The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1879-04-25
THE KINDERGARTEN AND THE
PRIMARY SCHOOL.


present age teaching has perhaps received
its share of attention.
Probably no invention has done SO
much good to humanity as Frebeps
'New Education yet the system has
reached comparatively few. The Kin
dergarten is a name familiar everywhere
but very few have clear idea of what
it is. The general impression seems to
be that it is system of plays for babies.
One needs to go and see the little ones
ut their work in order to understand
how everything they do is developing
some faculty or teaching some principle
in science and making real earnest work
seem so much like play that it is attract
i've to those little minds.
The faculty first developed in the
child's mind is perception. He learns
by seeing and hearing. He sees color
and form, and in that the eye needs to
be cultivated. The ear and the voice
also need culture. To train the eye
bright colored triangles of card board
may he laid on the desk to initiate some
beautiful design, thus teaching harmony
of colors as we'll as preparing the mind
for the more intricate work of drawing.
For variety, the same idea may be taught
by perforating card board after some
simple design after which it may be en-
broidered with colored worsted or silk
so as to make something pretty for ma
mas parIor, or bright colorcd paper may
be cut in beautiful forms and differen:
colors pasted together, or it may be
folded so as to make furniture for a
play house. Another way is to weave
together strips of paper in gay colors
which we can procure r-epared for the
purpose. These can be made into mats,
book marks, cornucopias or various
other things useful and beautiful. Peas
may be soaked in water till soft then
made into furniture with wires or little
sticks indicating the forms of solids.
At recess when the children are driv-
en- into the house by the inclemency of
the weather, they may be taught games
Or songs accompanied with action, thus
the muscles ard teaching
ease and grace Of movements as we'll as
training the voice and preparing the
title one to learn music as science.
But how can a teacher learn all these
hings 1t takes year of hard work in
good training school to learn Frebels
whole system so as to be prepared for the
ocular work. Teachers can not all at
ord the time and work to do this, but
he principles can be easily learned and
educed to practice by the ingenious
eacher SO as to bring many of these
Kings into primary school or even into
'ur rural districts to advantage.
The materials are inexpensive and
asily procured. The teacher only needs
o purchase set of designs and book
N the subject and he will find means to
Brighten many a day, dull to the little
mes rs we'll rs to tighten his own bur-
ems and to bring himself into favor
nth his patrons.
The child will more readily learn to
cad if interested in something in the 4
interval, and numbers, as we'll as many Z
terms may be beautifully {
Illustrated by these interesting gifts as
rebel calls them.
Teachers, discuss the subject in your j
,stitute next summer; then 90 back to
our work, determined to labor more :
lirhfully for the little ones. Who
nows but you may help to educate some !
reat man, who but for the impetus a
wen him in his early school life would a
ave lived and died unhonoEed aud IN
nown. MARION E. PERKINS.
The foolish man foldsth his hands snd a