Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1905-03-24
VOLUME 4S, NUMBER "a

OF course attendance in the kinder
garten is subject to more variation on
account OF weather and other causes,
than it is in the grades.
The maintainance of kindergartenS
does not involve additional expenses
in Wisconsin. The sole question to be
answered is SIS kindergarten or
Primary training better for the child
of from four to six years of age?"
The kindergarten needs no vindication
here this evening. Almost any parent
who has had one child in the kinder
garden with reasonable regularity for
one year knows its value. The leading
educators of the country are a unite
In its behalf.
Cost Of Kindergartens.
The kindergartens cost about one
twentieth Of the total school expenses.
He who pays taxes on one thousand
dollars pays about forty-hve cents-a
little less than the price of one ticket
to one fifty cent show-each year to
the support Of kindergartens.
Drawing and Manual Training.
We are fortunate in having Draw
ing and Manual Training from the
time the child enters the Kindergarten
through the grades and first two years
Of the high school. Drawing and
Manual Training in the grades up to
the seventh are under the supervision
Of the special teacher in drawing.
They alternate on the program, draw
ing one day and manual training ti
next, or one for number of days and
then the other. The two form one
subject as they properly should.
Drawing is taught as mode of ex-
preston with pencil or brush-while
manual training is mode of express
sion with scissors and paper-material
for baskets, rugs, etc.,-or knife and
wood.
For example, the child is told a
story or reads one for hlmSelf-he
illustrates it by charcoal drawing
then he illustrates it again with
paper cutting. Later the child makes
an original design for box-bracket
or other useful article-aS an eX-
ercise in drawing. He then makes a
carpenters working drawing-and
lastly makes the article itself in the
shop,
Much of the work in drawing and
manual training in the lower grades
centerS around special days such as
Thanksgiving Day, Christmas, Wash
ingtOn's Birthday, Valentines Day.
ETC., also around seasons-and people
AS the Indians, ESquimaux, etc.
Here some progress has been made
toward using drawing and manual
training as an additional mode of ex-
preston in other studies as language,
history, geography, etc,
One great aim of Manual Training
is to train the hand to be an
Obediant instrument of the brain. 1t
is also true that by closely relating
art and manual training we are much
more apt to develop the creative power.
The child will then have a skillful
hand not to slaviShly cOpy-but to
express in material his own mental
creations.
In drawing and elementary manual
training about one thousand pupils
are now receiving instructions. In
the shop work in wood, the equip
ment for which was furnished bv the
WomenS Clubs of this city, 1913 boys
are now receiving instruction.
Cost Of Drawing and Manual Training.
The entire cost of Drawing and
Manual Training is about one
fifteenth Of the entire expenses of
the school system. For he who pays
taxes on one thousand dollars the ex-
penSe is about sixty cents. or the
price of one show ticket and one good
cigar each year.
instruction in Sewing.
This year sewing has been intro
duced in the grades from the third to
the eighth inclusive. Boys and girls
both take sewing in the third and
fourth grades-after that it is given
to girls only. The time occupied by
this work is one hour each week.
This amount of instruction is not all
that might be desired-but it serves
as stimulus to more work outside of
is about all the time that
can be devoted to this work by the
public school.
The results thus far have been very
satisfactory. The work consists of
instruction in the various stitches,
patching, making garments, etc.
The child is encouraged when possible
to make a design-aS an exercise in
drawing-and then work it out with
the needle. All the arguments in
favor of Manual Training apply
equally to sewing. Its practical value
can hardly be overestimated. We
are coming to know that while the so
called essentials are not to be neg
lected, yet the ability to be reasona bly,
skillful with the needle is much more
of an essential in the average home
than stocks and bonds, partial pay