The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-12-29
EVERYBODY CAN
have FUN WITH
KIDDIES' BLOCKS
There's knowledge, Too, in
Playing With Letters,

Eyerybaby found a set OF blocks un.
der the Christmas tree. What will
Evcybaby do with them. Somc1aj,
will lick oil the paint Anolherhaby
will build . house with them. Probably
there are parents with an exaggerated
idea OF their power who will cndcayor
10 bully the children into learning their
alphabet from the blocks Other par
entS will recall their own primer cNpc
riehees and wonder II IN these modern
days there is anv reason why the child
should not learn the alphabet
1t is true that a knowledge OF lei
ter names is hot necessary for reading
and that one may read very well with
out knowing what sounds the individual
letters represent However. a knowl.
edge OF the letters and their fixed order
is necessary for using dictionaries d.
rectorieS and catalog, Let the child
learn his letters IN play is the advice
of T. b. huey a noted educator, in
his book, The Psychology and Peda
RoVy ol Reading" lie writes;
Blocks with the letters in colorS still
make capital plaNhings Tell him the
names as he asks. and help him ar
range them IN A b { order to match
old primer pages from the attic. Le,
him arrange his blocks into words, it
this gives him pleasure. and encourage
his arranging them into Gone to Din
ner,' Bell Won't Ring, and other
phraSes that he secs and knows and
wants TO initiate
Eating the Alphabet
"a few centuries ago, mothers baked
gingerbread in the shapes OF letters, and
the child might eat all he could name
Perhaps even nov pedagogy would not
suffer so much as stomachS from this
practice
Mathew Prior thus described this
method
To Master John the English maid
A hornbook gives OF gingerbread,
And that the child may learn the better,
As he can name he eats the letter
Proceeding thus with vast delight
He. spells and gnaws from LETT to right
Two hundred years ago. teacher
who believed in the modern doctrine
that a child should learn to read by
playing, strongly advocated this meth.
cd, and said that schools should have
special baker The children must
have breakfast, and it is not necessary
for any child to eat the alphabet more
than three weeks
All this is amusing, but there IS this
trnth in 1t, that children are best edu-
Gated without being forced Indeed,
Mr.. Hucy is one who believes that the
early school years should be devoid OF
books and that readipg and spelling
should not be the main studies, coniin.
ing the activities OF spirited children
to book and desk All he urges is that
play be sdirectcd into helpful channels
and that the process OF learning be a
natural one.
"a Easy Road to knowledge.
"Jhe child makes endc. question,
ings about the names OF things, as ev-
cry mother knows He is concerned
also about The printed notices, signs,
headlines visiting cards, etc, that come
IN his way, and should he told what
these say when he makes inquiry It
Is surprising how large stock OF
printed or written words a child grad
ually will come TO recognize in this
way He should simply be told what
the whole word or phrase or sentence
says, with 10 attention to spelling or
dividing it into words even. when com.
posed OF several or course he should
be shown what the meaning is, il he
does not know. He will come to recog
nize the name Of his street when he
sees il posted on corner and the name
OF his trolley line, grocer and candy
shop. 1t delights him to find his own
name printed or written, OF that OF
papa or mamma or sister; and he will
play endless games finding the names
be knows among the advertisements, IA
asSortmentS OF cards or packages from
familiar firms. lie delights in dis
tributing the mail to the various mem
bers OF the family, and thus learn, all
the names and the home address"
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