges canoes steamboats an d trains of

, , ,

cars These are all drawn with perfect accuracy

.
,

and can be cut ou t with knives an d scissors and

glued together so as to stand up in the most life
like way Such a village is very useful f or sand
.

table work but many of the buildi ngs are quite

,

difficult to put together and require help from

,

skillful and intereste d grown people .

 SAN D WO R K
WH O has lived so m any
y ears that he cannot
in sti t f bring back his baby days for a moment
n c o
C h ild t di g
o
an d pl y i
E rt h
a and
n recall the dear del i ght that once
a dan
S d
an .
he felt i n playi ng with earth and sand
Who does not re m e m ber the cool touch of the
soft earth the pleasant coh esion of its particles
, ,

and the ease with which it could be sm oothed and

patte d into shape ; and who can ever forget the
happy d ays by the sea shore the long stretches of
-
,

hard wet beach

,
—,
fit drawing board for giants -
,

and the shining white heaps above the tide

line where we played for hours together ? We
can hear again in fancy th e scratchy whisper of
the grains as the y poured into our pails and see ,

the caves and forts and towers an d battlements

that we builded once u pon a ti m e .

The instinct which leads every chil d to d ig or

grub in the earth is alm ost equally gen eral
as the B aroness von Mar en h ol tz says with the
,

need of bodily movement but it can seldom de ,

vel op itself unhindered particularly in the edu

,

cated classes of society an d is often represse d

,

as soon as it is manifeste d Thou shalt n ot

.

”
make thyself dirty is the fi rst co m man d ment of
,
292 SAND WOR K
who has frequented the parks of the larger G er
man cities knows what an attractive picture the
children make in their busy happy play of dig ,

ging and packing and building in the easily

moulded soil And an y one wh o has studied p sy
.

ch ol o
gy watches with keen delight the clear rapid ,

expression of th ese children s crude i m pressions ’

o f the world about th e m .

The Pe stalozzi Fro eb el Haus in Berlin of which

-
,

Frau Schrader is the leading spirit is provid ed ,

with a most beautiful sand garden shaded by

trees over which all visiting kindergartners rhap
,

sodi z e This is no petty box of sand such as we

.

in A m erica think ours elves fortunate in possess

ing but a truly garden as the children say
, , ,

where there are glorious heaps of sand in which

they can dig wi th their little shovels and which ,

th ey can carry about and load and unload in their

toy carts There is no reason why all ou r chil
.

dren in this co u ntry save those prisoners of lux

,

ury who are pent in hotels and boarding houses -

,

should not have a sand pile for outdoor amuse

m ent . A load of sand is not a m atter of much
expense nor is a low board fence to surround it
,

and prevent scattering when once it is landed in

,

o u r yards One load will last several years wh ere

.

only a f ew children use it and if no conveni ent

,

tree grows near to shade the spot a light awning ,

woul d not be i m possible of achieve m ent Into .

this gard en of E den we can usher the little ones ,

 S AND WOR K 293

an d provided with i r on spoons toy shovels on e

, , ,

or two ol d pails and pans and so m e m uffin rings

and scallop tins for cake baking they will am use

- -
,

themselve s quietly and happily for hours To .

be sure if they are naughty the y will throw th e

, ,

’
sand in each other s eye s an d all about the yard
but such children cannot be truste d to be less
than troublesome un d er an y conditions an d th ey ,

will probably b e better contented and le ss quar

r el som e in the sand pile than anywhere else .

The little child as Froe bel noted employs

, ,

itself for a long time merely by pouring water or

”
sand from on e vess el into another alternately 1
,

and for building and forming with sand and

earth which precedes clay work opportunities
, ,
”
should be aff ord ed even to the child of on e year .

E ven the baby th en may safely be set in the

sand pile and can play with the rest at digging
, ,

an d moulding and burrowing and po u ring the ,

grains in and ou t of the tin ve ssels .

The sand table sand box or sand garden as it

, , ,

is variously call ed s eems to have be en

2?g
,
th e
ar .

first sugge sted to Fr oeb el by Herm ann t en .

v on A rnswal d a former pupil at K ei l hau an d a

, ,

devote d frien d an d adm irer of the great educator .

