,the ,republic of ,childhood ,,froebel',s ,,gifts ,,by ,,kate ,,douglas ,,wiggin ,,and ,,nora ,,archibald ,,smith ,,the ,,republic ,,of ,,childhood ,,by ,,kate ,,douglas ,,wiggin ,,and ,,nora ,,archibald ,,smith ,i ,,froebel',s ,,gifts ,the ,republic of ,childhood ,the ,kindergarten is the free republic of childhood4--,,froebel ,,froebel',s ,,gifts ,,by ,,kate ,,douglas ,,wiggin ,,and ,,nora ,,archibald ,,smith ,the true teacher is a student of human nature1 and the student of human nature is the pupil of ,god4--,,horatio ,,stebbins ,,boston ,,and ,,new ,,york ,,houghton1 ,,mifflin ,,and ,,company ,the ,riverside ,press1 ,cambridge #ahie ,copyright1 #ahie1 ,,by ,,kate ,,douglas ,,riggs ,,and ,,nora ,,archibald ,,smith4 ,all rights reserved4 ,the ,riverside ,press1 ,cambridge1 ,mass41 ,u4 ,s4 ,a4 ,electrotyped and ,printed by ,h4 ,o4 ,houghton and ,company4 ,,preface ,the three little volumes on that ,republic of ,childhood1 the kindergarten1 of which this handbook1 dealing with the gifts1 forms the initial number1 might well be called ,chips from a ,kindergarten ,workshop4 ,they are the outcome of talks and conferences on ,froebel's educational principles with successive groups of earnest young women here1 there1 and everywhere1 for fifteen years1 and represent as much practical work at the bench as a carpenter could show in a similar length of time4 ,they are the result of mutual give and take1 of question and answer1 of effort and experience1 of the friction of minds against one another1 of ideas struck out in the heat of argument1 and of varied experience with many hundred little children of all nationalities and conditions4 ,they are not theories1 written in the seclusion of the study2 and if perchance they have the defects1 so should they have the virtues1 too1 of work corrected and revised at every step by the child in the midst4 ,if it is objected that many things in them have been heard before1 we can but say with ,montaigne3 ,truth and reason are common to every one1 and are no more his who spake them first than his who spake them after4 ,the various talks have been cut down here1 enlarged there1 condensed in one place1 amplified in another1 from year to year1 as knowledge and experience have grown2 many of the ideas which they advocated in the beginning have been eliminated1 as being completely reversed by the passage of time1 and much new matter has been added as the kindergarten principle has developed4 ,they are as much a growth as a coral reef1 though the authors have little hope that they will be as enduring4 ,the kindergarten of #ahie is not the kindergarten of #ahhj1 for the science of education has made great strides in these past fifteen years4 ,many things which were held to be vital principles when we began our talks with kindergarten students1 we now find were but lifeless methods after all4 ,it is not that time has reversed the fundamental principles on which the kindergarten rests1--these are as true as truth and as changeless2 but the interpretation of them has greatly changed and broadened with the passage of years1 and many of the instrumentalities of education which ,froebel devised are destined to further transformation in the future4 ,for this reason1 the last book on the kindergarten is sometimes the best book1 since it naturally embodies the latest thought and discovery on the subject4 ,these talks on the kindergarten have purposely been divested of a certain amount of technicality and detail1 in the hope that they will thus reach not only kindergarten students1 but the many mothers and teachers who really long to know what ,froebel's system of education is and what it aims to do4 ,they will never of themselves make a kindergartner1 and are not intended to do so2 but they certainly should shed some light on ,froebel's theories1 and establish a basis on which they can be worked out in the home and in the school4 ,we shall attempt no defense of the kindergarten here4 ,it has passed the experimental stage2 it is no longer on trial for its life2 and no longer humbly begging1 hat in hand1 for a place to lay its head4 ,as an educational idea1 it is a recognized part of the great system of child-training2 and to say1 in this year of our ,lord1 one thousand eight hundred and ninety-five1 that one does not believe in the kindergarten is as if one said1 ,i do not believe in electricity1 or1 ,i never saw much force in the law of gravitation4 ,true1 ,froebel's ideas are often misinterpreted and misapplied2 often espoused by ignorant and sentimental persons2 often degraded in their practical application2 true1 the ideal kindergarten and the ideal kindergartner are seldom seen--7though they are worth traveling a thousand miles to see7--all this is true1 and no one knows it better than we2 but that a divine idea is wrongly used does not invalidate its divinity4 ,that kindergarten principles are gaining ground everywhere2 that every year more free and private kindergartens are established1 more training schools opened1 more students applying for instruction1 more books written on the subject1 more educational periodicals seeking for kindergarten articles1 more cities adding it to their school systems1 more normal schools giving courses in kindergarten training1 more mothers and teachers seeking for light on ,froebel's principles1--all these are matters of statistics which any one may verify by consulting the ,reports of the ,commissioner of ,education and the various educational magazines4 ,our modest volumes1 of which the second will deal with the occupations1 the third with the educational theories of ,froebel1 do not claim to be deeply philosophic1 nor even to be exhaustive4 ,they are1 in a sense1 what is called a popular treatise on a scientific subject2 and though some scientists decry such treatises1 yet there are many persons to whom a simple message carries more conviction than a purely philosophic one4 ,it is hoped that the psychologic principles on which the talks rest are at least measurably correct1 though when doctors disagree on vital points1 how shall the layman know the extent of his own ignorance8 ,the authors have always been of a humble and docile spirit1 and in the earlier years of their work with children1 looking upon all treatises on education as inspired1 tried faithfully to make the child's mind work according to the laws therein laid down4 ,but sometimes the child's mind obstinately declined to follow the prescribed route2 it refused to begin at the proper beginning of a subject and go on logically to the end1 as the books decreed1 but flew into the middle of it1 and darted both ways1 like a weaver's shuttle4 ,if1 then1 any one of the theories we enunciate does not coincide with your particular educational creed1 we can only say that ours1 we fear1 has sometimes been a rule of thumb psychology1 and that in our experience it has occasionally been necessary to turn a psychologic law the other end foremost before it could be made to fit the child4 ,we have endeavored not to be dogmatic in any of these talks1 for we do not claim to have seen and counted all the facets of the crystal of truth4 ,we humbly acknowledge that we have often been wrong in the past1 and no reason has latterly been given us to believe ourselves infallible2 but these disputed points in the kindergarten are1 after all1 of no more vital importance than the old theologic controversy as to how many angels can stand on the point of a needle4 ,if the occupations are found to be based on incorrect psychologic principles1 do not use them2 if a similar objection is made to the gifts1 substitute others4 ,these are all accessories1--they are of no more importance than the leaves to the tree2 if time and stress of weather strip them off1 the life current is still there1 and new ones will grow in their places4 ,,kate ,,douglas ,,wiggin4 ,,nora ,,archibald ,,smith4 ,august1 #ahie4 ,,contents ,,page ,,thoughts ,,on ,,the ,,gifts ,,of ,,froebel #a ,,froebel',s ,,first ,,gift #f ,,froebel',s ,,second ,,gift #ca ,,the ,,building ,,gifts #ed ,,froebel',s ,,third ,,gift #eg ,,froebel',s ,,fourth ,,gift #gf ,,froebel',s ,,fifth ,,gift #hi ,,froebel',s ,,sixth ,,gift #aab ,,froebel',s ,,seventh ,,gift #abd ,,froebel',s ,,eighth ,,gift #adb ,,froebel',s ,,ninth ,,gift #aei ,,froebel',s ,,tenth ,,gift #age ,,general ,,remarks ,,on ,,the ,,gifts #ahi ,,froebel',s ,,gifts ,,thoughts ,,on ,,the ,,gifts ,,of ,,froebel ,a correct comprehension of external1 material things is a preliminary to a just comprehension of intellectual relations4 ,,friedrich ,,froebel4 ,the ,a1 ,b1 ,c of things must precede the ,a1 ,b1 ,c of words1 and give to the words 7abstractions7 their true foundations4 ,it is because these foundations fail so often in the present time that there are so few men who think independently and express skillfully their inborn divine ideas4 ,,friedrich ,,froebel4 ,perception is the beginning and the preliminary condition for thinking4 ,one's own perceptions awaken one's own conceptions1 and these awaken one's own thinking in later stages of development4 ,let us have no precocity1 but natural1 that is consecutive1 development4 ,,friedrich ,,froebel4 ,every child brings with him into the world the natural disposition to see correctly what is before him1 or1 in other words1 the truth4 ,if things are shown to him in their connection1 his soul perceives them thus as a conception4 ,but if1 as often happens1 things are brought before his mind singly1 or piecemeal1 and in fragments1 then the natural disposition to see correctly is perverted to the opposite1 and the healthy mind is perplexed4 ,,friedrich ,,froebel4 ,the linking together which is everywhere seen1 and which holds the ,universe in its wholeness and unity1 the eye receives1 and thereby receives the representation1 but without understanding it except as an impression and an image4 ,but these first impressions are the root-fibres for the understanding that is developed later4 ,,friedrich ,,froebel4 ,the correct perception is a preparation for correct knowing and thinking4 ,,friedrich ,,froebel4 ,no new subject of instruction should come to the scholar1 of which he does not at least conjecture that it is grounded in the former subject1 and how it is so grounded as its application shows1 and concerning which he does not1 however dimly1 feel it to be a need of the human spirit4 ,,friedrich ,,froebel4 ,the sequences which the child builds1 as well as the sequence of the kindergarten gifts1 point on the one hand to physical evolution1 wherein each form 'remembers the next inferior and predicts the next higher1' and on the other to the process of historic development1 which magnifies the present by linking with it the past and the future4 ,,susan ,e4 ,,blow4 ,let us educate the senses1 train the faculty of speech1 the art of receiving1 storing1 and expressing impressions1 which is the natural gift of infants1 and we shall not need books to fill up the emptiness of our teaching until the child is at least seven years old4 ,e4 ,,seguin4 ,as soon as we1 young or old1 have taken to the habit of asking the book for what it is in our power to learn from personal observation1 we dismiss our organs of perception and comprehension from their righteous charge1 and cover the emptiness of our own minds with the patchwork of others4 ,e4 ,,seguin4 ,natural geometry 7taking the word in its limited sense of study of form in space7 is the object of a desire which generally precedes the artificial curiosity for the meaning of letters4 ,e4 ,,seguin4 ,without an accurate acquaintance with the visible and tangible properties of things1 our conceptions must be erroneous1 our inferences fallacious1 and our operations unsuccessful4 ,,herbert ,,spencer4 ,the truths of number1 of form1 of relationship in position1 were all originally drawn from objects2 and to present these truths to the child in the concrete is to let him learn them as the race learned them4 ,,herbert ,,spencer4 ,if we consider it1 we shall find that exhaustive observation is an element of all great success4 ,,herbert ,,spencer4 ,learn to comprehend each thing in its entire history4 ,this is the maxim of science guided by the reason4 ,,wm4 ,t4 ,,harris4 ,geometrical facts and conceptions are easier to a child than those of arithmetic4 ,,thomas ,,hill4 ,instruction must begin with actual inspection1 not with verbal descriptions of things4 ,from such inspection it is that certain knowledge comes4 ,what is actually seen remains faster in the memory than description or enumeration a hundred times as often repeated4 ,,comenius4 ,observation is the absolute basis of all knowledge4 ,the first object1 then1 in education1 must be to lead the child to observe with accuracy2 the second1 to express with correctness the results of his observation4 ,,pestalozzi4 ,if in the external universe any one constructive principle can be detected1 it is the geometrical4 ,,bulwer-,,lytton4 ,the education of the senses neglected1 all after-education partakes of a drowsiness1 a haziness1 an insufficiency1 which it is impossible to cure4 ,,lord ,,bacon4 ,of this thing be certain3 ,wouldst thou plant for eternity8 ,then plant into the deep infinite faculties of man1 his fantasy and heart4 ,wouldst thou plant for year and day8 ,then plant into his shallow1 superficial faculties1 his self-love1 and arithmetical understanding1 what will grow there4 ,,thos4 ,,carlyle4 ,,froebel',s ,,first ,,gift ,i wish to find the right forms for awakening the higher senses of the child3 what symbol does my ball offer to him8 ,that of unity4 ,the ball connects the child with nature as much as the universe connects man with ,god4 ,,friedrich ,,froebel4 ,line in nature is not found1 ,unit and ,universe are round4 ,nature centres into balls4 ,r4 ,w4 ,,emerson4 ,from thy hand ,the worlds were cast2 yet every leaflet claims ,from that same hand its little shining sphere ,of starlit dew4 ,o4 ,w4 ,,holmes4 ,the ,small1 a sphere as perfect as the ,great ,to the soul's absoluteness4 ,,robert ,,browning4 #a4 ,the first gift consists of six soft woolen balls colored in the six standard colors derived from the spectrum1 namely1 red1 orange1 yellow1 green1 blue1 and violet4 ,the balls should be provided with strings for use in the various motions4#a #a ,the string unites the ball1 symbol of the outer world1 with the child1 and is the means by which it can act upon his inner nature4 7,e4 ,g4 ,seymour47 #b4 ,froebel chose the ball as the first gift because it is the simplest shape1 and the one from which all others may subsequently be derived2 the shape most easily grasped by the hand as well as by the mind4 ,it is an object which attracts by its pleasing color1 and one which1 viewed from all directions1 ever makes the same impression4#b #b ,the ,egyptians and the ,greeks hung geometrical forms over their cradles1 so as to strike the eyes of the child with lawful relations4 ,froebel introduces colored balls for the same purpose1 which1 considering the psychological and emotional condition of the child1 leads to the joyful conception of motion1 color1 and life4 7,emma ,marwedel47 #c4 ,the most important characteristics of the gift are ,unity1 ,activity1 ,color4 ,the various colors serve to distinguish these several playmates of the child by special characteristics1 and enable him to make his first clear analyses or abstractions1 since the color is the only point wherein the objects differ4 ,this contrast in color results in the abstraction of color from form4 #d4 ,since the ball is the most mobile of inanimate shapes1 it may be considered as the opposite equal of the living organism4 ,the quickness and ease of its motion as well as its elasticity cause the child to regard it as instinct with life1 while its softness renders him able to grasp and handle it readily4 ,its material is also of great advantage in that it lessens the possibility of startling noises which would distract the child from the contemplation of its qualities4 ,by its use1 he is first led to observation1 and then to self-expression4 ,as the simplest type-form as well as the most universal1 it offers a satisfactory basis for the classification of objects in general2 while its indefiniteness and adaptability make it a useful medium for the expression of the child's vague ideas4 ,with the ball we give first impressions of ,unity1 ,form1 ,color1 ,material1 ,mobility1 ,motion1 ,direction1 and ,position4 ,the ball songs and plays are used as the first exercises in language1 singing1 and rhythm4 #e4 ,as the kindergarten gifts are designed to serve as an alphabet of form1 by whose use the child may learn to read all material objects1 it follows that they must form an organically connected sequence1 moving in logical order from an object which contains all qualities1 but directly emphasizes none1 to objects more specialized in nature1 and therefore more definitely suggestive as to use4 ,each successive gift in the series must not only be implicit in1 but demanded by1 its predecessor2 so ,froebel selects the ball1 with its simplicity but great adaptability1 for the starting-point of his series4 #f4 ,connected contrasts of ,motion1 ,direction1 and ,position are shown in the first gift4 ,by the use of pigments1 the so-called secondary colors1 purple1 orange1 and green1 may be produced from the opposite hues1 red and blue1 red and yellow1 and blue and yellow4 ,the mind is aroused to attention and led to comparison by contrasts2 on the groundwork of comparison1 it is enabled to do the work of classification1 of clear abstraction1 of the formation of definite ideas by the connection of these contrasts4#c #c ,suppose1 e4 g41 that the child1 by dint of repeated and varied playing with the blue ball of the first gift1 has succeeded in getting a tolerably clear notion of the blue ball4 ,if then you bring the yellow ball to his notice1 his mind will be led to examine more closely and to compare the two playthings1 resembling each other so fully in every respect1 yet differing so widely in color4 ,the other balls of the gift are introduced in judicious succession1 offering new yet milder contrasts3 these reconcile1 combine1 the contrasts first offered2 they are aided in this by the colors of surrounding objects4 ,the child begins to feel that these color impressions1 however widely they differ1 have a similar source2 he is connecting the contrasts1 and as he succeeds in this1 he succeeds1 too1 in separating1 abstracting1 the ball from its color4 7,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann47 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,ball a ,universal ,plaything4 ,the presentiment of truth always goes before the recognition of it1 says ,froebel2 and it would seem1 indeed1 as it1 in selecting the first gift1 he looked far back into the past of humanity1 and there sought the thread which from the beginning connects all times and leads to the farthest future4 ,the ball is the last plaything of men1 as well as the first with children4 ,in ,kreutzer's ,symbolik we read that the educators of the young god ,bacchus gave him golden balls to play with1 and also that the youthful princes of ,persia played with them1 and alone had this privilege4 ,it is a significant fact that we find balls even among the remains of the ,lake ,dwellers of ,northern ,italy and ,switzerland1 while small1 round balls1 resembling marbles1 have been found in the early ,egyptian tombs4 ,the ,teutons made ball-plays national1 and built houses in which to indulge in these exercises in all sections of ,germany1 as late as the close of the sixteenth century4 ,the ancient ,aztecs used the game of ball as a training in warfare for the young men of the nation2 and that it was considered of great importance is evident from the fact that the tribute exacted by a certain ,aztec monarch from some of the cities conquered by him consisted of balls1 and amounted to sixteen thousand annually4 ,the ball entered into many of the favorite games alike of the ,greeks and the ,romans1 the former having a special place in their gymnasiums and a special master for it4 ,it may be noted also that nearly all our modern sports are based upon the effort to get possession of a ball4 ,froebel's ,ideas of ,first ,gift4 ,froebel considered the ball as an external counterpart of the child in the first stages of his development1 its undivided unity corresponding to his mental condition1 and its movableness to his instinctive activity4 ,through its recognition he is led to separate himself from the external world1 and the external world from himself4#d #d ,but as he grows he gathers much1 ,and learns the use of ',i' and 'me1' ,and finds ',i am not that ,i see1 ,and other than the things ,i touch4' ,so rounds he to a separate mind ,from whence clear memory may begin1 ,as through the frame that binds him in ,his isolation grows defined4 ,tennyson's ,in ,memoriam4 ,froebel's intention was that the first gift should be used in the nursery1#e but as this is for the most part neglected1 or imperfectly and unwisely done1 we begin the series of kindergarten play-lessons with it1 illustrating its qualities and asking questions concerning them1 always diversifying the exercises with rhymes1 games1 and songs4 ,we must remember that to the young child1 as to primitive man1 the activity of an object is more pleasing than its qualities1 and we should therefore devise a series of games with the fascinating plaything which will lead the child to learn these qualities by practical experience4 #e ,many suggestions for the use of the ball in the nursery may be found in ,froebel's ,pedagogics of the ,kindergarten1 translated by ,josephine ,jarvis4 ,manner of ,introduction4 ,before beginning any exercise we should fully decide in our own minds the main point or points to be brought out1--,color1 ,form1 or ,direction1 for example2 then1 and only then1 will the child gain a clear1 definite impression1 and have a distinct remembrance of what we have been trying to teach4 ,by way of diversion1 every song or rhyme in which the ball can play a symbolic part in action1 and illustrate the point we wish to make1 is of use in the lessons4#f #f ,see ,kindergarten ,chimes 7,kate ,d4 ,wiggin71 pages #bb-cb1 ,oliver ,ditson ,publishing ,co4 ,with this dainty colored plaything we begin our first bit of education1--not instruction1 mere pouring in1 but true education1 drawing out1 developing4 ,the balls should be kept in a pretty basket1 as the beautiful should be cultivated in every way in the true kindergarten2 and when they are given to the class1 it should be with some little song sung by the kindergartner or one of the older children4 ,at the close of the lesson1 as the basket is passed1 each child may gently drop his ball into it1 saying simply1 ,thank you for my ball1 or naming its color4 ,at other times they may be called by the names of fruits or flowers1 the child saying1 ,i will give you a cherry1 or1 ,i will give you a violet4 ,method of ,introduction4 ,the qualities of the ball must of course be brought before the child's observation in some more or less definite order1 and it will be profitable to consider the relative claims of ,form and ,color to the first place4 ,we might say1 correctly1 that to illustrate the ball1 we should begin with its essential qualities4#g ,the essential quality is ,unity4 ,unity depends on ,form1 and the ball's form never changes2 therefore we might conclude that this should be the first subject under consideration1 since we always treat of the universal properties of objects before special ones1 proceeding from homogeneous to heterogeneous4 ,this view of the subject is supported by ,ratich's important maxim1 ,first the thing1 and then its properties4 #h ,the infant begins to examine forms from the commencement of his existence2 for without this knowledge it is doubtful if he could distinguish one object from another1 or even be aware of an external world4 ,gradually he begins to know objects apart and to recognize them1 and in time discerns resemblances which cause him to classify them4--,w4 ,w4 ,speer's ,form ,lessons4 ,conrad ,diehl4 ,on the other hand1 ,conrad ,diehl says3 ,color is the first sensation of which an infant is capable4 ,with the first ray of light that enters the retina of the eye1 the presence of color forces itself on the mind4444 ,when light is present1 color is present4 ,the first impression which the eye receives of an object is its color2 its form is revealed by the action of light upon its surfaces4 ,we recognize at a distance the color of a leaf1 an apple1 a flower or berry1 long before we are able distinctly to make out their forms4 ,in the absence of light1 neither the color nor the form of an object can be seen4#h #h ,conrad ,diehl's ,elements of ,ornamentation and ,color4 ,herbert ,spencer4 ,spencer says3#i ,the earliest impressions which the mind can assimilate are those given to it by the undecomposable sensations1 resistance1 light1 sound1 etc4 ,manifestly decomposable states of consciousness cannot exist before the states of consciousness out of which they are composed4 ,there can be no idea of form until some familiarity with light in its gradations and qualities1 or resistance in its different intensities1 has been acquired2 for1 as has long been known1 we recognize visible form by means of varieties of light1 and tangible form by means of varieties of resistance4 ,similarly1 no articulate sound is cognizable until the inarticulate sounds which go to make it up have been learned4 ,and thus must it be in every other case4#aj #i ,education1 page #acj4 #aj ,that priority of color to form which1 as already pointed out1 has a psychological basis1 and in virtue of which psychological basis arises this strong preference in the child1 should be recognized from the very beginning4--,spencer's ,education4 ,froebel4 ,the balance of authority seems to be1 on the whole1 upon the side of presenting color first to the young child1 as we appeal to the emotions at this age rather than to the intellect2 and while the senses revel in color1 form follows more the law of use4 ,let us hear1 however1 what the great pioneer of child study says upon this point4 ,froebel says1 as distinct and different as color and form may be in themselves1 they are to the young child indivisible1 as inseparable as body and life4 ,nay1 the idea of color seems to come to the child1 as perhaps to mankind in general1 through the forms2 so1 on the other hand1 the forms gain prominence and impressiveness by the colors4 ,hence ideas of colors must at first be coupled with ideas of form1 and vice versa2 color and form are in the beginning an undivided unity4#aa #aa ,a person born blind1 and suddenly enabled to see1 would at first have no conception of in or out 7of eye71 and would be conscious of colors only1 not of objects2 when by his sense of touch he became acquainted with objects1 and had time to associate mentally the objects he touched with the colors he saw1 then1 and not till then1 would he begin to see objects4--,preyer's ,mind of the ,child1 page #eh4 ,color cannot be abstracted from that which gives it vitality1--i4 e41 ,form1--from which it cannot be abstracted without rendering the color flat and meaningless4 7,geo4 ,l4 ,schreiber47 ,the color and form of the ball being indissolubly blended in the child's eyes1 we can scarcely teach them separately at first4 ,we may1 however1 consider each by itself1 in order to present the subject more clearly4 ,,form4 ,to teach form in an interesting manner1 to make it plain to the child without giving him any terms1 but rather coaxing him by ingenuity to formulate his own knowledge1 is a difficult thing to do1 and should not be attempted at all with very young children4 ,it seems unnecessary to say that ,froebel did not intend the ball should be made a medium of object lessons for babies1 although this distorted view of his idea seems to have entered the minds of some critics4 ,the child1 when old enough to enter a kindergarten1 will generally know round objects1 and be somewhat familiar with the ball already in his home plays4 ,we should let him roll and grasp it in his tiny fingers1 till gradually1 in comparison with other objects handled in the same way1 he notices the absence of corners1 edges1 or any obstructions which would meet his touch or eye4 ,then we may ask him if he could make a ball out of a rough block of wood which we show4 ,some bright little one will guess that a carpenter could do it with his tools4 ,what would he have to do8 ,plane it off1 will perhaps be the answer4 ,where and how is he to plane8 may be the next inquiry1 and the child often answers1 ,all the rough parts and the parts that stick out4 ,why does he like to play ball8 ,he does not know exactly4 ,would he like to play ball with the scissors8 ,why not8 ,then why does he like to feel the ball in his hand8 ,after such preliminary conversations upon the form of the ball1 we may lead the children first to note other round things in the room1 and then to recall what they have at home of a similar shape and what they may have seen in the streets4 ,these exercises are always delightful to the little ones1 and are invaluable to the kindergartner1 as they furnish a thorough test of the child's comprehension of the subject she has been handling4#ab ,we should notice slight divergences from the spherical form in the objects the children name1 and speak of them4 ,they will soon be able to tell in every case where the egg or cobblestone is not just round4 #ab ,finding forms of the same general shape as those taken as types is of the highest importance4 ,unless this is done1 pupils are not learning to pass from the particular to the general4 ,they are not taught to see many things through the one1 and the impression they gain is that the particular forms observed are the only forms of this kind4 ,unless that which the pupil observes aids him in interpreting something else1 it is of no value to him4 ,certain things are taught that through them other things may be seen4 ,pupils should not be trained to see for the sake of the seeing1 but that they may have the power to see4 ,w4 ,w4 ,speer1 ,lessons in ,form4 ,they will of course mention stove-lids1 dinner-plates1 etc41 as round objects1 and the attempt to give a clear and definite understanding of the difference between solids and planes is difficult at first1 but they very soon discriminate between rounding objects that possess thickness and those that are flat but have curved edges4 ,a ball of putty or one of dough is a good thing with which to illustrate this difference4 ,we must remember that any abstract teaching on ,form is too difficult at this time1 much more difficult than ,color4 ,let the children1 during these first few weeks1 draw circles on the blackboard and on paper1 and sew1 and draw pictures of balls1 peaches1 or round fruits2 they may also make balls of wax1 dough1 or clay4 ,rousseau says1 ,a child may forget what he sees1 and sooner still what is said to him1 but he never forgets what he has made4 ,,color4 ,the comprehension of the single tone of color gradually leads to the comprehension of the full chord2 the recognition of single colors leads to the recognition of shades and their harmonious connections3 thus1 step by step1 the capacity of comprehending nature in its beauty and with its treasures is developed4#ac #ac ,emma ,marwedel1 ,childhood's ,poetry and ,studies1 page #ce4 ,again1 suppose the play-lesson for the day to be upon ,color4 ,of course1 the subject may be handled in a dozen different ways and serve for a dozen different lessons2 a few hints only are here given1 as in matters of detail it is better that each teacher should be free and unguided in the use of her own ingenuity4 ,we may take1 perhaps1 the red#ad ball1 and1 holding it high in the air1 ask1 ,who has a ball exactly like mine8 ,look carefully1 now1 and then show me4 ,a volley of balls1 comprising every color in the rainbow1 will be shot into the air1 and then becomes necessary the task of discrimination4 ,we may find the red ones1 and gratify the children by naming those who possess them1 as it seems a great honor in their eyes4 ,now they should be led to find every bit of red in the room1--,andrew's stockings1 ,mary's ribbon1 the tiny pipings on ,katie's apron1 ,jim's necktie1 your belt1 the flowers on the wall1 etc4 ,the scene will become intensely exciting2 the bright eyes will begin searching in every corner of the room1 and the transport which will greet us when anything far out of sight and of the right color is discovered is truly refreshing4 #ad ,professor ,earl ,barnes1 of ,stanford ,university1 reports that in his various color experiments on the ,pacific ,coast1 #ajjj children having been studied1 a very large majority selected red as their favorite color4 ,all the children1 as far as possible1 should be engaged in this diversion1 while the most timid and backward should be kept near and encouraged with word and smile4 ,the name of the color should not be asked for1 or given1 till it can be matched by all1 and found in surrounding objects4 ,we may ask what flowers they have seen which were like the color they are studying1 and show them some of the more familiar kinds2 also speak of the action of the sun in making certain fruits red1--the raspberries and strawberries1 for instance4 ,some rosy-faced little urchin in the class may be chosen and asked how he keeps such red cheeks1 and from this the idea of red as the color of warmth and life may be developed4 ,we may proceed with blue and yellow1 then with violet1 orange1 and green1 in like manner1 constantly diversifying the exercises with plays1 songs1 and appropriate stories4 ,hints on ,additional ,color ,exercises4 ,the formation of the so-called secondary colors will not be very obvious to the younger children1 nor is the fact to be taught scientifically or learned by them2 they will1 however1 be greatly interested in the mixing of paints in small dishes1 or the blending of different colored crayons on the blackboard4 ,red and ,yellow into ,orange4 ,yellow and ,blue into ,green4 ,blue and ,red into ,purple4 ,pieces of glass are serviceable objects with which to show the same thing1 or we can buy the gelatine films from any kindergarten supply store4 ,holding the red and yellow1 one on the other1 for instance1 the piece nearer the eye will1 of course1 determine the shade2 if the red piece be next the eye1 the orange color will be deeper than if the yellow were in the same position4 ,none of these experiments1 however1 will produce pure colors1 the green and purple being especially unsatisfactory4 ,among the devices with which to teach color may be recommended a color quilt made of various shades and shapes of woolens and silks or ribbons4 ,this may be used as a sort of chart1 to the great delight of the children1 and is one of the valuable aids in teaching1 because it calls out both individual and general action4 ,we may also make a clothes-line of twine and suspend it from door to door1 or between any two suitable points1 attaching to it pieces of all colors1 and1 after a while1 of various tints and shades of worsted1 letting the children touch the ones designated1 or find bits of the same color as their balls4 ,cards wound with different tints and shades of the same color are also useful when the children have developed greater powers of discrimination1 and a chart or map may be made by pasting colored squares1 triangles1 oblongs1 or circles on a ground of gray ,bristol