Newark post., 1913-04-23


eyes, and then there is frame
with opposite lengths Of ribbon
which are to be tied.
o, the fearful and wonderful
bows and knots that are here
born! But after awhile the right
bow is worked out.
And if you have a little fairy in
your home, you well know how
much impatience often spills over
when it comes to case Of button
ing shoes or panties or an Overcoat
and how many II can t do it s.
are whined out,-so you can under
stand quite clearly how such exer-
cises as these frames provide are
teaching the children more than
mere art of buttoning and tying.
Again. patience. poise and polite
ness are attendants upon the neces-
sary requirement of deXterity. For
hands are of ma jor Importance in
every sort of work and play, and
with eyes, they form the two prime
ministers Of all educational pro-
grcss.
After the frames comes the cyl
inders. There are three sets Of
these and each is made Of wood in
the same fashion as the weights Of
ten used OH drug store scales-cyl-
inders with little knobs on top.
which fit snugly into round holes
made iii an oblong of wood.
In each set are ten cylinders.
One set has decreasing diameters,
all the cylinders being the same
height; III the second the cylinders
decrease in all dimensions, and in
the third they decrease i'll height
Onl ~.
TEACHES MEASUREMENT
With these the child is given a
first idea of volume and measure
ment-large and small, thick and
thin, tall and short. The cylinders
are all tumbled out. and the child
is asked to fit them back. Before
putting III any one, however, the
child is told to run the forefnger
of the right hand several times
around the circumference of the
cylinder and then run the same
finger several times around the cir
cumference Of the hole that seems
to him or her to be the nearest ap-
proach to a right fit
Again, poise and patience! Al
ways an emphasis on the import
ance of self control.
These exercises are done blind
folded when the child has become
proficient with unbound eyes. And
here one has a chance to see what
has grown out Of the apparently
mOnOtonous practice of running
the finger around the cylinder.
With little trouble simply by cir
cling first the cylinder and then
the holes, the sets are properly put
back with a minimum of mistakes.
The broad stairs. ten squatty
blocks, and the long stairs, ten
strips already described, follow,
and after that comes the tower,
which is just like the ordinary set
of common blocks of decreasing size
But after the child has built the
tower, it is suggested that he or she
carry 1t to nearby table.
Usually it falls the first time.
Nothing is said. Usually there is
another trial, and maybe only one
block fails. But seif-confidcncp is
being bred i'll the little breast.
All this may seem like play, but
it IS Intelligent play, and it is lead
ing to a very definite and vital end.
Now the youngster is handed
piece Of smooth board, on one end
Of which is pasted strip of sand
paper. AS the little fingers feel
the smooth part, the teacher says
smooth - as they touch the sand
paper, she says rough. After
few times she asks the child to de-
scribe the two surfaces, and her
smooth and trough" comes
back to her.
Then come the texture tests, al
ready told Of, and after that the
child is asked to put fingers in cold
and warm water. Next, cards or
skelns of silk Of varying shades are
brought out, and the child is taught
to match colors and to arrange
shades in their proper relation to
each other.
Now, contrast is taught by means
OF small blocks Of wood, which diff
fer in shade and weight. And with
the aid OF a set Of wooden and met
al inserts, the young mind is intro
duced to solid masses of color and