Home Occupations for Boys and Girls Part 29

The Kindergarten Gifts

Friedrich Froebel, after observing and studying thoughtfully the play and playthings of little children, selected from among these, and arranged in logical order, a certain series which should help develop the little one in mind, body, and spirit through childlike play. This series of related playthings is known as the kindergarten "gifts."

All children of all races play ball, and the first kindergarten gift to be given, even to a very little child, consists of six soft worsted b.a.l.l.s in the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.

The second gift is an oblong box containing a wooden ball or "sphere," a cube, and a cylinder, with several slender axles and beams to a.s.sist in the little plays.

The third gift is a box containing a two-inch cube divided horizontally and vertically into eight one-inch cubes.

The fourth gift is a similar cube divided horizontally into eight oblong blocks.

The fifth gift is evolved from the preceding ones and is a five-inch cube divided into inch cubes, half cubes, and quarter cubes.

The sixth gift is a cube of the same size divided so that it contains cubes, oblongs, and plinths.

The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth gifts are derived from the geometrical solids.

The seventh gift is derived from the geometrical surfaces, and consists of wooden tablets in shapes of circles, squares, triangles, etc.

The eighth gift represents the geometrical line and is made up of wooden sticks in lengths of one, two, three, four, five, and six inches. They may be had in two thicknesses and either colored or uncolored.

The ninth gift, derived from the edge of the circle, consists of metal rings, half rings, and quarter rings, in several sizes.

The tenth gift, derived from the geometric point, is the lentil.

Kindergartners differ as to the amount of emphasis to be placed upon the geometric side of the "gifts," and as to whether or not they should always be presented in a certain logical order. To appreciate their full value the mother must read her Froebel or take a kindergarten course. We give below some simple methods of using them, from which the child will derive both pleasure and benefit. What follows should be entirely clear, especially if the mother has the "gifts" before her as she reads.

=First Gift b.a.l.l.s= (_Rubber ball 1-1/2 inches in diameter_, _wool in six primary colors_, _crochet-hook_)

These b.a.l.l.s can be made by taking a _rubber_ ball and crocheting around it a case of worsted; or a case can be crocheted and then stuffed with loose wool or cotton. In the latter case to insure a good shape it is well to crochet _over a ball_ till nearly finished; then take the rubber ball out and fill with the cotton or wool and then complete the ball.

Then crochet a string about eight inches long and attach to the ball, for suspending it. The ball can then be swung, raised, lowered, made to hop like a bird, swing like a pendulum, revolve rapidly like a wheel.

The child may play that it is a bucket being raised or lowered. See how steadily he can raise it.

The b.a.l.l.s lend themselves to many color games.

1. Place them in a row, let one child blind his eyes, another one removes one of the b.a.l.l.s and the first one, opening his eyes, tries to think which one is missing.

2. Let children observe the colors through a gla.s.s prism and try to arrange b.a.l.l.s in similar order. Ask child if he can tell which colors are uppermost in the rainbow, the cold or the warm ones.

3. If the mother is sewing on a colored dress, let the child try to pick out the ball resembling it in color.

4. Play hiding the ball, as in hide the thimble.

5. Play store, letting him tell you which ball will best represent a lemon, an orange, a red apple, etc.

=Second Gift Plays=

Throughout his life, Froebel felt with keen pain all that was discordant or inharmonious in human society. Beneath all differences and misunderstandings lay, he believed, the possibility of adjustment, or reconciliation. Relations most strained might be brought into harmonious union. This great idea is typified by the second gift. The hard wooden sphere is _round, curved from all points of view_, with no _angles_ or _edges_, and is _easily moved_. The cube is a complete contrast to the sphere, inasmuch as it _stands firmly_, has _flat faces_, _angles_, and _edges_. The cylinder combines the characteristics and possibilities of the other two. It has flat faces as well as a curved one, and can both stand and roll. It forms a bond of connection between the other two which at first sight seem irreconcilable.

Three of these forms have small staples inserted in side, edge, and angle so that they may be suspended, swung, and revolved. There are also perforations through each one admitting the insertion of the axles, when needed for certain plays.

If an axle be put through cube or cylinder and it be revolved rapidly, you can see, in the swift moving figure, the spirit, as it were, of the other forms--an experiment fascinating to young and old.

A little imagination will turn the box in which these blocks come, into a boat, car, engine, etc., pins, matches, tacks, wire, etc., being called in as extras.

The little wooden beam may be placed across, held up by the axles and upon this the blocks may be suspended as objects for sale in a store.

The box with its cover may be used to ill.u.s.trate the three primary mechanical principles, the pulley, or wheel, the inclined plane, and the lever. The pulley is made by placing the cylinder on an axle, tying a little weight to one end of a cord and drawing it up over the cylinder.

Let the child play the weight is a bucket of water being drawn up from a well.

Play loading a boat and use the cover for a plank, inclined from the deck to the ground, up which to roll a barrel (the cylinder).

Play that the cube is a heavy piano box and show how to raise it by using a stick as a lever.

The students of a kindergarten training school made fine derrick cranes with this box of blocks, and no two were exactly alike.

=Games with Second Gift Ball=

1. Let children sit crossed-legged on the floor in a circle and let one child roll the ball across to another child. He in turn rolls it straight over to some other child and so on.

2. Let one child sit in the center of a circle and roll the ball to each child in turn, who rolls it back to him.

3. Let several children stand in the center of a ring and try to catch the ball as it rolls swiftly by.

4. Let children stand in center and try to avoid being touched by the ball as it rolls along.

5. Draw a circle on the floor and let the children try in turn to so roll the ball that it will stop inside of the ring.

6. Place the cube in the center of the circle. Put the cylinder on top of the cube and balance the sphere carefully upon the cylinder. Then let the children try to hit this target with another ball.

Many are the lessons in self-control, fair play, patience and kindness which the children practice in playing these simple games, in addition to the physical exercise and training in alertness, in seeing correctly and in acting quickly.

=Second Gift Beads=

Mrs. Hailmann, a kindergarten training teacher, some years ago added to the "gifts" the so-called "second gift beads," much loved by wee children.

These are perforated wooden beads in shape of the sphere, cube and cylinder. They come in two sizes and may be had in colors or uncolored.

A shoe lace comes with them for stringing.

In delightful plays with these beads the child learns to distinguish form and color, and has practice in simple designing.

At first let him have a number of different kinds and let him thread them as he pleases. Observe him and see if, of his own initiative, he will distinguish either form or color. After a while he will probably, without suggestion, begin to string them in some sort of order--one sphere, one cube, one sphere, one cube, etc. Two spheres, two cubes, two cylinders, etc.