board4 ,then1 too1 we may have a box of tablets of the simple geometrical figures1 and1 giving a quantity to the children1 let them arrange the different colors in separate rows4 ,children of all ages will be fascinated by the spectrum1 ,nature's palette of pure colors1 which the sunlight streaming through a prism shows upon the wall2 and as it can be supplemented by a spectrum chart for cloudy days1 they will delight to arrange their colored papers to imitate it4 ,the older children will gain much valuable knowledge by experimenting with the color tops1 and if a color wheel with the accompanying ,maxwell disks can be obtained1 the materials for color education will be quite complete4 ,it must not be forgotten that the purpose of all these exercises is that the child may learn to know the six standards1 and subsequently their intermediates1 and may in time learn to use and combine them harmoniously4 ,it is1 therefore1 essential that the colors supplied him shall be fresh and pure1#ae and that he not only have freedom to make his own experiments1 but materials to preserve them in permanent form when they prove successful4 #ae ,care should be taken1 in the selection of all materials for color lessons1 to get as perfect foundation colors as possible2 no faded or poor shades are allowable1 as they lead the child astray4 ,when the children are just making friends with the teacher and with each other1 it is very interesting and profitable for them to formulate their mite of knowledge into a sentence1 each one holding his ball high in the air with the right hand1 and saying3-- ,my ball is red like a cherry4 ,my ball is yellow like a lemon4 ,my ball is blue like the sky4 ,my ball is orange like a marigold4 ,my ball is green like the grass4 ,my ball is violet like a plum4 ,we should not1 however1 allow this to degenerate into mere recitation1 but let the child find his own objects of comparison1 and change them when he chooses for any others that occur to him4 ,this prevents parrot repetition1 and gives room for individuality and real self-expression4 ,,motion2 ,,direction2 ,,position4 ,the child of three or four years has seldom any conception of the terms3-- ,right----,left4 ,here ----,there4 ,up ----,down4 ,near ----,far4 ,over ----,under4 ,front----,back4 ,even if he has a dim idea of direction1 he cannot express himself regarding it1 nor is he certain enough of his knowledge to be able to move or place the ball according to dictation4 ,motion is always easy and delightful to the child1 and therefore he will move his ball in different directions1 as the words and music suggest1 when he would be too timid to express a thought1 and is willing and happy to do in unison what he would hesitate to do by himself4 ,the ball may be made a starting-point in giving the child an idea of various simple facts about objects in general1 and in illustrating in movements the many terms with which we wish him to become familiar4 ,the meaning of the terms to swing1 hop1 jump1 roll1 spring1 run away1 come back1 fall1 draw1 bounce1 and push may be taught by a like movement of the ball1 urging the child to give his own interpretation of the motions in words4 ,all the children may then make their balls hop1 spring1 roll1 or swing at the same time1 accompanying the movements by appropriate rhymes4 ,the ball is more purely a plaything than anything which the child receives in the kindergarten1 and its mobility is so charming1 it so easily slips from his hands and travels so delightfully far when dropped1 that exercises with it soon become riotous if not carefully guided4 ,every play-lesson on the ball should close with some active exercise in which the children may indulge their wish for a game with their dear playfellow1 and in which they may also gain greater skill and learn practically the laws of motion4 ,when sitting at their tables1 each pair of children may roll a ball to and fro1 all beginning at the same moment2 or the first pair may begin1 the second and third follow1 and so on until all are rolling4 ,they may throw balls against the wall1 or toss them in the air1 or throw them alternately first in the air1 then against the wall2 they may toss them to each other at increasing distances4 ,the whole company of children may be arranged in two rows and throw the balls to each other in unison1 or they may pass them from hand to hand as in a ,wandering ,game1--all the exercises being accompanied with appropriate songs or rhymes4 ,the laws of incidence and reflection may be simply taught by leading the children to note that if they strike the ball straight against the wall it will bound straight back1 and then asking them to see if it returns when thrown in a slanting direction4 ,symbolic ,stage of ,child's ,development4 ,in order to present the ball in a more attractive light in the kindergarten1 to suit it to the symbolic stage of the child's development1 and to bring it nearer to his sympathies1 we constantly1 in our play1 suppose it to be something which it resembles in certain of its characteristics4 ,by its color1 it may represent a fruit1 a flower1 or a gayly dressed child2 by its form1 an egg1 a downy chicken1 a tiny duckling2 by its mobility1 a bird1 a squirrel1 a baby2 or when fastened to its string1 a bucket in the well1 a toy wagon1 a pendulum1 or a pet lamb tethered by the roadside4 ,the child is always at home in the world of make-believe1 and delights in the stories and the many charming songs to which this imaginative use of the ball gives rise4 ,perhaps we may wisely remind ourselves1 however1 that though the child's fancy is most vivid1 and though the ball is well adapted to represent many objects1 yet if it resemble in no single point the thing to which we liken it1 we are indulging in empty imaginings which will only hinder the child's comprehension of truth4#af #af ,the resemblance of the symbol to the thing signified is a very important matter in education1 especially in kindergarten education4--,geo4 ,p4 ,brown1 ,essentials of ,educational ,psychology4 ,coperative ,exercises4 ,the teacher who truly understands the great principles on which ,froebel built the kindergarten will ever be mindful of one of the highest of these1--the brotherly union of those who are like-minded4 ,even in the simple plays with the first gift1 group work is easily possible4 ,the stringing of the first gift beads or the supplementary modeling in clay may be made into a coperative exercise1 the work with the balls at the sand-table may have a similar aim1 and many of the ball games are well fitted to unite the whole community of children1 older and younger1 in a common aim1 a common purpose4#ag #ag ,if1 therefore1 genuine brotherliness1 444 consideration and respect for playmates and fellow-men1 are again to become prevalent1 they can become so only by being connected with the feeling of community abiding in each man 7however much or little of it may be found71 and by fostering this feeling with the greatest care4--,friedrich ,froebel1 ,education of ,man1 page #gd4 ,what we should strive for4 ,we must remember that on a carefully prepared plan of procedure depends much of the value of any system of education2 therefore we must decide1 when the child comes under our tutelage1 what we wish to accomplish and what shall be our method of accomplishing it2 and yet as the first gift is not the last1 as it is but the first link in a chain of related objects1 it is obvious that it must be chiefly useful as a starting-point4 ,each lesson should be carefully studied by the teacher1 for the foundation is being laid for all future acquisition4 ,the kindergarten gifts are designed to lead to the mastery of material objects1 but at the same time they are always connected with the child's experience and affection by being often transported into the region of fancy and feeling in a blending of realism and symbolism4 ,omitting everything which has reference to the moral and physical development1 and speaking now only of that which is intellectual1 what we should strive for at the beginning is that the child may acquire a habit of quick observation1 with clear and precise expression2 that in due time he may see not only quickly1 but accurately2 in short1 that a slight degree of judgment may begin to attend his perceptions1 so that he may know as well as observe4 ,it is not enough to awaken the curiosity of a child1 and to heap up in his memory a mass of good materials which will combine of themselves in due time1 and which the brain when more highly developed will arrange in systematic groups2 we should endeavor as far as possible to control the first impressions which sink unconsciously into a child's mind1 but still more careful should we be in the selection of those later ones which we try to inculcate1 and of the links which we wish to establish between such and such perceptions1 sentiments1 or actions4 ,we should seek to develop1 side by side with the perceptions1 the faculty of judging and acting rightly4 ,to give a child very little to observe at a time1 but to make him observe that little well and rightly1 is the true way of forming and storing his mind4 ,the process of receiving an idea must be through sensation1 attention1 and perception1 conception and judgment being later processes4 ,the curiosity to know must be kept alive1 for it is our greatest ally1 and the imagination must be fed1 for the child remembers only what interests him4 ,recognizing what is to be accomplished1 we say1 then3-- a4 ,the ball is one of the first means used in awakening and developing the dawning consciousness and growing faculties of the child4 b4 ,the beginning must be well made1 or no later step will seem clear4 c4 ,if the first opportunity which occurs of dealing with the gift 7or with any instrumentality of education7 is wasted1 interest on the part of the child is permanently lessened4 d4 ,the mind retains clear impressions in proportion to the degree of spontaneous interest and attention with which they are received4 e4 ,the law of diminishing interest decrees that each point in a successful exercise shall be more interesting than the previous one4 f4 ,the lessons must not be confined to so narrow a channel that they become monotonous1 and they must leave room for the child to develop and not attempt to prescribe his mental action4 ,tiedemann says3 ,liberty of action even in imitated actions is one of the conditions of a child's happiness2 besides that1 it has the effect of exercising and developing all his faculties4 ,example is the first tutor1 and liberty the second1 in the order of evolution2 but the second is the better one1 for it has inclination for its assistant4 ,,readings ,,for ,,the ,,student4 ,from ,cradle to ,school4 ,bertha ,meyer4 ,pages #aah-bj4 ,education4 ,herbert ,spencer4 #abh-dj4 ,kindergarten ,culture4 ,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann4 #da-df4 ,education4 ,e4 ,seguin4 #g1 #h4 ,the ,kindergarten4 ,emily ,shirreff4 #aj4 ,kindergarten at ,home4 ,emily ,shirreff4 #df4 ,reminiscences of ,froebel4 ,von ,marenholtz-,blow4 #bjh1 #bji4 ,lectures on ,child-,culture4 ,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann4 #bd4 ,kindergarten ,guide4 ,j4 and ,b4 ,ronge4 #a-c4 ,koehler's ,kindergarten ,practice4 ,tr4 by ,mary ,gurney4 #e-ab4 ,child-,culture4 ,henry ,barnard4 #efg1 #efh1 #egj-ge4 ,education of ,man4 ,fr4 ,froebel4 ,tr4 by ,j4 ,jarvis4 #aje1 #ajf1 #bjf4 ,lectures to ,kindergartners4 ,e4 ,p4 ,peabody4 #cj1 #ca1 #ch1 #ci1 #dd-ea4 ,pedagogics of the ,kindergarten4 ,fr4 ,froebel4 ,tr4 by ,j4 ,jarvis4 #ca-fi4 ,paradise of ,childhood4 ,edward ,wiebe4 #g-i4 ,law of ,childhood4 ,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann4 #ca-cc4 ,kindergarten ,guide4 ,kraus-,boelte4 #a-ae4 ,froebel and ,education by ,self-,activity4 ,h4 ,courthope ,bowen4 #acf-ch4 ,childhood's ,poetry and ,studies4 ,e4 ,marwedel4 ,part ,i4 #g-ae4 ,childhood's ,poetry and ,studies4 ,e4 ,marwedel4 ,part ,,ii4 #f-ag4 ,a ,system of ,child-,culture4 ,e4 ,marwedel4 #a-e4 ,the ,dawn of ,history4 ,a4 ,keary4 #dd-dg4 ,hints to ,teachers4 ,e4 ,marwedel4 #e1 #f4 ,froebel's ,letters4 ,tr4 by ,michaelis and ,moore4 #hc-he1 #ih1 #aja-jc1 #ajg1 #agf1 #bbj4 ,conscious ,motherhood4 ,e4 ,marwedel4 #ajf1 #ajg1 #aah1 #aai1 #aec1 #afb-fd1 #agj-gd1 #bef-fb1 #bia-if4 ,,froebel',s ,,second ,,gift ,from the ball as a symbol of unity1 we pass over in a consecutive manner to the manifoldness of form in the cube4 ,the child has an intimation in the cube of the unity which lies at the foundation of all manifoldness1 and from which the latter proceeds4 ,,friedrich ,,froebel4 ,notice has now become observation1 and observation leads to discrimination4 ,he sees and is curious by nature1 but it belongs to us to lead him to observe and inquire4 ,,emily ,,shirreff4 #a4 ,froebel's second gift consists of a wooden sphere1 cube1 and cylinder1 two inches in diameter 7as now made71 with rods and standards for revolution4#ah #ah ,the wooden sphere has no string like the balls of the first gift1 because the child no longer needs the outward connection2 he now realizes the spiritual connection between himself and the outer world4 7,e4 ,g4 ,seymour47 #b4 ,in the first gift the child received objects of the same shape and size but of different colors1 thus learning to separate color from form4 ,in the second gift he receives unlike objects1 and learns to distinguish them from each other by their individual peculiarities4 ,the first gift suggests unity1 and leads to the detection of resemblances2 the second suggests variety or manifoldness1 and emphasizes contrasts4 #c4 ,the most important characteristic of the gift is contrast of form1 leading to the distinction of different objects4 ,the mediation of contrasts here suggests the connection of all objects1 however widely separated4 #d4 ,the purpose of the gift is to stimulate observation and comparison by presentation of striking contrasts1 and to afford new bases for the classification of objects4 ,spencer says that any systematic ministrations to the perceptions ought to be based upon the general truth that in the development of every faculty markedly contrasted impressions are the first to be distinguished2 that hence sounds greatly differing in loudness and pitch1 colors very remote from each other1 and substances widely removed in hardness or texture should be the first supplied2 and that in each case the progression must be by slow degrees to impressions more nearly allied4#ai #ai ,education1 page #acb4 #e4 ,the geometrical forms illustrated in this gift are3-- ,sphere4 ,cube4 ,solids4 ,cylinder4 ,double ,cone4 ,seen in motion4 ,conoid4 ,planes4 ,circles4 ,squares4 #f4 ,the sphere and cube are sharply contrasting forms1 and the cylinder illustrates the connecting link between the two1 possessing characteristics of both4 ,the cylinder is the first example ,froebel gives of the intermediate transition--forms connecting opposites1 which he explains as the very ground plan of ,nature1 and on which his fundamental law of contrasts and connection of contrasts1 the law of all harmonious development and creative industry1 is based4#bj #bj ,e4 ,shirreff4 99 99 99 99 99 ,points to be noted in each ,new ,gift4 ,that which follows is always conditioned upon that which goes before1#ba says ,froebel1 and he makes this apparent to children through his educational processes2 the gifts show this idea in concrete form4 #ba ,we cannot evolve what has not first been involved4 ,in entering upon a consideration of the second gift one thing cannot fail to impress us1 and that is the continuous development in each new set of objects placed before the child2 together with an increase of difficulty or complexity which is never without a corresponding forethought1 careful arrangement1 and attention to logical sequence2 thus the newly introduced objects can never seem unnatural to him4 ,we shall find that in every new gift or occupation there is always a suggestion of the last1 enough to make it a pleasant reminder of knowledge gained and difficulties surmounted1 and so the child sees not everything painfully strange1 but something which at least recalls to his mind his former friend and familiar playfellow4#bb #bb ,nothing charms us more than the recognition of the old in the new4 ,the man who hurries through a foreign city1 indifferent and inattentive to the passing crowd1 feels a quick thrill of pleasure when in the midst of all the strangers he recognizes a familiar face4 7,e4 ,minhinnick47 ,method of ,attack in ,first ,exercise4 ,in the first lesson with the second gift the child will quickly see the similarities between his former worsted ball and his new companion1 the wooden sphere4 ,let him take these two balls together1 and find out the similarities and dissimilarities1 remembering that before he compares objects consciously1 experiences should invariably be given him4 ,we should always draw attention to the universal properties of things first and then proceed to the specific4 ,the qualities common to all objects are the universal ones3 ,form1 ,size1 ,color1 ,material1 etc4 ,the invariable rule should be3 simple before complex1 concrete before abstract1 unity before variety1 universal qualities before special ones4 ,if we are in doubt as to whether we shall first direct attention to the similarities or to the dissimilarities between the ball and sphere1 we may recall the educational maxim1 ,the child's eye always at first seizes the analogous1 the point of union1 the whole connection of things1 and only after that begins to discern differences and opposition4#bc #bc ,the infant mind is transparent to resemblance1 but opaque to difference4--,susan ,e4 ,blow1 ,symbolic ,education1 page #hc4 ,ball and ,sphere4 ,in comparing the ball and the sphere the child will observe1 in the first place that they are both round and both roll equally well1 but that one has color1 one being without2 one is soft1 the other hard2 one quiet1 one noisy2 one a little rough to the touch1 the other velvet smooth4 ,he should find for and by himself1 aided by our suggestive questioning1 the reasons for these evident differences4 ,it is absolutely necessary that each child should have one of the boxes containing the solids1 or at least the three forms of the gift without the box1 rods1 and standards1 and examine them thoroughly and often as he will be glad to do4 ,if the solids as ordinarily manufactured are too costly for a kindergartner of limited means1 she can substitute large marbles1 blocks1 and linen thread spools2 the material does not matter so long as each child has the objects to handle4 ,value of the ,discriminative ,power2 ,method by which it may be developed4 ,we need not be distressed if the lessons are a little noisy when the children are making the acquaintance of these wonderful new friends4 ,to be sure they will pound the wooden forms heartily up and down on the table 7if they are three-year old babies1 they certainly would and should do so72 but within bounds what does it matter8 ,if it can be arranged so that other classes shall not be disturbed1 and each child can have the same opportunity for experimenting as his neighbor1 there will be no great harm done4 ,we are endeavoring to rouse all the latent energies of the child by the presentation of these objects to his observation1 and he must have full liberty to make the various experiments which suggest themselves to him4 ,his desire to hear the sound of the objects is so manifest that it would be folly to try and thwart it4 ,it is far better to use the desire for educational purposes and divert it into the channel of systematized noise4 ,let us suppose that we are carpenters today and pound the wooden objects on the floor in exact time with a building song2 let us play we are drummer boys and tap with our drumsticks for the soldiers to march2 or shall we make believe that the sphere is a woodpecker and let it tap on the trees while we recite some simple little rhyme8#bd #bd ,for second gift songs1 see ,kindergarten ,chimes 7,kate ,d4 ,wiggin71 pages #cb1 #cc1 ,oliver ,ditson ,publishing ,co4 ,this craving of young children for information1 says ,bernard ,perez1 is an emotional and intellectual absorbing power1 as dominant as the appetite for nutrition1 and equally needing to be watched over and regulated4 ,it is not alone the noise of the sphere which delights the child1#be though this is always pleasing1--it is the knowledge he is gaining1 the new ideas that dawn upon him for the first time in recognizable form4 ,it is1 in fact1 a knowledge of cause and effect4 ,he has often dropped the woolen ball and pounded it on the table1 and it produced no sound4 ,he does the same with the sphere and recognizes the difference4 ,he will begin to experiment with other objects1 by and by to classify his knowledge1 and finally1 he will see and remember that like causes produce like effects1 and in progressing thus far will have made a tremendous stride4 ,the child will see all the more clearly1 in comparing the woolen ball and wooden sphere1 the difference between soft and hard1 rough and smooth1 light and heavy1 if he is allowed to perform his own experiments4 #be ,the sound is a yet higher sign of life to the child1 as he then1 and also later1 likes to lend speech to all dumb things2 therefore he also desires to hear sound and speech from everything4--,froebel's ,pedagogics1 page #gb4 ,the ,cube4 ,we will now turn to the investigation of the cube and open a new world of information to the child1 and here we seem to deviate a little from the famous educational maxim1 ,proceed from the known to the unknown1 and almost to make a leap into the dark4 ,however1 we very soon give the cylinder1 and thus connect the opposites4 ,here he meets a dazzling quantity of new appearances2 the square sides or faces1 and the many edges and corners1 all of which must be viewed in comparison with the sphere4 ,we can give him an experience of the faces of the cube without conscious analysis1 by letting the ball roll against them4 ,mediation of ,contrasts4 ,of course we shall see the underlying idea of the gift to be the connection of opposites4 ,not too much can be said of this law1 so all-important and significant in ,froebel's system4#bf ,we should bear it constantly in mind1 and bring it in connection with every new phase of our work4 ,froebel cannot be understood clearly unless this deep principle1 which lies at the very root of his system1 is appreciated and comprehended4 ,at the same time it is1 when formulated1 an abstract and metaphysical statement1 which one cannot grasp at once1 but to which one must grow4 #bf ,but each thing is recognized only when it is connected with the opposite of its kind1 and when the union1 accord1 similitude with this object are found2 and the connection with the opposite1 and the discovery of the uniting1 renders the recognition so much the more complete4--,froebel's ,education of ,man1 page #bf4 ,it may be said that comparatively few kindergartners know its value2 nevertheless knowledge of this kind can never be useless or fruitless to the person who is forming the mind of the child1 and who should be a perfect mistress of her science and her art4 ,value of ,contrasts4 ,these contrasts of the second gift1 and all contrasts1 arouse the mind to attention4 ,we can have no judgment without comparison4 ,we should have no idea of heat or darkness if we had not a conception of cold and light2 the quality of sweetness would have no meaning if its opposite did not serve to stimulate comparison4 ,the sphere is sharply contrasted with the cube1 so that there may be a ready perception of the striking qualities of both4 ,the more abrupt the contrast the more readily noticed and described2 for it takes a more developed eye to discern the difference between a sphere and a spheroid1 for instance1 than between a sphere and a cube4 ,the contrasts of the first gift were contrasts of color1 mediations of them being shown also1 and contrasts of direction and position or situation4 ,another point less readily seen in the first gift perhaps was ,froebel's thought that the ball1 in its perfect simplicity and unity1 when first given to the young child1 is regarded by him as another contrasted individuality1 almost as capable of life in its varied movements as he is himself4 ,mobility of ,sphere4 ,the sphere is the symbol of motion1 the cube the embodiment of rest1 and the fact should be illustrated in divers ways4 ,we may1 for instance1 place the sphere near the rim of a plate1 and by inclining the latter a little1 the sphere will roll rapidly round its own axis and round the rim4 ,a few simple little rhymes may be taught1 which the children may say or sing together while the sphere is journeying rapidly round and round the plate1 for1 as ,froebel says1 the thought always grows clearer to the child when word and motion go hand in hand4 ,sphere and ,cube4 ,the cube can only be moved1 on the contrary1 when force is exerted1 and then it merely slides1 to stop when the force is removed4 ,the children will soon see why the cube is so lazily inclined1 and why the sphere is ever rolling1 rolling about1 scarcely to be kept still1 for by various experiments we may show that the sphere stands only on a little part of its face1 the cube on the whole4 ,the sphere is always the same in whatever way regarded1 and to whatever tests subjected4 ,it is always an emblem of unity1 and cannot be robbed of its simplicity1 its unity1 its freedom from all that is puzzling4 ,the cube1 on the contrary1 being made to revolve on any one of its axes1 constantly shows a different aspect1 so that the child views it as a very extraordinary little block1 full of fascinating surprises and whimsical apparitions4 ,it is put upon the string1 and1 when whirled rapidly1 mysteriously loses its identity1 and appears to the little one's laughing gaze as an entirely different object2 and yet as the motion grows more sedate1 the new form fades away and the cube reappears so quickly as to make him rub his eyes and wonder if he has been dreaming4 ,counting ,faces4 ,the square faces of the cube1 in comparison with the one curved1 unbroken surface of the sphere1 must now be noted1 and may be counted if we are using the gift as a means of instruction4 ,we must beware1 however1 of making this counting exercise into a lesson1 or requiring that the number of faces shall be learned and recited4 ,every teacher of experience will corroborate ,mr4 ,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann when he says3 ,if the kindergartner sets the cube before the child and counts the faces1 edges1 and corners1 so that he may 'know all about it1' the child's interest1 if born at all1 will soon die4 ,if the faces are counted1 as they are all so exactly alike1 the children may sometimes be puzzled as to the number1 by enumerating the same one more than once4 ,this difficulty may be obviated by pasting a paper square of a different color on each face1 and then submitting it to examination1 giving each child an opportunity to count1 since independent self-activity is to be more and more encouraged4 ,if the faces1 edges1 and corners be made the integral point of an interesting story or play1 the child will have little difficulty in recalling their number and character1 but we must remember that lively interest and steady progress come only from following and feeding the child's purposes4 ,cylinder4 ,we now proceed to the cylinder1 the reconciliation of the two opposites2 an object which having qualities possessed by both occupies a middle ground in which each has something in common4 ,froebel originally took the doll#bg as the intermediate form uniting in itself the opposites of the sphere and cube1 and thus showed that he understood child nature well1 for no toy follows the ball with greater certainty than the doll4 #bg ,but now as man both unites the single1 which finds its limits in itself1 and the manifold1 which is constantly developing1 and reconciles them within himself as opposites1 there results also to the child from both1 from sphere and cube outwardly united1 the expression of the animate and active1 especially as embodied in the doll4--,froebel's ,pedagogics1 page #ajf4 ,the cylinder1 however1 was subsequently selected1 as being more in line with the other geometrical forms shown in the sequence of gifts4 ,it is as easily moved as the sphere1 upon one side2 as prone to rest as the cube1 when placed upon the other2 it has the curved surface of the sphere and the flat faces of the cube2 it has no corners but two curved edges2 more edges than the sphere1 fewer than the cube2 less unity than the sphere1 more than the cube4 ,its importance as a mediation1 or connecting link1 is further shown by suspending the cube on a string1 by which it may be twisted rapidly and caused to revolve2 in this motion a cylinder being readily seen4 ,when the cylinder is spun in like manner a sphere suddenly appears1 and so the wonderful and subtle bond of union is complete4#bh #bh ,on revolving the cylinder on an axis parallel to the circular faces1 we find that it incloses a solid1 opaque sphere2 teaching us the lesson1 not only that each member of the second gift contains each and all of the others1 but that whatever is in the universe is in every individual part of it2 that even the meanest holds the elements of the noblest2 that the highest life is even in what in short-sighted conceit we call death4--,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann1 ,law of ,childhood1 page #ce4 ,hints as to ,manner and ,method4 ,let the children call the cylinder a roller or barrel if they choose1 and tell them the right name when it is needful4 ,each gift must be thoroughly understood before we pass to the next1 or there will be no orderly development2 but as the impressions have all been made through the senses of the child1 we must not expect him to voice these impressions in logical phrases all at once1 so beware of making the lesson irksome or wearisome to him through a formal questioning that does not properly belong to childhood4 ,when the keen appetite for knowledge disappears we may well despair4 ,if several children in our class express dislike of a certain exercise or lesson1 and seem to dread its appearance1 we may be well assured that the fault lies in our method of putting it before them1 and strive in all humility for a better understanding of them1 of ourselves1 and of the subject4 ,we must not1 however1 be too hard in our self-judgments and lose courage4 ,we are not responsible for a child who is born tired1 and who seems to have no interest in anything1 either in heaven above or in the earth beneath1 until1 by ingenuity and perseverance1 we are able to open the eyes and ears which see and hear not4 ,it will be remembered that in discussing the first play or lesson with the second gift great freedom was advised2 but let us note the difference between liberty and lawlessness1 between spontaneity and the confusion of self-assertion which is sometimes mistaken for it4 ,no lesson or play amounts to anything unless conducted with order and harmony1 unless at its close1 no matter how merry and hearty the enjoyment1 some quiet and lasting impression has been made on the mind4 ,many teachers miss the happy medium1 and in trying with the best intentions to allow the individuality of the child proper development1 only succeed in gaining excitement and disorder4 ,dangers of ,object ,lessons4 ,the second gift is1 more than any other1 too much used for mere object lessons1 and these are invariably dangerous because there is apt to be too much impressing of the teacher's own ideas upon the mind1 and too little actual handling1 perceiving1 observing1 comparing1 judging1 concluding1 on the child's part1 and that is the only logical way in which he is able to form a clearly crystallized idea4 ,we can have no higher authority than ,dr4 ,alexander ,bain1 who says that the object lesson more than anything else demands a careful handling2 there being great danger lest an admirable device should settle down into a plausible but vicious formality4 ,how to deal successfully with ,second ,gift4 ,it is not uncommon to hear students in kindergarten training classes 7and even some full-fledged kindergartners7 express a distaste for the second gift1 and it is1 unfortunately1 even more common to find the children dealing with it either sunk in deepest apathy1 or mercifully oblivious of the matter in hand and chatting with their neighbors4 ,the fact is that we have too commonly made the exercises dull1 dreary affairs2 we have doled out the forms to the children and asked a series of formal questions about them1 giving no experiments1 no concerted work1 and no opportunity for action4 ,the children have been intensely bored1 therefore either stupid or wandering1 and the kindergartner has attributed her want of success to the gift1 and not to her method of dealing with it4 ,let the light of imagination shine on the scene1 and note the answering sparkle in the children's eyes4 ,who cares for the names of all the faces on a stupid block2 but who doesn't care when it's a house and ,johnnie can't find his mother1 though he looks in the front door and the back door1 the right-hand door1 the left-hand door1 the cellar-door1 and finally the trap-door leading to the roof8 ,nobody knows1 or wants to know1 when questioned if the cylinder rolls better on its flat circular face1 or on its rounding face2 but when it's a log of wood in the forest1 and must be taken home for winter fires1 then it is worth while to experiment and see how it may be moved most easily4 ,the second gift1 too1 is delightful for groupwork in the sand table1 where the objects may be treated symbolically1 and likened to a hundred different things4 ,with the second gift beads1 which in the natural wood color are admirable supplements to the larger forms1 the children are always charmed1 assorting and stringing them according to fancy or dictation1 and with the addition of sticks making them into rows of soldiers1 trees in flowerpots1 kitchen utensils1 churns1 stoves1 lamps1 and divers other household objects4 ,the kindergartner may give many a lesson in the simple principles of mechanics with the second gift and its rods and standards1 allowing the children to experiment freely as well as to follow her suggestions4 ,the pulley1 the steelyard1 the capstan1 the pump1 the mechanical churn1 the wheelbarrow1 etc41 may all be made1 adding the beads where necessary1 and thus the child gain a real working knowledge of simple machinery4 ,treatment of ,previous ,gifts when passed over4 ,the preceding gift need not entirely disappear1 but be used occasionally for a pleasing review as a bond of friendly intercourse between older and younger pupils4#bi ,this will convey an indirect hint1 perhaps1 to the little ones that it is not well to neglect old friends for new ones1 but that they should still love and value the playthings and playmates of former days4 #bi ,the giving of a new play by no means precludes the further use of the preceding and earlier plays4 ,but1 on the contrary1 the use of the preceding play for some time longer with the new play1 and alternating with it1 makes the application of the new play so much the easier and more widely significant4--,froebel's ,pedagogics1 page #ade4 ,second ,gift ,forms in ,architecture and ,cube in ,ancient ,times4 ,these three objects1 the sphere1 cylinder1 and cube1 constitute a triad of forms united in architecture