Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-05-25
Normal Children
Are ''TOuch
Hungry
Every Child Should Be
Permitted to Investigate All
Objects Near Him.
BY PROF. M. v. O,SHEA.

IN PSYCHOLOGISTS say that
every child has hunger for ex-
periences which are necessary
for his development. He is hungry
for sounds, sights, tastes, shells
and muscular strains and stresses.
These are all of fundamental impor-
lance in the building of his mind. A
child would be an idiot who was not
hungry for these sense experiences. :,
The only way he can learn about
objects is by investigating them with
every sense that will give him any
information regarding them.
Many persons who realize that
child must see, hear, taste and
smell all the objects around Elm in
order that he may come to under
stand them do not appreciate that
the hunger to touch objects is prob
ably more acute than any other kind
of hunger. Frequently people think
child is michievous or wilful when
he handles things around him when
he is told not to do so. How often.
one hears parents and policemen and
guards at museums and all such folks
say to children: Don't you touch
that! Can't you keep your hands off
from things? told you if you
touched any of those things again I !
would punish you," and so on. But
child will handle objects, even in
the face of certain punishment, be-
cause his hunger for touch sensa-
tons is so overpowering that he
cannot restrain it,
What is to be done about it? In
the first place, the child should have
as great variety of objects as pos
sible, to touch and use in his play
activities. He should be permitted to
explore everything around him by
means of the sense of touch. If nee
essary, the parent or the teacher or
the guardian should stand by and
see that no harm is done to valuable
objects or to the child himself. But
if the typical child is permitted to in
vestigate such objects as books and
china until he has discovered how.
they feel and how they are consti-
tuted, until his touch hunger regard
ing them is gratifed, he will be like
ly to let them alone thereafter unless
he needs to use them in some of his
games or plays. A wise parent or
teacher would provide books, dishes
and the like which could be used in
play, and, which would make it un-
necessary for the child to expert
ment with delicate things or real
value.
If parent leaves an unoccupied
child in room which is furnished
with fragile, delicate furniture which
he can reach, and if he is not per-
nltted to gain touch acquaintance
with these things under the guidance
and supervision Of the parent, then
there is almo certain to be trouble.
The child will handle the furniture~
when the parent is not looking, and
accidents will happen. Montessori
apparatus, kindergarten materials or
Canuoit toys i'll a house will keep a
young child out of mischief" that
may result disastrously to valuable
books or china or other furnishings.
Catalogues describing these various
educational playthings may be OBJ
tanned upon request from the manu-
facturers: Montessori; Apparatus,
House of Childhood, New York.
kindergarten materials: Milton
Bradley Co., Springfield. Mass. Can
Jdoit toys; The Falls Toy Shop,
Denver, Colo. A sandpile or gym
nastlc apparatus out-of-doors viii
surely lessen any child's "mischime
BUSINESS"