The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-09-10
HOW sSNzEDEN ZKADS
~ EDUCAIION'S HZELD.
The Land That Care Us Modeyn Botany CHEMISTRY
System Of Gymnastics and the Vala6ze Szoyd Idea, Has
Noav Originated the Science Of Utilising Games
III. sss +s#s, -S= ia the Education of Children. 80
BY Olof z. Cervin.

10 o'clock it is rather dark to see the
ball and the song-and- dance games
begin. A little before ii all march
to the long stone bridge and sing one
twilight of evening. All lights are
out at 1880. How a school teacher
could spend a summer vacation more
profitably and more pleasantly it .is
difficult to imagine. .zs-aslI
Saturday afternoons and Sundays
are holidays devoted to boating,
tramps in the hills and forests and
such other enjoyments.
A popularity Of the institution Is
| that there is only one permanent
teacher-the director himself. -kHa
believes in keeping out Of ruts The
assistant teachers Of one year are see.
lected from the students OF previous
years. It gives this school a marked
character Of freshness and virility, a.
vim and go, such as it Is pleasura
to note. The balancewheel is the.sdaes
rector, whose sleepless eye seems sto5
awake after the others have retired
and astir. long before they begin to
| rouse in the morning.
| Another popularity is the method.
employed In some Of the lectures.
One might think the students were.
the lecturers, as they do most Of Tie
talking. But it Is done under suggaep
lions from the director. With a SIM
| pie question he starts a discussieps.
| and by careful plotting among ais the
| subjects that are brought up, he sue
| ceeds in stimulating the thoughts Of
the students and having them express
just what he would, but in their own
words and from their own standpoint.S
If this point Of view is not that of
the lecturers, that may be quite ,iIrf-.,
material, The main thing is to -es-
tablish a point of view and to make
use of it. Each lecture begins with
a written report of the previous iea-5
No one knows who Is to make the
report. It is determined by lot at tire
close Of the lecture. 81.
1t was my pleasure to attend thu
: closing exercises and some Of thBse
: lectures. One was on the benefit Of
games in the education Of children.
The students answered, using their
| own experiences as basis and proN-
|: ing each assertion with one actual
example from some particular game
Or games. It was thus demonstrated
that games bring out the qualities-pf
obedience, a. sense of fairness, per-
sistence,- self-control, bravery. pa
tience, alertness, helpfulness,: coma
} radeship, and make the children prae-
l tical,. light-hearted and healthy. Al, !.
= One method Of employing the sfu-
dents in teaching Is to detail those
< who take the course in games to- act
1 as leaders for the others, when all
8 students gather to play on the cam
f pus in the evening from $3.50 to II
n o'clock. All should then take part,
t but it is unnecessary to make it COM
d pulsory-au are quite willing to play,
tho some Of the students are school
teachers whose hair has begun to turn
u gray. '.. ~. - 20 8
: One evening a special performance
g was given when the course in games
IS exhibited the old-time folk dance, ans
It songs Of which I have spoken IN
q previous letter. This included alst
IS an elf dance ON the lawn in the noon
l. light, with the trees and the shrubs
a as a background and a procession
e Of singing nuns slowly gliding to! E
Y. swinging motion in and out along5lhe
l. path among the trees In the nlys
t, ferrous shade of the evening.
Nor must I forget what happened
8 when was in the sloyd room. Every
: one was busy saving, planning, gut
Is ting, hammering. It was like :bes
Is hive Then the, leader started song
s, Every one Joined in and cnale
l. hardly hear the factory sounds, thu
7 each one kept pegging away l
a seemed as left the room-they were
y still singing-as tho they had i1npart
i ed to me big share Of lighthearted