H ewrites Froebel from E isenach May 13 184 7 , ,

D EAR FA TH ERL! FRI EN D : Yesterd ay I was

,

engaged in studying your Sun d ay paper when an

P dag gi pag 146 1
e o cs , e .
29 4 SAND WOR K
idea struck me which I feel pro m pted to com
m u n i cate to y ou I thought might n ot a plane
.
,

o f sand be made a us eful and entertaining game ?

By a plane of sand I m ean a l ow shall ow box of ,

wood filled with pure sand It would be a kin .

der gar ten in m iniature The children might play

.

in it with th eir cubes and building blocks I .

think it would give the child partic ul ar pleasure

to have th e form s and figures and sticks laid out
in the s a nd before his eyes Sand is a material .

adaptable to any use A few drops of water .

mixed with it would enable the child to form

mountains and valleys in it and so on , .

True to E merson s say ing that it is only an

’

inventor who knows h o w to borrow Froebel ,

seized upon this suggestion of Colonel von Arns ~

wald s and the sand table has ever since been i n

’
,

use in the kindergarten .

It is as co m monly se en a water tight box about

, ,
-

fi ve by three feet and at least a foot d eep is set

, ,

on short stout legs with rollers and filled with

san d to within two inches of the top The b ox .

is sometimes lined with zinc as it is often meces ,

sar y to pour enough water into the sand to r ep r e

sent a lake or th e boundl ess ocean but it can be
, ,

so strongly mad e as to n eed no lining or may ,

have a double bottom It may be five fe et square

.

instead of oblong or it m ay be som ewhat s m aller

,

1
F b l L tt
r oe e di t d b y A H H i m a p ag 61
’
s e er s, e e . . e ne n n , e .
296 SAN D WOR K
visible and then suddenly with d raw them mak
, ,

ing a sort of hide and se ek play which they

-
,

especially enjoy and which contains the el em ent

,

of alienation and return which Froebel dwells

”
upon so thoughtfully in the Mother Play .

They like too wh en th e sand is quite s m ooth

, , ,

to print th eir op en hands and fin ger tips and

knuckl es upon it rejoicing in the ready response
,

of the mat erial to the lightest touch Of course .

the y are all this ti m e exp erime n ting upon heap

i n g th e sand into mountains which they level as,

speedily or raking it with Nature s five toothed

,
’
-

rake and s m oothing it with the open palm but ,

n o w anoth e r si m ple exercise will be found to give

the greatest joy They may each be provide d with

.

a tray and a n u m ber of little forms — squares , ,

oblongs circl es hearts which are mad e in great

, , ,

vari ety for the purpose They place these forms

.
,

which are merely rims like m u ffin rings on their -

,

tray s fil l them with damp sand then carefully

, ,

withdraw them and 10! what an array of cakes

,

f or a party ! The pleasure which the play gives

to babies need not be dilated upon but there is ,

an ele m ent of useful inform ation in it also in the ,

knowledge it gives of differing form s as well as ,

the practice in dexterity required to fill them

without scattering the sand to press it down ,

carefully and withdraw the little pans without

injuring th e baker s delicate han diwork
’
.

An other simple exercise is gar den making f or -

,
 SAND WOR K 29 7

which the children are pro vide d with toy rak es ,

hoes and spades which can be bought anywhere

, ,

f or a cent apiec e and as they are made o f iron

, , ,

are ind estructible Of course the ground is prop

.

erly prepared by the laborers and then if a flower ,

garden is to be planted cons ul tations are held ,

in regard to the shape size an d position of the , ,

various beds which are laid ou t fenced with slats , ,

and then plante d with flowers that possess the

magical property of bloomi ng as soon as set ou t .

A real garden however may be made in the

, ,

b ox if desirable ; for peas canary see d etc will

, ,
-
,
.
,

S prout an d grow very well f or a time in the wet

sand .

Again the children may moul d spheres from

,

the yielding material call ing them snowballs ,

cannon balls apples oranges or anything they

, , ,

consid er appropriat e and when they are using the

,

second gift a delightful exercise is to make group

,

work inventions by pressin g the spheres cubes , ,

and cylin d er into the smooth surf ace .