and sculpture producing the column1 which is made up of the pedestal or base 7the cube71 the shaft 7the cylinder71 and the capital 7the sphere74 ,in a book on ,egyptian antiquities we find that1 in the beginning of the culture of that country1 the three ,graces1 or goddesses of beauty1 were represented by three cubes leaning upon each other4 ,the ,egyptians did not1 of course1 know that it was the first regular form of solid bodies in nature or crystallization2 but the significant fact again brings us to the thought expressed in the first lecture3 ,it would seem1 indeed1 as though ,froebel1 in selecting his gifts1 looked far back into the past of humanity1 and there sought the thread which from the beginning connects all times and leads to the farthest future4 ,froebel's ,monument4 ,and here we leave the second gift1 that trinity of forms which1 wrought in marble1 marks the place dear and sacred to all kindergartners1 the grave of ,froebel1--a simple monument to one so great1 yet so connected with our study and the child's experience that with all its simplicity it is strangely effective4 ,a still more enduring monument he has in the millions of happy children who have found their way to knowledge through the door which he opened to them2 indeed1 if half the children he has benefited could build a tower of these tiny blocks to commemorate his life and death1 its point would reach higher than ,st4 ,peter's dome and draw the thoughts of men to heaven4 ,suggestions of the ,gift4 ,this gift can hardly be studied but that an inner unity1 born of these reconciled contrasts1 suggests itself to the imagination4 ,the cube seems to stand as the symbol of the inorganic1 the mineral kingdom1 with its wonderful crystals2 the cylinder as the type of vegetable life1 suggesting the roots1 stems1 and branches1 with their rounded sides1 and forming a beautiful connection between the cube1 that emblem of things in the earth beneath1 and the sphere which completes the trinity and speaks to us of a never-ending and perfect whole having ,unity for its centre1 ,diversity for its circumference4 ,the cube seems to suggest rest1 immobility2 the cylinder1 in this connection1 growth2 and the sphere1 perfection1 completeness1--so delicately poised it is1--only kept in its proper place by the most exquisite adjustment4 ,and so to us1 sometimes1 the things that are visible become luminous with suggestions of greater realities which are yet unseen2 and in the least we discern a faint radiance of the greatest4 ,things that are small mirror things that are mighty4 ,the tiny sphere is an emblem of the big round world and the planetary systems4 ,the cube recalls the wonderful crystals1 and shows the form that men reflect in architecture and sculpture4 ,as for the cylinder it is ,nature's special form1 and ,god has taught man through ,nature to use it in a thousand ways1 and indeed has himself fashioned man more or less in its shape4 ,mr4 ,hailmann says3 ,the second gift presents types of the principal phases of human development2 from the easy mobility of infancy and childhood1--the ball1--we pass through the half-steady stages of boyhood and girlhood1 represented in the cylinder1 to the firm character of manhood and womanhood for which the cube furnishes the formula4 ,bishop ,brooks1 speaking from the words1 ,the length and the breadth of it are equal1 in his sermon on ,symmetry of ,life1 uses the cube as a symbol of perfect character3 ,the personal push of a life forward1 its outreach laterally or the going out in sympathy to others1 the upward reach toward ,god1--these he considers the three life dimensions4 ,but such building must be done without nervous haste2 the foundation must hint solidly of the threefold purpose2 length1 breadth1 and thickness must be kept in proportion1 if the perfect cube of life is ever to be found4 ,,note ,,on ,,second ,,gift4 #cj ,the second gift1 even in the nursery1 calls for modifications from the form in which it comes to us from ,froebel4 ,it is incomparable in its rich symbolism for illustrating ,froebel's thought to mature minds1 and answers quite a useful purpose in the nursery1 where it may help mamma tell her stories4 ,but in the kindergarten the child wants to build with blocks4 ,hence1 the third1 fourth1 fifth1 and sixth gifts are indicated2 the second gift1 as such1 is1 to say the least1 an anachronism4 ,only in the form of the beads1 or some similar expedient which gives many of these things for control1 will it satisfy the kindergarten child4 ,when he is expected to study the cube1 as an object lesson1 to count the squares and corners and tell where they are1 it is wholly unpalatable to him and entirely foreign to his plans4 #cj ,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann4 ,,thoughts ,,on ,,the ,,discriminative ,,power4 ,mind starts from ,discrimination4 ,the consciousness of difference is the beginning of every intellectual exercise4 ,our intelligence is1 therefore1 absolutely limited by our power of discrimination2 the other functions of intellect1 the retentive power1 for instance1 are not called into play until we have first discriminated a number of things4 ,the minuteness or delicacy of the feeling of difference is the measure of the variety and multitude of our primary impressions and therefore of our stored-up recollections4 ,bear in mind the fact that until a difference is felt between two things1 intelligence has not yet made the first step4 ,the higher arts of comparison to impress difference are best illustrated when both differences and agreements have to be noted1 i4 e41 similarities and dissimilarities4 ,discrimination is the necessary prelude of every intellectual impression as the basis of our stored-up knowledge or memory4 ,definition of the state of mind significantly named ,indifference1--the state where differing impressions fail to be recognized as distinct4 ,the retentive power works up to the height of the discriminative power2 it can do no more4 ,,alex4 ,,bain4 ,the most delightful and fruitful of all the intellectual energies is the perception of similarity and agreement1 by which we rise from the individual to the general1 trace sameness in diversity1 and master instead of being mastered by the multiplicity of nature4 ,,friedrich ,,froebel4 ,it is by comparisons that we ascertain the difference which exists between things1 and it is by comparisons1 also1 that we ascertain the general features of things1 and it is by comparisons that we reach general propositions4 ,in fact1 comparisons are at the bottom of all philosophy4 ,,louis ,,agassiz4 ,,readings ,,for ,,the ,,student4 ,from ,cradle to ,school4 ,bertha ,meyer4 ,pages #acb1 #acc4 ,the ,kindergarten4 ,emily ,shirreff4 #aa1 #ab4 ,lectures on ,child-,culture4 ,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann4 #bf1 #bg4 ,froebel and ,education by ,self-,activity4 ,h4 ,courthope ,bowen4 #ach-dj4 ,kindergarten ,guide4 ,j4 and ,b4 ,ronge4 #c-e4 ,koehler's ,kindergarten ,practice4 ,tr4 by ,mary ,gurney4 #dg-di4 ,kindergarten at ,home4 ,emily ,shirreff4 #dg-di4 ,kindergarten ,culture4 ,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann4 #df1 #ea1 #ed4 ,childhood's ,poetry and ,studies4 ,e4 ,marwedel4 ,part ,,ii4 #af-db4 ,pedagogics of the ,kindergarten4 ,fr4 ,froebel4 #fi-ajg4 ,paradise of ,childhood4 ,edward ,wiebe4 #i-aa4 ,law of ,childhood4 ,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann4 #cc-ce4 ,kindergarten ,guide4 ,kraus-,boelte4 #ae-bg4 ,education of ,man4 ,fr4 ,froebel4 #ajg-aj4 ,kindergarten ,toys4 ,h4 ,hoffmann4 #ab-ag4 ,architecture1 ,mysticism1 and ,myth4 ,w4 ,k4 ,lethaby4 #ej1 #fe4 ,stories of ,industry4 ,vols4 i4 and ii4 ,a4 ,chase and ,e4 ,clow4 ,ethics of the ,dust4 ,john ,ruskin4 ,mme4 ,a4 de ,portugall's ,synoptical ,table1 as given in ,essays on the ,kindergarten4 ,,the ,,building ,,gifts ,the ,building ,gifts meet two very strongly marked tendencies in the child4 a4 ,the tendency to investigate4 b4 ,the tendency to transform4 ,the first and second gifts consist of undivided units1 each one of which stands in relation to a larger whole1 or to a class of objects4 ,the third1 fourth1 fifth1 and sixth gifts are divided units1 and their significance lies in the relationship of the parts to one another1 and to the whole of which they are the parts4 ,the effect of the ,building ,gifts is to develop the constructive powers of the child4 ,their secondary importance lies in the fact that they afford striking fundamental perceptions of ,form1 ,size1 ,number1 ,relation1 and ,position4 ,the following rules should govern the dictation exercises3-- ,,building ,,rules4 #a4 ,use all material in order to keep the idea of relation of parts to a whole1 and because all unused material is wasted material4#ca #ca ,in each construction the whole of the materials must be used2 or at least each separate piece must be arranged so as to stand in some actual relation to the whole4 ,while this awakens the thinking spirit1 it also strengthens and elevates the imagination2 because amidst so much variety1 the underlying unity is made visibly apparent4--,froebel's ,letters1 tr4 by ,michaelis and ,moore1 page #gb4 #b4 ,build on the squares of the table in order to develop accuracy and symmetry4 #c4 ,induce the child to form other wholes gradually and systematically from the various parts of the cube4 ,in doing this the laws of contrast and development must be your guide4 ,,koehler4 #d4 ,give names to each object constructed1 thereby bringing it into relation with the child's experience2 for the miniature model serves to interpret more clearly to him the object which it represents4 #e4 ,connect with the child's life and sympathy in order to increase his interest and develop the tendency to view things in their right relations4 #f4 ,the younger the child1 the more you should talk about the thing which you intend to construct4 ,you should intersperse passing observations or short songs4 ,as the children gain intelligence1 this conversation will be replaced by more formal descriptions of the things represented4 ,,koehler4 #g4 ,begin with ,life forms and proceed from these to forms of ,beauty and ,knowledge4 #h4 ,allow no child to rely upon the blocks of his playmates in his building1--thus he will learn economy1 self-reliance1 and independence of action4 ,this should not be carried too far1 or rather the necessity and beauty of interdependence should also be taught4 ,herein1 indeed1 lies more than at first appears4 ,to make the most out of little is the great work of life2 to be contented with what one has1 and to make the best of it with happiness and contentment is surely no small lesson1 and one which is constantly1 though indirectly1 taught in the kindergarten work and plays and lessons4 #i4 ,group work1 or united building1 should frequently be introduced4 ,every direction given by the kindergartner should be followed by spontaneous work 7either in word or deed7 by the child4 ,this must not only be individual1 but synthesized for the community4 #aj4 ,often encourage the class to imitate some specially attractive form which has been produced by a child1 and named according to his fancy4 #aa4 ,accustom the child to develop figures or forms by slight changes rather than by rudely destroying each single one preparatory to constructing another4 ,from learning to be strictly methodical in his actions1 he will become so in his later reasoning4 #ab4 ,let the child1 if possible1 correct his own mistakes1 and do not constantly interfere with his work4 ,whatever he is able to do for himself1 no one should do for him4 ,,koehler4 ,,froebel',s ,,third ,,gift ,all children have the building instinct1 and 'to make a house' is a universal form of unguided play4 ,it is not a mere pastime1 but a key with which to open the outer world1 and a means of awakening the inner world4 ,this gift includes in itself more outward manifoldness1 and1 at the same time1 makes the inward manifoldness yet more perceptible and manifest4 ,the plaything shows also the ultimate type of structures put together by human hand which stand in their substantiality around the child4 ,,friedrich ,,froebel4 ,the definitely productive exercises begin with the third gift4 ,,susan ,e4 ,,blow4 #a4 ,the third gift is a wooden cube measuring two inches in each of its dimensions4 ,it is divided once in its height1 breadth1 and thickness1 according to the three dimensions which define a solid1 and thus eight smaller cubes are produced4 #b4 ,we pass from the undivided to the divided unit1 emphasizing the fact that unity still exists1 though divisibility enters as a new factor4 #c4 ,the most important characteristics of the gift are contrasts of size resulting in the abstraction of form from size2 increase of material as a whole1 decrease of size in parts2 increase of facilities in illustrating form and number4 ,the new experience to be found in this first divided body is the idea of relativity2 of the whole in its relation to the parts 7each an embryo whole71 and of the parts in relation to the whole4 ,the form of the parts is like the form of the whole1 but1 in shape alike1 the dissimilarity is in size2 the fact becoming more apparent by a variety of combinations of a different number of parts3 thus the relations of numbers are introduced to the observation of the child together with those of form and magnitude4 #d4 ,the third gift was intended by ,froebel to meet the necessities of the child at a period when1 no longer satisfied with the external appearances of things1 he strives to penetrate their internal conditions1 and begins to realize the many different possibilities of the same element4 #e4 ,the geometrical forms illustrated in this gift are3-- ,cube4 ,solids4 ,square ,prism4 ,rectangular ,parallelopiped4 ,planes4 ,square4 ,oblong4 #f4 ,froebel intends the building exercise to be carried on in a certain way with a view of establishing a law to regulate the child's activity4 ,the upper and lower parts of the figure--the contrasts--are first brought into position1 and the balance is established by the intermediates--right and left4 ,the cube itself is divided according to the law of ,mediation of ,contrasts4 ,the contrasts of exterior and interior1 whole and parts1 analysis and synthesis1 are also brought into relation with each other4 99 99 99 99 99 ,hailmann on ,third ,gift4 ,mr4 ,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann says that the third gift marks an important step in the mental life of the child4 ,heretofore1 he has had to do with playthings indivisible1 whole1 complete in themselves4 ,every impression1 or1 rather1 every fact1 came to him as a unit1 a one1 an indivisible whole4 ,the analyses and syntheses that are presented to him in the first and second gifts come ready-made as it were1 so that the joyous exercise of his instinctive activity1 guided and directed by the judicious1 loving mother1 is sufficient to give him control of them2 indeed1 the first and second gifts hold to his mental development the same relation that the mother's milk holds to his physical growth4 ,but the third gift satisfies the growing desire for independent activity1 for the exercise of his own power of analysis and synthesis1 of taking apart and putting together4#cb #cb ,the idea of separation gained here in concrete form becomes typical of that condition which must always exist in any growth--the seed breaks through its coverings1 and seems to divide itself into distinct parts1 each having its function in the growth of the whole plant4 7,alice ,h4 ,putnam47 ,simplicity but ,adaptability of the ,gifts4 ,simple as this first building gift appears1 it is capable of great things4 ,it lends itself to a hundred practical lessons and a hundred charming transformations1 but if it is not thoroughly comprehended it will never be well or effectively used by the kindergartner1 and will be nothing more to her than to uninterested observers1 who see in it nothing more than eight commonplace little blocks in a wooden box4 ,froebel says if his educational materials are found useful it cannot be because of their exterior1 which is as plain as possible and contains nothing new1 but that their worth is to be found exclusively in their application4 ,how ,children are to be reached4 ,therefore these simple devices with which we carry on our education should never seem trifling1 for we are compelled in teaching very young children to put forth all gentle allurements to the gaining of knowledge4 ,they are to be reached chiefly by the charms of sense1 novelty1 and variety1 and consequently1 to please such active and imaginative little critics1 our lessons must be fresh1 vivid1 vigorous1 and to the point4 ,what is ,necessary on ,part of ,kindergartner4 ,to accomplish this1 we can see that not only is absolute knowledge necessary1 but that a well developed sensibility and imagination are needed in leading the child from the indefinite to the definite1 from universal to particular1 and from concrete to abstract4 ,the worth of the gifts then1 we repeat1 lies exclusively in their application2 the rude little forms must be used so that the child's imagination and sympathy will be reached4 ,imagination in ,child and ,kindergartner4 ,we may be thankful that this heaven-born imaginative faculty is the heritage of every child1--that it is hard to kill and lives on very short rations4 ,the little boy ties a string around a stone and drags it through dust and mire with happy conviction that it is a go-cart4 ,the little girl wraps up a stocking or a towel with tender hands1 winds her shawl about it1 and at once the ,god-given maternal instinct leaps into life1--in an instant she has it in her arms4 ,she kisses its cotton head and sings it to sleep in divine unconsciousness of any incompleteness1 for love supplies many deficiencies4 ,so let us cherish the child heart in ourselves and never look with scorn upon the rude suggestions of the forms the child has built1 but rather enter into the play1 enriching it with our own imaginative power4 ,the children will rarely perceive any incongruities1 and surely we need not hint them1 any more than we would remind a child needlessly that her doll is stuffed with sawdust and has a plaster head1 when she thinks it a responsive and affectionate little daughter4 ,middendorf said1 ,this is like a fresh bath for the human soul1 when we dare to be children again with children4#cc ,the burdens of life could not be borne were it not for real gayety of heart4 #cc ,if we want to educate children1 we must be children with them ourselves4 7,martin ,luther47 ,if it were only the play and the mere outward apparatus1 says the ,baroness von ,marenholtz-,blow1 we might indeed find our daily teaching monotonous1 but the idea at the foundation of it and the contemplation of the being of man and its development in the child is an inexhaustible mine of interesting discovery4 ,reasons for ,choice of ,third ,gift4 ,this third gift satisfies the child's craving to take things to pieces4 ,froebel did not choose it arbitrarily1 for ,nature1 human and physical1 was an open handbook to him1 and if we study deeply and sympathetically the reasons for his choice they will always be comprehended4#cd ,fnelon says1 ,the curiosity of children is a natural tendency1 which goes in the van of instruction4 ,destruction after all is only constructive faculty turned back upon itself4 ,the child1 having no legitimate outlet for his creative instinct1 pulls his playthings to pieces1 to see what is inside1--what they are made of and how they are put together2#ce but to his chagrin he finds it not so easy to reunite the tattered fragments4 #cd ,what must we furnish to the child after the self-contained ball1 after the hard sphere1 every part of which is similar1 and after the single solid cube8 ,it must be something firm which can be easily pulled apart by the child's strength1 and just as easily put together again4 ,therefore it must also be something which is simple1 yet multiform2 and what should this be1 after what we have perceived up to this point1 and in view of what the surrounding world affords us1 but the cube divided through the centre by three planes perpendicular to one another4--,froebel's ,pedagogics4 #ce ,unmaking is as important as making to the child4 ,his destructive energy is as essential to him as his power of construction4 7,w4 ,t4 ,harris47 ,the child wishes to discover the inside of the thing1 being urged to this by an impulse he has not given to himself1--the impulse which1 rightly recognized and rightly guided1 seeks to know ,god in all his works4444 ,where can the child seek for satisfaction of his impulse to research but from the thing itself8--,friedrich ,froebel1 ,education of ,man4 ,in the divided cube1 however1 he can gratify his desires1 and at the same time possess the joy of doing right and destroying nothing1 for the eight little blocks can be quickly united into their original form1 and also into many other pleasing little forms1 each one complete in itself1 so that every analysis ends as it should1 in synthesis4 ,froebel calls this gift specifically the children's delight1 and indeed it is1 responding so generously to their spontaneous activity1 while at the same time it suits their small capabilities1 for the possibilities of an object used for form study should not be too varied4 ,it must be suggestive through its limitations1 says ,miss ,blow1 for the young mind may be as easily crushed by excess as by defect4#cf #cf ,an element which slumbers like a viper under roses is that which is now so frequently provided as a plaything for children2 it is1 in a word1 the already too complex and ornate1 too finished toy4 ,the child can begin no new thing with it1 cannot produce enough variety by means of it2 his power of creative imagination1 his power of giving outward form to his own idea1 are thus actually deadened4--,froebel's ,pedagogics4 ,froebel was left motherless at a very early age1 and during his first four years of life his father was entirely engrossed with parish duties1 and the child had only occasional supervision from a hard-worked servant4 ,thus it happened that he was frequently alone long hours at a time in a dusky room overshadowed by the neighboring church1 and naturally strayed often to the window1 from whence he might look down upon the busy world outside4 ,he recalls that he was greatly interested at one time in some workmen who were repairing the church1 and that he constantly turned from his post of observation to try and imitate their labors1 but his only building material was the furniture of the room1 and chairs and tables clumsily resisted his efforts to pile them up into suitable form4 ,he tells us that this strong desire for building and the bitter disappointment of his repeated failures were still keenly remembered when he was a grown man1 and thus suggested to him that children ought to be provided with materials for building among their playthings4 ,he often noticed also1 in later years1 that all children seem to have the building instinct1 corresponding to what ,dr4 ,seguin calls the building mania in the infancy of peoples1 and that to make a house is the universal form of unguided play4#cg #cg ,one of the greatest and most universal delights of children is to construct for themselves a habitation of some sort1 either in the garden or indoors1 where chairs have generally to serve their purpose4 ,instinct leads them1 as it does all animals1 to procure shelter and protection for their persons1 individual outward self-existence and independence4--,bertha von ,marenholtz-,blow1 ,child and ,child ,nature4 ,we now understand the meaning of the gift1 the reason for its importance in ,froebel's plan1 and its capabilities as a vehicle for delightful instruction4 ,classes of ,forms4 ,there are three different classes of forms for dictation and invention1 variously named by kindergartners4 #a4 ,life forms1 or upright forms1 which are seen in the child's daily life1 as a pair of boots1 a chair1 table1 bed1 or sofa4 ,froebel calls them also object forms1 or forms of things4 7,the child demands that the object constructed stand in connection with himself1 his life1 or somebody or something in his life4--,froebel47 #b4 ,mathematical forms1 or various combinations of the blocks1 upright and supine1 for mathematical exercises4 ,they correspond to the forms of knowledge in ,logic4 7,also called by ,froebel forms of truth1 forms of instruction1 forms of learning47 #c4 ,symmetrical forms1 or flat designs formed by opposites and their intermediates4 ,these are figures in which four of the blocks generally revolve in order around the other four as a centre4 7,also called by ,froebel picture forms1 flower forms1 star forms1 dance forms47 ,,life ,,forms4 ,life forms should be given first1 as the natural tendency of the young child is to pile things up1#ch and these forms seem simpler for dictation1 are more readily grasped by the mind1 and more fascinating to the imagination4 ,they are the images of things both dear and familiar to him1 and thus are particularly adapted to the beginning since the starting point of the child's development is the heart and the emotions4 ,it is easier for him to be an architect at first than an artist1 though each will be comprehended in the other after a time4#ci #ch ,the building or piling up is with the child1 as with the development of the human race1 and as with the fixed forms in ,nature1 the first4--,froebel's ,education of ,man4 ,towers1 pyramids1 up1 up1 connecting themselves with something high1 voicing aspiration4 #ci ,the representation of facts and circumstances of history1 of geography1 and especially of every-day life1 by means of building1 ,i hold to be in the highest degree important for children1 even if these representations are imperfect and fall far short of their originals4 ,the eye is at all events aroused and stimulated to observe with greater precision than before the object that has been represented4444 ,and thus1 by means of perhaps a quite imperfect outward representation1 the inner perception is made more perfect4--,froebel's ,letters1 tr4 by ,michaelis and ,moore1 page #ii4 ,the dictations should be given very simply1 clearly1 and slowly1 always using one set of terms to express a certain meaning1 and having those absolutely correct4 ,we should never give dictations from a book1 but from memory1 having prepared the lesson beforehand1 and should remember that every exercise we give should incite and develop self-activity4 ,we must guard against mistakes or confusion in our own minds2 it is very easy to confuse the child1 and he will become inattentive and careless if he is unable to catch our meaning4 ,brief stories should occasionally be told1 just mere outlines to give color and force to the child's building1 and connect it with his experience4 ,if it is an armchair1 grandmother may sit in it knitting the baby's stocking4 ,if it is a well1 describe the digging of it1 the lining with stones or brick1 the inflowing of the water1 the letting down of the bucket and long chain1 the clear1 cool water coming up from the deep1 dark hole in the ground on a hot summer's day4 ,these1 of course1 are but the merest suggestions which experience may be trusted to develop4 ,it is better1 perhaps1 to give a bit of word-painting to each object constructed than to wait till the end of the series for the day and tell a longer story1 as the interest is thus more easily sustained4 ,the children1 too1 should be encouraged to talk about the forms and tell little stories concerning them4 ,the form created should never be destroyed1 but transformed into the next in order by a few simple movements4 ,,symmetrical ,,forms4 ,these forms1 in spite of their regularity1 are called forms of beauty4 ,the mathematical forms which ,froebel designates forms of knowledge give only the skeleton from which the beautiful form develops itself4 ,symmetry of the parts which make up these simple figures gives the impression of beauty to the childish eye4 ,he must have the elements of the beautiful before he is in a condition to comprehend it in its whole extent4 ,only what is simple gives light to the child at first4 ,he can only operate with a small number of materials1 therefore ,froebel gives only eight cubes for this object at this time4 ,of course these three classes of forms are not to be kept arbitrarily separate1 and the children finish and lay aside one set before attempting another4 ,there are many cases where the three may be united1 as indeed they are morally speaking in the life of every human being4 ,when the distinctions are clear in our own minds1 our knowledge and tact will guide us to introduce the gift properly1 and carry it on in a natural1 orderly1 and rational manner1 not restricting the child's own productive powers4 ,if the children have had time to imbibe a love of symmetry and beauty1 and have been trained to observe and delight in them1 then this second class of forms will attract them as much1 after a little1 as the first1 though more difficult of execution4 ,each sequence starts from a definite point1 the four outside blocks revolving round the central four1 and going through or dancing through1 as ,froebel says1 all the successive figures before returning in the opposite direction4 ,all the dictations are most valuable intellectually1 but should not be long-continued at one time1 as they require great concentration of mind1 and are consequently wearisome4 ,hints from ,ronge's ,guide4 ,excellent exercises or suggestions for building can be found in ,ronge's ,kindergarten ,guide4 ,he mentions one pleasant little play which ,i will quote4 ,when each in the class has produced a different form1 let the children rise and march round the table to observe the variety4 ,let them sing in the ascending and descending scales3-- ,many pretty forms ,i see1 ,which one seems the best to me8 ,at another time let each child try to build the house he lives in1 and while this is being done1 let them join in singing some song about home4 ,it is well to encourage singing during the building exercises1 as we have so many appropriate selections4#dj #dj ,see ,kindergarten ,chimes 7,kate ,d4 ,wiggin71 ,oliver ,ditson ,publishing ,co43 ,building ,song1 pages #cd1 #ce2 ,trade ,game1 page #gj2 ,the ,carpenter1 page #ib4 ,group ,work4 ,with the first of the ,building ,gifts enters a new variety of group work1 which was not adapted for the first and second gifts4 ,the children may now be seated at square tables1 one at each side1 and build in unison in the centre1 the form produced being of course four times as large and fine as any one of the number could have produced alone4 ,all the suggestions or directions for building are necessarily carried out together1 and the success of the completed form is obviously dependent on the coperation of all four children4 ,forms of ,beauty are very easily constructed in this manner1 as well as forms of ,life1 having four uniform sides1 and when the little ones are somewhat more expert builders1 ,life forms having opposite sides alike1 or even four different sides1 may be constructed4 ,the other various forms of coperative work are of course never to be neglected1 that a social unity may be produced1 in which the might of each individual may be reinforced by the might of the whole4 ,,mathematical ,,forms4 ,a better idea of these may be obtained through a manipulation of the blocks and an arrangement of the geometrical forms in their regular order4 ,the child1 if he were taught as ,froebel intended1 would make his first acquaintance with numbers in the nursery1 beginning in a very small way and progressing slowly4 ,the pupils of the kindergarten are a little older1 and having already a slight knowledge of numbers 7though not of course in their abstract relations7 are able to accomplish greater things4 ,the child can1 with our guidance1 make all possible combinations of the parts of the number ,eight4 ,the principles of ,addition1 ,subtraction1 even ,multiplication and ,fractions1 can also be mastered without one tear of misery or pang of torture4 ,he grasps the whole first1 then by simple processes1 building with his own hands1 he finds out and demonstrates for himself halves1 fourths1 and eighths1 sometimes in different positions1 but always having the same contents4 ,method and ,manner of using the ,gift4 ,even yet we must not suffer this to become work4 ,the exercises should be repeated again and again1 but we must learn to break off when the play is still delightful1 and study ways to endow the next one with new life and charm1 though it carry with it the same old facts4 ,what we want to secure is1 not a formidable number of parrot-like statements1 but a firm foundation for future clearness of understanding1 depth of feeling1 and firmness of purpose4 ,so1 at the beginning of the exercise1 we should not ask ,john if he remembers what we talked about last time1 and expect him to answer clearly at once4 ,because he does not answer our formal questions which do not properly belong to babyhood1 we need not conclude he has learned nothing1 for a child can show to our dull eyes only a very tiny glimpse of his wonderful inner world4 ,let our aim be1 that the child shall little by little receive impressions so clearly that he will recognize them when they appear again1 and that he shall1 after a time1 know these impressions by their names4 ,it is nothing but play after all1 but it is in this childish play that deep meaning lies4 ,a child is far less interested in that which is given him complete than in that which needs something from him to make it perfect4 ,he loves to employ all his energies in conceiving and constructing forms2 the less you do for him the better he enjoys it1 if he has been trained to independence4#da #da ,probably the chief wish of children is to do things for themselves1 instead of to have things done for them4 ,they would gladly live in a ,paradise of the ,home-made4 ,for example1 when we read how the 'prentices of ,london used to skate on sharp bones of animals1 which they bound about their feet1 we also wished1 at least1 to try that plan1 rather than to wear skates bought in shops4 7,andrew ,lang47 ,complete toys hinder the activity of children1 encourage laziness and thoughtlessness1 and do them more harm than can be told4 ,the active tendency in them turns to the distortion of what is complete1 and so becomes destructive4 ,any fusing together of lessons1 work1 and play1 is possible only when the objects with which the child plays allow room for independent mental and bodily activity1 i4 e41 when they are not themselves complete in the child's hand4 ,had man found everything in the world fixed and prepared for use2 had all means of culture1 of satisfaction for the spiritual and material wants of his nature1 been ready to his hand1 there would have been no development1 no civilization of the human race4 ,pedantry and dogmatism must be eliminated from all the dictations2 the life must not be shut out of the lessons in order that we may hear a pin drop1 nor should they be allowed to degenerate into a tedious formalism and mechanical puppet-show1 in which we pull the strings and the poor little dummies move with one accord4 ,yet most emphatically a certain order and harmony must prevail1 the forms must follow each other in natural sequence1 the blocks must1 invariably1 be taken carefully from the box1 so as to present a whole at the first glance1 and at the close of the lesson