Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1894-09-20
KINDERGARTEN IDEAS.

ANAe iiio ~ SbhNy VI tiOuCht w "C''i"A''
For over thirty years he studied, and
originated methods Of education trying
to reach his ideals by teaching boys and
young men, but ever failing.
Through all his labor as teacher he
was bailled by the possibility OF crowding
into the years boy spends at school
the instruction necessary for his after sue.
cess in the world, together with that train
ing OF all the faculties, that harmonious
development OF the whole nature which
he held more important than any know
ledge.
The trouble lay in the condition OF the
children, who came 10 school with unde-
velopcd OF msdirectcd faculties and,
henceforth, he devoted himself to the
subject OF early education-in preparing
for school education by training the in
FAINT faculties through the hands OF
women.
He was now nearly sixty years OF age
and his life work was just begun.
He strove to arouse women 10 sense
OF the holy mission OF womanhood. not to
be accomplished by mere tender care Of
children, but by intelligent educational
culture. His county women tlocked
around him, the children OF the village
became his pupils his system of games,
songs and exercises was gradually COM
pleted, and the old gray-haired man be-
came the center of Il young and joyous
life, full of hope and highest aspirations.
| will here mention but three OF the
fundamental principles OF Froebel's edu-
cational methods.
First-The most important moment Tor
educational influence is the period OF UNI
conscious impulse that comes but once
in life and is the beginning OF the whole
development OF every man.
>econd-That education during this IN
conscious era preceding the school age
should be methodical, because the'sprit-
ual instinct OF this unconscious period
lacks all powers OF reaction.
Third-Maturcd thinking, particularly
philosophical thinking rests upon simple
fundamental conceptions; for example,
the conceptions of unity, variety, being,
growth, time, space, connection, relation
etc. All these are distractions deduced
from things seen or handled. And it
makes a great difference whether clear
and definite conceptions are acquired in
childhood with conscious intention or are
left to chance.
For intoxicating these ideas he employed
playthings especially prepared for the
purpose, which he termed gifts.
lie would have the first gilt prepared
for the child when it is two or three
months old, when it first begins to pay
attention to surrounding things. This
first gift consists of six soft balls Of differ
cnt colors three elementary and three
secondary. He chooses the ball because
it is the simplest form, more easily grasp
ell with the hand and with the intellect,
because from it all others may be SUISSE
quently derived because it is the same
from whatever way it is viewed, because
of its perfect unity. These balls should
be suspended above the child at this age,
one at time or in groups OF two or three.
The group of three should consist of a
secondary between its two primaries.
When the child begins to sit alone and
crawl, he may be placed on blanket and
ball be suspended from the ceiling by a
stout cord, within easy reach OF the child.
lie will enjoy playing with it and will
learn to stand more readily and better by
pulling himself up by it than as though
he learned by clinging to chairs.
The second gift which should be given
at the age of six months, consists of a
wooden ball, cylinder and cube. The ball
and the cube SO unlike each other and
yet resembling the connecting link-the
cylinder-makes this gift present the con-
ncction OF contrasts. OF course the child
will not grasp the connecting links be-
tween these forms at once, but as it OBJ
serves them more and more and by hand
ling, learns more about them, its mind
will grasp the idea for itself.
The third gift is given when the child
is about two years old and consists OF a
two-inch cube made up OF eight one-inch
cubes. Froebel observed that children
from one to three years OF age delight to
pull things to pieces and then put the
pieces back into the original shape, and
this gilt was designed to meet that desire.
The things that can be built from the
cube are many and the training OF method
comes in very strongly here, as the va
rious arrangements are to be made by
slight changes in the last arrangement
one thing growing out OF another.
This sketch OF the early use of the gifts
is merely the breiest arrangement posi-
BILE, taken from w. n. Halman's book
Kindergarten Culture in the Family
and Kindergarten, which would be very