The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-03-05
MOTHER PLAY STUDIES.

.,ohaI.s Principles and Ideas Dis
.us.ed Under Direction of Miss
BacISus.
The class in F'roebels Mother Play,
..bicb is studying under the direction
- Miss Backus, met yesterday morn
10 at the Philbrick kindergarten.
Two of the mother plays were con-
sidered. .'Beckoning the Chickens" and
.peckoning the Pigeons" Both pic
.ures showed groups of children abb
.orbed in the study of life. In both
.na central figure is the mother, with
~ bahv on her arm. In the first she
- ealing the chickens with beckon-
10 hand. which the little one tries
saeblv TO initiate. The open hand,
Mics Backus said, always beckons or
invites. In the second, she is initial
mo with her fingers the tapping sound
which the pigeons make as they alight
n he fed, thus translating the new
imnressions of the child through a
no,yer already acquired. He hears the
sound. but cannot initiate it OF him.
sslf Miss Backus said, and yet it is
orlv through such imitation that the
knowledge becomes definite and con-
scious. She spoke of the children's
de1ioht in the various kindergarten
songs and games, which in the SIM
hest gestures and movements repro
dnce the life of the animal world. One
~ heschild's earliest desires is to find
life in the world around him, and he
II unable at first to distinguish be-
tween the apparent life of a rolling
hall and that of an object which moves
Voluntarily. 1t is when he begins to
recognize the real life from within
that gives the power of free action that
he feels his comradeship with nature.
Miss Backus then read the first motto
which expresses this idea very de-
lightfully.
because he lives himself, the child
Oft thinks that all things live,
And pours his little heart upon
That which no love can give.
But when his life. outreaching, meets
With answering life around,
His restful eyes are lit with joy
That comrades he has found"
This, Miss Backus said, may be put
into one sentence in which its spirit
ual meaning is fully. expressed. THE
call of life to life" as the second mot
to may be translated, 1.-The response
Of life to life"
"The mother acts out for her child
Ills thoughts uniformed and dim.
i He loves the pigeons he'll be glad
To think that they love him.
1t is interesting to know, Miss
Backus said, that the play of reckoning
the chickens was, in point of time,
the first of the mother plays written
by Froebel after observing mother
4 and her children in the farmyard.
Some extracts upon these two plays
were read from Miss Blows Letters
10 n Mother" and tire class were then
n led to a practical discussion of the
advantage Of pets in the home, and
4 the child's responsibility to his pets.
q Each mother was asked for her opin-
a ions and her experience, and many
n interesting suggestions were made as
to the kind of pets most pleasing and
most valuable to the child. Modern
educators believe, Miss B]ekus said,
NJ that the life history of man repeats
NJ the race history and that the child
X must pass through' the various epochess
M Of civilization. 1t is the aim of the
kindergarten to develop children along
"a these natural lines and give what is
s. needed for each period of advancement.
She spoke Of the myth making ten
dency of children at certain ages and
suggested that they be given stories
that should satisfy this impulse. Some
s Of the books recommended were
~ FgHe's Myths and Myth Makers, Ty-
ers Primitive Culture, Edward Clodd's
Birth and Growth of Myth and Child
# hood Of the World.
The next lesson will be Saturday
morning at 1890 o'clock. This will be
the eth class, but anyone wishing to
join for the remaining six lessons, half
the course. may do so at this time.
As each lesson is complete in itself it
will be found satisfactory to enter
now. March 18th, Tuesday, Mrs.
E George 7. BALDWIN will speak to the
Y class on "Childrens Reading-How to
h ystematize it and make it valuable"
and Will give a list of tested books.
" This will be an open meeting and any
one Interested is invited to be present.