The hands of children commence their fi rst

”
rough trial s at building says the B ar
L t r Pl y
Mar en h oltz Bulow whilst
,
ae a s.

on ess von ,

digging in earth an d sand The scooping of cav .

erns the building of houses and b ri dges form

, ,

ing and fashioning of all kinds (from the dirt

pies mad e with mother s thimble to the proud ’

edi fices mad e with the contents of the bri ck box -

,

or with a pack of cards an d lastly d rawing an d

) ,
29 8 SAND WOR K
modeli ng , all spring from the instinct of con
struction the true instinct of work
, .
”

Im planted in each child of the hu m an rac e

is this instinct and the corresponding d esire to
,

mak e use of the materials which nature provid e s

to satisfy the craving The y ielding sand affords
.

th e m ost suitable m aterial which can be found f or

the purpose far better than the clay at first as
, ,

it ofier s practicall y n o resistance to hand and

will There is nothing in the kindergarten which
.

is capable of such varied h elpful and b eautiful , ,

uses as is the sand table and it alone w ere all

, ,

ou r other helps to child training remove d wou l d ,

support th e clai m s of the sy stem to be considered

as a great educational agency Al l the gifts and .

many of the occupations may be use d in it and ,

in every exercise where individual powers have

been strengthened these m ay subsequently b e de
,

voted to the com mon welfare by a coOp er ati ve

play at the table .

The fir st gift balls and bead s may be laid as

garlan ds of flowers in the sand ; the second gift -

forms and beads be used for impressing i n ven

tions and for sy m bolic plays ; the gifts from third
to sixth give wonderful O pportunities f or building
Of every kin d and for the illustration of stories
and games while even the sticks and rings and
,

seeds as Colonel von A rnswald suggested may

, ,

be lai d into charming inventions on the smooth

plane of san d Many things whi ch the child has
.
3 0
0 SAND WORK
few of its public buildi n gs If there are moun .

tains rivers and lakes in the vicinity thes e may

, , ,

b e add ed and as the exercise would occupy a

,

great many work periods it may be left upon th e ,

table an d add ed to fro m ti m e to time A series

, .

of group work play s for the entire term might

-

be made by illustrating the homes of the Seven

”
Little Sisters and prove as useful in geogr a
,

phy teaching as in showing the brotherhood of

man .

A n d how may the san d work aid us in the

study of history ? Let us consider on e of the
incidents of the R evolution for instance and see , ,

what i m pression we may make on the child s mind ’

by illustrating the Midnight R ide of P aul Re

vere . We suppose O f course that the exercise
77
, ,

is to be carried o u t by th e older children who ,

have often heard the poem recited and rem ember

its main features Th e city of Boston is laid out
.

on on e side of the table the North Church con ,

sp i cu ou sl
y placed a m ong the buildings and hav ,

ing a practicable b elfry .

While one group of the children is maki n g the

city two or thre e more are representing the bay
,

with water or glass and placing a toy ship in it

, ,
”
to stand for the Somerset swinging wide at ,

her moorings .

Directly across the bay another group builds

up the village of Charlestown from which Paul ,

R evere rode forth ,

 SAN D WO RK
wi th hi y f al arm
s cr o ,

To e v ry Mi ddl x vil l ag a d farm

e ese e n .

A f ew more children construct the historic

bridge across the river le ading to Concord this ,

being a small village with flocks of sheep asleep,

in its field s and having for its m ain building the

,

storehouse of clothi ng food and ammunition of , ,

the A mericans .

The remain der of the class lay ou t the villages

of Medford an d L exington not forgetting a cock ,

and a d og for the form er haml et a m eeting house ,

-

with a gil ded weather vane for the latter an d -

,

clock towers f or all three towns The teacher

-
.

must of course from her knowledge of the dis

, ,

tance of all these places from each other an d from

B oston and their relative d irection give a goo d
, ,

d eal of ad vice as to laying ou t the san d table ad

van tag eou sl
y and she
,
will probably al so nee d to
be consulte d as to the shape of the bay an d the
windings of the river a line of black that ben d s
, ,
”
and floats .