should always be neatly put together again into the original form and returned to the box as a whole4#db #db ,in order to furnish to the child at once clearly and definitely the impression of the whole1 of the self-contained1 the plaything before it is given to the child for his own free use must be opened as follows4444 ,it will thus appear before the observing child as a cube closely united1 yet easily separated and again restored4--,froebel's ,pedagogics1 pages #abc1 #abd4 ,and now one last word of warning about doing too much for the children in these exercises1 and even guiding too much1 carrying system and method too far in dictation4 ,we must remember that an excess of systematizing crushes instead of developing originality1 and that it is all too easy even in the kindergarten to turn children into machines incapable of acting when the guiding hand is removed4 ,,note4 ,in opening the boxes1 it is well to observe some simple form4 ,it is not irksome1 but1 on the contrary1 rather pleasing to the children1 who delight in doing things in concert4 ,,boxes ,,in ,,centre ,,of ,,table4 #a4 ,draw the cover out one half space4 #b4 ,fingers of right hand placed on left-hand side of box4 #c4 ,turn entirely over from left to right4 #d4 ,withdraw lid and place on right-hand upper corner of table4 #e4 ,lift box gently and place on top of cover mouth upwards4 ,,readings ,,for ,,the ,,student4 ,reminiscences of ,froebel4 ,von ,marenholtz-,blow4 ,page #aeb4 ,child and ,child ,nature4 ,von ,marenholtz-,blow4 #ade1 #adf4 ,education4 ,e4 ,seguin4 #ie1 #if4 ,lessons in ,form4 ,w4 ,w4 ,speer4 #bc4 ,pedagogics of the ,kindergarten4 ,fr4 ,froebel4 #ajh-dd4 ,education of ,man4 ,fr4 ,froebel4 ,tr4 by ,josephine ,jarvis4 #dj1 #da4 ,kindergarten at ,home4 ,e4 ,shirreff4 #ab-ad4 ,kindergarten ,culture4 ,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann4 #ee-ff4 ,paradise of ,childhood4 ,edward ,wiebe4 #aa-af4 ,law of ,childhood4 ,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann4 #ce-ch4 ,kindergarten ,guide4 ,j4 and ,b4 ,ronge4 #e-ac4 ,kindergarten ,guide4 ,kraus-,boelte4 #bg-dg4 ,koehler's ,kindergarten ,practice4 ,tr4 by ,mary ,gurney4 #bj-bc4 ,froebel and ,education by ,self-,activity4 ,h4 ,courthope ,bowen4 #adj-db4 ,kindergarten ,toys4 ,heinrich ,hoffmann4 #ag-bf4 ,conscious ,motherhood4 ,e4 ,marwedel4 #afe1 #aff4 ,the ,kindergarten4 ,h4 ,goldammer4 #di-gj4 ,,froebel',s ,,fourth ,,gift ,a new gift is demanded--a gift wherein the length1 breadth1 and thickness of a solid body shall be distinguished from each other by difference of size4 ,such a gift will open the child's eyes to the three dimensions of space1 and will serve also as a means of recognizing and interpreting the manifold forms and structures with which he is constantly brought in contact4 ,the inner difference1 intimated in the three perpendicular axes of the cube 7and the sphere71 now becomes externally visible and abiding in each of its building blocks as a difference of size4 ,,fr4 ,,froebel4 ,the fourth gift incites the child to consider things in their relations to space1 and to the forces of nature1 and in his play with the bricks he is constantly engaged in efforts to adapt himself to the laws of their nature1 while rendering them subservient to his ends4 ,w4 ,n4 ,,hailmann4 #a4 ,the fourth gift consists of a cube measuring two inches in each of its dimensions4 ,it is divided once vertically in its height1 and three times horizontally in its thickness1 giving eight parallelopipeds or bricks1 each two inches long1 one inch wide1 and one half inch thick4 #b4 ,like the third gift in form1 size1 material1 and use1 it is unlike it in division4 ,in the third gift the parts were like each other1 and like the whole1 in the fourth they are like each other1 but unlike the whole4 #c4 ,the most important characteristics of the gift are3-- a4 ,approximation to surface in the symmetrical forms4 b4 ,greater height and greater extension1 resulting in a greater possible inclosure of space4 c4 ,the illustration of two philosophical laws1 viz41 the law of ,equilibrium or ,balance1 and the law of ,transmitted ,motion or ,propagation of ,force4 #d4 ,progress is shown in this gift as follows3-- a4 ,in the difficulty of dictation and manipulation arising from the different character of the faces of the bricks1 and the many positions which each brick can assume4 b4 ,in the necessity of perfect balance4 c4 ,in a clearer illustration of dimension4 ,in the third gift the parts were equal in height1 breadth1 and thickness2 in the fourth they are unequal1 and therefore each dimension is emphasized4 ,as to progression1 the increase of difficulty suits the increase in the child's power of comprehension and receptivity4 ,he is being developed thus far1 not by rapid changes in material or greater exercise in number1 but by practice with differing forms1 each one bringing with it new knowledge and experience4 ,the organs of perception are being constantly made to grow by exercise with intention4 ,we are forming the scientific eye which can detect differences ever after at a glance4 #e4 ,the geometrical forms illustrated in this gift are3-- ,solids4 ,rectangular ,parallelopipeds4 ,square ,prisms4 ,planes4 ,oblongs4 ,squares4 #f4 ,the fourth gift presents contrasts of dimension and1 as to the area of its faces1 contrasts of size and their mediation4 99 99 99 99 99 ,what the ,child has gained from ,third ,gift4 ,the use of the third gift opened to the child quite a new world of experiences1 each one of which was pleasant and instructive1 combining all the delights of mental and physical activity1 imagination1 practical industry1 and coperation4 ,he has gained an idea1 distinct in proportion to the skill with which it has been placed before him1 of the cube as a solid body having surfaces1 corners1 and edges2 of a whole and its equal fractional parts2 of the power of combining those parts into new wholes2 and of the fact that form and size are two separate and distinct characteristics of objects4 ,he has also gained new dexterity4#dc ,his ten little fingers that seemed all thumbs as they arranged so carefully the clumsy little cubes of the ,low ,wall can now build the ,bunker ,hill ,monument with unerring skill1 and can even1 with the grave concentration that it demands1 drop the last difficult little block cornerwise into the top of the church window4 #dc ,a child trained for one year in a kindergarten would acquire a skillful use of his hands and a habit of accurate measurement of the eye which would be his possession through life4 7,w4 ,t4 ,harris47 ,the child has counted his cubes from one to eight until he knows them like the children of a family1 and can divide them into sets of two and four with equal ease4 ,these are the deeds4 ,as to the new words the little box of blocks has brought him1 their number is legion1 comprising many terms of direction and position1 names of tools and implements1 buildings and places4 ,truly if the kindergartner has been wise and faithful1 the child has gained wonders from this simple unassuming toy1 one which is almost too plain and rude to fix the momentary attention of a modern spoiled child1 though even he will grow to appreciate its treasures if rightly guided4 ,differences between ,third and ,fourth ,gifts4 ,and now we approach another cubical box1 containing the fourth gift1 and1 on opening it1 see that it presents resemblances between and differences when compared with that just left behind4 ,we notice at once the new method of division1 and in separating it find that the parts1 evidently in number the same as before1 are entirely novel in form1 though the whole was familiar in its aspect4 ,if the child is old enough to understand the process of comparison1 he will see that the parts of the two gifts have each six surfaces1 eight corners1 and twelve edges2 but that while edges and corners are alike1 the faces differ greatly on the new block1 which he will probably call the brick1 as it is a familiar form and name to him4 ,this process of comparison will be greatly facilitated if he models the two cubes in clay1 and divides them with string or wire1 the one into inch cubes1 the other into bricks4 ,dr4 ,seguin's ,objections to the ,cube as the ,primary ,figure in the ,kindergarten4 ,dr4 ,e4 ,seguin1 in his celebrated ,report on ,education1 says1 in regard to the use of the cube as the primary block or figure in the kindergarten3 ,had the kindergartners chosen it with their senses1 as it must speak to the senses of the child1 instead of with their mind1 they would certainly never have selected the cube1 a form in which similarity is everywhere1 difference nowhere1 a barren type incapable by itself of instigating the child to active comparison4 ,had they1 on the contrary1 from infantile reminiscences1 or from more philosophical indications1 selected a block of brick-form1 the child would soon have discovered and made use of the similarity of the straight lines1 and of the difference of the three dimensions4 ,for example3 ,put a cube on your desk and let a pupil put one on his2 you change the position of yours1 he1 accordingly1 of his4 ,if you renew these moves till both of you are tired1 they will not make any perceptible change in the aspect of the object4 ,the movement has been barren of any modification perceptible to the senses and appreciable to the mind4 ,there has been no lesson unless you have1 by words speaking to the mind1 succeeded in making the child comprehend the idea of a cube derived from its intrinsic properties2 a body with six equal sides and eight equal angles4 ,answers to these ,objections4 ,with all deference to ,dr4 ,seguin1 whose opinions and deductions are generally indisputable1 we cannot regard as unwise the choice of the cube as the primary figure in the gifts4 ,in the first place1 ,froebel1 having a sequence of forms in his mind1 undoubtedly wished to introduce1 early in that sequence1 the one which would best serve him as a foundation for further division and subdivision4 ,this need is1 beyond question1 better met in the cube than in the brick1 which would lend itself awkwardly to regular division4 ,secondly1 although there is in the cube similarity everywhere1 difference nowhere1 and therefore it might be called in truth a barren type1 incapable by itself of instigating the child to comparison and action1 we do not introduce it1 by itself1 but in contrast with the sphere and cylinder4 ,then1 when it appears again in the building gifts1 as the simplest and most easily handled form element1 the kindergartner has every opportunity to use it so that it may lead the child to comparison and action1 and to develop the slowly dawning sense of difference and agreement without which she well knows knowledge has not yet made the first step4 ,but1 if the cube is a form speaking little to the senses of a child1 and requiring description by words spoken to the mind1 it is evident that we should use great care in dealing with the second gift1 lest we run needlessly into abstractions1 and strive to give the child ideas of which he can have no comprehension4 ,value of the ,brick ,form4 ,the brick is a form rich in impressions1 for we find that every position in which it is placed gives the child a new perception1 and the union of these perceptions furnishes him with a complete idea of the object1 and of its possible uses in relation to its form4 ,dr4 ,seguin does not rate it too highly when he says3 ,what a spring of effective movements1 of perceptions and of ideas in the exercises with this form1 where analogy and difference1 incessantly noted by the touch and the view1 challenge the mind to comparison and judgment6 ,dimension4 ,the fourth gift contains all that the three former gifts showed1 and introduces differences of dimension and equilibrium only hinted at before4 ,it also1 as ,froebel says1 throws into relief the perception of size by showing similarity of size with dissimilarity of dimension and position4 ,as to dimension1 the child built the ,shot-tower with the third gift1 and knew that it was high1 the ,platform and that it was broad1 the ,well and that it was deep1 the ,wall and saw that it was thick1 etc41 so that he has a conception of height1 length1 breadth2 but in the fourth gift he is shown these dimensions in a single block4 ,he is thus led from the known to the unknown4#dd ,they are united and contrasted in one object1 and therefore emphasized4 #dd ,the three principal dimensions of space1 which in the cube only make themselves known as differences of position1 in the fourth gift become more prominent and manifest themselves as differences of size4 ,these three relations of size are in the fourth gift as abiding and changeless as the position of the three principal directions was before and still is4--,froebel's ,pedagogics1 page #ahi4 ,equilibrium4 ,as to the law of equilibrium1 it is very forcibly brought to the child's attention every time his forms fall to the table when constructed without due regard to its principles4 ,he soon sees its practical significance1 takes care to follow its manifest expression1 and to observe with more care the centre of gravity4 ,great liberties could be taken with the stolid little cubes and they seldom showed any resentment2 they quietly settled down into their places and resisted sturdily all the earthquake shocks which are apt to visit a kindergarten table during the building hour4 ,the bricks on the other hand have to be humored and treated with deference4 ,the moment one is placed upon another1 end to end1 the struggle begins1 and in any of the high ,life forms1 the utmost delicacy of touch is necessary as well as sure aim and steady hand4 ,here comes in1 too1 a necessity of calculation not before required4 ,the cubes could be placed on any side and always occupy the same space1 but the building with the bricks will vary according as they are placed on the broad1 the narrow1 or the short face4 ,they must also fit together and bear a certain relation to each other4 ,in the dictations it will be perceived that we now have to specify the position which the brick must take as well as the place which it is to occupy4 ,we designate the three faces of the brick as the broad face1 the narrow face1 and the short face or end4 ,fourth ,gift ,building4 ,the symmetrical forms are much more interesting than before and decidedly more artistic when viewed in comparison with the somewhat thick and clumsy designs made with the cubes4 ,the fourth gift forms cover more space1 approach nearer the surface1 and the bricks slide gracefully from one position to another1 and slip in and out of the different figures with a movement which seems like a swan's1 compared with the goose-step of the stubby little cubes4 ,it is a noteworthy fact that the buds1 as ,froebel calls them1 of all the fourth gift ,beauty forms were contained in those of the third gift1 and have here opened into fuller bloom4 ,the ,life forms are much more artistic now1 and begin to imitate a little more nearly the objects they are intended to represent4 ,we can make more extensive buildings also since we have an additional height or length of eight inches over that of the third gift1 and thus can cover double the amount of surface and inclose a much greater space4 ,in the first play with the gift1 the children's eyes1 so keen in seeing play possibilities1 quickly discover the value of the bricks in furniture-making1 and set to work at once on tables and chairs1 or bureaus and sofas and bedsteads4 ,they engage too in a lively contest with the law of equilibrium1 and experiment long and patiently until they comprehend its practical workings4 ,when they understand the fourth gift fairly well1 know the different faces and can handle the bricks with some dexterity1 the third gift should be added and the two used together4 ,they complement each other admirably1 and give variety and strength to the building1 whether forms of ,life1 ,beauty1 or ,knowledge are constructed4 ,froebel1 however1 is most emphatic in directing that each set of blocks should be given to the child in its own box1 opened so as to present a whole at the first glance1 and carefully rebuilt and packed away when the play is over4 ,the cubes and bricks should never be left jumbled together at the close of the exercise1 nor should they be kept in and returned to a common receptacle4 ,unimportant as these little rules may appear1 he says1 they are essential to the clear and definite development of the child1 to his orderly apprehension of external objects1 and to the logical unfolding of his own concepts and judgments4 ,the box of building blocks should be regarded by the child1 he concludes1 as a worthy1 an appreciated1 and a loved comrade4 ,the mathematical forms are constructed and applied in precisely the same manner as before4 ,the fourth gift1 however1 offers a far greater number of these than its predecessor1 while it is particularly adapted to show that objects identical in form and size may be produced in quite different ways4 ,throughout all these guided plays1 it should be remembered that time is always to be allowed the child for free invention1 that the kindergartner should talk to him about what he has produced so that his thought may be discovered to himself1#de and that in all possible ways ,group work should be encouraged in order that his own strength and attainments may be multiplied by that of his playfellows and swell the common stock of power4 ,froebel1 the great advocate of the ,together principle says1 ,isolation and exclusion destroy life2 union and participation create life4#df #de ,the child is allowed the greatest possible freedom of invention2 the experience of the adult only accompanies and explains4--,froebel's ,pedagogics1 page #acj4 #df ,pedagogics1 page #ahj4 ,it is perhaps needless to say that the philosophical laws which govern the outward manifestations of a moving force1 as equilibrium or self-propagating activity1 are for personal study1 and are never to be spoken of abstractly to the child1 but merely to be illustrated with simple explanations4 ,transmitted ,motion4 ,to show simply the law of transmitted motion1 for instance1 let the child place his eight bricks on end1 in a row1 one half inch apart1 with their broad faces toward each other4 ,then ask him to give the one at the right a very gentle push towards the others and see what will happen2 the result is probably as great a delight as you could reasonably wish to put within his reach4 ,when he asks1 ,what makes them do so8 as every thoughtful child is apt to do1 let us ask the class the same question and set them thinking about it4 ,which brick did it8 we may say familiarly1 and they will see it all in a moment1--where the force originated1 how it gave itself to the next brick in order1 that one in turn doing the same1 and so on4 ,this law of transmitted motion1 when so simply illustrated in the fourth gift1 easily suggests to the children the force of example1 and indeed every physical law seems to have its correlate in the moral world4 ,we may make the children see it very clearly through the seven poor1 weak little bricks that fell down because they were touched by the first one4 ,they really could not help it2 now1 how about seven little boys or girls8 ,they can help doing things1 can they not8 ,by such simple exercises and appropriate comments the children may be made to realize their moral free agency4 ,,readings ,,for ,,the ,,student4 ,kindergarten at ,home4 ,emily ,shirreff4 ,pages #eh-fa4 ,kindergarten ,culture4 ,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann4 #ff4 ,koehler's ,kindergarten ,practice4 ,tr4 by ,mary ,gurney4 #bc1 #bd4 ,kindergarten ,guide4 ,j4 and ,b4 ,ronge4 #ac-bd4 ,pedagogics of the ,kindergarten4 ,fr4 ,froebel4 #aff-ie4 ,paradise of ,childhood4 ,edward ,wiebe4 #ag-ai4 ,kindergarten ,guide4 ,kraus-,boelte4 #dg-ha4 ,froebel and ,education by ,self-,activity4 ,h4 ,courthope ,bowen4 #ada1 #adb4 ,kindergarten ,toys4 ,h4 ,hoffmann4 #bg-cj4 ,,froebel',s ,,fifth ,,gift ,the material for making forms increases by degrees1 progressing according to law1 as ,nature prescribes4 ,the simple wild rose existed before the double one was formed by careful culture4 ,children are too often overwhelmed with quantity and variety of material that makes formation impossible to them4 ,the demand of the new gift1 therefore1 is that the oblique line1 hitherto only transiently indicated1 shall become an abiding feature of its material4 ,in the forms made with the fifth gift there rules a living spirit of unity4 ,even members and directions which are apparently isolated are discovered to be related by significant connecting members and links1 and the whole shows itself in all its parts as one and living1--therefore1 also1 as a life-rousing1 life-nurturing1 and life-developing totality4 ,,fr4 ,,froebel4 #a4 ,the fifth gift is a three-inch cube1 which1 being divided equally twice in each dimension1 produces twenty-seven one-inch cubes4 ,three of these are divided into halves by one diagonal cut1 and three others into quarters by two diagonal cuts crossing each other1 making in all thirty-nine pieces1 twenty-one of which are whole cubes1 the same size as those of the third gift4 #b4 ,the fifth gift seems to be an extension of the third1 from which it differs in the following points3-- ,the third gift is a two-inch cube1 the fifth a three-inch cube2 the third is divided once in each dimension1 the fifth twice4 ,in the third all the parts are like each other and like the whole2 in the fourth1 they are like each other but unlike the whole2 and in the fifth they are not only for the most part unlike each other1 but eighteen of them are unlike the whole4 ,the third gift emphasized vertical and horizontal divisions producing entirely rectangular solids2 the fifth1 by introduction of the slanting line and triangular prism1 extends the element of form4 ,in the third gift1 the slanting direction was merely implied in a transitory way by the position of the blocks2 in the fifth it is definitely realized by their diagonal division4 ,in number1 the third gift emphasized two and multiples of two2 the fifth is related to the fourth in its advance in complexity of form and mathematical relations4 #c4 ,the most important characteristics of the gift are3 introduction of diagonal line and triangular form2 division into thirds1 ninths1 and twenty-sevenths2 illustration of the inclined plane and cube-root4 ,as a result of these combined characteristics1 it is specially adapted to the production of symmetrical forms4 ,it includes not only multiplicity1 but1 for the first time1 diversity of material4 #d4 ,the fifth gift realizes a higher unity through a greater variety than has been illustrated previously4 ,it corresponds with the child's increasing power of analysis2 it offers increased complexity to satisfy his growing powers of creation1 and less definitely suggestive material in order to keep pace with his developing individuality4 #e4 ,the geometrical forms illustrated in this gift are3-- ,cube4 ,rectangular ,parallelopiped4 ,square ,prism4 ,triangular ,prism4 ,solids4 ,rhomboidal ,prism4 ,trapezoidal ,prism4 ,pentagonal ,prism4 ,hexagonal ,prism4 ,heptagonal ,prism4 ,octagonal ,prism4 ,square4 ,oblong4 ,right ,isosceles ,triangle4 ,rhomboid4 ,planes4 ,trapezium4 ,trapezoid4 ,pentagon4 ,hexagon4 ,heptagon4 ,octagon4 #f4 ,the fifth gift shows the following contrasts and mediations3-- ,the diagonal line a connection between the horizontal and vertical2 the right angle as a connection between the obtuse angle 7largest7 and the acute angle 7smallest72 in size of parts the half cube standing between the whole and quarter cubes4 99 99 99 99 99 ,we have thus far been proceeding from unity to variety1 from the whole to its parts1 from the simple to the complex1 from easily constructed forms to those more difficult of manipulation and dictation1 until we have arrived at the fifth gift4 ,effect of the ,study of ,froebel's ,gifts on the ,kindergartner4 ,how instructive and delightful have we found this orderly procedure2 this development of great from little things2 this thoughtful association of new and practical ideas with all that is familiar to the child mind and heart4 ,every year the training teacher feels it anew herself1 and is sure of the growing interest and sympathy of her pupils4 ,many persons who fail to grasp the true meaning of the kindergarten seem to consider the balls and blocks and sticks with which we work most insignificant little objects2 but we think1 on the other hand1 that nothing in the universe is small or insignificant if viewed in its right connection and undertaken with earnestness and enthusiasm4 ,nothing in childhood is too slight for the notice1 too trivial for the sympathy of those on whom the ,father of all has bestowed the holy dignity of motherhood or teacherhood2 and to the kindergartner belongs the added dignity of approaching nearer the former than the latter1 for hers indeed is a sort of vice-motherhood4 ,we must always be impressed with the knowledge which we ourselves gain in studying these gifts and preparing the exercises with them4 ,in concentration of thought2 careful1 distinct1 precise1 and expressive language2 logical arrangement of ideas2 new love of order1 beauty1 symmetry1 fitness1 and proportion2 added ingenuity in adapting material to various uses1 sthetic and practical1--in all these ways every practical student of ,froebel must constantly feel a decided advance in ability4 ,then1 too1 the simple rudiments of geometry have been reviewed in a new light2 we have dealt with solid bodies and planes1 and studied them critically so that we might draw the child's attention to all points of resemblance or difference2 we have found some beautifully simple illustrations of familiar philosophical truths1 and1 best of all1 have simplified and crystallized our knowledge of the relations of numbers so that the child's impressions of them may be easily and clearly gained4 ,why we are required to study deeply and to know more than we teach4 ,we have been required to look at each gift in its broadest aspect1 and to observe it patiently and minutely in all its possibilities1 for the larger the amount of knowledge the kindergartner possesses1 the more free from error will be her practice4 ,unless we know more than we expect to teach1 we shall find that our lessons will be stiff1 formal affairs1 lacking variety1 elasticity1 and freshness1 and marred continually by lack of illustration and spontaneity4 ,lack of interest in the teacher is as fatal as lack of interest in the child2 in fact1 the one follows directly upon the heels of the other4 ,for this reason1 continued study is vitally necessary that new phases of truth may continually be seen4 ,above all other people the teacher should go through life with eyes and ears open4 ,unless she is constantly accumulating new information her mind will not only become like a stagnant pool1 but she will find out that what she possesses is gradually evaporating4 ,there is no state of equilibrium here2 she who does not progress retrogresses4 ,it should be a comparatively simple matter to gain enough knowledge for teaching1--the difficult thing is the art of imparting it4 ,said ,lord ,bacon1 ,the art of well delivering the knowledge we possess to others is among the secrets left to be discovered by future generations4 ,relation between ,gifts1 and their ,relation to the ,child's ,mental and ,moral ,growth4 ,these are a few of the technicalities which have been mastered up to this time by a faithful study of the gifts of ,froebel2 and yet they are only technicalities1 and do not include the half of what has been gained in ways more difficult to describe4 ,to clearly comprehend the gifts either individually or collectively we must clearly conceive their relation to and dependence on each other1 for it is only in this intimate connection that they gain importance or value4 ,if the kindergartner does not recognize the relationship which exists between them and their relation to the child's mental and moral growth1 she uses them with no power or intelligence4 ,we conceive nothing truly so long as we conceive it by itself2 the individual example must be referred to the universal law before we can rightly apprehend its significance1 and for a clear insight into anything whatsoever we must view it in relation to the class to which it belongs4 ,we can never really know the part unless we know the whole1 neither can we know the whole unless we know the part4 ,pleasure of ,child at ,new ,gift4 ,in the fifth gift1 which1 it may be said1 can commonly only be used with profit after the child has neared or attained his fifth year1 we find that we have not parted from our good old friend1 the cube1 that has taught us so many valuable lessons4 ,we always find contained in each gift a reminder of the previous one1 together with new elements which may have been implied before1 but not realized4 ,so1 therefore1 we have again the cube1 but greatly enlarged1 divided1 and diversified4 ,when the child sees for the first time even the larger box containing his new plaything1 he feels joyful anticipation1 surmising that as he has grown more careful and capable1 he has been entrusted with something of considerable importance4 ,if he has been allowed to use the third and fourth gifts together frequently1 he will not be embarrassed by the amount of material in the new object4 ,lest he be overwhelmed1 however1 by its variety as much as by its quantity1 it might be well before presenting the new material as a whole to allow the child to play with a third gift in which one cube cut in halves and one in quarters have been substituted for two whole cubes4 ,he will joyfully discover the new forms1 study them carefully1 and find out their distinctive peculiarities and their value in building4 ,when he has used them successfully once or twice1 and has learned how to place the triangular prisms to form the cube1 then the mass of new material as a whole can have no terrors for him4 ,how great is his pleasure when he withdraws the cover and finds indeed something full of immense possibilities2 he feels1 too1 a command of his faculties which leads him to regard the new materials1 not with doubt or misgiving1 but with a conscious power of comprehension4 ,its ,new ,features4 ,at the first glance the most striking characteristics are its greater size and greater number of divisions1 into thirds1 ninths1 and twenty-sevenths1 instead of halves1 quarters1 and eighths4 ,these divisions open a new field in number lessons1 while the introduction of the slanting line and triangular prism makes a decided advance in form and architectural possibilities4 ,importance of ,triangular ,form4 ,the triangle1 by the way1 is a valuable addition in building exercises1 for as a fundamental form in architecture it occurs very frequently in the formation of all familiar objects4 ,indeed1 the new form and its various uses in building constitute the most striking and valuable feature of the gift4 ,we find it an interesting fact that all the grand divisions of the earth's surface have a triangular form1 and that the larger islands assume this shape more or less4 ,the operation of dividing the earth's surface into greater and lesser triangles is used in making a trigonometrical survey and in ascertaining the length of a degree of latitude or longitude4 ,the triangle is also of great use in the various departments of mechanical work1 as will be noted hereafter in connection with the seventh gift4 ,difficulties of the ,fifth ,gift4 ,the difficulties of the fifth gift are only apparent1 for the well-trained child of the kindergarten sees more than any other1 and he will grasp the small complexities with wonderful ease1 smoothing out a path for himself while we are wondering how we shall make it plain to him4 ,effect of ,good ,training4 ,but here let us note that we can only succeed in attaining satisfactory results in kindergarten work by beginning intelligently and never discontinuing our patient watchfulness1 self-command1 and firmness of purpose1--firmness1 remember1 not stubbornness1 for it is a rare gift to be able to yield rightly and at the proper time4 ,if we help the little one too much in his first simple lessons or dictations2 if we supply the word he ought to give2 if1 to save time and produce a symmetrical effect1 we move a block here and there in weariness at some child's apparent stupidity1 we shall never fail to reap the natural results4 ,the effect of a rational conscientious and consistent behavior to the child in all our dealings with him is very great1 and every little slip from the loving yet firm and straightforward course brings its immediate fruit4 ,the perfectly developed child welcomes each new difficulty and invites it2 the imperfectly trained pupil shrinks in half-terror and helplessness1 feeling no hope of becoming master of these strange new impressions4 ,arrangement of ,pieces4 ,to return to the specific consideration of the gift1 there must be a plan of arranging the various pieces which go to make up the whole cube4 ,we have now for the first time the slanting line1 the mediation of the two opposites1 vertical and horizontal1 and by this three of the small cubes are divided into halves and three into quarters4 ,it is advisable1 when building the cube1 to place nine whole cubes in each of the two lower layers1 keeping all the divided cubes in the upper or third layer1 halves in the middle row1 quarters at the back4 ,then we may slide the box gently over the cube as in the third and fourth gifts1 which enables us to have the blocks separated properly when taken out again1 and forms the only expedient way of handling the pieces4#dg #dg ,this procedure is by no means intended merely to make the withdrawal of the box easy for the child1 but1 on the contrary1 brings to him much inner profit4 ,it is well for him to receive his playthings in an orderly manner--not to have them tossed to him as fodder is tossed to animals4 ,it is good for the child to begin his play with the perception of a whole1 a simple self-contained unit1 and from this unity to develop his representations4 ,finally1 it is essential that the playing child should receive his material so arranged that its various elements are discernible1 and that by seeing them his mind may unconsciously form plans for using them4 ,receiving his material thus arranged1 the child will use it with ever-recurrent and increasing satisfaction1 and his play will produce far more abiding results than the play of one whose material lies before him like a heap of cobblestones4--,froebel's ,pedagogics1 page #bje4 ,the exercises with this gift are like those which have preceded it4 ,exercises of the ,gift #a4 ,informal questions by the kindergartner and answers by the children1 on its introduction1 that it may be well understood4 ,this should be made entirely conversational1 familiar1 and playful1 but a logical plan of development should be kept in mind4 ,a consideration of the various pieces of the gift may occupy a part of each building or number lesson4 #b4 ,dictation1 building by suggestion1 and cooperative plays in the various forms4 ,with all except advanced children the ,life forms are most useful and desirable4#dh #dh ,the child1 in a word1 follows the same path as the man1 and advances from use to beauty and from beauty to truth4--,froebel's ,pedagogics1 page #bai4 #c4 ,free invention with each lesson4 #d4 ,number