The Colorado statesman., 1919-02-01
kindergarten
Helps for Parents
Articles Issued by the Department
of fIIe Interior. Bureau OF Education
and fhe
National 0IKfndergorfenASS
NEED FOR KIDERGARTENS
BY MARIE X. cHAFFEE.

DER Oh nnOllers III IL SlnHll tONH peli-
toned their school board for a public
kindergarten. They knew that there
were at least 25 children in the COM
munity who would attend and that
there was vacant room In one school
house which could be used for the
purpose. But the school board con.
tended that there were too many
other expenses for the coming year and
that the town could not afford to es-
tablish a kindergarten.
The mothers, however, persisted in
their idea that the need for kinder
garten was very great, and after many
months of patient work they succeed
ed In persuading the school commit
tee to give the use of the vacant room.
A class of eight children has now been
started' and 1t is in charge of a young
pupil Kindergarten who is taking this
work as her senior practice teaching.
charging only n small sum for each
child. She is full of enthusiasm and
the work has been progressing steadily
under her inspiring direction.
The children who attend the kin
dergarten are nearly all from good
! families. It impressed me strongly as
l canvassed the town in search of
pupils, that the very parents who
could and did give their children
every possible advantage were the
ones who were quick to realize the op-
portunities in kindergarten training.
Other parents, whose children were
running wild" physically and men
tally, so TO speak, would say: 1--WE
don't think our child needs to go 20
a kindergarten" or eve cannot afford
to pay so much for just having Mary
amused"
Like Well Managed Home.
All mothers should know that Che
| kindergarten is not place where a
child is "just amused" nor is It a
school room where facts are drilled
into a child's head for hours at a
time. weh-managed kindergarten
is like well-managed home. n place
where the children may develop nat
urally and normally. In the kinder
garten they do this to the very best
advantage under the careful guidance
of teacher trained for her work and
In the companionship of other chill
dren.
After a kindergarten has been
started. mothers should visit It fire.
quently and attend the mothers
meetings which the kindergarten con-
ducts In order to explain to them the
purpose of the kindergarten and how
they may help its work and influence.
In this way they will come to under
stand the value of the games and
other activities of the kindergarten,
and will gain many helpful ideas and
suggestions, which may be used
kindergarten.
And right here should be pointed
out the opportunity the kindergarten
mother or the mother who knows
!, something of kindergarten methods
has in her community. She can start
the right spirit among the mothers
and children all about her If she so
desires. She can form mothers clubs
and have kindergarten training
teacher or supervisor give talks. The
spirit of kindergarten games can be
carried into the whole community,
gathering In the fathers and mothers,
and thus greatly helping the child well
fare movement.
How Mothers Applied Methods.
I know mother who never had
any kindergarten training, but be-
came interested in 1T when her babies
were small. She read all the books
she could find on the subject and
visited many kindergartens in order
to understand more of the value of
play as Froebel explains It, Then the
mother began to apply Froebel's
methods Systematically In the home
education of her children One of
her daughters when she grew up
became a student of mathematics and
the mother always says that the first
lesson in mathematics began when
her daughter was a little girl and
wore curls. AS the mother brushed
the curls each morning, the child
would count, and add and subtract
them and thus an instructive as well
as a merry game was made out of
what is usually n tedious perform.
ance.
This mother has brought up four
children, but even though the boys
and girls are all grown, this family
has never lost its play spirit. How
far we stray from the path of youth
fulness and joy in starving the play
side of our makeupl A man is old
only when he has lost the love of
play. 1t Is not merely, Come, let us
live with our children" but Come, let
us play with our children"