A number of exercises would be well spent in

'

arranging Boston and the neighboring villages

in the san d with their various buildi ngs ; in con
str u cti n
g the bri d ge an d making two lanterns for
the North Churc h to wer a row boat an d oars f or ,

P aul R evere clocks for the three villages a

, ,

weathercock for Lexingto n meeting house an d -

,

in gathering together from th e group work stores -

a horse an d rider a cock a dog a flock of sheep

, , , ,
 0
3 2 SAN D WOR K
and some trees Finally when all these prepara
.

tions are completed and all the objects set in ,

place the poem is recite d and at the right m o

, ,

ment P aul is rowed across the bay and stands

impatient by his horse until the lanterns are hung
in the tower Then eager hands mount him and
.

hurry him from village to village in ti m e with

the recitation till at two by the village clock
,

he com es to the bridge in Concord town .

Such is the exercise and clear enough its value ,

in teaching literature history and patriotism , , .

What child could leave that heap of sand with

ou t a word in his heart that shall ring forever

more and an echo in his me m ory

,

O f th h rry i g h f b at
e u f th at t d n oo -
e s o s ee

A d th m i d i ght m
n e g f Pa l R v r
n essa e o u e e e
”

Th ere are man y stori es not necessarily h i stor i ,

cal which the children enjoy illustrating i n the

,

sand Very well do we re m e m ber an occasion

.

when on e of the authors told the fairy story of

the P rincess and the golden ball at the sand ,

table A cross years of ti m e com es the mem ory

.

of the eagerness with which the children con

structed the king s palace which was quite a ’

wonderful sixth gift creation h ow they designed

-
,

gardens planted the m with flowers and trees laid

, ,

the walks with pebbles and finall y set in the ,

midst a silver lake represented b y a broken look

ing glass Then when th e golden ball (a second
-
.

gift bead) lay on the surface of the water and the

 0
3 4 SAND WOR K
tin animal s of all sorts ; Swi ss villages ; toy trees ;
houses churches boats and bridges in card
, , ,

board modeling ; houses i m ple m ents and fur , ,

n i tu r e in p eas work ; tin vehicles gard en bench e s , ,

railroad trains st eam ers garden tools Noah s

, , ,
’

ark figures sticks and pebbles for fences and

,

walks ,
a m otley collection which r equires much
space to keep sorted and in order an d which the ,

kindergarten closet though it h eld as m uch as ,

P andora s box woul d never find room for Miss

’
, .

Marwedel suggested that a cheap wooden cabinet

with drawers should be provided and used for
this purpose alone and that certain children ,

should be deputed to keep the various objects in

order taking turns with the duty week by week
, .

One of these children might be call ed the gar

den er on e the shepherd on e the architect etc
, , , .
,

and it would be th e duty of e ach on e to ke ep

his m aterial in order an d know where it was to
be foun d The plan is perfectly practicable an d
.
,

will give a glimpse of great joy to thos e who

have hunted a half hour for a certain flock of
cotton wool she ep known to be in existence and
-
, ,

yet nowhere to be found .

There is hardl y a kindergarten exercise su g

Use o f San d
gested in this chapter save perhaps the ,
P i
r
fi rst play s for babies which would n ot
’

,
S h L
°°
c
be equally as practical and useful in the
school and could be carried out much more fully
,

there on account of th e greater age an d ability

,
 SAND WOR K 3 5 0
of the children One obstacle to the introduction
.

of the sand table into the crowded primary school

roo m would be of course its size and the am ount

, ,

of space it occupies P erhaps however it m ight

.
, ,

be fastened to the wall with hinges and op ened ,

and fill ed only when in use which would dispos e , ,

in part at least of the objection A n en th u si

, ,
.

asti c teacher thus speaks of its u se in the school

”
room : With the sand b ox sh e says
“
the , ,

children gain permanent and correct i d eas of the

world in general of the construction of houses
,

and bridges of habits of animals and plants The

,
.

study of geograph y i s through i ts possibiliti e s

, ,

made a most fascinating pastime ; moun tains ,

hills volcanoes rivers ponds m aps of states

, , , , ,

counties cities are form ations in the san d over

, ,

the construction of which little h ead s bend in ,

happy thought an d fi ngers work with joyous

ze al.