and form lessons4 ,in number there will of course be some repetition of what has been done before1 but a sufficient amount of new presentation to awaken interest4 ,it is only by constant review and repetition that we can assist children to remember these things and to receive them among their natural experiences1 and fortunately the habit of repetition in childhood is a natural one1 and therefore seldom irksome4 ,errors in ,form ,teaching4 ,as to the form lessons1 we must remember that our method has nothing to do with scientific geometry1 but is based entirely on inspection and practice4 ,it lays the foundation of instruction in drawing1 and forms an admirable preparation for different trades1 as carpentry1 cabinet-making1 masonry1 lock-smithing1 pattern-making1 etc4 ,even in the primary schools1 and how much more in the kindergarten1 the form or geometrical work should be essentially practical and given by inspection4 ,even there all scientific demonstration should be prohibited1 and the teacher should be sparing in definitions4 ,it is enough if the children recognize the forms by their special characteristics and by perceiving their relations1 and can reproduce the solids in modeling1 and the planes and outlines in tablets1 sticks1 rings1 slats1 drawing1 and sewing4#di #di ,the ,conference recommends that the child's geometrical education should begin as early as possible2 in the kindergarten1 if he attends a kindergarten1 or if not1 in the primary school4 ,he should at first gain familiarity through the senses with simple geometrical figures and forms1 plane and solid2 should handle1 draw1 measure1 and model them2 and should gradually learn some of their simpler properties and relations4--,report of ,committee of ,ten1 page #aaj4 ,,life ,,forms4 ,we can now be quite methodical and workman-like in our building1 and can learn to use all the parts economically and according to principle4 ,we can discuss ground plans1 cellars1 foundations1 basements1 roofs1 eaves1 chimneys1 entrances1 and windows1 and thus can make almost habitable dwellings and miniature models of larger objects4#ej #ej ,the child's life moves from the house and its living-rooms1 through kitchen and cellar1 through yard and garden1 to the wider space and activity of street and market1 and this expansion of life is clearly reflected in the order and development of his productions4--,froebel's ,pedagogics1 page #bba4 ,the child is a real carpenter now1 and innocently happy in his labor4 ,who can doubt that in these cheerful daily avocations he becomes in love with industry and perseverance1 and as character is nothing but crystallized habit1 he gets a decided bias in these directions which affects him for many a year afterward4#ea #ea ,in some ,german kindergartens large building-logs are supplied in one corner of the play garden4 ,these logs are a foot or more in length1 three inches wide1 and one inch thick4 ,several hundred of these are kept neatly piled against the fence1 and the children are expected to leave them in good order4 ,this bit of voluntary discipline has its good uses on the playground1 and the free building allowed with this larger material gives rise to individual effort1 and tests the power of the children in a way which makes the later1 more organized work at the tables far more full of meaning4--,kindergarten ,magazine1 ,november1 #ahid4 ,objects which he meets in his daily walks are to be constructed1 and also objects with which he is not so familiar1#eb so that by pleasant conversation the realm of his knowledge may be extended1 and the sphere of his affections and fancies enlarged2 for these exercises when properly conducted address equally head1 heart1 and hand4 #eb ,as these building gifts afford a means of clearing the perceptions of the child1 they give occasion for extending these perceptions1 and for representing in their essential parts objects of which the child has only heard4--,froebel's ,pedagogics1 page #bbb4 ,froebel says of all this building1 ,it is essential to proceed from the cube as a whole4 ,in this way the conception of the whole1 of uniting1 stamps itself upon the child's mind1 and the evolution of the particular1 partial1 and manifold from unity is illustrated4 ,group ,work4 ,our opportunities for group work1 or united building1 are greatly extended1 and none of them should be neglected1 as it is essential to inculcate thus early the value of coperation4 ,we have material enough to call into being many different things on the children's tables2 the house where they live1 the church they see on ,sunday1 the factory where their fathers or brothers work1 the schoolhouse1 the ,city ,hall1 the public fountain1 the stable1 and the shops4 ,thus we may create an entire village with united effort1 and systematic1 harmonious action4 ,each object may be brought into intimate relation with the others by telling a story in which every form is introduced4 ,this always increases the interest of the class1 and the story itself seems to be more distinctly remembered by the child when brought into connection with what he has himself constructed4 ,the third gift may be used with the fifth if we wish to increase the number of blocks for coperative work1 and is particularly adapted to the laying of foundations for large buildings in the sand-table4 ,a large fifth gift1 constructed on the scale of a foot instead of an inch1 is very useful for united building4 ,one child or the kindergartner may be the architect of the monument or other large form which is to be erected in the centre of the circle4 ,the various children then bring the whole cubes1 the halves1 and quarters1 and lay them in their appropriate places1 and the erection when complete is the work of every member of the community4 ,,symmetrical ,,forms4 ,these are in number and variety almost endless1 as we have thirty-nine pieces of different characters4 ,edward ,wiebe says3 ,he who is not a stranger in mathematics knows that the number of combinations and permutations of thirty-nine different bodies cannot be counted by hundreds nor expressed by thousands1 but that millions hardly suffice to exhaust all possible combinations4 ,these forms naturally separate themselves1 ,froebel says1 into two distinct series1 i4 e41 the series of squares and the series of triangles1 and move from these to the circle as the conclusion of the whole series of representations4 ,from these forms approximating to the circle there is an easy transition to the representation of the different kinds of cog-wheels1 and hence to a crude preliminary idea of mechanics4 ,if the movements begin with the exterior part of the figure instead of the interior1 we should make all the changes we wish in that direction before touching the centre1 and vice versa4 ,each definite beginning conditions a certain process of its own1 and however much liberty in regard to changes may be allowed1 they are always to be introduced within certain limits4#ec ,we should leave ample room for the child's own powers of creation1 but never disregard ,froebel's principle of connection of opposites2 this alone will furnish him with the inward guide which he needs4#ed ,it is only by becoming accustomed to a logical mode of action that the child can use this amount of material to good advantage4 #ec ,with these forms of beauty it is above all important that they be developed one from another4 ,each form in the series should be a modification or transformation of its predecessor4 ,no form should be entirely destroyed4 ,it is also essential that the series should be developed so that each step should show either an evolution into greater manifoldness and variety1 or a return to greater simplicity4--,froebel's ,pedagogics1 page #bbe4 #ed ,this free activity 444 is only possible when the law of free creativeness is known and applied2 for that a free creativeness only can be a lawful one1 we are taught by the smallest blade of grass1 whose development takes place only according to immutable laws4--,reminiscences of ,froebel1 page #acc4 ,dangers of ,dictation4 ,the dictations should be made with great care and simplicity4 ,the child's mind must never be forced if it shows weariness1 nor the more difficult lessons given in too noisy a room1 as the nervous strain is very great under such circumstances4 ,we should remember that great concentration is needed for a young child to follow these dictations1 and we must be exceedingly careful in enforcing that strict attention for too long a time4 ,a well-known specialist says that such exercises should not be allowed at first to take up more than a minute or two at a time2 then1 that their duration should gradually extend to five and ten minutes4 ,the length of time which children closely and voluntarily attend to an exercise is as follows3 ,children from five to seven years1 about fifteen minutes2 from seven to ten years1 twenty minutes2 from twelve to eighteen years1 thirty minutes4 ,a magnetic teacher can obtain attention somewhat longer1 but it will always be at the expense of the succeeding lesson4 ,by teachers of high pretensions1 lessons are often carried on greatly and grievously in excess of the proper limits2 but when the results are examined they show that after a certain time has been exceeded1 everything forced upon the brain only tends to drive out or to confuse what has been previously stored in it4 ,we find1 of course1 that the mind can sustain more labor for a longer time when all the faculties are employed than when a single faculty is exerted1 but the ambitious teacher needs to remind herself every day that no error is more fatal than to overwork the brain of a young child4 ,other errors may perhaps be corrected1 but the effects of this end only with life4 ,to force upon him knowledge which is too advanced for his present comprehension1 or to demand from him greater concentration1 and for a longer period than he is physically fitted to give1 is to produce arrested development4#ee #ee ,whoever sacrifices health to wisdom has generally sacrificed wisdom1 too4 7,jean ,paul47 ,,mathematical ,,forms4 ,we must beware of abstractions in these forms of knowledge1 and let the child see and build for himself1 then lead him to express in numbers what he has seen and built4 ,he will not call it ,arithmetic1 nor be troubled with any visions of mathematics as an abstract science4#ef #ef ,perceptions and recognitions which are with difficulty gained from words are easily gained from facts and deeds4 ,through actual experience the child gains in a trice a total concept1 whereas the same concept expressed in words would be only grasped in a partial manner4 ,the rare merit1 the vivifying influence of this play-material is that1 through the representations it makes possible1 concepts are recognized at once in their wholeness and unity1 whereas such an idea of a whole can only very gradually be gained from its verbal expression4 ,it must1 however1 be added that later1 through words1 the concept can be brought into higher and clearer consciousness4--,froebel's ,pedagogics1 page #bjf4 ,the cube may be divided into thirds1 ninths1 and twenty-sevenths1 and the fact thus practically shown that whether the thirds are in one form or another1 in long lines or squares1 upright or flat1 the contents remain the same4 ,we may also illustrate by building1 that like forms may be produced which shall have different contents1 or different forms having the same contents4 ,halves and quarters may be discussed and fully illustrated1 and addition1 subtraction1 multiplication1 and division may be continued as fully as the comprehension of the child will allow4 ,during the practice with the forms of knowledge we should frequently illustrate the lawful evolution of one form from another1 as in the series moving from the parallelopiped to the hexagonal prism4 ,it should not be forgotten that whenever the cube is separated and divided1 recombination should follow1 and that the gift plays should always close with synthetic processes4 ,some of the mathematical truths shown in the fifth gift were also seen in the third1 but repeated experiences1 as ,froebel says1 are of great profit to the child4#eg ,we should allow no memorizing in any of these exercises or meaningless and sing-song repetitions of words4 ,we must always talk enough to make the lesson a living one1 but not too much1 lest the child be deprived of the use of his own thoughts and abilities4 #eg ,it is through frequent return to a subject and intense activity upon it for short periods1 that it 'soaks in' and becomes influential in the building of character4 ,especially is this true if the principles of apperception and concentration are not forgotten by the teacher in working upon the disciplinary subjects4 7,geo4 ,p4 ,brown47 ,,the ,,fifth ,,gift ,b4 ,there is a supplemental box of blocks called in ,germany the fifth gift ,b1 which may be regarded as a combination of the second and fifth gifts1 and whose place in the regular line of material is between the fifth and sixth4 ,it was brought out in ,berlin more than thirteen years ago1 but has not so far been used to any extent in this country4 ,it is a three-inch wooden cube divided into twelve one-inch cubes1 eight additional cubes from each of which one corner is removed and which correspond in size to a quarter of a cylinder1 six one-inch cylinders divided in halves1 and three one-inch cubes divided diagonally into quarters like those of the fifth gift4 ,hermann ,goldammer argues its necessity in his book ,the ,gifts of the ,kindergarten 7,berlin1 #ahhb71 when he says that the curved line has been kept too much in the background by kindergartners1 and that the new blocks will enable children to construct forms derived from the sphere and cylinder1 as well as from the cube4 ,goldammer's remark in regard to the curved line is undoubtedly true1 but it would seem that he himself indicates that the place of the new blocks 7or of some gift containing curved lines7 should be supplemental to the third1 rather than the fifth1 as they would there carry out more strictly the logical order of development and amplify the suggestions of the sphere1 cube1 and cylinder4 ,it is possible that we need a third gift ,b and a fourth gift ,b1 as well as some modifications of the one already existing1 all of which should include forms dealing with the curve4 ,goldammer says further3 ,in ,froebel's building boxes there are two series of development intended to render a child by his own researches and personal activity familiar with the general properties of solid bodies and the special properties of the cube and forms derived from it4 ,these two series hitherto had the sixth gift as their last stage1 although ,froebel himself wished to see them continued by two new boxes4 ,he never constructed them1 however1 nor are the indications which he has left us with regard to those intended additions sufficiently clear to be followed by others4 ,the curved forms of the fifth gift ,b are1 of course1 of marked advantage in building1 especially in constructing entrances1 wells1 vestibules1 rose-windows1 covered bridges1 railroad stations1 viaducts1 steam and horse cars1 house-boats1 fountains1 lighthouses1 as well as familiar household furniture1 such as pianos1 tall clocks1 bookshelves1 cradles1 etc4 ,though one may perhaps consider the fifth gift ,b as not entirely well placed in point of sequence1 and needing some modification of its present form1 yet no one can fail to enjoy its practical use1 or to recognize the validity of the arguments for its introduction4 ,,readings ,,for ,,the ,,student4 ,paradise of ,childhood4 ,edward ,wiebe4 ,pages #ba-bg4 ,kindergarten ,guide4 ,j4 and ,b4 ,ronge4 #bd-bi4 ,kindergarten ,guide4 ,kraus-,boelte4 #ha-aac4 ,koehler's ,kindergarten ,practice4 ,tr4 by ,mary ,gurney4 #be-ca4 ,froebel and ,education by ,self-,activity4 ,h4 ,courthope ,bowen4 #adb1 #adc4 ,pedagogics of the ,kindergarten4 ,fr4 ,froebel4 #bja-bcf4 ,art and the ,formation of ,taste4 ,walter ,crane4 #aeb1 #aig-bdb4 ,seven ,lamps of ,architecture4 ,john ,ruskin4 ,the ,kindergarten4 ,h4 ,goldammer4 #he-ajd1 #aaa-aaf4 ,kindergarten ,toys4 ,h4 ,hoffmann4 #ca-cf4 ,,froebel',s ,,sixth ,,gift ,the artistically cultivated senses of the new generation will again restore pure1 holy art4 ,,friedrich ,,froebel4 ,life brings to each his task1 and whatever art you select1 algebra1 planting1 architecture1 poems1 commerce1 politics1--all are attainable1 even to the miraculous triumphs1 on the same terms1 of selecting that for which you are apt2 begin at the beginning1 proceed in order1 step by step4 ,r4 ,w4 ,,emerson4 ,the sixth gift reveals the value of axial contrasts4 ,w4 ,n4 ,,hailmann4 #a4 ,the sixth gift is a three-inch cube divided by various cuts into thirty-six pieces1 eighteen of which are rectangular parallelopipeds1 or bricks1 the same size as those of the fourth gift1 two inches long1 one inch wide1 and one half inch thick4 ,twelve additional pieces are formed by cutting six of these parallelopipeds or units of measure in halves breadthwise1 giving blocks with two square and four oblong faces4 ,the remaining six pieces are formed by cutting three parallelopipeds or units of measure in halves1 lengthwise1 giving square prisms1 columns1 or pillars4 #b4 ,the sixth is the last of the solid gifts1 and is an extension of the fourth1 from which it differs in size and number of parts4 ,it deals with multiples of the number two and three also2 with halves rather than with quarters or thirds1 the half being treated in a new manner1 i4 e41 by dividing the unit of measure both in its length and breadth1 giving two solids1 different in form but alike in cubical contents4 #c4 ,the most important characteristics of the gift are3-- a4 ,irregularity of division4 b4 ,introduction of column4 c4 ,extent of surface covered by symmetrical forms4 d4 ,greater inclosure of space in symmetrical forms4 e4 ,introduction of distinct style of architecture4 f4 ,greater height of ,life forms4 g4 ,severe simplicity of ,life forms produced by the rectangular solids4 #d4 ,the sixth gift has no great increase of difficulty1 and though new forms are presented there is little complexity in dictation4 ,the building needs a somewhat more careful handling1 inasmuch as the ,life forms rise to considerable height and need the most exact balance4 ,the child sees solids whose faces are all either squares or oblongs1 but of different sizes1 viz41 oblongs of three sizes1 squares of two sizes4 ,this is the last of the ,building ,gifts2 the child having received sufficient knowledge to be introduced step by step into the domain of the abstract1 the first step being the planes of the seventh gift4 #e4 ,the geometrical forms illustrated in this gift are3-- ,rectangular parallelopipeds4 ,solids4 ,square prisms4 ,cubes4 ,planes4 ,squares4 ,oblongs4 #f4 ,the brick of the sixth gift is identical with that of the fourth1 therefore it presents the same contrasts and mediations4 ,in number the different classes of blocks stand to each other as #f3ab3ah4 ,we may add that the brick is the foundation form of the gift1 and that we gain the remaining two forms1 the square block and pillar1 by dividing it in exactly opposite directions4 99 99 99 99 99 ,introduction of the ,gift4 ,the sixth gift is so evidently an enlarged and diversified fourth gift1 that it is well to compare it on its introduction with the fourth1 as well as with its immediate predecessor in the series4 ,when the fourth is placed beside it1 and the contents of the two boxes brought to view1 it is evident at once to the child that a higher round in the ladder of evolution has been reached1 and a new and highly specialized form developed4 ,he is fired at once with creative activity1 and his eager hands so quiver with impatience to investigate the possibilities of the new blocks that the wise kindergartner does not detain him long with comparisons1 only assuring herself that he notes the relation of the new gift to the former ones1 that he compares the two new solids to the brick1 or unit of measure1 and to each other1 and discovers how each has been produced4 ,difficulties of the ,new ,gift4 ,the difficulties of the new gift are very slight1 as has been said1 consisting neither in dictation1 in mass of material1 nor in new forms1 lines1 or angles4 ,equilibrium alone presents novel problems1 but this law the child now understands fairly well in its practical workings1 while he has gained so much dexterity in his use of the other blocks that the height and delicate poise of the new forms are added attractions rather than obstacles4 ,forms of ,life4 ,the sixth gift far surpasses all the other building blocks in its decided adaptation to the purely architectural forms4 ,the bricks of the fourth gift may be used as a foundation for the construction of large and ambitious structures1 and with this additional material1 the sixth gift may excel in producing elegant and graceful forms4 ,the bricks of course admit of a much greater superficial extension and the inclosure of a more extensive space than has heretofore been possible4 ,the children will unaided construct familiar objects1 such as household furniture and implements1 churches1 fences1 walled inclosures1 and towers1 with the new blocks1 and seize with delight upon the possibilities of the column1 which is really the distinctive feature of the gift4 ,so far1 the building of object forms will closely resemble those of the previous gifts1 but a step in advance may be made by the children if the kindergartner is complete mistress of the new forms and knows their capabilities4 ,the gift may serve as a primer of architecture if its materials are thoroughly exploited1 and may lead later on to a healthy discontent with incorrect outline1 with vulgar ornamentation1 and with crudity of form4#eh #eh ,the sense of beauty must be awakened in the soul in childhood if in later life he is to create the beautiful4--,reminiscences of ,froebel1 page #aeh4 ,froebel himself1 who had made exhaustive studies in architecture1 and obtained the training necessary to enable him to take it up as a profession1 has left us many examples of sixth gift building1 which are to be found in all the ,german ,guides4 ,the structures are no longer rude representations1 but have a marked grace and symmetry1 and in their simplicity1 clearness of outline1 and fine proportion1 strongly resemble early ,greek architecture4 ,colonnades1 commemorative columns1 faades of palaces1 belvederes1 temples1 arches1 city gates1 monuments1 fountains1 portals1 fonts1 observatories1--all can be constructed in miniature with due regard to law1 fitness1 and proportion1 and as the soft1 creamy-white structures rise on the various tables1 we see borne out ,froebel's saying that the order of his ,building ,gifts was such that the child might be led in their use through the world's great architectural epochs from ,egypt to ,rome4#ei #ei ,as the gifts proceed from the first to the sixth1 observation is demanded with increasing strictness1 relativity more and more appreciated1 and the opportunity afforded for endless manifestations of the constructive faculty1 while all the time impressions are forming in the mind which in due time will bear rich fruits of mathematical and practical knowledge as well as sthetic culture1 for the dawning sense of the beautiful as well as of the true is gaining consistency and power4 7,karl ,froebel47 ,forms of ,symmetry4 ,although with this gift we cannot produce symmetrical forms in as great diversity as with the fifth1 yet the materials are productive to the inventive mind1 and when the pieces are arranged with care and taste1 beautiful figures may always be developed1 those having a triangular centre being novel and especially pleasing4 ,although not as diversified1 however1 they have the added advantage of approaching nearer the plane2 and that this progression may be more clearly shown1 it seems evident that the symmetrical forms should only be produced by laying the columns1 square-faced blocks and bricks1 flat upon the table1 and that the practice1 advised by some authorities1 of changing the figures by placing the blocks erect1 or half erect1 should be discouraged4 ,forms of ,knowledge4 ,in the forms of knowledge we find again much less diversity than in the fifth gift1--the rectilinear solids and consequent absence of oblique angles limiting us in the construction of geometrical forms4 ,the blocks1 however1 offer excellent means for general arithmetical instruction1 for working out problems as to areas1 for further illustration of dimension1 and for building many varieties of parallelopipeds1 square prisms1 and cubes1 and studying the parallelograms which bound them4 ,the elements of this knowledge1 it is true1 were gained with the fourth gift1 but we must remember that interest in any subject is not necessarily decreased by repetition1 and that the value of review depends upon whether or not it is mechanical4#fj #fj ,what makes ,froebel's gifts particularly instructive is1 indeed1 the fact that the most varied materials constantly lead to the same observations1 but always under different conditions1 so that we obtain the necessary repetitions without the dryness1 the tiresomeness1 the fatigue inseparable from constant unvaried iteration4 ,but they also accustom the child to discover similarity in things that appear to differ1 to find resemblance in contrasts1 unity in diversity1 connection in what appears unconnected4--,h4 ,goldammer's ,the ,kindergarten1 page #aji4 ,coperative ,work4 ,the group work at the square tables is now especially beautiful1 both when forms of symmetry or object forms are constructed4 ,the fourth gift may be used1 as has been said1 if more material is needed1 and of course combines perfectly with the sixth gift blocks4 ,a large sixth gift made as was suggested for the fifth1 on the scale of a foot instead of an inch1 is most useful for coperative exercises in the centre of the ring1 and the slender1 graceful columns1 for instance1 which may thus be built in unison to commemorate some historic birthday1 are so many concrete evidences to the child's eyes of the value of united effort4 ,the ,gifts and their ,treatment by the ,kindergartner4 ,every gift and occupation and exercise of the kindergarten has been developed with infinite love and forethought to meet the child's wishes and capabilities2 every one of them has been so delicately adjusted to meet the demands of the case1 and so gently drawn into the natural and legitimate channel of childlike play1 that they never fail to meet with an enthusiastic reception from the child1 nor to awaken the strongest interest in him4 ,the kindergartner should be careful that he never builds hastily or lawlessly1 and above all she should guide him to those forms which he will be able to construct with perfection and accuracy4 ,she should always follow him in his work1 answering his questions and suggesting new ideas1 letting him feel in every way that she is in sympathy with him1 and that none of his plans or experiments1 however small they may be1 are indifferent to her4 ,it is always a delight to the child if his productions are understood by grown-up people1 for he often feels somewhat doubtful of the value of his work until the seal of approval has been set upon it by a superior mind4 ,underlying ,idea of ,froebel's ,gifts4 ,if we have grasped the underlying idea which welds the mass of material which forms the kindergarten gifts into a harmoniously connected whole2 if we have developed the analytical faculty sufficiently to perceive their relation to the child1 the child's relation to them1 and the reasons for their selection as mediums of education2 if we see clearly why each object is given1 what connection it has with the child's development1 and what natural laws should govern it in play1 then we comprehend ,froebel's own idea of their use4 ,education vs4 ,cramming4 ,certainly the ignorant and unsympathetic kindergartner may err in dealing with them1 and introduce the cramming process into her field of labor as easily as the public school teacher1 for it is as easy to cram with objects as with books1 and should this occur there is cause for grave uneasiness1 since the opportunity for injuring the brain of the child is greater during these first years than at any other time4 ,if we force the child1 or make the lesson seem work to him1 his faculties will rebel1 he will be dull1 inattentive1 or restless1 according to his temperament or physical state2 he will not be interested in what we teach him1 and therefore it will make no impression on him4 ,the child has memory enough2 he remembers the picnic in the woods1 the glorious sail across the bay1 the white foam in the wake of the boat1 the very tint of the flowers that he gathered1--in fact1 he remembers everything in which he is interested4 ,if we would have him remember our teachings forever1 we must make them worthy of being remembered forever4 ,and to this end it is essential that only the best teachers be provided for little children4 ,the ideal teacher should know her subject thoroughly1 but should be able to boil it down1 to condense it1 so that the concentrated extract alone will remain1 and this be presented to her pupils4#fa #fa ,if you would be pungent1 be brief2 for it is with words as with sunbeams1--the more they are condensed the deeper they burn4 ,in leaving these first six gifts1 we need finally to remember these things3-- ,suggestions as to ,method4 ,first1 that we must not be too anxious to resolve these plays into the routine of lessons2 with our younger pupils especially this is not admissible1 and we must guard against it in all exercises with the kindergarten materials4 ,second1 we may assure ourselves1 in all modesty1 that it is a difficult matter1 indeed1 to direct these plays properly2 that is1 to have system and method enough to guard the children from all lawlessness1 idleness1 and disorder1 and yet to keep from falling into a mechanical drill which will never produce the wished-for results4 ,play is the natural1 the appropriate business and occupation of the child left to his own resources1 and we must strive to turn our lessons into that channel1--only thus shall we reach the highest measure of true success4 ,third1 we must strive by constant study and thought1 by entering into the innermost chambers of the child-nature1 and estimating its cravings and necessities1 to penetrate the secret1 the soul of the ,froebel gifts1 then we shall never more be satisfied with their external appearances and superficial uses4 ,,note4 ,in arranging the blocks of the sixth gift1 place the eighteen bricks erect1 in three rows1 with their broad faces together4 ,on top of these place nine of the square-faced blocks1 thus forming a second layer4 ,the third layer is formed by placing the remaining three blocks of this class on the back row1 and filling in the space in front with the six pillars1 placed side by side4 ,,readings ,,for ,,the ,,student4 ,paradise of ,childhood4 ,edward ,wiebe4 ,pages #bg-bi4 ,kindergarten ,guide4 ,j4 and ,b4 ,ronge4 #bj-ca4 ,kindergarten ,guide4 ,kraus-,boelte4 #aac-ade4 ,koehler's ,kindergarten ,practice4 ,tr4 by ,mary ,gurney4 #ca1 #cb4 ,the ,kindergarten4 ,h4 ,goldammer4 #aje-aaj4 ,stones of ,venice4 ,john ,ruskin4 ,architecture1 ,mysticism1 and ,myth4 ,w4 ,k4 ,lethaby4 ,the ,sources of ,architectural ,types4 ,spencer's ,essays1 vol4 ii4 page #cge4 ,the ,two ,paths4 ,john ,ruskin4 7,chapter on ,influence of ,imagination in ,architecture47 ,discourses on ,architecture4 ,e4 ,e4 ,viollet-le-,duc4 ,tr4 by ,henry ,van ,brunt4 7,first and ,second ,discourses47 ,,froebel',s ,,seventh ,,gift ,the properties of number1 form1 and size1 the knowledge of space1 the nature of powers1 the effects of material1 begin to disclose themselves to him4 ,color1 rhythm1 tone1 and figure come forward at the budding-point and in their individual value4 ,the child begins already to distinguish with precision nature and the world of art1 and looks with certainty upon the outer world as separate from himself4 ,,friedrich ,,froebel4 ,froebel's thin colored planes correspond with the mosaic wood or stone work of early man4 ,h4 ,,poesche4 ,there is nothing in the whole present system of education more deserving of serious consideration than the sudden and violent transition from the material to the abstract which our children have to go through on quitting the parental house to enter a school4 ,froebel therefore made it a point to bridge over this transition by a whole series of play-material1 and in this series it is the laying-tablets which occupy the first place4 ,h4 ,,goldammer4 #a4 ,the seventh gift consists of variously colored square and triangular tablets made of wood or pasteboard1 the sides of the pieces being about one inch in length4 ,circular and oblong pasteboard tablets have lately been introduced1 as well as whole and half circles in polished woods4 #b4 ,the first six gifts illustrated solids1 while the seventh1 moving from the concrete towards the abstract1 makes the transition to the surface4 ,the ,building ,gifts presented to the child divided units1 from which he constructed new wholes4 ,through these he became familiar with the idea of a whole and parts1 and was prepared for the seventh gift1 which offers him not an object to transform1 but independent elements to be combined into varied forms4 ,these divided solids also offered the child a certain fixed amount of material for his use2 after the introduction of the seventh gift1 the amount to be used is optional with the kindergartner4 #c4 ,the child up to this time has seen the surface in connection with solids4 ,he now receives the embodied surface separated from the solid1 and gradually abstracts the general idea of surface1 learning to regard it not only as a part1 but as an individual whole4 ,this gift also emphasizes color and the various triangular forms1 besides imparting the idea of pictorial representation1 or the representation of objects by means of plane surfaces4 #d4 ,the gift leads the child from the object itself towards the representation of the object1 thus sharpening the observation and preparing the way for drawing4 ,it is also less definitely suggestive than previous gifts1 and demands more creative power for its proper use4 ,it appeals to the sense of form1 sense of place1 sense of color1 and sense of number4 #e4 ,the geometrical forms illustrated in this gift are3-- ,squares4 ,right isosceles4 ,obtuse isosceles4 ,triangles4 ,equilateral4 ,right-angled scalene4 ,oblong4 ,rhombus4 ,rhomboid4 ,trapezoid4 ,in combination4 ,trapezium4 ,pentagon4 ,hexagon4 ,heptagon4 ,octagon4 #f4 ,the law of ,mediation of ,contrasts is shown in the forms of the gift4 ,we have in the triangles1 for instance1 two lines running in opposite directions1 connected by a third1 which serves as the mediation4 ,contrasts and their mediations are also shown in the squares and in the forms made by combination4 ,this gift1 representing the plane1 is a link between the divided solid and the line4 99 99 99 99 99 ,step from ,solid to ,plane4 ,we have now left the solid and are approaching abstraction when we begin the study of planes4 ,all mental development has ever begun and must begin with the concrete1 and progress by successive stages toward the abstract1 and it was ,froebel's idea that his play-material might be used to form a series of steps up which the child might climb in his journey toward the abstract4 ,beginning