KINDERGARTEN 



3252 



KINDERGARTEN 



compel the school to do its best for them. 

 The school has never given the youngest chil- 

 dren their just dues. The per capita expendi- 

 ture for the children in the high school is twice 

 that in the grades; and of those in the grades, 

 the youngest do not share privileges equally 

 with the older ones. This is one of the many 



conditions that a larger study of the little 

 child's education on the part of mothers could 

 be expected to remedy. N.C.V. 



Consult Blow's Mottoes and Commentaries of 

 Froebel's Mother Play; Kirkpatrick's The Indi- 

 vidual in the Making; Mills' The Mother Artist; 

 Winterburn's Nursery Ethics; Harrison's A Study 

 of Child Nature. 



Suggestion for Kindergarten Play in the Home 



The mother who seeks help in meeting her 

 children's play needs is often disappointed 

 because suggestions intended to be of service 

 contain no hint as to the age at which children 

 can do certain things. The suggestions here 

 made will therefore concern themselves first 

 with the play and play material suited to chil- 

 dren from two to four years of age, and sec- 

 ond, with that of children from four to six 

 years. 



During the first of these periods, children's 

 activity is primarily motor and sensory. It 

 consists of running; climbing on chairs and 

 couches, and down again; lifting and carrying 

 objects from one place or room to another; and 

 experimenting with objects, to see what can be 

 done with them. The ideal play material, 

 therefore, consists of sand; balls of different 

 kinds and colors; blocks of different shapes 

 and sizes; wooden beads of different sizes for 

 stringing; pegboards into which pegs may be 

 fitted in different ways; one or more medium- 

 sized and simply-dressed dolls; and a few toy 

 animals, such as a dog, cat, horse and cow, 

 preferably of rubber. 



During the period of from four to six years, 

 children use these materials in different ways, 

 and, having gained control over their hands, 

 can use also pencils, crayons, scissors, and 

 sewing and weaving material. The children 

 of both ages will derive greater pleasure and 

 profit from the materials here suggested than 

 from the customary ready-made toys, because 

 of their greater possibilities of experimentation 

 and arrangement. Because of their greater 

 durability, the cost of the former will be less, 

 also, in the long run. Because of the frequent 

 references that will be made to the kindergar- 

 ten material, it will be well for the mother to 

 have on hand a catalogue of kindergarten sup- 

 plies. This can be obtained from the Milton 

 Bradley Company, of Springfield, Mass. 



Play Material for Children from Two to 

 Four Years. The toys that children of two 

 can use are necessarily simple. The colored 

 balls of the first kindergarten gift, and the 



blocks a sphere, cube and cylinder of the 

 second, are suited to this age (see catalogue). 

 Children of three years will need many more 

 blocks, however. This need can be supplied 

 by the third kindergarten gift, which is a box 

 of eight two-inch cubes (see catalogue). Since 

 they will need more than this one box, it will 

 be advisable to supplement these with a home- 

 made set. This can be easily made from a 

 piece of timber 2x4 inches, and 7 feet long. 

 In order to have blocks of varying shapes and 

 sizes, eight blocks 4 inches in length should 

 be cut from this, and eight more 2 inches in 

 length. The remainder of the stick should 

 be cut lengthwise, and each of the resulting 

 strips cut into 2-inch blocks. This will make 

 fifty-two blocks in all. If these are cut true 

 and finished smoothly, they will serve chil- 

 dren's play purposes admirably at this period. 



Children of two and a half years or more 

 also enjoy stringing the colored wooden beads 

 that form a part of the kindergarten material. 

 These are made in two sizes one inch, and 

 one-half inch in diameter ; and in three forms- 

 spheres, cubes and cylinders. They are listed 

 in catalogues as "Mrs. Hailman's beads," and 

 are put up in boxes containing different num- 

 bers and sizes. For home use, one box contain- 

 ing a gross of the half-inch and another con- 

 taining a gross of the inch size would be 

 needed. The catalogue number of the first is 

 470, and of the second 470 D. 



Another article much enjoyed by children 

 of three is the pegboard a board ten inches 

 square, having 100 holes. With these go 100 

 pegs in six colors, each two inches long, to fit 

 the holes. The catalogue number of this is 

 8188. 



To these materials, of interest to children 

 because of the opportunity for experimentation 

 which they afford, must be added another 

 perhaps the most valuable of all, but most 

 difficult to provide and that is sand. The 

 other materials can be put away when not in 

 use, but play in sand requires a table, and this 

 is difficult to find a place for in the ordinary 