No child thus taught i s ever heard to say I ,

hate geography for to hi s min d it h as no associ a

,
’

tions with d ull weary memori zation O f the printe d

,

page but i s suggestive instead of scenes f u ll of

, , ,

reali ty to the imagination an d of pictures delight ,

ful to the eye E ven the sm al lest children get

.

intelligent i deas of the planet on which they live ,

an d know more than many a grown person of

the topography of the city whi ch is their home .

They m ap it ou t as a whole in the sand and ,

locate carefull y the street an d block in which they

 0
3 6 SA ND WOR K
live not forgetting the trees in the home nei gh
,

b or h ood nor even the lamp post and letter box

,
- -
.

Thus are habits of observation stimulated and ,

the walk s to and from school mad e som ething

more than idle wanderings .

Many teachers already use the sand for in

struction in geography an d Al exander E Fry e s , .
’

“
Child and Nature or G eography Teaching with ,
”
Sand Modeling wi l l be found most helpful for
,

1
this purpose The use of sand in the beginnings
.

of history has already been hi nted at and coul d ,

be developed as fully as the spirit and intelligence

of teacher and children would allow Imagine .
,

for instance how well Jane An dr ews s story of

,
’

“
Ten Boy s on the R oad from Long Ago to
”
Now could be worked ou t and how the inge
, ,

n u i ty and power of planning o f all the children

might be devoted to picturing the hom es the life ,

and surroundings of K ah lu the A ry an ; Darius , ,

the P ersian ; Cleon the G reek ; Horatius the , ,

R oman boy and all the other lads from Long

,

Ago to Now .

A part of the sand table too might b e use d , ,

for botanical observations and this has been done ,

quite successfully While in one portion peas .

, ,

beans flax and som e grasses were sown and the

, , ,

whole process of germ ination and care ex p er i

en ced the other part was use d for any co opera
'

»
,

1 An o th r
e u se u l f b k oo thi at r i Map Md l i
of s n u e s o e n g in
Geogr ap hy an d Hi stor y, b y Al b rt E Mal tb y
e . .
 0
3 8 SAND WORK
much as in the kind ergarten that the chi l dr en , ,

not the teachers are to be the leaders in th e

,

work and h ow far they may b e trusted to be so

,

is shown in Dr G Stanley Hall s wonderful

. .
’

”
Story of a Sand P ile 1
.

Some of the processes ins titutions and meth , ,

ods of administration and organization carri ed out

in that load of sand could only b e attained by

a gr adual growth in ability and would perhaps ,

require more ti m e and concentration than could

well be given during school hours but in al l sand ,

plays to quote Dr Hall the power of motive

,
.
,

arising from a large surfac e of interest can be

turned on to the s m allest part Not only has .

th e work this value but it is an unexcelled ,

teach er of soci al morality an d of self control and -

,

lastly it develops the creative instincts which if

, ,

suppressed entail a loss Of power upon the whole

,

being of the child .

1
Scr i bn er ’
s M on thl y, J u n e, 1888.
 G E N ERAL RE MARKS ON THE O CCUPA
T I ON S

T H ESE occupations of the kin d ergarten so O ld , ,

-
as old as the playing child and yet as new ,

as the last born baby among u s — seem indeed to

-
,

prove themselves worth y of Fr oeb el s saying that ’

they contain the universal elements of proper

work f or childhood .

Yet as we have tried to show in the preceding

chap ters they must be applie d accor ding to F roe
,

belian principles or they lose all their power for

,

good and even become harmful .

One of our commonest kin dergarten sayings is

that self acti vity i s the watchword of
-

S lf A ti i ty e ’
c V o

the new education but it i s questi on ,

able whether we always thoroughl y un d erstan d

what we mean when we use the phrase Self .

activity in the chil d means more than his being

busy more than h i s volu ntary performance of
,

work more than his overcoming of di ffi culties by

,

personal eff ort m ore than his accomplishing any

,

result unassisted and by force O f his own powers

,
”
“
it i mplies as Miss P eabody said that at all
, , ,

times h i s w hol e self sh al l be ac ti ve f or n o activ

, ,

ity accomplishes all the goo d it can un l ess it ,

31 0 G EN ER AL R EMAR KS
enlists his entire s elf in all the phases of being .

The l aw of self activity is not more opposed to

-

the leading string and cram m ing practices than

-
,

it is to one sidedness in the work of education ;

-

it demands n ot activity alon e but all side d acti v ,

-

1 ”
ity of the whole being the whole self , .

