The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-02-03
XVI. THE CARE AND EDUCATION
OF CHILDREN.
BY LUCY WHEELOCK.
concluded
The Occupations.

AH6 OCCup allouS-
The gifts are distinguished from the
occupations in that they are more con-
structive and the forms made with
! them are less permanent. The tower
/ is built and unbuilt and rebuilt into a
wall, a seat or d bridge. Various pic
ture-forms made with blocks or sticks
/ or rings are quickly transformed into
other things, and at the end one comes
| back to the original material.
The occupations, on the other hand,
| afford means of permanent transforms
/ ton ana of individual creation. The
| little artist SEXES pencil, and 10.
/ horse man, a rose, never seen before
/ 1t is mine, I made it." The shapeles6
/ clay is nodded into a ball. cherry or
/ an apple, and something exists when
/ did not exist before. In the sentence,
| Man is a creative being" FrOebel
/ greatest Interpreter found the key TO
/ his system.
! Any material which children can
/ handle and through which they may
/ express themselves is legitimate for use
/ in a kindergarten occupation. Leaf
I gaTlands are made burr baskets, neck
/ laces oe berries and other decorations
/ dear TO the heart Of childhood. The
| kindergarten sewing is not prepara-
/ tory course in dressmaking or tailoring,
=
! ing to make artists fully equipped for
/ life. "TO make Visible the Invisible
| spirit Of man" is, according TO Froebel,
the function of art. To foster the spirit
] Of art which seeks to find what il may
! work at. is his purpose in MS direction
/ of childish activities, for even enid
is known by his doing.
Education is only a process Of unfold
| ing. All that can be done from without
| se~ II rio n
stand these conditions and to meet
/ them is the effort Of the child gardener
/ He needs to know not only the p3rtlcu-
4 lar game, story, gift or occupation, but
/ the nature and needs of the growing
child plant. The gardener must know
/ his garden. He may scatter seed and
/ till and water, The plant must grow.
! The true kindergarten is the garden so
I cultivated.
The First School Years.
In Mrs. Virgins story of Patsy, the
street waif who strays into the kinder
/ garten, thinks himself in heaven, with
bird songs filing tIe air, the windows
I full Of bloom, and loving, sunny
/ woman to mother a flock Of children.
! Such a heaven is not now the exclusive
province of the kindergartener- There
: is no sudden change Of climate when
one enters a primary room. Here, too,
are warmth and sunshine. blooming ge-
] raniums and singing birds. In one WIN
dow we may see a garden planted with
/ peas or beans, that little eyes may be
hold the ever new miracle Of -ermina-
( ton and growth. In another window
/ the egg shell garden makes It posslDie
/ for any child to know and care for ni5
own plant Jack and Jill and all the
/ other names are plainly written on the
half shells. that each child may gain
I the sense Of responsibility and feeling
/ Of affection for the growing thing that
/ comes from ownership. Another WIN
| dow possibly rejoices in an aquarium
and at the right season some ouaer
/ brother is sure to bring a jar of polly
/ wOg5. Then there is the JOY OF watch
/ ing day after day fer the different
/ phases of the wOndrOUs change. A visit
/ from a rabbit. a squirrel, a kitten or
! from mother hen and her chicks is not
at all surprising, even in the modern
/ school room In a few places sUch pets
/ are kept and sent from one school
/ building to another.
The four walll Of our ideal room Tor
little children are not 10 be covered
With blackboards adorned with speci-
ments Of penmanship. rows OF hgures'
or even wonderful cravOn drawings.
Pictures.
/ A eoft gray or green tone makes a
/ good background against which are
/ hung a few good pictures OF interest 10
/ little ones. The Perry pictures are WITH
/ in reach OF every teacher, even II tney
are not furnished with the school SUP
plies a few Rembrandt mounts are
I made Of the special spring and summer
subjects. A MiIlet or some other IN
/ dustrial scene. some Of the pest DC
/ lures of animals and at ChTistmss time
/ some Of the Madonnas VIII De OF ser
vice. If these pictures are pinned oll
a burlaD hanging or hung on a lllle
stretched across one wall Of the room
/ they may be changed from time to tlIfe'
to suit the school programme
Nature Study.
Nature study. following the round OF
! the seasons, holds an important plaCe
| in the modern school curriculum ne
/ frequent walk or excursion IS NdIu
able adjunct to the lessons OF the school
room. stimulating interest in out-ot-
door life and giving an opportunity Lor
/ the collection Of materials for future
/ work and for the school cabinet. Inc
! method Of science work during the nISt
years Of school life is that adVocateu
/ by Froebel in his demand that we pIO-
! coed from love of nature 10 STUDY anu
! comprehension OF her laws Inc lulIc-
ton Of the teacher is not TO teach AdcLs,
/ nor to conduct a series OF monotoHOuS
object lessons. but TO be as learner
/ among learners, inspiring an added IN
terest and love for all that Goa ms
made Whittier sings Of
| knowledge never learned OF scHoOIs'
OF the wild flowers time ana piacet
OF the wild bees morning, chdSe'
Flight Of fowl and habiJude
OF the tenant Of the WOOL
OF the back wasp's cunning way,
Mason Of his wall Of clay.
The primary school today does ny
deny its pupils this most desirable ana
desired knowledge, but aids them IN
gaining it,
Gymnastics and Games.
Some Of the kindergarten games rep
TeseHting the activities OF the animal
world, the movements of great natural
forces. as water and wind, and the
/ growth of plant life. are used IN prl-
mary grades to great advantage anu
serve as 2 stimulus to the more exact
observation OF what Is reDreSehteu.
Through imitation one appTOpriate5 the
life Of the thing. and sympathy Is porn
of a fuller understanding. To ny anu
build Ike a bird one NUT know what
a bird does, and must Ter the h0hCe
become a bird.
Near them let US softly creep,
While the bindings say Peep Peep.
Who has not noticed the tenderness
Of feeling in a circle of children listen
ing for the gentle peep Of the play
birdlngs2 And could any boy need
lessly set foot upon a worm who had
| transformed himself in pay movements
from slow, crawling caterpillar into
a futtering butterfly with joyous
Wings The brown creature creeping
over the sidewalk has a new interest