The Colorado statesman., 1919-02-15
Kindergarten
Helps for Parents
Articles Issued by fhe Department
offhe Interior. Bureau OF Education
and fhe
NanonaIKinderRarrc1AJSoci0fion
TEACHING OBEDIENCE
BY MRS. LOUISE oULDLlN sIMEN-
SON.

receives the nurture II needs for its
development, the proper amount or
heat, Highland moisture. So'a kinder
garten may be thought Of as an in
closure where each child Is supplied
with the right conditions for its de-
velopment--no forcing nor pushing.
Just n natural unfolding of life.
Considering how much child
learns during his first six years, how
important 1t becomes that he should
be supplied with just the right ma
terial and the most intelligent super
vision!
All the virtues are developed In
kindergarten. The first and most i'm
portant one is obedience. We mothers
know how difficult 1t is to establish
this habit. Now the kindergarten be-
lieves that n child may be led into
obedience without being forced into
1t and 1t uses many devices to
strengthen the habit of obedience dur
Ing the early years.
One of the ways in which kindness
Is taught in the kindergarten is to
have the children prepare and give
gifts at Easter, Valentines day and
May day.
Courtesy is developed through
games and stories.
The habit of orderllness is started
by requiring the children to put their
playthings away neatly when they are
through with them, and they instinct
lively acquire n sense of order from
the orderly procedure followed in the
plays and games and work.
Riddles Love Stories.
The stories used in kindergarten
are such as all children love to hear
They are written by experts in child
study, and prepared and told in an in
teresting manner. While they are al
ways amusing and delightful, they
also contain a vital truth which sinks
deep into the subconscious mind, i'm
perceptibly teaching the children
some important moral or ethical les
son. We mothers little know how
much of the courtesy, cheerfulness
and gentleness which our little ones
seem naturally to possess may be
J traced back to some Impressions made
upon their plastic minds through these
stories.
The music and songs of the kinder
garten appeal strongly to the child.
All that the child feels within he
must be given frequent opportunity
to express without, for, as Froebel
says, even affection may die in child
If not properly nourished. The fol-
lowing song is part of game In which
the children play they are gathering
| flowers for fathers birthday:
The Flower Basket.
Weave the little basket. fill it up with
posies.
Roses from the garden, blossoms from
| the wood.
with our birthday wishes. with our songs
| and kisses,
Give it to The father dear and Kind
and good.
| Our gift we are bringing;
| But love is the treasure
We give without measure.
| Emily Huntington Miller.
A child feels a great deal which he
cannot express in words. Froebel
noted the restlessness of the little
child and his constant use of his
hands He therefore devised d series
of occupations appropriate to this
mental stage. Ella Flagg Young said
that the child-mind to be trained effi-
ciently must have much emotional as
/ well as purely academic or intellectual
experience. She spoke of the indus
trial work of the school as giving this
In its most wholesome form and said
that every time the child's hand grasp
ed a tool with which he might work
out an idea he had an emotional i'm
pulse that benefited him. Now the
child In kindergarten Is given ma
terial and tools and allowed to work
out his own ideas. Thus the powers
of Imagination and creativeness Iare
kept alive instead Of being allowed to
die out, perhaps never to appear
again. 'as is the case with so many
people.
Want to Make Things.
Such construction work has helped
nv. children greatly, for, after they
come home from kindergarten, they
always want to make things, and If
supply material, appreciation and In
terest in what they are doing. they
pass many busy happy hours during
the afternoons in severe winter
weather when 1t is too cold to play
outdoors. 1t has developed their in
genuity to a remarkable extent, until
now they see possibilities in almost
everything.
For instance, from the cards found
in milk chocolate packages they cut
out the pretty houses and barns,
mount them on stands and make viii
| lagos.
They cut away one end of gelatin
box, put gables on the other end, and
| cut doors and windows in the sides.