If we judge our ministrations to the chil d s ’

self activity b y the above definition how far do

-
,

we com e short of the standard ?

The whole body of investigations u pon child
”
hood says Dr C C Van Li ew points to the
, . . .
,

fact that the m ost vivid perceptions and me m ories

are associated with self activities a fact which -
,

de m ands not only that education proceed early

along the lines of motor activity as in the kinder ,

garten but that the entire intellectual develop

,

2 ”
ment aim to sti m ulate the child s self activity ’
-
.

Let us ask ourselves sp ecifically here have we ,

or have we n ot furnished the right con d itions f or

such dev elopm ent ?

The worth of knowledge Obtained by indivi d ual
S laa mity effort cannot of course be too highly
a -
, ,
i T
n hr
eac e
esti m ated th e m ental and spiri tu al dis
’

ci p li n e gained b y p ersist entl y struggling with dif

ficu l ti es and bravely ov erco m ing the m is on e of ,

the most valuable of life possessions but this ,

e ffort and this personal struggle on the part of

1
Ki d ga t M
n er r en essen pr
ger , A il , 187 9 .

2
T a a ti of th
r ns c on s e I lli n oi s S oci ety f or Child Stu dy, Vol I . .
3 12 GEN ER AL R EMAR KS
”
thi n g the kindergarten atmosphere is and
, , ,

H dli g
an
must be a direct e m anation from th e
n ,

fig jfiffl mental attitude of the kindergartn er

‘ '

“1
L et no one suppose who sees a com
8°
,

pany of children hastily stuffing their weaving

mats into the envelopes regardless of creas es and
crum ples folding their papers without thought
,

of correct dia m eters dropping their clay on

, the
floor smudging and s m earing their drawings
, ,

let no on e suppose that those children are a hord e

of wild and lawless A rabs .

There m ay be there c ertainly i s some on e in

, ,

the room who deserves to be called by that name ,

but just as certainly sh e is not among the children .

No f or subjected to another influence you shall

,

see the same car el ess h eedless co m pany beco m e

,

careful and ord erly intent upon getting things

,

“
just right and keeping th em so and vying ,

with each other to produce work which shall be

Spotless and daintily neat We do not say that .

clean l iness neatness and order are n ecessary to

, ,

art and artistic productions in maturity ; but we

do say that little children cannot d eal successfully
with the kindergarten materials and can n ever
produce good results with them until they have
learned to treat them with respect and care .

Let us open ou r ey es m ore widely and look

upon our own children with critical gaze A re .

they orderly and careful do they respect the ma ,

ter i al s which the y are handling ?

 ON TH E O C C UPA TION S 3 13

There has b een so m uch insistence in the pre

ceding chapters upon the ideal use of I deal U se

the kindergarten occupations that we

o p tm a
should hardly dare to touch upon the cc u s‘

subject again were we not assured that repe

,

titi on i s the sheet an chor of the teacher

-
We .

need to disabuse ours elves of the too preval ent

idea that there is a certain m agic in the materials
which will work its b en eficen t way no matter ,

how they are applie d True the magic i s there .

, ,

but it i s only set free by the right touch by the ,

un d erstanding hand They m ay be used to cher .

ish the art i m pulse in the learn er or to crush it

-
,

o u t and sta m p it under foo t ; they may be used

to further every generous thought and feeling of

the child or to foster s elfishn ess and egotism ;
,

they m ay develop his individuality and his crea

tive and expressive powers or simply train his ,

hand and eye and make him a deft automaton ,

alert in carry ing out the ideas of others .

How ar e w e using th e occupation s dear kinder ,

gartners ? A re we developing from within or i m ,

posing fro m without Are we giving the child

th e fullest possibl e control of hi m s elf and his
powers or ar e we turning him into a sup erior
,

kind of machin e ? There is no safer t i me than

this to ask and to answ er these questions
Th l ay i m i t a d ft ;
e c s w o s w m ak h a t
n so n o ,
n o , e s e

A d f rm th p i t h r f
n o th wh
e l t r
c fa t
e , or e ee u ns s .
” 1

P ri Sati 1
ii i 23
e s us , r es, . .