East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1921-07-23
THE IMAGINATIVE TIME
BY Anna Mae Brady

Mothers. did you ever stop to real
ize the Importance of that period in
your chld's development when his
little mind is free TO wander over the
hills of fancy and he is finding so
much difficulty in linking up the real
and the unreal? II is the opportunity
| time of life and every one of us to
/ whom is entrusted the care and de-
velopment of the little child need to
study and understand it in order that
we may make the most of it,
| All of us are dreamers of dreams,
1 and ii is we'll that it is so, for every
/ worthwhile act that has been given to
the world was first dream in the
mind of some person. Every book
that was ever written. every picture
painted every field cultivated, was
first just a flight Of immaginative
fancy. All of us go this far but it is
not enough to dream; we must do as
well. The successful person Is the one
who thinks over his dream and organ
ICES his thinking until, finally it is no
longer a dream but a reality.
| We grown-ups would give tho gold
of Midas, were it possible. il we might
have developed in MS the power Of
vision, the power to see life imagina-
lively. Yet our little tots from three
to six have this power to the nth de-
gree and instead of fostering and or
ganzing 1t we do our best to stifle it
as trait not to be desired. The seed
of genius lies in many of our children.
and parents and teachers who do not
understand, do their utmost to crush
out the very thing which later they
wish them to have.
But" you say, 'ff encourage this |
viii it not make my child untruth- /
full? Already he juggles the truth in
most alarming ways" AS mothers |
and leaders of children, we must be
able to distinguish between a flight of 1
fancy and deliberate intent to de-
ceve. Fortunately for us the latter
cases are very rare. If in doubt ask
the child; if it Is flight of fancy he
will tell you so.
What we need to do is to help the
child see his vision clearly and then
furnish him with some plastic materi-
al with which he can make his dreams 1
come true. Fairy tales are excellent
for the imaginative child. He is liv-
ing in their world and they help ex-
plain for him that almost inexplicable
thing called life. Free hand cutting,
clay modelling and the sand table fur
nsh material which will enable him
not only to see the picture more clear
ly, but will also lead him to be doer
as well as a dreamer, both Of which
are necessary.
The imaginative period, the oppor-
tunity time, comes but once, so let us
make the most of it.
Training for Citizenship.
II would much sooner surrender n |
portion of the territory Of the COM
to an ambitious and ag- I II
yressive neighbor than / would sur / II
ender the minds of its children to the II
Iomain of ignorance. II
with us the qualification of vot- II
RS, is as important as the qualifica- II
ion of governors. and even comes
lrst in the national order.'-Horacc II
lam. II
The kindergarten provides early III
aiming in industry, I'm personal hon III
r, in the duties of the individual citi-
m, and in responsibility to the social
hole.
The National Kindergarten Associ- II
ion, West 40th Street, New York y
ty, is working to promote the ex- Y