with the ball1 a perfect type of wholeness and unity1 we are led through diversity1 as shown in the three solids of the second gift1 toward divisibility in the ,building ,gifts1 and approximation to surface in the sixth gift4 ,the next move in advance is the partial abstraction of surface1 shown in the tablets of the seventh gift4 ,the tablets show two dimensions1 length and breadth1 the thickness being so trifling relatively that it need not be considered1 as it does not mar the child's perception and idea of the plane4 ,they are intended to represent surfaces1 and should be made as thin as is consistent with durability4 ,systematic ,relation between the ,tablets4 ,the various tablets as first introduced in ,germany and in this country were commonly quite different in size and degrees of angles in the different kindergartens1 as they were either cut out hastily by the teachers themselves1 or made by manufacturers who knew very little of the subject4 ,the former practice of dividing an oblong from corner to corner to produce the right-angled scalene triangle was much to be condemned1 as it entirely set aside the law of systematic relation between the tablets and rendered it impossible to produce the standard angles1 which are so valuable a feature of the gift4 ,one of the principal advantages of the kindergarten system is that it lays the foundation for a systematic1 scientific education which will help the masses to become expert and artistic workmen in whatever occupation they may be engaged4#fb #fb ,pamphlet on the ,seventh ,gift4 7,milton ,bradley ,co47 ,in this direction the seventh gift has doubtless immense capabilities1 but much of its force and value has been lost1 much of the work thrown away which it has accomplished1 for want of proper and systematic relation between the tablets4 ,the order in which these are now derived and introduced is as follows3-- ,the square tablet is1 of course1 the type of quadrilaterals1 and when it is divided from corner to corner a three-sided figure is seen1--the half square or right isosceles triangle2 but one which is not the type of three-sided figures4 ,the typical and simplest triangle1 the equilateral1 is next presented1 and if this be divided by a line bisecting one angle1 the result will be two triangles of still different shape1 the right-angled scalene4 ,if these two are placed with shortest sides together1 we have another form1 the obtuse-angled triangle1 and this gives us all the five forms of the seventh gift4 ,the square educates the eye to judge correctly of a right angle1 and the division of the square gives the angle of #de1 or the mitre4 ,the equilateral has three angles of #fj each2 the divided equilateral or right-angled scalene has one angle of #ij1 one of #fj1 and one of #cj1 while the obtuse isosceles has one angle of #abj1 and the remaining two each #cj4 ,these are the standard angles 7#ij1 #de1 #fj1 and #cj7 used by carpenter1 joiner1 cabinet-maker1 blacksmith1--in fact1 in all the trades and many of the professions1 and the child's eye should become as familiar with them as with the size of the squares on his table4 ,possibilities of the ,gift in ,mathematical ,instruction4 ,edward ,wiebe says in regard to the relation of the seventh gift to geometry and general mathematical instruction3 ,who can doubt that the contemplation of these figures and the occupations with them must tend to facilitate the understanding of geometrical axioms in the future1 and who can doubt that all mathematical instruction by means of ,froebel's system must needs be facilitated and better results obtained8 ,that such instruction will be rendered fruitful in practical life is a fact which will be obvious to all who simply glance at the sequence of figures even without a thorough explanation1 for they contain demonstratively the larger number of those axioms in elementary geometry which relate to the conditions of the plane in regular figures4 ,as the tablets are used in the kindergarten1 they are intended only to increase the sum of general experience in regard to the qualities of things1 but they may be made the medium of really advanced instruction in mathematics1 such as would be suitable for a connecting-class or a primary school4 ,all this training1 too1 may be given in the concrete1 and so lay the foundation for future mathematical work on the rock of practical observation4 ,the kindergarten child is expected only to know the different kinds of triangles from each other1 and to be familiar with their simple names1 to recognize the standard angles1 and to know practically that all right angles are equally large1 obtuse angles greater1 and acute less than right angles4 ,all this he will learn by means of play with the tablets1 by dictations and inventions1 and by constant comparison and use of the various forms4 ,how and when ,tablets should be introduced4 ,as to the introduction of the tablets1 the square is first of all of course given to the child4 ,a small cube of the third gift may be taken and surrounded on all its faces by square tablets1 and then each one peeled off1 disclosing1 as it were1 the hidden solid4 ,we may also mould cubes of clay and have the children slice off one of the square faces1 as both processes show conclusively the relation the square plane bears to the cube whose faces are squares4 ,if the first tablets introduced are of pasteboard1 as probably will be the case1 the new material should be noted and some idea given of the manufacture of paper4 ,there is a vast difference in opinion concerning the introduction of this seventh gift1 and it is used by the child in the various kindergartens at all times1 from the beginning of his ball plays up to his laying aside of the fifth gift4 ,it seems very clear1 however1 that he should not use the square plane until after he has received some impression of the three dimensions as they are shown in solid bodies1 and this ,mr4 ,hailmann tells us he has no proper means of gaining1 save through the fourth gift4#fc #fc ,the perception of the difference between a surface-extension and an extension in three dimensions begins late and is established slowly4--,w4 ,preyer1 ,the ,mind of the ,child1 page #ahj4 ,as to the triangular tablets1 it is evident enough they should not be dealt with until after the child has seen the triangular plane on the solid forms of the fifth gift4 ,mr4 ,hailmann says that a clear idea of the extension of solids in three dimensions can only come from a familiarity with the bricks1 and again that the abstractions of the tablet should not be obtruded on the child's notice until he has that clear idea4 ,though the six tablets which surround the cube may be given to the child at the first exercise1 it is better to dictate simple positions of one or two squares first1 and let him use the six in dictation and many more in invention4 ,order of introducing ,triangles4 ,the first triangle given is the right isosceles1 showing the angle of forty-five degrees1 and formed by bisecting the square with a diagonal line4 ,the child should be given a square of paper and scissors and allowed to discover the new form for himself1 letting him experiment until the desired triangle is obtained4 ,he should then study the new form1 its edges and angles1 and then join his two right-angled triangles into a square1 a larger triangle1 etc4 ,then let him observe how many positions these triangles may assume by moving one round the other4 ,he will find them acting according to the law of opposites already familiar to him1 and if not comprehended1#fd yet furnishing him with an infallible criterion for his inventive work4 #fd ,with this law ,i give children a guide for creating1 and because it is the law according to which they1 as creatures of ,god1 have themselves been created1 they can easily apply it4 ,it is born with them4--,reminiscences of ,froebel1 page #gc4 ,the equilateral is then taken up1 is compared with the half-square1 and then studied by itself1 its three equal sides and angles 7each sixty degrees7 being noted as well as the obtuse angles made by all possible combinations of the equilateral4 ,next1 as we have said1 comes the right-angled scalene triangle1 with its inequality of sides and angles1 which must be studied and compared with the equilateral2 and last of all1 the obtuse isosceles triangle1 which is dealt with in the same way4 ,here1 again1 it should be noted that the two last forms should always be discovered by the child in his play with the equilateral1 and that he should cut them himself from paper before he is given the regular pasteboard or wooden triangles for study4 ,if presented for the first time in this latter form1 they can never mean as much to him as if he had found them out for himself4 ,dictations4 ,the dictations should invariably be given so that opposites and their intermediates may be readily seen4 ,the different triangles may be studied each in the same way1 introducing them one at a time in the order named1 afterwards allowing as free a combination as will produce symmetrical figures4 ,it is best always to study one of a new kind1 then two1 then gradually give larger numbers4 ,great possibilities undoubtedly lie in this gift1 but it is well to remember that with young children it must not be made the vehicle of too abstract instruction4 ,in order to make the dictations simple1 the child must be perfectly familiar with the terms of direction1 up1 down1 right1 left1 centre2 with the simple names of the planes 7squares1 half-squares1 equal-sided1 blunt and sharp-angled triangles1 etc472 and he must learn to know the longest edge of each triangle1 that he may be able to place it according to direction4 ,the children should be encouraged to invent1 to give the dictation exercises to one another1 and to copy the simpler forms of the lesson on blackboard or paper4 ,some duplicate copies in colored papers may be made from their inventions1 and the walls of the schoolroom ornamented with them4 ,it will be a pleasure to the little ones themselves1 and demonstrate to others how wonderful a gift this is and how charmingly the children use it4 ,no exercise should be given without previous study1 and in the first year's teaching it is wiser to draw or make the figures before giving the dictations4 ,the materials1 too1 should be prepared beforehand1 in such a form that they can be given out readily and quietly by the children at the opening of the exercise4 ,to require a class of a dozen or more pupils to wait while the kindergartner assorts and counts the various colors and shapes of tablets to be used is positively to invite loss of interest on the children's part1 and to produce in the teacher a hurry and worry and nervous tension which will infallibly ruin the play4 ,life ,forms4 ,the ,life forms are no longer absolute representations1 but only more or less suggestive images of certain objects1 and thus show still more clearly the orderly movement from concrete to abstract4 ,hitherto in ,life forms the child has produced more or less real objects1--for instance1 he built a miniature house1 a fountain1 a chair1 or a sofa4 ,they were not absolutely real1 and therefore in one way merely images2 but they were bodily images4 ,he could place a little dish on the table1 a tiny cup on the edge of the fountain1 a doll could sit in the chair1 and therefore they were all real for purposes of play1 at least4 ,with the tablets1 however1 the child can no longer make a chair1 though by a certain arrangement of them he can make an image of it4 ,the child will notice that many of the forms made with squares are flat pictures of those made with the third gift1 and with the addition of the right isosceles triangles he can reproduce the faades of many of the elaborate object forms of the fifth4 ,the various triangles differ greatly in their capabilities of producing ,life forms1 the equilateral and the obtuse isosceles being especially deficient in this regard and requiring to be combined with the other tablets4 ,the fact that both the right isosceles and right scalene triangles produce ,life forms in great variety seems to prove that1 as ,goldammer says1 the right angle predominates in the products of human activity4 ,symmetrical ,forms4 ,the symmetrical forms are more varied and innumerable than those of any other gift1 and with the addition of the brilliant colors of the pasteboard1 or the soft shades of the wooden tablets1 make figures which are undeniably beautiful1 and which are mosaic-like in their effect4 ,the whirling figures are interesting and new1 and the child with developed eye and growing artistic taste will delight in their oddity1 and yet be able to find opposites and their intermediates and make them as correctly as in the more methodical figures1 where the exact right and left balanced the upper and lower extremes4 ,here we note that the equilateral and obtuse isosceles triangles1 so ill fitted to produce ,life forms1 lend themselves to forms of symmetry in great variety4 ,the various sequences of the latter in the third and fifth gifts may of course be faithfully reproduced in surface-extension with the tablets1 and thus gain an added charm4 ,the amount of material given to the child is now a matter for the decision of the kindergartner1 and is dependent only on the ability of the child to use it to advantage4 ,this increase of material presents a further difficulty1 and it is time for us to add still another1 that is1 to expect more of the child1 and to require that he produce not only something original1 but something which shall1 though simple1 be really beautiful4 ,inventions in borders are a new and charming feature of this gift1 and the circular and oblong tablets as well as the squares and various triangles are well adapted to produce them4 ,the various borders laid horizontally across the tablets may be divided by lines of sticks1 and thus make an effect altogether different from anything we have had before4 ,mathematical ,forms4 ,the work with forms of knowledge1 as has been fully shown1 will be in geometry than in arithmetic1 to which indeed the gift is not especially well adapted4 ,in addition to the study and comparison of the various forms1 their lines and angles1 we have a great variety of figures to be produced by combination4 ,we can make the nine regular forms already mentioned in the introduction in a variety of ways1 and thus give new charm to the old truths4 ,we must allow the child to experiment by himself very frequently1 and interpret to him his discoveries when he makes them4 ,the ,seventh ,gift in ,weaving4 ,the square tablets afford a valuable aid to the occupation of weaving1 as all the simple patterns can be formed with them1 the child laying them upon his table until he has mastered the numerical principle upon which they are constructed4 ,we can easily see how these same patterns may be further utilized as designs for inlaid tiles1 or parquetry floors4 ,thus the seventh gift may introduce children to subsequent practical life1 and serve as a useful preparation for various branches of art-work4 ,seventh ,gift ,parquetry4 ,it is easy to see when we begin the practical use of the tablets that the essential characteristics of the gifts in their progress from solid to point are now becoming less marked1 and that they begin to merge into the occupations1 which develop from point to solid4 ,the meeting-place of the two series is close at hand1 and1 like drops of water fallen near each other1 they tremble with impatience to rush into one4 ,the inventions which the child makes with tablets he now very commonly expresses a desire to give away1 or to take home with him1--a thought which he seldom had with the gifts1 wishing rather to show them in their place upon the tables4 ,as this is a natural and legitimate desire1 a supplement to the seventh gift has been devised1 consisting of paper substitutes for the various forms1 of the same size and appropriate coloring1 and to be had either plain or gummed on the back4 ,after the inventions have been made1 they are easily transferred to paper with parquetry1 and so can be bestowed according to the will of the inventor4 ,group ,work4 ,the parquetry of the seventh gift lends an added grace to coperative work1 for the children can now combine all their material in one form to decorate the room1 or perhaps to send as a gift to an absent playmate4 ,they may make an inlaid floor for the doll's house1 a brightly colored windowpane for the sun to stream through1 and with larger forms may even design an effective border for the wainscoting of the schoolroom4#fe #fe ,the utility of this united action is not to be overlooked4 ,the children all proceed according to one and the same law1 they all work to produce one and the same result1 the same purpose unites them all2 in short1 we see here in the children's play all that forms the base of every human society1 all that renders it possible for men to act together in organized communities1 such as are the family1 the state1 and the church4 ,and to prepare for the future1 to be mindful even amidst play of that which a child will afterwards require in order worthily to fill his place in the world1 ought surely not to be among the least important ends of an education claiming to be in conformity with nature and reason4--,h4 ,goldammer1 ,the ,kindergarten1 page #ace4 ,the group work at the square tables is also carried on very fully with the tablets1 the symmetrical figures when the colors are well combined being quite dazzling in beauty4 ,color with ,seventh ,gift4 ,in this connection1 a danger may be noted in the treatment of the gifts1 both by kindergartner and children4 ,color appears again here in almost bewildering profusion after its long absence in the series1 and is another straw to prove that the wind is blowing strongly toward the occupations4 ,many of the pasteboard tablets are of different colors on the opposite sides1 and though this is of great use in ,beauty forms1 when properly treated1 it is quite often unfortunate in forms of life1 unless careful attention is given to arranging the material beforehand4 ,the effect of a barn1 for instance1 with its front view checkered with violet1 red1 and yellow squares1 may be imagined1 or of a pigeon-house with a parti-colored green and blue roof1 an orange standard1 and red supports4 ,yet these are no fancy pictures ,i have painted1 and if the child places the tablets in this fashion1 they are often allowed so to remain without criticism from the purblind kindergartner4 ,she even sometimes dictates1 herself1 extravagant and vulgar combinations of color1 such as a violet centre-piece with green corners and an orange border4 ,there needs no reasoning to prove that such a person is radically unfit to handle the subject of color-teaching1 and is sure to corrupt the children under her charge2 for in general1 if ordinarily well trained1 they should now be far beyond the stage in which they would be satisfied with such crudity of combination4 ,they have had their season of playing with brightness1 as ,mr4 ,hailmann calls it1 and should now begin to have really good ideas as to harmonious arrangement of hues4 ,if they have not1 if they really seem to prefer the pigeon-house or barn above mentioned1 then they are viciously ill-taught1 or altogether deficient in color sense4 ,it has been noted that the older children often choose the light and dark wooden tablets1 for invention1 rather than the gay pasteboard forms2 but this may be on account of the high polish of the wood1 and its novelty in this guise1 rather than because1 as has been suggested1 they have been surfeited with brightness4 ,,readings ,,for ,,the ,,student4 ,paradise of ,childhood4 ,edward ,wiebe4 ,pages #cj-ch4 ,law of ,childhood4 ,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann4 #ch1 #ci4 ,kindergarten ,guide4 ,kraus-,boelte4 #ade-bcg4 ,koehler's ,kindergarten ,practice4 ,tr4 by ,mary ,gurney4 #f-i4 ,the ,kindergarten4 ,h4 ,goldammer4 #aaf-ed4 ,kindergarten ,culture4 ,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann4 #fh-gj4 ,kindergarten and ,child-,culture4 ,henry ,barnard4 #baj1 #bee1 #beg4 ,prang ,primary ,course in ,art ,education4 ,part ,i4 ,mary ,d4 ,hicks1 ,josephine ,c4 ,locke4 ,color in the ,school-,room4 ,milton ,bradley4 ,elementary ,color4 ,milton ,bradley4 ,color ,teaching in ,public ,schools4 ,louis ,prang1 ,j4 ,s4 ,clark1 ,mary ,d4 ,hicks4 ,color1 an ,elementary ,manual for ,students4 ,a4 ,h4 ,church4 ,the ,principles of ,harmony and ,contrasts of ,colors4 ,m4 ,e4 ,chevreul4 ,students' ,text-,book of ,color4 ,o4 ,n4 ,rood4 ,suggestions with ,regard to the ,use of ,color4 ,prang ,ed4 ,co4 ,,froebel',s ,,eighth ,,gift ,,the ,,straight ,,line4 ,the ,single and ,jointed ,slats and ,staff or ,stick4 ,the knowledge of the linear lies at the foundation of the knowledge of each form2 the forms are viewed and recognized by the intermediation of the straight-lined4 ,,friedrich ,,froebel4 ,froebel's laths1 wherewith the child can form letters1 correspond to the beech-staves 7buchenen ,stbchen1 now contracted to ,buchstaben1 i4 e41 letters of the alphabet71 whereon were carved the runes and magic symbols of our primitive ancestors4 ,,hermann ,,poesche4 ,it will be readily seen how useful stick-laying may become in perspective drawing1 in the study of planes and solids1 in crystallography2 how1 while it insures an enjoyable familiarity with geometrical forms and secures ever-increasing manual skill and delicacy of touch1 it develops at the same time the artistic sense of the children in a high degree4 ,w4 ,n4 ,,hailmann4 #a4 ,the wooden staffs of the eighth gift 7sometimes called the tenth7 are of various lengths1 but have for their uniform thickness the tenth of an inch4 ,they present1 as now made1 flat sides and square ends1 are sometimes uncolored and sometimes dyed in the six primary colors4 #b4 ,the previous gifts dealt with solids and plane surfaces1 wholes or divided wholes1 while this one illustrates the edge or line4 ,the previous gifts more definitely suggested their uses by their prominent characteristics2 this depends for its value largely upon the ingenuity of the teacher4 ,we have contrasts of size in the preceding gifts1 both in the units themselves and in the component parts of which the divided units are made2 but in this gift the dimension length is alone emphasized4 #c4 ,the most important characteristic of the gift is the representation of the line4 ,the relations of position and form enter as essential elements of usefulness4 #d4 ,the laying of sticks may be used as an occupation very early in the kindergarten course1 and thus serve as a preparation for the first drawing exercises1 but there should be no attempt at this time to give them their legitimate connection with the cube as the edge of the solid and with the tablet as a portion of the surface4 ,later they may be introduced in their proper place in the sequence of gifts1 and thus assume their true relation in the child's mind4 ,this relation is made more evident as we can and should reproduce the lessons with the solids in outline with the sticks4 ,when the child is more advanced1 the connection of the sticks with the preceding objects will be more clearly explained and intelligently comprehended1 and then they may be used in connection with softened peas or tiny corks1 which serve to illustrate the points of contact of the sides of surfaces and edges of solids whose skeletons the child can then construct with these materials4 #e4 ,the geometrical forms illustrated in this gift are3-- ,angles of every degree4 ,triangles1 quadrilaterals1 and additional polygons4 ,skeletons of solids by means of corks or peas4 #f4 ,the law of the mediation of contrasts is shown in the fact that every line is a connection between opposite points4 ,as in the other gifts1 the law governs the use of the line in the formation of all outlines of objects and all symmetrical designs4 99 99 99 99 99 ,as we have already noted1 the gifts of ,froebel are thus far solids1 divided solids1 planes and divided planes4 ,relation of the ,single and ,jointed ,slats to the other ,gifts4 ,how both are used4 ,with the single and jointed slats we shall not deal separately1 merely stating that they form a transition between the surface and the line1 having more breadth and relation to the surface itself than to the edge1 but manifestly tending towards the embodied line of which the little stick given by ,froebel is the realization4 ,the jointed slats1 generally ruled in half and quarter inches for measuring1 may be used to show how one form is developed from another1--for instance1 the rhombus from the square1 the rhomboid from the oblong1 and they are very useful also for explaining and illustrating the different kinds of angles1 as the opening between the joints may be made narrower or wider at pleasure4 ,the disconnected slats are used for the occasional play or exercise of interlacing1 forming a variety of figures1 geometrical and artistic1 which hold together when carefully treated4#ff #ff ,the slats form1 in some sort1 the transition from the surface-pictures of the laying-tablets to the lineal representations of the laying-sticks1 but have this advantage over both tablets and sticks1 that the forms constructed with them are not bound down to the surface of the table1 but possess sufficient solidity to bear being removed from it4--,h4 ,goldammer1 ,the ,kindergarten1 page #aee4 ,materials of ,froebel's ,gifts4 ,as to the unpretentious little sticks themselves1 the use of these bits of waste wood is entirely unique and characteristic4 ,no one else would have deemed them worthy of a place in school apparatus or among educational appliances2 but ,froebel had the eye and mind of a true philosopher1 ever seeing the great in the small1--ever bringing out of the commonplace material1 which lies unused on every hand1 all its inherent possibilities and capabilities of usefulness4 ,froebel was no destructive reformer1 but the most conservative of philosophers4 ,how the ,stick is to be regarded4 ,the stick of course is to be regarded in its relation to what comes before and after it1--as the embodied edge of the cube1 as the tablet was its embodied face4 ,the child should at last identify his stick1 the embodiment of the straight line1 with the axis of the sphere1 the edge of the cube1 and the side of the square4#fg ,the sticks and rings are1 properly speaking1 one gift1 contrasting the curved and straight lines4 #fg ,just as we obtained the tablets from the cubes1 of which they are the embodied faces1 so now we obtain also the laying-sticks from the cube1 whose edges they represent4 ,but they are contained also in the laying-tablets1 for one may regard the surface as produced by the progressive movement of a line1 and this may be made clear to the child by slicing a square tablet into a number of sticks4--,h4 ,goldammer1 ,the ,kindergarten1 page #afa4 ,method and ,manner of ,lessons4 ,although the stick exercises should make their appearance at least once every week after their introduction1 they may always be varied by stories1 and when occasionally connected with other objects1 cut from paper to illustrate some point1 are among the pleasantest and most fruitful exercises of the kindergarten4 ,the sticks may be used for teaching number and elementary geometry1 both in the kindergarten and school1 or for reviewing and fixing knowledge already gained in these directions1 for practice in the elements of designing1 for giving a correct idea of outlines of familiar objects1 and should constantly serve as an introduction to drawing and sewing lessons1 to which they are the natural prelude4 ,they should be used strictly after the manner of the other gifts1 beginning with careful dictations1 in which the various positions of one stick should be exhausted before proceeding to a greater number1 with coperative work1 and with free invention4 ,these exercises and original designs may be put into permanent form in parquetry1 which is furnished for this gift in the various colored papers1 as well as for the tablets4 ,the inventions may also be transferred to paper by drawing1 and to card-board by sewing4 ,the exercises may continue from the various simple positions which one stick may assume to really complex dictations requiring from fifteen to twenty-five sticks1 and introducing many difficult positions and outlines of new geometrical figures4 ,forms of ,knowledge and ,number ,work4 ,when we consider that the length of the sticks varies from one to six inches1 and that the number given to the child is limited only by his capacity for using them successfully1 we can see that the outlines of all the rectilinear plane figures can easily be made by their use4 ,of course in these exercises there must be a great deal of incidental arithmetic1 but the gift may also be used for definite number work1 and is far better adapted to this purpose than any other in the series1 since it presents a number of separate units which may be grouped or combined to suit any simple arithmetical process4 ,representing the line as it does1 it has less bodily substance than any previous gift1 and hence comes nearest to the numerical symbols1 as the next step to using a line would obviously be making one4 ,it also offers very much the same materials for calculation as were used by the race in its childhood1 and hence fits in with the inherited instincts of the undeveloped human being4#fh #fh ,each following generation and each following individual man is to pass through the whole earlier development and cultivation of the human race1--and he does pass it2 otherwise he would not understand the world past and present1--but not by the dead way of imitation1 of copying1 but by the living way of individual1 free1 active development and cultivation4--,friedrich ,froebel1 ,education of ,man1 page #aa4 ,who has not seen him arranging twigs and branches in his play1 counting them over and over or simulating the process1 and delighting to divide them into groups8 ,so the cave-dweller used them1 doubtless1 not in play1 but in serious earnest1 for some such purpose as keeping tally of the wild beasts he had killed1 or the number of his enemies vanquished4 ,with a few packets of ,froebel's sticks1 as has been very well said1 the child is provided with an excellent calculating machine4 ,the use of this machine in the primary school in word making as well as in number work is practically unlimited2 but in the kindergarten it may very well give a clear1 practical understanding of the first four rules of arithmetic1--an understanding which will be based on personal activity and experience4#fi #fi ,thus the child's sphere of knowledge1 the world of his life1 is again extended by the observation and recognition1 by the development and cultivation1 of the capacity of number2 and an essential need of his inner nature1 a certain yearning of his spirit1 are thereby satisfied4444 ,the knowledge of the relations of quantity extraordinarily heightens the life of the child4--,friedrich ,froebel1 ,education of ,man1 page #de4 ,evolution of the ,kindergarten ,stick4 ,it is well by way of prelude to the first few lessons to draw from the children the origin and history of the tiny bit of wood given them for their play1 and they will henceforth regard it in a new light and treat it with greater respect and care4 ,let us trace it carefully from its baby beginnings in the seed1 its germination and growth1 the influences which surround and foster it from day to day1 its steady increase in size and strength1 its downward grasp and its upward reach1 the hardening of the tender stem and slender cylindrical trunk into the massive oak or pine1 the growth of its tough1 strong garment of bark1 its winter times of rest and spring times of renewal1 until from the tender green twig so frail and pliant it has become too large to clasp with the arms1 and high enough to swing its dry leaves into the church tower4 ,then let us follow out its usefulness2 for instance1 we might first paint a glowing word-picture of the logging-camp1 the chopping and hewing and felling1 the life of the busy woodcutter in the leafy woods in autumn1 or in the dense forests in winter time1 when the snow1 cold and white and dazzling1 covers the ground with its fleecy carpet4 ,again1 let us depict the road and the busy teamsters driving their yokes of strong oxen with their heavy loads of logs to the towns and cities where they are to be sold4 ,a scene1 a perfect word-picture1 should be painted of everything concerning the trip1--the crunching of the oxen's hoofs on the pressed snow1 the creaking of the heavy truck as its runners slip along the smooth surface1 the breath of the men and animals rising like steam into the clear1 cold air4 ,all these things rise in image before the child's eye and are not soon forgotten1 you may be sure4 ,the work and life of the river-drivers might also be described1 and their manner of floating the logs down river in springtime when the water is high and the current strong4 ,then perhaps the children will help to tell us about the mill of which they doubtless know something1--where the sawmills are built1 how the water helps in turning the great wheel1 the buzzing and hissing of the big saws1 and the way in which they quickly make boards of the long1 strong logs4 ,this and much more may be said1 and if it is well said1 no child can ever look at the tiny stick afterwards and entirely forget the charm which once surrounded it4#gj #gj ,these terse graphic descriptions of objects will be found very serviceable in sharpening and intensifying the powers of observation1 as well as securing clearness1 distinctness1 accuracy1 and life in verbal description4 ,here the pupil learns practically to give due prominence to essentials1 and to appreciate the full value of accessories2 to look for and discover the fundamental ideas of which things are the modified1 adorned1 garbled1 or stunted expression2 to seek and find the very soul of things4--,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann1 ,primary ,helps1 page #ag4 ,group ,work with ,sticks4 ,the sticks are especially serviceable for group work of various kinds1 either at the long or square tables4 ,as the children have now an abundance of material they can make all the objects1 perhaps1 which may be mentioned in a story the kindergartner tells4 ,if it is about the origin of ,thanksgiving ,day1 for instance1 ,abby1 who sits at one end of the line1 may make a picture of the ,mayflower1 and ,john1 her neighbor1 make the ,speedwell4 ,the next child may construct a cradle for ,oceanus1 the little ,pilgrim baby born on shipboard2 the next use his material for the ,indian huts the settlers saw after landing2 and so on1 each child making a different object1 which remains upon his table until the close of the story4 ,when this is completed1 it will have been fully illustrated by the children with their sticks1 and they will be delighted to inspect the different pictures which they will plainly see are much more varied and beautiful than any one of them could have made alone4 ,thus the value of coperation will be plainly shown1 without a word from the kindergartner4#ga #ga ,in this group work it is desirable that the common aims should be fully within the comprehension of each little worker1 yet sufficiently beyond his powers of execution and endurance to make him sensible of the need of assistance4 ,the former secures the possibility of individual