The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-12-12
The KINDERGARTEN.
From Our Lady Correspondent.

From Our Lady Correspondent.
Fr9bel, prominent German
educator and thinker having stud.
led the natural development
of children's minds, proposed q
course Of primary education to be
commenced as early as three years,
or younger. 1t can be begun rs soon
as a child can understand what is said
and can use his fingers, under direc.
ton.
His principle is that children can
be taught by doing.
Without taxing their active minds
too much, he takes advantage OF
their natural propensities. as obser-
vation and imitation, to advance
their development most wonderfully,
before they are Of suitable age to go
to public school.
l can best explain methods by des-
cribing what I have seen and heard
of the kindergarten where Frebel's
ideas are put into practice and found
admirably adapted to the mental,
moral and physical development of
the little ones.
once heard very interesting lee
ture on this system of education in
which the speaker said that Frebel's
ideas were not suited to the German
soil, and did not flourish we'll there,
but, transplanted to free America,
they found genial home. Els prin-
ciples, carried out, develops reason
ing, independent men and women
just such citizens as we want, but
such as are not tolerated in Ger
many, where unquestioning obedience
to dictates of superior rank is expect
ed and demanded.
DR.. J. NJ. Gregory. member of
the Civil Service Commission, was
formerly regent of the State university
of Illinois, and in a lecture before the
students after his return from a Eu-
ropean trip he described the training
given in some of the few, but excel
lent Kindergartens in Europe.
he was especially impressed with
the development of the observation Of
the perceptive powers. One plan
they use to quicken observation is to
lead a child past a crowded show
window in store and then ask him
what he saw. Children see very
quickly naturally, and so he will Of
ten tell of several articles he has seen
in the hasty glance.
Another time he is led past, and is
told to see what more he can. On
being questioned, he tells Of a num-
her more articles he has seen.
After a number of brief glances
he can tell all there is in
the window, and how
it is arranged. A child thus trained
can see at glance more than the
majority of adults would ever see in |
any number of visits to the spot.
went one day to visit a private |
kindergarten in Indianapolis. The
lady in charge told me she had about
dozen pupils, but that it was too
large class to attend to properly.
She regarded ten as the largest num-
ber one teacher should have. Her
pupils were from three to six years
of age. As they came in full of play
and chatter, she greeted each with
smile, and they all bowed and said,
Good morning." much more polite
ty than most of our high school
pupils.
There were two rooms, the larger
one was for the games, and the
smaller one, fitted up with row OF
tiny chairs, and along the table was
the study room. These rooms were
carpeted and papered and hung with
pretty pictures. There was closet
with rows of books, and each child
was required to hang up his own
cloak and hat.
A case of shelves held the books,
states, blocks and boxes of needle
work, and each pupil had particu-
lar place for his own.
Order is taught in every move.
Three years of kindergarten training
for the children make housekeeping
sn easier task for the mother, for,
after having gained love for order,
children will not violate it.
When the hour arrived for opening
the school, the teacher rang small
bell, and the little ones went quietly
to their places, each one standing
behind his own chair, while with
bowed heads and reverent voices,
they joined the teacher in the
"Lord's Prayer" /
They then took their seats ana
folding their hands on the table N
front of them, sang pretty morning
song, with appropriate gestures
thus. unconsciously, taking first les
sons in elocution.
Other songs followed, most OF
them requiring varied movements
The words were spoken distinctly,
the time perfectly kept, and II the
harmony was not always good'
forgot it in watching the bright ex-
pressive faces of the little ones.
After the singing was finished, the
teacher asked one of the children TO
tell what she saw on her way 10
school. The little girl was pleased
and in a quick, eager manner, men,
toned more things she had seen
than | would have noticed in a week.
Whenever she mispron ounced a
word, or used wrong phraseology'
tho teacher quietly corrected her.