The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1901-10-09

part of the responsibility of parent
and teacher.
The succeeding thought in this pa-
per will rest upon the time honored
| educational maxim that the appropri-
| ate activity of any organ tends to-
ward it's development.
| Let us understand once for all that
skill in perception is attained only
by the intelligent use of the sense or
sans. This training as has been al
ready mentioned is acquired in the
kindergartens and primary schools of
today, chiefly by means of gifts, occu-
pations and games. The games find
the largest place in the primary
| school. At first these must be very
simple and great care must be taken
| hat they are not carried to the point
Of fatigue. By attempting to exer-
else one sense too long at time we
defeat the object for which We are
| working. There is an almost endless
variety of games to quicken the sense
perception OF the little ones. A favor
lite among the children in our room
is the sound game for the recogni-
ton of playmates' voices. This can
not be played at the beginning Of
school, as it requires much time to be
| come familiar enough with 40 or 50
| different voices to recognize them
readily. Among other devices is the
recognition of the different tones OF
bells, telling what different objects
are by the sound given out when they
are strutn. One child. or even two
and three, singing to another who
is blindfolded, is also favorite
Cover the eys Of a child and let him
tell, by pointing, the direction from
which another child calls. For Sight
raining, call out child and let him
look at the pupils in certain row
Then require him to turn and name
them in order. Call several children
20 the front Of the room and givp
aacn some object. Require the chill
lren to close their eyes while you
change the objects in their order ana
hen let a child come and replace
hem as they were Perform several
actions and require the child to do
he same
For the sense Of touch place differ
ent objects where they can be hand.
led and let a child with eyes blinded
take them in his hands and name
thcm. Examine objects in the same
way to perceive their q,alities-are
they hard or soft smooth or rough
and the muscular sense will tell
Wiener this object is heavier or the
tighter than that. Remember, here
hat comparison is a higher faculty
han sense perception.
The devices, games and different
forms of motor activity for the sense
training are manifold. The events
Of the every day school work may be
woven in with commands given as
BLOW the horn. read a story from the
board, tell me one thing about leaf,
etc.
When VIM. Speer originated the
Speer number system he did a grand
: hing for the schools Of America He
! awakened The teachers in the schools
% the Importance Of sense training
, as the kindergarten had not been
able to do.
The set Of solids prepared for first
grade work will furnish almost every
variety of sense training. The sense
raining is the most valuable thing in
he system. Children, with ease, go
+ o the number table and obey a direc-
? ion like: Fine me solid 4X2x2 in
chcs. | have seen a child pick out
5 six in succession from such direc-
| zen dlu give GdcH u Cnllu WHOM
4 he teacher named. The dimensions
: can be told accurately by touch Oh
t sight. The system is based upon the
g comparative sizes of the solids, and
:. children become expert in picking
! out solids equal to %. IA, 80, etc. OF
/ others.
4 Again teach the pupils to see in
$ te'lectuaily. What is education goo6
- hot Il 4.
observe accurately? Ruskin says
| hundreds of people can think for one
n who can think. but thousands car
lr think for the one who can see"
The small boy, who, when told b,
! his teacher. to define bat said, "He
Y is a nasty little mouse, with iniy rub
4 Der wings, a shoestring tail. and bite.
II like the devil" had an eye worth hay
e ing. Asgasiz himself could not hay,
re done better The salient points o
S, the little creature We're Clearly ant
d forcihly described.
al Sense training is the key note /,
e. successful teaching. Ii the taache
II in The first primary does nothing ba
Is teach the child to see hear and thin
independently and 10 express .lmsel
&c easily and accurately. she does NOR
Sc for him than if she had crammed hin
hi with the whole primary curriculum
III and failed to give him power o
at SroWth.