Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-08-14

stages the principles upon which ali his
later education must depend
Many opponents OF the kindergarten sys-
TEN have declared that confinement Is
not good for children Of five years, but
the expert can show how children can be
taught that work and play are not so very
different that there Is q JOY in doing
things for their own sake and can at the
same time be 30 we'll satisfied and be
kept so well and so healthfully amused
that the confinement IL never notice and
has no bad effects.
The program Of a years work IN th'
Omaha kindergarten department OF the
| public schools. as IL is published by the
superintendent. reads like the program OF
series OF entertainments for children
Everything is demonstrated by play. II Is
guiding principle that freedom will be
given to the greatest degree possible with
out interfering with the teaching OF
essential discipline.
Music Important Factor.
Music IL made an important factor in al
the work. Little songs easily memorzec
are taught as we'll as short verses which
the pupils enjoy learning. The names OF
birds that are seen about the schOo
buildings are learned and remembered
and some of the more common ones are
dwelt upon until the children are familiar
with their habits.
Underlying every game that Is taught
lies q principle, patent enough to an Older
observer, and so thoroughly made a part
of the game that the child is led to adopt
1t into his world unconsciously and with
out question.
More than anything else the Instinct FOL
constructive effort is cultivated. Making
something with his own hand, something
that he will want to keep is the frequent
task that is put before the pupil, HIS de-
sire to excel and to do his work as ably
as possible is encouraged by competition.
With the help OF sympathy and care and
the special knowledge that comes to the
teacher of long experience in dealing with
very little boys and girls the child is pre-
pared for education. So when he is seni
out into, the higher grades into actual
school work, and meets with somewhat
sterner rules and less plant authority he
Is not chafed and made rebellious lie
has. to some extent, already found himself
is a person with a place in the world
even though it is very small. He knows
something of the value Of work, or obedi-
once and of the pleasure of doing his work
teachers of the first and second grades,
usually tired OF trying to pound their "a
b. C's into refractory little heads welcome
the child with kindergarten training. Part
Of the work is already done.
Play for older students.
But the play principle extends much
higher than the kindergarten and has come
gradually to affect every grade, even
through the High school. In the older
pupils IL takes the form of athletics of a
more conventional nature. Even the relief
exercises, which were once tiresome and
fatiguing, calisthenics have given place tc
games that enlist interest as well as effort
and refresh the minds and bodies of the
people OF the school room easily and
naturally.
All over Omaha the boys have been or
ganized to take interest in athletics. Be-
lieving that sports are not only good, but
necessary the board OF education has COM
mitted itself to a policy of providing all
the schools with large play grounds. All
the new sites that are being purchased
have wide spaces for romping and the old
school yards which have become hemmed
in by the encroaching of commercial ad-
vances or crowding dwelling houses are
being extended wherever 1t is possible.
| In these yards play of every sort is
fostered and the teachers try to help with.
out seeming to interfere. When games are
getting stale and old. new ones are supplies
and the principles OF everything are Elk
planned.
The athletics OF the older boys, which
amount to specialized field sports as wei
as to the regulation base ball and pump
pump pullaway' are concentrated in thu
big interscholastic meet that is held every
spring in the Auditorium. Here the high
est rivalry and enthusiasm is aroused anC
all the healthy wholesome effects of sharI
athletic competition are developed. Boy
are allowed to go into judicious training
for their appearance and friendly spiri
Of emulation is encouraged.
Obviously it is not only the boys VIII
appear TO represent their schools in tn
final events that get all the good from
this system. Young boys are all athletes
potentially at least and feel themselve
So and no natural superiority assures tn
members Of the team that their places ar
safe. Every boy does his best to crowd f
and gets in the way the benefit of hi
! trying.
Girls I'm Athletics.
What has been done so successfully 10
the boys is to be done for the girls. Plan
are now under way in the minds of thos
who have the direction OF such things as
part of their duties to get for the girl
just chance to do what the boys d.
after their own fashion.
The child's Imagination must be tralne
as well as his body or memory and tn
other faculties that he possesses. The moo
ern way OF doing this the way that Oman
teachers are doing 1t is by skillful stor
: telling. AS an art, story telling is no
J. recognized as one OF the best assets that
e teacher can have The ability to tell a
: incident well. to illustrate a point aptl
3 or to explain some historic scene in such
y way as to make it vivid and real is II
Q ability that enables an Instructor to hold a
$ tention.
! Children cannot be made to learn thing
with any enjoyment in the process unle.
a they are made to seem to be so int
: esting as to be well worth learning ]
}. develop an interest in this part OF teacl
n er's work the Story Tellers' league WI
q founded. 1t has been more successful this
a WAS