Evening star., 1927-11-13

no systematic learning OF the alpha
bet. No attention is paid to it until
he pupil has Some definite use for the
letters. by that time it probably has
been learned anyway, or the sequence
of the symbols most of which already
are recognized. can be acquired with
out any mental strain.
In the kindergarten, however, the
child does learn to count up to u
and up to 10 10 count in definite OBJ
iects. That is. it doesn't simply re-
peat "One-two-three-fOu four. The
| teacher can say: johnnie, go to the
| basket and count out eight beads"
Johnnie, if his kindergarten educa-
ton has achieved the desired effect,
can make the count in actual beads.
| In other words. he learns the use of
figures simuita neously with, or even
before, the figures themselves, just as
| he has learned the use of reading be-
fore learning the actual letters.
The same is true of writing. Max
ing letters is introduced as play. In
conscious that he is being taught any
thing. the child masters the forms of
the letters. and when the time comes
actually to teach him TO write the
learning comes easy. There are no
long struggles with the pencil held
| between cramped fingers. Reading,
writing aud arithmetic are introduced
not as tasks but as games.
Il X 4
nNE Of the most important tasks of
~ the kindergarten teacher is to re-
move from the mind Of the pupil the
element of fear. Normally. the child
should be almost fearless. There are,
says Miss Watkins, only two fears
which are inevitable and fundamental
that of falling and that of loud
noises. All others, although they may
date back to the very beginning of
intelligence, are the result OF unfor-
tunate circumstances. So, when the
| little boy or girl comes to the kinder
earten with extreme bashfuineSs, fear
of strangers, fear of compa Mons and
other phobias. it is the duty of the
teacher to try to get at the root of
them and dig them out of the mental
life. They are likely to- prove the
most serious drawbacks which the in
dividuai will encounter in later years.
If they are not taken in hand in these
first school days.
1t often is impossible, of course, to
determine the origin of specific fears.
However carefully the child has been
treated in the school years, these
phobias creep into the subConscious
life But they are far more numerous
where the home life is bad, the kim
dergarten teachers find. A quarrel
between parents almost inevitably is
shown in. the reactions of the child at
school the next day. The home and
the kindergarten must work together
to bring about the best results. They
do so whenever there is any such dis
position on the part of the home.
No two children are alike. Later
in life, after they have passed through
the mods of discipline. the differences
are more difficult TO detect, but in the
kindergarten years they can be found
without much difficulty. They re-
spond differently to the same stimuli.
In Il thorough understanding of their
responses lies the secret of child edu-
Gallon.
One interesting point observed by
Miss Watkins is that however great
the differences may be in individuals,
there is comparatively little difference
in the minds and inclinations of boys
and girls at this stage of school life.
Boys. for instance. play with dolls in
the Washington kindergartens with
Just al much interest as girls. "They
put their dolls to bed says Miss Wat
kinS. Just as tenderly and carefully
AZ their sisters and seem to have just
the same love for Them"
A year or SD later. of course, the
little boy loses his interest in dolls
ANA begins to despise the little girl
for playing with them. But this. Miss
Watkins believes, is entirely the re-
suit of outside suggestion. The dislike
for dolls does not develop if the child
Z Il.
his elders that it is n shameful thing
for II little boy to play with the sort
Of toys intended for a little girl.
Fun Use is made of the suggestive
possibilities of holidays. Halloween
and Thanksgiving. coming in the
midst of the harvest eason, are
abundant in suggestive material. Just
before THANKSGIVING, for instance. the
children are taught to churn butter
and actually produce some in the
school. Thus they have an objective
accomplishment to their credit. AT
Halloween iack-o lanterns are made
from pumpkins and the children are
encouraged to draw harvest scenes.
There is little in education of so
much value to the individual, accord
ing to the kindergarten theory, as 10
bring the pupil to the point where
he can make something for himself,
demonstrating to this own satisfac-
ton his ability within certain limits
to control toitn and color.
AT Christmas another lesson IL
! taught that OF regard fof others.
There is a tree in each Kindergarten,
but they contain nothing for the chill
uren themselves. Instead The little
boys and girls are kept busy for Ii
month beforehand making little gifts
which are placed on The tree FOR their
parents. They learn thus early in
life that there is q satisfaction in Civ
ing which is greater and more perma-
nent than that of receiving.
The earliest lessons in American
the ceremonies attendant upon the
birthdays of Washington and Lincoln.
In the Spring, after the Easter vaca-
ton, full recognition is given to the
pupils natural interest in nature and
his longing to he out of doors.
"A MONG the most potent instru-
ments of kindergarten education
is drawing. During this first school
year the child advances from pictur-
ing with his crayon solitary objects
to telling a story in pictures. Tales
are told by the teacher and the class
| is told to represent them on paper
thus developing a sort of nicture.writ.
ing, which was the first means of
graphic communication Of the human