enjoyment1 and hence the only reliable incentive to persistence2 the latter insures free subordination to the will of the whole1 the essential condition of success4--,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann1 ,primary ,helps1 page #ah4 ,forms of ,life4 ,as to ,life forms in general1 their number is practically unlimited1 though as they are only line-pictures1 and heavy lines at that1 they are not as real as those made in the ,building ,gifts4 ,they are easily made1 however1 and the veriest baby in the kindergarten who handles the sticks as a prelude to his drawing exercises invents with them all sorts of rude forms which he calls by appropriate names4 ,the question of color as it enters into these forms needs1 perhaps1 a moment's consideration here4 ,as the gift includes both white and colored sticks1 would it not be well to use the former for all dictations in ,life forms1 reserving the brilliant hues for the forms of symmetry whose charms they would greatly enhance8 ,connection of other ,objects with ,stick ,dictations4 ,we may sometimes connect simple1 inexpensive objects with stick dictations1 with a view to making them more realistic and delightful4 ,when the little ones are just getting the various positions and corresponding terms into their minds1 and when therefore it is advisable to keep them amused and happy with one to three sticks as long as possible1--that is1 until the fundamental principles have become very familiar1--these objects are most invaluable4 ,innumerable lessons may be practiced with one stick only1 calling it at last a whipstock and giving it a bit of curly paper for a lash4 ,far from being an instrument of punishment1 it makes every child laugh with the glee of possession4 ,with two sticks laid horizontally we may give a little paper horse-car1 or when one is vertical and the other runs horizontally across its end1 we may call it a candlestick and snip a half-circle of paper into the semblance of a flame4 ,the effect is electrical1 though the light be only one candle-power4 ,and so on1 ad infinitum2 it is enough to give the hint for the play4 ,we can cut little paper birds for the bird-cages1 tumblers for the rude little tables1 green leaves for the trees1 etc41 making the stick exercise1 even in its first more difficult details1 a time of great satisfaction and gladness4 ,complete sets of these card-board objects1 one for each child1 should always be kept on hand2 if well made they will last a year4 ,forms of ,beauty4 ,enough has already been said of the possibilities of the sticks to show that they are most valuable for symmetrical forms4 ,they may be combined with the tablets1 and thus very pretty effects be made1 and when four children unite their material at the group work tables1 the dictations and inventions produced are of course very large1 and may be really beautiful if constructed on artistic principles4 ,border work may be very fully carried out with the sticks1 and another charming feature of the gift is the way in which it lends itself to the making of snow crystals4 ,these are symmetrical combinations and modifications of familiar geometrical forms around the hexagon4 ,mr4 ,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann says regarding them3 ,at first1 it is best to give each child only six or twelve sticks1 and to dictate the central figure 7a hexagon or hexagonal star7 verbally or by means of a drawing on the blackboard4 ,they may then receive a number of additional sticks1 and let the central figure grow1 all obeying the teacher's dictation1 or each following his own inventive genius4#gb #gb ,these forms are invaluable even as silent teachers of geometrical and numerical relations4 ,used judiciously in conversational lessons1 leading to partial or complete analysis of the figures in spoken or written descriptions1 their teaching power is inexhaustible4--,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann's ,primary ,helps1 page #ba4 ,in this gift1 as well as in the seventh1 the child's imitative and inventive powers are obviously more greatly taxed than in the others1 and the danger will be1 if he is not well trained1 that1 as he apparently can do anything with the material1 he will end by doing nothing4 ,the greater the freedom given to the child1 the greater the necessity of teaching him to use that liberty in and through the law1 and not to abuse it by failing to reach with its aid the highest ends4 ,connection of ,sticks with ,drawing4 ,we may make the laying of one-inch sticks in vertical and horizontal positions1 in angles and squares1 a prelude to the drawing of similar lines2 and the copying of stick dictations1 either from the table1 or from memory1 into drawing1 is a most excellent exercise1 calling into requisition great correctness and good judgment1 besides an unusual amount of calculation1 since the stick dictation will be on a scale of one inch1 and the drawing on a scale of one fourth inch1 reducing the original design to one in miniature4 ,the child will almost always begin by attempting to make the picture exactly like his model in size without counting the inches and trying to make it mathematically correct2 but after the idea is carefully explained and fully illustrated1 he will have no further difficulty excepting1 perhaps1 with the more complicated figures containing slanting lines4 ,ambidexterity4 ,we should encourage in all possible ways the use of both hands in all the exercises with gifts and occupations1 not only that one may be as skillful as the other1 but also to avoid a one-sided position of the body which frequently leads to curvature of the spine4 ,the well-known physiologist1 ,professor ,brown-,squard1 insists on the equal use of both hands1 in order to induce the necessary equal flow of blood to the brain4 ,through the effect of our irregular and abnormal development1 the cause of which is the too persistent use of the right hand1 one lobe of our brains and one side of our bodies are in a neglected and weakened condition1 and the evils resulting from this weakness are many and widespread4 ,dr4 ,daniel ,wilson says3 ,in the majority of cases the defect1 though it cannot be wholly overcome1 may be in great part cured by early training1 which will strengthen at once both the body and mind4#gc #gc ,whenever the early and persistent cultivation of the full use of both hands has been accomplished1 the result is greater efficiency1 without any corresponding awkwardness or defect4 ,in certain arts and professions1 both hands are necessarily called into play4 ,the skillful surgeon finds an enormous advantage in being able to transfer his instrument from one hand to the other4 ,the dentist has to multiply instruments to make up for the lack of such acquired power4 ,the fencer who can transfer his weapon to the left hand places his adversary at a disadvantage4 ,the lumberer finds it indispensable1 in the operation of his woodcraft1 to learn to chop timber right-and-left-handed2 and the carpenter may be frequently seen using the saw and hammer in either hand1 and thereby not only resting his arm1 but greatly facilitating his work4 ,in all the fine arts the mastery of both hands is advantageous4 ,the sculptor1 the carver1 the draughtsman1 the engraver1 the cameo-cutter1 each has recourse at times to the left hand for special manipulative dexterity2 the pianist depends little less on the left hand than on the right2 and as for the organist1 with the numerous pedals and stops of the modern grand organ1 a quadrumanous musician would still find reason to envy the ampler scope which a ,briareus could command4--,dr4 ,daniel ,wilson1 ,left-,handedness4 ,a ,hint for ,educators4 ,abuse of ,eighth ,gift4 ,no materials of the kindergarten 7save the beans1 lentils1 etc41 which serve to represent the point7 have been so over-used and so abused as the sticks4 ,when no other work was prepared for the children1 when helpers were few1 and it was desirable to give something which needed no supervision1 when inexperienced students were to take charge of classes1 when the kindergartner was weary and wanted a quiet moment to rest1 when everybody was in a hurry1 when the weather was very cold1 or oppressively warm1 when there was a torrent of rain1 or had been a long drought1 the sticks were hastily brought forth from the closet and as hastily thrust upon the children4 ,these small sufferers1 being thus provided with work-materials in which it was obvious that superior grown people took no interest1 immediately lost interest themselves4 ,in riotous kindergartens the sticks were broken1 poked into pockets1 and thrown on the floor2 in the orderly ones they were gazed at apathetically1 no one deeming it worth while to stir a hand to arrange them1 save under pressure4 ,sticks had been presented so often and in so tiresome a manner that they produced a kind of mental atrophy in the child1--they were arresting his development instead of forwarding it4 ,such an abuse of material is entirely unnecessary in the kindergarten1 where so many ways are provided of presenting the same truths in all sorts of different and charming guises4 ,it is unnecessary and most unfortunate1 for it has frequently thrown undeserved contempt on an innocent and attractive gift1 which1 when properly treated1 is one of the most pleasing and useful which ,froebel has bequeathed to us4 ,,readings ,,for ,,the ,,student4 ,paradise of ,childhood4 ,edward ,wiebe4 ,pages #ci-de4 ,kindergarten ,guide4 ,j4 and ,b4 ,ronge4 #cc-cf4 ,kindergarten ,guide4 ,kraus-,boelte4 #bci-cgc4 ,the ,kindergarten ,principle4 ,mary ,j4 ,lyschinska4 #ajc-bj4 ,law of ,childhood4 ,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann4 #ci4 ,kindergarten ,culture4 ,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann4 #gj-gb4 ,the ,kindergarten4 ,h4 ,goldammer4 #aed-gb4 ,primary ,helps4 ,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann4 ,industrial ,art in ,schools4#gd ,charles ,g4 ,leland4 ,drawing and ,decorative ,design4 ,charles ,g4 ,leland4 ,art and the ,formation of ,taste4 ,walter ,crane4 ,manual of ,design4 ,richard ,redgrave1 ,r4 ,a4 ,principles of ,decorative ,design4 ,christopher ,dresser4 ,art and ,ornament in ,dress4 ,introduction4 ,charles ,blanc4 #gd ,circulars of ,information of the ,bureau of ,education1 ,no4 #d1 #ahhb4 ,,froebel',s ,,ninth ,,gift ,,the ,,ring ,,or ,,curved ,,line ,art developed in the same way4 ,the ,egyptian temples show us only straight-lined figures1 which consequently show mathematical relations4 ,only in later times appeared the lines of beauty1 that is1 the arched or circular lines4 ,i carry the child on in the same way4 ,,friedrich ,,froebel4 ,the curve bears with it in its unity and variety1 its rich symbolism to everything which lives and moves1 the most intimate relation to that which the child sees1 feels1 and loves4 ,,emma ,,marwedel4 ,it might be said that to produce useful objects is the result of the struggle for life2 but the tendency to create that which is simply artistic results from no such urgent need1 yet it is found wherever the former exists4 ,,charles ,g4 ,,leland4 ,thou canst not wave thy staff in air1 ,or dip thy paddle in the lake1 ,but it carves the bow of beauty there1 ,and the ripples in rhymes the oar forsake4 ,,emerson4 #a4 ,the rings of the ninth gift are made of silvered wire1 either soldered or unsoldered1 and are whole circles three inches1 two inches1 and one inch in diameter1 with their respective halves and quarters4 #b4 ,as the first six gifts emphasized solids and divided solids1 the seventh1 the plane1 and the eighth1 the straight line1 so the ninth1 the ring1 embodies the curve1 and illustrates the circumference of the sphere and the edge of the cylinder4 #c4 ,all the objects hitherto used have1 with the exception of the ball and cylinder1 dealt with straight lines and the figures formed by those lines4 ,we now begin a series of exercises with the curve1 and the variety of symmetrical figures that can be constructed is immensely increased4 #d4 ,much new knowledge can be conveyed by means of this fresh material1 a complete set of new figures may be produced1 and the imitation of objects passes from that of things constructed by man1 which are mostly rectilinear1 to those of nature in which curved lines in every possible variety prevail4 #e4 ,the geometrical forms illustrated in this gift are3-- ,circles4 ,semicircles4 ,planes4 ,quadrants4 ,sectors4 ,segments4 ,by the union of straight and curved lines 7sticks and rings7 the entire geometry of the circle may be illustrated1 and the child may thus become acquainted with the appearance of the ,diameter4 ,radius4 ,circumference4 ,chord4 ,arc4 #f4 ,the law of mediation of contrasts is shown as follows3 the semicircles1 when placed on the table with ends towards right or left1 connect points of opposite direction up and down1 and when placed with ends pointing upward or downward they connect the right with the left side4 ,the circle is of course an unending line traced from a given point back to itself1 according to certain laws1 but it is also a union of two semicircles curving outward in opposite directions4 ,it is a representation of the general law1 since the periphery and centre stand in contrast to each other1 and are connected by the radii4--7,froebel47 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,new ,gift and its ,charms4 ,having already analyzed straight lines in the sticks1 we will pass directly to the consideration of the ninth in the series of ,froebel's gifts1 the rings1 which are whole1 half1 and quarter circles of bright silvered wire4 ,if the sticks were fascinating to the child as the embodied straight edge or line1 and perfect treasure-houses of new possibilities to the kindergartner1 the rings are just a bit more delightful as1 with their glittering surface and curved lines1 and their wonderful property of having neither beginning nor end1 they are quite different in appearance from anything which precedes or follows them4 ,of course the child sees at once that here is an entirely new field for invention1 and he hastens to possess it1 fully conscious of his power of combining the new elements4 ,introduction of the ,ring4 ,we must first discuss the new form with the children so as to be certain that they fully understand its relation to the other gifts4 ,perhaps in a previous exercise with the eighth gift we have allowed the children to experiment with a stick1 and to break it partially in a number of places so as to produce a measurably correct curved line1 afterwards promising them that they should soon have perfect curves to play with4 ,this exercise has its value because it illustrates practically that a curved line is one which changes its direction at every point4 ,let us see when to-day's play begins if the children can think of any way to make such curves1 save by the stick already used4 ,some quick-witted little one will remember at once the surface of the ball and his repeated experiments in dividing it1 and will suggest in sufficiently plain words that a curved line might be made from a clay sphere4 ,his neighbor thinks a clay cylinder would make one more easily1 and both experiments are tried by all the children with a resultant of quite perfect clay rings4 ,then some one wants to make paper rings1 and some one else cloth rings1 and the wise kindergartner encourages all this experimenting1 knowing that the power of memory increases in the same ratio as delight1 animation1 and joy are connected with free mental activity4 ,material of the ,rings4 ,when the wire rings are at last given1 some conversation about their material will be pleasant and timely1 as it is of a kind we have not had before in the gifts1 and shall not have again4 ,the children will see that it is akin to the substance of which their sewing and weaving needles and their scissors are made1 and possibly some one may know that both are products of iron4 ,at this juncture it may be well to show a piece of iron1 to let the children handle it and note its various properties1 and while this is being done1 to tell them of the many parts of the world in which it is found1 of its great strength and usefulness1 and that its value is greater than that of the shining yellow gold4 ,a description of iron mines will easily follow1 and the children will delight to hear of the great shafts sunk deep in the earth1 of the baskets in which the miners travel up and down1 of the darkness underground where they toil all day with pick and shovel1 of the safety lamps they carry in their caps1 of the mules that drag the loads of iron ore to and fro1 and--startling fact1 at which round eyes are invariably opened--that some of these mules have their stables down in the ground below1 and never come up where the sun shines and the flowers bloom4 ,if there is a foundry in the vicinity of the kindergarten1 and we can take the little ones to see the huge furnaces1 the intense fires1 the molten iron1 and the various roasting1 melting1 and moulding processes necessary in refining the ore1 they will gain an ineffaceable idea of the value of the metal in human labor1 and of the endless chain of hands1 clasped each in the other1 through which the slender wire rings have passed to reach them4 ,first ,exercises4 ,in the first dictation exercise several whole circles of the same size may be given1 and their equality shown by laying one on top of the other4 ,then we may lay them side by side in actual contact1 and the important fact will be discovered by the children that circles can touch each other at one point only4 ,subsequent exercises take up rings of different sizes1 when concentric circles are of course made1 showing one thing completely inclosed in another1 and next follow the half and quarter rings1 which the children must be led1 as heretofore1 to discover and make for themselves4 ,with the semicircles1 which offer still richer suggestions for invention than the whole rings1 another property of the curved line is seen4 ,two blocks1 two tablets1 two sticks could not touch each other without forming new angles1 nor could they be so placed as to produce a complete figure4 ,two semicircles1 on the other hand1 form no new angles when they touch1 and they may be joined completely and leave no opening4 ,in his work with the sticks the child became well versed in handling a comparatively large amount of material1 so that now he can deal successfully from the first exercise with a fair number of whole1 half1 and quarter rings4 ,we must be careful1 however1 not to give him too many of these in the beginning1 lest he be overwhelmed with the riches at his command4#ge #ge ,the number of rings should only gradually be augmented4 ,satiety destroys every impulse of creation4--,emma ,marwedel1 ,childhood's ,poetry and ,studies1 page #ae4 ,when the ,rings should be introduced4 ,the rings should not be used freely until the child is familiar with vertical1 horizontal1 and slanting lines1 and not only familiar in the sense of being able to receive and obey dictations intelligently1 but in constantly making correct and artistic use of them in his creations4 ,the practice with them1 however1 is often deferred entirely too long1 and the intense pleasure and profit which the child gains from the beautiful and satisfying curved line are not given him until very late in the kindergarten course4 ,this is manifestly unnecessary1 for although1 if we introduce ,froebel's gifts and occupations in orderly sequence1 we make greater use of the straight line after the first and second gifts are passed than we do of the curve1 yet we should not end with it1 nor accept it as a finality2 neither should we keep the child tied down altogether to the contemplation of such lines4 ,there is no need of exhausting all the possibilities of the straight line before beginning work with the curve1 for sufficient difficulties could be devised with the former to last an indefinite length of time4 ,if the child understands the relation of the edge to the solid1 and of the outline to the body2 if he is skilled in the use of six to a dozen sticks laid in various positions1 he can appreciate perfectly the relation of the curved edge or line to the spherical and circular objects which he has seen in the kindergarten4 ,he remembers the faces of the cylinder1 the conversation about spherical and flat rounding objects in his plays with the ball1 and he has seen the circular as well as square paper-folding4 ,he will be accustomed in that to the appearance of the semicircle1 segment1 quadrant1 and sector1 and will take great delight in cutting and drawing rings and crescents if we open the way for him4 ,how we may keep the ,curve before the ,child's ,eye4 ,although the gifts1 from third to ninth1 illustrate straight lines1 angles1 and rectilinear figures1 yet the occupations present many facilities for keeping the curve before the eye of the child4 ,in sewing1 we introduce curving outlines during the study of the ball1 and work out a series of objects in the vegetable and animal world in order to vary the mathematical precision of the making of lines1 angles1 and geometrical figures1 as well as to illustrate more fully the spherical form4 ,we may also use the circular paper-folding in some simple sequence as early as the child's development will permit1 and we have1 of course1 at the very outset1 the occupation of modeling1 which is one of the most valuable of aids in this matter1 and the stringing of wooden spheres and beads4 ,the thread game enters here also1 and makes a useful supplement to the rings1 as the wet thread may be pushed while it lies on the surface of the table or slate into numberless different forms1 all of which may be included under curving outlines4 ,in linear drawing we give the child lines running in various directions at the earliest possible time1 so that he may not grow into a strained and unnatural position of the hand1 for this constant drawing of the vertical line1 which is necessary to its execution with perfect precision by the young child1 limits the freedom of the wrist and muscles1 and instead of preparing him to write a good hand1 does absolutely the reverse4 ,the various exercises1 on the other hand1 in drawing the curves of circle and oval and their combinations are quite perfect preparations for clear1 graceful penmanship4 ,we also have1 in drawing1 ,miss ,emma ,marwedel's circular system1 and the outline work performed by means of pasteboard patterns1 most of which are of the curving outlines of leaves1 flowers1 fruits1 and vegetables4 ,when the children can draw quite well from these patterns we always encourage the drawing without them1 merely looking at the object to be copied4 ,these exercises are of the greatest value as connected with modeling when the subjects chosen for invention are comprehended under the sphere1 prolate and oblate spheroid1 ovoid1 cone1 etc41 the cube with its straight lines coming last of all4 ,in this way1 while keeping up the regular sequence of lessons and occupations with the straight line1 we do not debar the child from the contemplation of the line of beauty4 ,uniting the ,straight and ,curved ,lines4 ,after this1 he takes great pleasure in uniting the straight and curved lines in his inventions with the sticks and rings given him together1 and is quite able to use them separately or unitedly in his creative work4 ,about this time the fruit of these exercises will begin to appear in his drawing4 ,he will attempt to unite his straight lines by curves1 and even essay large designs in curves which will be far from perfect1 but nevertheless will not be without their value4 ,copying ,inventions4 ,the first trials of this kind may be in copying the inventions in rings which he has made on his table1 exactly as he previously transferred his stick inventions to the slate4 ,the spaces should be just as carefully counted1 and accuracy expected in preserving the numerical proportions4 ,but this needs much tact and patience on the part of the kindergartner1 as well as skill in teaching2 for the principles of drawing the curve are much less obvious to the child and much more difficult for him to comprehend than the measurement and calculation of straight lines with their various lengths and inclinations4 ,these inventions with rings1 which are often wonderfully beautiful1--so beautiful1 in fact1 that the uninstructed person is sometimes skeptical as to their production by the children1--may also be preserved in permanent form by parquetry4 ,it is furnished in various colors for this gift1 as for the seventh and eighth1 and is greatly enjoyed by the children4 ,if any should fear that the long contemplation of rectangular solids1 planes1 and straight lines in ,froebel's gifts should tend towards too great rigidity and barrenness of imagination in inventive work1 it is obviously within our power1 as has been shown1 to vary this mathematical exactness1 which is no doubt less agreeable to the child than the graceful image of his own fancy 7could he attain it71 by introducing the curve freely into many of the occupations and exercises with the kindergarten material in general4 ,forms of ,life1 ,beauty1 and ,knowledge4 ,the rings are of course not as well adapted to the production of objects constructed by man as were the sticks1 but1 nevertheless1 the material is not without value in this direction4 ,various fruits1 flowers1 and leaves may be made1 as well as such objects as bowls1 goblets1 hour-glasses1 baskets1 and vases4 ,when connected with sticks1 the number of ,life forms is obviously much increased on account of the union of straight and curved lines thus made possible4 ,tablets may also be added and contribute a new element to the possibilities for invention4 ,for symmetrical forms1 however1 the gift is admirably adapted1 since the child can hardly put two rings together without producing something pleasing4#gf ,borders enter here in great variety1 tablets and sticks being added when desirable1 and the group work forms1 combining the seventh1 eighth1 and ninth gifts1 give full play to the creative impulses of the child1 while calling constantly upon those principles of design which he has learned empirically4 #gf ,it is true that the child produces forms of beauty with other material also1 but it is the curved line which offers the strongest inducements to attempt such forms1 since even the simplest combinations of a small number of semicircles and circles yield figures bearing the stamp of beauty4--,h4 ,goldammer's ,the ,kindergarten1 page #agg4 ,the forms of knowledge which can be made with the ninth gift are necessarily few4 ,it is not especially well fitted for number work1 and development of geometrical form is limited to the planes and lines of the circle4 ,wooden ,rings4 ,miss ,emma ,marwedel introduced a supplement to the ninth gift in the form of wooden circles and half-circles in many colors4 ,these are much heavier than the metal rings1 therefore somewhat easier to handle and give1 as she claims1 the child's creative powers a much larger field for sthetic development4 ,of course1 this larger field is to be found in color blending1 not in beauty of design1 as the form elements remain the same4 ,the bright hues are undoubtedly a great attraction1 however1 and perhaps are in line with that return to color which was noted in the seventh gift1 when the architectural forms were laid aside4 ,if we adopt the wooden rings we need not on that account lay aside the metal ones1 for the two materials may be combined to great advantage4 ,difficulties of the ,gift4 ,the gift presents little difficulty1 the dictations requiring less concentration than heretofore as the positions in which the rings may be placed are few and simple4 ,froebel's purpose evidently was that the child should now concentrate his activity entirely upon design1 and that he should use the material by itself1 and in connection with sticks and tablets to give out in visible form whatever sthetic impressions he had received through the preceding gifts4 ,the office of the kindergartner is hardly now more than to suggest1 merely to watch the child in his creative work1 and to advise when necessary as to the most artistic disposition of the simple material4 ,she may here1 if she adopts this attitude1 have the experience of seeing the direct result of her teachings1 for the child's work will be a mirror in which she can see reflected her successes or her failures4 ,froebel's ,idea4 ,the idea of ,froebel in devising all these gifts was not1 it seems hardly necessary to say1 to instruct the child in abstractions1 which do not properly belong to childhood1 but to lead him early in life to the practical knowledge of things about him2 to inculcate the love of industry1 helpfulness1 independence of thought and action1 neatness1 accuracy1 economy1 beauty1 harmony1 truth1 and order4 ,the gifts and occupations are only means to a great end1 and if used in this sense will attain their highest usefulness4 ,no dictation with any of the kindergarten materials1 no study of lines1 angles1 oblongs1 triangles1 and pentagons1 no work with numbers either concrete or abstract are fit employments for little children1 if not connected in every possible way with their home pleasures and the natural objects of their love4 ,only when thus connected do they produce real interest1 only thus can agreement with the child's inner wants be secured4 ,actual experiences in the child's life are its most natural and potent teachers4 ,we need constantly to remember that the prime value of the kindergarten lies in its personal influence upon individuals1 and seek to develop each separate member of our class according to his possibilities4 ,an ,objection answered4 ,the objection has been made that the study and practice with straight lines1 angles1 geometrical forms1 cubes1 and other rectangular solids would fit the child for later work in the exact and mathematical sciences more than for other branches of study4 ,but yet it is difficult to see how1 when the child's powers of observation are so carefully trained in every way2 when he is constantly led to notice objects in nature and reproduce them with clay1 pencil1 chalk1 or needle2 when these objects are so frequently presented for his critical inspection and comparison2 when he is led to see in the flowers1 plants1 rocks1 and stars1 the unity which holds together everything in the universe2 when beauty and harmony1 mingled freely1 constitute the atmosphere of the ideal kindergarten1--it is difficult indeed to see how he can receive anything but benefit from the gift plays1 which present at first mainly the straight line1 seemingly deferring the curve to a later period when it can be managed more successfully4 ,,readings ,,for ,,the ,,student4 ,paradise of ,childhood4 ,edward ,wiebe4 ,pages #de1 #df4 ,kindergarten ,guide4 ,kraus-,boelte4 #cgc-dag4 ,the ,kindergarten4 ,h4 ,goldammer4 #agc-gh4 ,the ,kindergarten4 ,principles of ,froebel's ,system4 ,emily ,shirreff4 #ag-bj4 ,industrial ,art in ,schools4#gg ,charles ,g4 ,leland4 ,childhood's ,poetry and ,studies4 ,with ,diagrams4 ,emma ,marwedel4 ,the ,grammar of ,ornament4 ,owen ,jones4 ,art4 ,sir ,john ,lubbock4 ,how to ,judge a ,picture4 ,van ,dyke4 #gg ,circulars of ,information of the ,bureau of ,education1 ,no4 #d1 #ahhb4 ,,froebel',s ,,tenth ,,gift ,,the ,,point ,the awakening mind of the child 444 is led from the material body and its regular division to the contemplation of the surface1 from this to the contemplation of the line and to the point made visible4 ,,friedrich ,,froebel4 ,and it is precisely thus that the first artistic work of primeval man occurs2 he begins by the forming of simple rows1 as strings of beads1 or of shells1 for instance4 ,h4 ,,poesche4 ,for the last step in this analysis the child receives small lentil seeds or pebbles--concrete points1 so to speak--with which he constructs the most wonderful pictures4 ,w4 ,n4 ,,hailmann4 #a4 ,the point made concrete1 which forms the tenth and last of ,froebel's gifts1 is represented by many natural objects1 by beans1 lentils1 pebbles1 shells1 leaves1 and buds of flowers1 by seeds of various kinds1 as well as by tiny spheres of clay and bits of wood and cork4 #b4 ,we have been moving by gradual analysis from the solid through the divided solid1 the plane and the line1 and thus have reached in logical sequence the point1 into a series of which the line may be resolved4 #c4 ,the point which was visible in the preceding gifts1 but inseparable from them1 now in the tenth gift has an existence of its own4 ,although it is an imaginary quantity having neither length1 breadth1 nor thickness1 yet it is here illustrated by tangible objects which the child can handle4 ,by its very lack of individuality1 it lends itself to many charming plays and transformations4 #d4 ,by the use of the point the child learns practically the composition of the line1 that its direction is determined by two points1 that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line1 and that a curved line is one which changes its direction at every point4 ,the gift closes the series of objects obtained by analysis from the solid1 and prepares for the occupations which are developed by synthesis from the point4 #e4 ,the outlines of all geometrical plane figures both rectilinear and curvilinear may be illustrated with the point as well as straight and curved lines and angles of every degree4 #f4 ,the law of mediation of contrasts is no longer illustrated in the gift itself1 but simply governs the use of the material4 ,all lines and outlines of planes made with a series of dots show its workings1 and the symmetrical figures1 as we have noted from the first1 owe to it their very existence4 ,meeting-,place of ,gifts and ,occupations4 ,when we begin upon a consideration of the tenth gift1 the last link in the chain of objects which ,froebel devised to produce an all-sided development of the child1 we see at once that the meeting-place of gift and occupation has been reached4 ,the two series are now in fact so nearly one that the point is much more often used for occupation work than as a gift4 ,this convergence of the series in regard to their practical use was first noted in the tablets1 and has grown more and more marked with each succeeding object4 ,though the point is in truth the last step which the child takes in the sequence of gifts as he journeys toward the abstract1 yet we are met at once in practice by the apparently inconsistent fact that it is one of the first presented in the kindergarten4 ,this can only be explained by the statement that it is in truth quite as much of an occupation as a gift1 and is used in the former sense among the child's first work-materials as a preparation for later point-making 7perforating71 and as an exercise in eye-training and accuracy of measurement4 ,it is not an occupation1 of course1 for the reason that permanent results cannot be produced with it1 and because no transformation of its material is possible4 ,the ,point as a ,gift4 ,before the child completes his kindergarten course1 however1 he should certainly be led to an intellectual perception of the interrelation of the gifts and their gradual development from solid to point1 for their orderly progression according to law1 though it be but dimly apprehended1 will be most useful and strengthening to the mind4 ,to discern the logical order of a single series of objects is a step toward the comprehension of world-order in mature life4#gh #gh ,this coming-out of the child from the outer and superficial and his entrance into the inner view of things1 which1 because it is inner1 leads to recognition1 insight1 and consciousness1--this coming-out of the child from the house-order to the higher world-order makes the boy a scholar4--,friedrich ,froebel1 ,education of ,man1 page #gi4 ,the mind in later childhood should be what ,froebel describes his own to have been4 ,i often felt1 he says1 as if my mind were a smooth1 still pool scarce a handbreadth over1 or even a single water-drop1 in which surrounding things were clearly mirrored1 while the blue vault of the sky was seen as well1 reaching far away and above4 ,when the derivation of plane and of straight and curved line and their place in the gifts are clearly understood by the child1 there will be no difficulty in gaining an equally clear apprehension of the point and its position in the series4 ,this may be done somewhat as follows4 ,when the children are playing with blocks on some occasion1 we may direct the conversation to the essential characteristics of the cube1 its faces1 edges1 and corners4 ,do they remember which one of their playthings is like the face of the cube2 do they remember cutting clay tablets from the clay blocks8 ,it is most unlikely that this experiment will have been forgotten1 but if it has been1 it may be easily repeated4 ,speak next of the edges of the cube1 and let the children recall the derivation of the stick4 ,that portion of the cube not yet discussed will now be seized upon by the children1 and they will ask if any of their playthings are like the cube's corners4 ,can they think of anything2 shall we not try to make something8 ,now the clay appears1 cubes are quickly fashioned1 and each child is allowed to cut off the eight corners of his block4 ,he has no sooner done this than he sees the nearest approach we can make to a point1 and proceeds to make a design from them while he recalls the beans1 shells1 lentils1 etc41 he has used before in a similar way4 ,it is well here to suggest making the bits of clay into tiny oblate spheroids1 and laying them away to dry so that we may make a group work invention of them to-morrow4 ,better still1 however1 is the instant introduction of sticks or wires to connect with the clay points1 and thus form at once the skeleton of the solid1 which will give an ineffaceable impression of the relation of point and line to each other4 ,pleasure of ,child in ,point-laying and ,stringing4 ,the pleasure the child finds in point-laying is not confined to the kindergarten1 for playing with beads and pin-heads is an ordinary nursery occupation in all countries1 and which of us cannot recall long happy hours on the seashore1 or by the brookside1 when we gathered and sorted shells and smooth glistening pebbles1 and laid them in rows and patterns8 ,the mere handling of a great store of these gave a ,midas-like delight1 and what primitive artistic pleasure we felt as we arranged them according to the principle of repetition to border our garden-beds or to inclose our miniature parks and playgrounds4 ,the same joy is felt in plucking1 arranging1 and stringing rose-hips1 the seeds of the ailantus1 the nasturtium1 the pumpkin1 or the cheeses of the mallow and wild geranium4 ,miscellaneous ,materials4 ,it will commonly be found that the child enjoys tenfold more the objects for point-work which he finds himself than the more perfect school-materials4 ,imagine the joy1 for instance1 of a bevy of kindergarten children set free on ,pescadero ,beach 7,california71 and allowed to ramble up and down its shining sands to pick up the wonderful ,pescadero pebbles4 ,what colors of dull red and amber1 of pink and palest green1 what opaline lights1 and smooth1 glimmering surfaces6 ,busy work with such materials would be worth while indeed1--yet easy to obtain as they are1 they are almost never seen in use4 ,smooth1 white pebbles1 washed entirely clean and sorted according to size1 are not uncommonly seen in the kindergartens1 however1 and are especially useful in the sand-table1 and if these and the shining cream-colored shells could be found by the children themselves1 their pleasure in them would be immensely increased4 ,that this is true is proved by the experience of many teachers with seed-work4 ,one of our own brood of kindergartners once had a birthday melon party for one of her children4 ,the melons were brought to the kindergarten room and there divided1 the small host serving his guests himself4 ,great interest was immediately shown in the jet-black seeds of the water-melon in contrast with the smaller light-colored seeds of the musk-melon1 and unanimous appeals were made to the kindergartner that they might be saved and used for inventions4 ,this was done1 and they were always called for afterwards in point-work1 rather than the beans1 or vegetable and wooden lentils4 ,in those kindergartens where the seeds of all fruits are saved by the children at lunch hour1 it is also noted that the collection thus made is always the object of universal interest and preference4 ,use of the ,gift4 ,one of the first uses of the point may be in following the outline of some form of life which the kindergartner has drawn in white or colored chalk on the child's table4 ,this is much more fascinating work than the placing of seeds one space apart1 three in a row1 etc41 for the latter belongs to the knowledge-acquiring side of the game1 which1 as ,froebel says1 is the quickly tiring side1 only to be given quite casually at first1 and as chance may provide suitable openings for it4 ,the forms drawn in chalk may very well be of curving outlines of vegetables1 fruits1 leaves1 and flowers to connect with the study of the first gift1 and may include any other simple appropriate object which the kindergartner is capable of drawing4 ,the more advanced child can of course make his own ,life forms without the aid of drawing1 and if he is given different sizes and kinds of shells1 seeds1 or pebbles1 often arranges them with great ability to imitate the shading of the object4 ,the beginning of the forms of knowledge is in placing the points in regular order on the squared tables at the intersection of vertical and horizontal lines4 ,next1 the child lays one space vertical lines1 three points in a line1 then two space lines with five points1 then horizontal lines1 angles1 parallelograms1 borders1 etc41 following out the school of linear drawing1 and in this way progresses in an orderly manner to the designing of symmetrical forms4 ,curved lines of course are quite as easily represented as the straight1 and really beautiful designs are often made by the children with them4 ,tenth ,gift ,parquetry4 ,tiny circles and squares of colored paper corresponding to the wooden lentils are also to be had with this gift1 and afford a means of preserving the designs in permanent form4 ,they are so small1 however1 as to give occasion for considerable patience in pasting them1 and are rather difficult to arrange with regularity without first drawing the design4 ,it is doubtful1 in our opinion1 if they may be considered to be of any particular educational benefit1 if indeed they are not a positive harm to the child in that they require a too minute and long-sustained use of the finer muscles4 ,objections to the ,gift4 ,these strictures on the tenth gift parquetry bring us naturally to the criticisms lately made by eminent authorities upon some of the ,froebel materials4 ,the objection that many of them require too minute handling and too close attention on the part of children of the kindergarten age seems1 as far as the gifts are concerned1 to hold especial weight in regard to point-work4#gi #gi ,the development of motor-ability in children and its furtherance or arrest by the kindergarten materials concerns the occupations more particularly1 and as such will receive full consideration in a later volume4 ,we need not consider here the physio-psychological tests lately made of the early motor-ability of children and the results which these have shown1 but simply concern ourselves with what we have seen and noted many times in daily kindergarten practice4 ,is it not true that the laying of beans and lentils one inch apart on the tables1 for instance1 is an occupation which requires very delicate handling on account of the smallness of the object1 its easy mobility1 and the exactness required to place it precisely at the crossing-point of vertical and horizontal lines8 ,is it not true that such work requires considerable effort from the kindergartner to make it interesting to the child8 ,is it not true that there is a cramp of the fingers1 shown by a slight trembling1 in getting hold of the tiny object and placing it1 a cramp of the eye in foreseeing and following the movement1 and a cramp of the body accompanying the tension of hand and arm8 ,if all these observations are correct1 or measurably so1 if they hold with a majority of children1 then point-laying as an occupation clearly needs considerable modification in the kindergarten4 ,what are then the objections to the point as illustrated in bean1 coffee-berry1 seed1 and wooden lentil8 ,in a word1 that when represented as above1 it becomes too small and too mobile4 ,the difficulty of using these materials is immensely increased by the fact that a slight movement of the child's table will send them all on the floor1 while even an ill-timed cough or sneeze1 or puff of wind1 will blow them out of position4 ,point-laying is quite difficult enough for the child's small powers under the best conditions1 and need not be made more so by undue mobility in the materials with which it is carried on4 ,this criticism would not hold of course as against large shells or pebbles or as against ,miss ,marwedel's hemispheres and ellipsoids4 ,how these ,objections may be obviated4 ,the only good reason for using the small materials to which the preceding objections have been made is a very good one1 viz41 that if we are to take any concrete object to represent the point1 it should be as small as possible1 since the point is in reality an intangible something1 having no one of the three dimensions4 ,this reasoning seems to be logical enough1 and it is surely equally so1 to insist that the child shall at some time derive his own points from the cube and make them as small as possible1 that he may the better understand their relation to line1 plane1 and solid4 ,when once this relation is understood1 however1 and before it is suggested to his mind1 why may he not use the larger materials1 even though they do not illustrate the point as perfectly8 ,any lack in perfect representation would probably be more than compensated by the removal of the strain on the accessory muscles and the gain in artistic development4 ,this latter point1 indeed1 needs special consideration1 for there seems no doubt that the continued use of such small objects for design leads to accuracy and prettiness rather than breadth and power4 ,the ,marwedel ,materials4 ,if we throw out all the smaller materials used for point-laying1 and it seems advisable so to do1 we still have left smooth pebbles from one half to three fourths of an inch in diameter1 and shells of any univalve1 such as the money-cowry 7cyproea moneta74 ,these should be polished1 as free from convolutions as possible1 and not less than half an inch in diameter4 ,to these we may add ,miss ,emma ,marwedel's wooden ellipsoids and hemispheres1 already mentioned1 which are satisfactory in size1 and add the delights of color4#hj #hj ,marwedel's ,materials for ,child-,culture4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 ,the hemispheres1 which are about one half inch in diameter1 come in eight colors and also in the natural wood1 are pierced for stringing1 and are similar to ordinary button-moulds1 having of course one flat side4 ,the ellipsoids in the six rainbow hues1 black gray1 brown1 and wood colors1 resemble elliptical shells1 having one flat side1 are also pierced for stringing1 and vary in length from three fourths of to something over an inch1 being nearly an inch wide1 perhaps1 and a half inch thick4 ,the children are invariably delighted with both hemispheres and ellipsoids1 and need no stimulus from the kindergartner in their use4 ,mind-,pictures4 ,in some of ,miss ,marwedel's pamphlets on the use of these materials1 she speaks of the mind-pictures which can be made with them1 and which are of course quite possible with any of the other gifts4 ,these mind-pictures1 showing form and number groups1 are drawn by the kindergartner on the blackboard1 where they are left a second and then erased4 ,they are then copied from memory1 and the results compared1 described1 and criticised by the children4 ,this constitutes a valuable mental exercise1 and if the tests are simple at first and made gradually more difficult will be most valuable in increasing the memory-span as well as in developing language power4 ,abuse of the ,gift4 ,if some of the materials used in the kindergarten are unwisely chosen1 and if this objection applies in the gifts1 especially to the point1 then the kindergartner has been1 and still is1 unnecessarily increasing her sum of error1 for no one of the connected series of objects 7save the stick7 is commonly so forced upon the child4 ,it is somewhat unusual for this reason to find a whole class of children really enjoying point-work1 though several conscientious and industrious members of the group may be toiling away with praiseworthy diligence4 ,sometimes the children's feeling toward the gift goes beyond indifference and passes into active dislike1 but in either attitude of mind the beans1 lentils1 etc41 are likely to be mistreated4 ,it is not that the work with them is not in itself pleasing to the child1 but that it has been forced upon him ad nauseam1 and that the kindergartner has lacked interest in presenting it4 ,his own interest has in consequence gradually died out1 and when once the fire is cold1 who shall light it again8 ,that there is no need of this abuse of the gift is clear enough1 and it can only come from entire lack of originality in using ,froebel's materials1 or from a mental or physical inertia on the part of the kindergartner1 which causes her to prefer giving out such work as needs neither preparation nor previous thought4 ,,readings ,,for ,,the ,,student4 ,kindergarten ,guide4 ,kraus-,boelte4 ,pages #dci-ec4 ,the ,kindergarten4 ,h4 ,goldammer4 #aha-hd4 ,a ,system of ,child-,culture4 ,emma ,marwedel4 #f-h4 ,hints to ,teachers4 ,emma ,marwedel4 #di4 ,decorative ,design4 ,frank ,s4 ,jackson4 ,art in ,education4 ,thos4 ,davidson4 ,manual of ,design4 ,richard ,redgrave1 ,r4 ,a4 ,exercices et ,travaux pour les ,enfants4 ,fanny ,ch4 ,delon4 ,manuel ,pratique des ,jardins d',enfants4 ,j4 ,e4 ,jacobs and ,mme4 von ,marenholtz-,blow4 ,,general ,,remarks ,,on ,,the ,,gifts ,as we close the series of talks upon ,froebel's gifts and look back over the ground that has been covered1 we see that a number of important subjects have been only lightly touched upon1 while we have been altogether silent regarding others equally as vital4 ,this is doubtless inevitable in any work upon the kindergarten which does not aim to be encyclopdic in character1 but a few of the more serious omissions may be supplied before we close our consideration of the gifts and enter upon that of the occupations4 ,first1 then1 a word on the subject of attention4 ,difficulty of holding ,child's ,attention4 ,it is not uncommon1 when discussing any exercises with kindergarten materials which require dictation or guidance1 to hear complaints of the difficulty of holding the children's attention4 ,it may generally be said1 doubtless1 that when little children fail to give attention it is because they are not interested1 and if the teacher finds the majority of her pupils listless1 indifferent1 and vagrant-minded1 she may reasonably conclude that something is amiss either with the subject or with her presentation of it4 ,the child is as yet too young to command his mental powers and drive himself on by his own self-determination1 and if we enforce an attention which he gives through fear1 we lose the motive power of interest which ,froebel sought to utilize in the plays of the kindergarten4 ,dr4 ,george ,p4 ,brown in a late article on ,metaphysics and ,pedagogics#ha says1 ,every one admits that there is much that must be done by the child in his elementary education which is a task1 for the reason that his ideas of its worth to himself cannot be sufficiently appreciated to arouse a lively and impelling interest in the doing of it1 and he adds1 ,garfield once complained that he had done so long those things in which he was interested that he was losing his power to do that which did not interest him1 which suggests the danger of relying entirely upon interest as an incentive to learn4 #ha ,public ,school ,journal1 ,july1 #ahie4 ,that there is a danger here cannot be denied1 but it is one which need hardly be considered at the kindergarten age1 when that interest which comes from continued agreement between the work in hand and the child's inner wants is absolutely essential to the gaining of knowledge4 ,mr4 ,w4 ,n4 ,hailmann puts the whole matter in a nutshell when he says3 ,if the kindergartner has the penetration to discover these inner wants1 and the skill to adapt the circumstances and her own purposes to these1 she will find it easy to secure and hold the child's attention4 ,without this penetration and skill1 all else is unavailing4 ,she may sing and cajole herself into hoarseness1 she may smile and gesticulate herself into a mild sort of tarantism1 or freeze herself at one end of the table into a statue of ,suppressed ,reproach1--if the instruction or dictation has no natural connection with the purposes of the children1 these will remain uninterested or bored victims of her ill-directed enthusiasm4 ,language ,teaching4 ,the plays with the gifts open wide avenues for language teaching if conducted as ,froebel intended4 ,he says many wise things on this subject in his ,education of ,man1 and the following is of absolute application4 ,our children will attain1 he says1 to a far more fundamental insight into language1 if we1 when teaching them1 connect the words more with the actual perception of the thing and the object4444 ,our language would then again become a true language of life1 that is1 born of life and producing life2 while it threatens otherwise1 by merely outward consideration1 to become more and more dead4#hb #hb ,education of ,man1 page #ade4 ,from the first the child should be led to voice his small observations on the gifts in clear language and in approximately complete sentences1 brief though they be4 ,he can as easily say1 ,i would like a blue ball1 please1 if asked what color he prefers1 as to jerk out a monosyllabic ,blue6 ,after a little practice he will use a short sentence when comparing two objects1 for instance1 but as he naturally moves along the line of least resistance it is hardly to be expected that he will take the trouble to form complete sentences unless gently stimulated to do so4 ,the stimulus must be gentle1 however1 and given at the right time1 for any feeling that his words are criticised will lead him to self-repression1 not expression4 ,in gift work1 too1 he explains to the kindergartner what he is inventing1 and for what purpose2 he weaves gossamer threads of fancy about the objects constructed1 or describes the forms of beauty and knowledge he has built by dictation4 ,there is and should be constant interchange of conversation during the gift plays1 and the kindergartner who directs them like a drill-sergeant1 requiring her recruits only to be silent and obey1 has entirely misconceived ,froebel's idea4#hc #hc ,it is a difficult thing to find the via media between complete silence on the part of the children save when answering questions and a confusion of tongues like that at the building of ,babel1 but there is such a via media1 and it can be found by those who seek it diligently4 ,it is undeniably much easier for the teacher to do all the talking1 the children serving as audience1 but the ideal to be reached is that she shall be the audience herself1 or rather the chairman of the meeting1 guiding the conversation1 asking suggestive questions1 and making wise comments4 ,our language teaching1 however1 is not confined to the cultivation of greater powers of expression1 for there is a direct gain in the child's vocabulary consequent upon his kindergarten experience4 ,he absorbs many new words from his teachers1 but many others he learns through his daily work and play1 and these are his absolute possession1--the thing and the word together4 ,an interesting series of experiments was once made in the ,san ,francisco free kindergartens relative to the number of new words which the child had mastered and used easily and freely after three years in the child-garden4 ,these included terms of dictation1 geometrical terms1 names of tools1 colors1 materials1 plants1 animals1 buildings1 and places1 new and poetic words of songs1 games1 and stories1 etc41 and the experiments established the fact that the child's vocabulary was fully as great as that of his parents and decidedly more choice4 ,relation of ,word to ,object4 ,it should be said here that there is great value to the child in learning to name things correctly from the very beginning4 ,if the new word is a simple one1 he can learn it with perfect ease1 and then the object is properly labeled1 so to speak1 for future use4#hd ,familiar names are sometimes used in the kindergarten when the correct term would be quite as easy to pronounce4 ,this practice often arises from a false conception of symbolism1 and is continued with an idea that it is pleasing to the child4 ,sometimes the pseudonyms are absolutely misleading1 as in the frequent speaking of squares as boxes1 which must1 of course1 confuse the child as to the real nature of a plane4 ,there are many cases where the geometrical name of a form can easily be taught if it is given after the object is clearly understood4#he #hd ,at all stages of learning the mother tongue1 the purely verbal exercises are more or less accompanied with the occupation of the mind upon things4 ,if we suppose the child to become acquainted1 in the first instance1 with a variety of objects1 the imparting of the names is a welcome operation1 and the mental fusion of each name and thing is rapidly brought about4 ,if the objects are in any way interesting1 if they arouse or excite attention1 their names are eagerly embraced4 ,on the other hand1 if objects are but languidly cared for1 or if they are inconspicuous or confused with other things1 we are indifferent both to the things themselves and to their designations4 7,alexander ,bain47 #he ,language is the necessary tool of thought used in the conduct of the analysis and synthesis of investigation4 7,w4 ,t4 ,harris47 ,what we are really seeking is the meaning and the word4 ,one is of no value without the other in the education of the child4 ,there is no such thing as a valuable observation and investigation of natural objects without language in which to embody the results at every step4 7,geo4 ,p4 ,brown47 ,report on ,correlation of ,studies by ,committee of ,fifteen4 ,with annotations by ,geo4 ,p4 ,brown4 ,there is a distinction here as to age1 which should be noted4 ,though with babies of three years it is not only delightful1 but necessary1 to use objects symbolically1 to give play-names to the lines they make1 etc41 with older children who are nearing the age of school instruction and therefore passing away from the sense relations of things1 it is just as essential to begin a more scientific nomenclature4 ,value of ,knowledge ,gained by ,individual ,effort4 ,one of the commonest errors in the kindergarten1 as well as one of the most pernicious1 is that of assisting the child too much in all his work4 ,this is perhaps more universally true of the plays with the occupations than with the gifts1 but even in the latter direction the practice is far too widespread4#hf #hf ,of course1 there is great difference between the disciplinary value of that study in which the pupil solves his own difficulties and that teaching in which the teacher accompanies the pupil1 supplying the needed information or suggestion at every step of his progress4 ,the latter is not worth much for character building for the reason that it is not apt to become a part of the organized self4444 ,the school cannot afford to expend much energy in acquiring such knowledge4 7,geo4 ,p4 ,brown47 ,report on ,correlation of ,studies by ,committee of ,fifteen4 ,with annotations by ,geo4 ,p4 ,brown4 ,the kindergartner often forms his sentences for the child1 over-directs him when he is matching colors1 gives names to the objects he constructs without waiting for him to do so1 moves his blocks1 sticks1 tablets1 rings into more accurate position1 changes his spacing when incorrect1 rearranges his inventions1 selects the colors for his parquetry work1--and all for what reasons8 ,primarily1 to produce a better effect1 it is probable1 glorying in the consciousness that the work on every child's table is exactly right1 and blind to the truth that uniformity must always be mechanical2 and secondarily1 to quiet her own feeling of impatience1 which sometimes comes from nervous exhaustion and sometimes from an over-eagerness to get a quantity of work done regardless of the method by which it is obtained4 ,there is a thirdly1 too1 which is that the inaccurate work1 the awkward designs1 the unfortunate blending of colors which the little one inevitably makes at first1 so offend her artistic eye that she trembles with eagerness to set them right1 forgetting that by so doing she is imposing her superior taste upon the child and thereby failing to develop his4 ,we shall never see this matter clearly1 nor know how to bear with the crudity of the child's work1 until we learn that the crudity is natural and therefore to be respected1 and that it is in a sense beautiful after all1 for it is a stage of being4 ,this vice1 for it is a vice1 of assisting the child too much causes him to lose his own power of bravely and persistently overcoming difficulties1 and makes him weak and dependent4 ,it gives occasion for teachers to say1 and apparently with justice1 that kindergarten children need constant assistance in their school work1 that they are always crying out for help1 and seem incapable of taking a step alone4 ,that this is not true of all kindergarten children we know1 but that it should be true of any is a disgrace to our interpretation of ,froebel's system1 which is1 in reality1 a very treasure-house of self-reliance1 of self-development1 and of independence of thought and action4 ,value of ,interrelation in ,kindergarten ,work4 ,one of the highest essentials of gift work is that it should not be isolated from other experiences of the child and concern itself merely with first principles of mathematics1 with elements of construction1 reproduction1 and design1 and with unrelated bits of knowledge4 ,froebel says in the motto to one of the poems in the ,mutter-,spiel und ,kose-,lieder1-- ,whatever singly with a child you've played1 ,weave it together till a whole you've made4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,thus it will dawn upon his childish soul3 ,the smallest thing belongs to some great whole4 ,and again1-- ,silently cherish your ,baby's dim thought1 ,that ,life in itself is as unity wrought4 ,nothing is more evident in all his writings1 in his more formal works as well as in his autobiography1 his volumes of letters and his reminiscences1 than that his lifelong struggle was for unity in all things4 ,he would have this unity expressed in simple concrete form in the kindergarten by a complete interrelation of all the activities of the child2 and the gifts as outward representations of his internal mental world may be trusted to furnish us with an absolute test as to how far we are carrying out this principle in our teaching4 ,whether or not the necessity of correlation decreases as age increases we need not discuss here1 but that there is absolute need of it in the kindergarten probably no one will deny4 ,if a single aim does not unify the kindergarten day1 7or month1 or season71 it will be a succession of scrappy experiences1 of surface impressions1 no one of which can be permanent1 because it was slight by itself and received no reinforcement from others4 ,such instruction only serves to dissipate the mind1 to blot out the dim feeling of unity inscribed there by its maker1 and to render the child incapable and undesirous of binding his thoughts into a whole4#hg #hg ,in the broad view we are safe in affirming that all truth is congruous1 and that truth in one department of human knowledge will always reinforce truth in any other department4 ,there is a unity in all truth4 ,while it is true1 as ,dr4 ,harris affirms in his ,report on the ,correlation of ,studies1 that the student does not come into the full consciousness of this fact before he attains the university1 is it not also true that he can be so taught that he will feel this unity before he can think it1 and that his feeling it will hasten the development of the power to think it8--,geo4 ,p4 ,brown1 ,congruence in ,teaching1 ,public ,school ,journal1 ,sept41 #ahie4 ,what the subjects should be1 around which the child's mental1 physical1 and spiritual activities may crystallize1 furnishes a fruitful field for discussion2 but1 above all1 they should be vital ones1 for1 as ,miss ,blow says1 ,serious injury may be done the mind by developing concentric exercises which belong not to the centre1 but the circumference of thought4 ,it would be fruitless to suggest suitable subjects here1 for if they do not1 on the one hand1 conform to the growing mind of the particular child or class of children1 they may either arrest or overtax development1 and if1 on the other hand1 they do not proceed from the kindergartner's insight into principle1 it would be but superstitious imitation for her to follow them out4 ,no manual1 no guide-book1 no treatise1 no lecture1 can supply the want of fine intelligence and judgment in all these matters1 and not until the teacher comprehends the genesis of any principle from deeper principles can she emancipate herself from even the hypnotic suggestion of the principle itself1 and convert external authority into inward freedom4#hh #hh ,w4 ,t4 ,harris4 ,effect of ,froebel's ,gifts on the ,kindergartner4 ,although uninterested and uninitiated persons doubtless regard the various gifts of ,froebel as very ordinary objects1 made from commonplace materials1 yet that this view of the matter is only a peep through a pin-hole is abundantly proven by their effect on the kindergartner4 ,those of us who have seen successive groups of young women in training-classes approach the first few gifts have noted that interest is commonly mingled at first with a slight surprise that the objects should be considered worthy of so much study1 while underneath lies a half-concealed amusement at the simple forms produced4 ,yet this attitude of mind endures but for a season1 for as soon as the gifts are studied and used practically1 it is seen that they contain possibilities of indefinite expansion4 ,when they are looked at through the glasses of imagination1 it is wonderful how large they appear1 and when one has toiled long hours to invent some sequence with them1 one wonders at the reality and fascination of the forms produced4 ,the outsider who glanced at the materials hastily would undoubtedly suppose them capable of only a limited number of changes and combinations1 but the fact remains that every year kindergarten students invent hundreds of new forms with these simple1 insignificant blocks and sticks and beans4 ,how1 then1 does this change come about8 ,how is it that the same student who once half-scorned the gifts1 now1 upon the completion of her course of training1 looks upon them with affection1 admiration1 and respect8 ,it is that her eyes have been opened1 and whereas she was blind1 now she sees4 ,her imagination has been awakened1 her literary instinct has been stirred1 and she has come to look at things in the child way1 which is always the poetic way4 ,effect of ,froebel's ,gifts upon the ,child4 ,the effect of ,froebel's gifts upon the child has been shown directly and indirectly through the entire series of talks1 and need not now be recapitulated4 ,if they are wisely presented and wisely conducted1 inward and outward1 the limits of their influence and scope lie in infinity4 ,froebel says in one of his letters3 ,no one would believe1 without seeing it1 how the child-soul--the child-life--develops when treated as a whole1 and in the sense of forming a part of the great connected life of the world1 by some skilled kindergartner1--nay1 even by one who is only simple-hearted1 thoughtful1 and attentive2 nor how it blooms into delicious harmonies like a beautifully tinted flower4 ,oh1 if ,i could only shout aloud with ten thousand lung-power the truth that ,i now tell you in silence4 ,then would ,i make the ears of a hundred thousand men ring with it6 ,what keenness of sensation1 what a soul1 what a mind1 what force of will and active energy1 what dexterity and skill of muscular movement and of perception1 and what calm and patience will not all these things call out in the children4#hi #hi ,froebel's ,letters on the ,kindergarten1 page #ade4 ,it is not that we regard the connected series of gifts as inspired1 nor as incapable of improvement1 for it may be that as our psychological observations of children grow wiser1 more sympathetic1 and more subtle1 we shall see cause to make radical changes in the objects which are ,froebel's legacy to the kindergarten4 ,this we may do1 but we can never improve upon the motherly tenderness of spirit with which they were devised by the great pioneer of child-study1 nor upon the philosophic insight which based them on the universal instincts of childhood4 ,by ,mrs4 ,wiggin4 ,,the ,,birds' ,,christmas ,,carol4 ,illustrated4 ,square #abmo1 boards1 #ej cents4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,patsy4 ,illustrated4 ,square #abmo1 boards1 #fj cents4 ,a ,,summer ,,in ,a ,,ca,,on4 ,a ,california ,story4 ,illustrated4 #afmo1 #a4be4 ,,timothy',s ,,quest4 ,a ,story for ,anybody1 ,young or ,old1 who cares to read it4 #afmo1 #a4jj4 ,,the ,,same4 ,new ,holiday ,edition4 ,illustrated4 ,crown #hvo1 #a4ej4 ,,the ,,story ,,hour4 ,a ,book for the ,home and ,kindergarten4 ,by ,mrs4 ,,wiggin and ,,nora ,a4 ,,smith4 ,illustrated4 #afmo1 #a4jj4 ,,children',s ,,rights4 ,by ,mrs4 ,,wiggin and ,,nora ,a4 ,,smith4 ,a ,book of ,nursery ,logic4 #afmo1 #a4jj4 ,a ,,cathedral ,,courtship ,,and ,,penelope',s ,,english ,,experiences4 ,illustrated4 #afmo1 #a4jj4 ,,polly ,,oliver',s ,,problem4 ,illustrated4 #afmo1 #a4jj4 ,,the ,,village ,,watch-,,tower4 #afmo1 #a4jj4 ,,froebel',s ,,gifts4 ,by ,mrs4 ,,wiggin and ,,nora ,a4 ,,smith4 #afmo4 ,,houghton1 ,,mifflin ,,co4 ,,boston ,,and ,,new ,,york4 ,,transcriber',s ,,notes #a4 ,passages in italics are surrounded by underscores4 #b4 ,the sidenotes are changed to section headings4 #c4 ,the word cyproea moneta uses an oe ligature in the original4 #d4 ,other than the corrections listed above1 printer's inconsistencies in spelling1 punctuation and hyphenation have been retained4