The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1873-10-30
WHAT Is A KINDERGARTEN!

Everybody has heard more or less, of late,
al,out the kindergarten" though hut very few
| have definite ideas of what il is. The briefest
definition that can be given of it is, that it is q
school for children, and is intended to take the
| place of what is very properly called the a. muir
derOus method" of teaching small children-the
method which is practiced in most of the pnblic
schools. Its origin, character, and purpose, are
| thus described at length:
| II is for the trimming of young children before
they reach the age of books, and one of its objects
is to keep children frombooks
1t is designed for children from three to
| eight years of age-the period of play-aud
hriugs the play into practical use in training for
| future life. 1t is the discovery, invention, or
whatever il may be called of friedrich FrOebel, a
German scboolmaster, who has been dead for
twenty years.
Froebel was man of peculiar genius a. an in-
| structor of children, and he spent years in the
study of the mind of childhood, and to devise a
system of profitably employing its faculties be-
| fore the child arrives at the age to mbbe and
assimilate instruction by the methods in the
| schools, but in which its curiosity and inclira-
| ton for knowledge is so markedly active.
We can not give in a newspaper article the
| details of the system, but only snch outlines as
/ may suggest il to the minds of our readers. The
plan is to repress nothing, but to guide the child,
that all its play shall be discipline physically
aud morally.
For that purpose Froebel invented various OBJ
jects to be placed in the hands of the child un-
der teachers selected for their love of children
aud aptitude for the wOrk-such building
blocks, materials for braiding, embroidery, clay
for modelling and various other "play-hOuse"
occupations. With this array of objects the
child is taught to play in such manner as to
become familiar in those early years with all
geOmetrical FORMS their lines, angles, planes
faces, and with host of mechanical and scierI-
tifc principles. At the SAME time it requires the
dextrous of its hands to acquire skill and
judgment in the use of materials in the produc
tiOns of forms of Use and beauty. During all
this process of education the child is only con-
scious of playing. The teacher, instead of sit
ting up rigid governor of its action, partici-
pates, like parent OF nurse in all its plays, not
ordinarily done, but with system of care
fully prepared exercises intended to lead the
child and conform its amusements to the pur-
pose in view, thus leading it to observation and
reflection upon such things are presented
l. -.
Plays, too of certain kinds Hte accompanied
by music, and indeed this may be called the
foundation of the system. Books are kept ell
tirely from the child-t is not wearied 10y any
tasks, it is led to ask questions, the answers to
which come in the shape of objects which demon
sirate the information. The object is to form,
not fill the mind 1t is in harmony with fact
well known to all who have examined their
mental operations, that knowledge comes far
more quickly and fully when seeking it in regard
to some concrete thing, or some specific fact, in
regard to such Froebel called the System Kind
ergarten, in perfect sympathy with the idea of
the system itself-that is, treats the child as the
wise gardener does the plant-aiding its growth
by natural alment and care, and excluding
everything not in harmony with its immature
state.
But while all this seems so simple, yet it re
quires the very highest qualifications in the
teachers. Of course such q teacher must be a
woman, for it is her domain exclusively and
while it is play to the child it is labor to the
teacher. 1t requires first natural love of
children, and the power 10 understand their in
tellectual operations. She must also have fair
acquaintance with natural history and science
for the little philosophers often ask very pnzzlng
questions. Preliminary training in normal
school becomes essential, and teaching thus a
profession.
The system is only suggested in this country,
but has obtained firm footing in Germany. 1t
is, however, attracting great attention from
educators in the United States, and in short
time will, no doubt, be effectively introduced