Nature Experiences by R. W. Emerson

"For Nature, true and like in every place,
Will hint her secret in a garden patch,
Or in lone corners of a doleful heath."
R. W. Emerson. 

"To read the sense the woods impart,
You must bring the throbbing heart."
R. W. Emerson. 

"See yonder leafless trees against the sky,

How they diffuse themselves into  the air

And ever subdividing, separate

Limbs into branches, branches into twigs;

As if they loved the element, and hasted

To dissipate their being into it."

R. W. Emerson.

"I thought the sparrow's note from heaven,

Singing at eve on the alder bough;

I brought him home, in his nest, at even;

He sings the song, but it cheers not now;

For I did not bring home the river and sky;

He sang to my ear, they sang to my eye.

The delicate shells lay on the shore;

The bubbles of the latest wave 

Fresh pearls to their enamel gave;

And the bellowing of the savage sea

Greeted their safe escape to me.

I wiped away the weeds and foam,

I fetched my sea-born treasures home;

But the poor unsightly, noisome things

Had left their beauty on the shore

With the sun and the sand and the wild uproar."

R. W. Emerson.

"As I spoke, beneath my feet

The ground-pine curled its pretty wreath,

Running over the club moss burs;

I inhaled the violet's breath;

Around me stood the oaks and firs;

Pine-cones and acorns lay on the ground;

Over me soared the eternal sky,

Full of light and of deity;

Again I saw, again I heard,

The rolling river, the morning bird;

Beauty through my senses stole;

I yielded myself to the perfect whole."

R. W. Emerson.

The Ethical Aspect

       The question has been asked, "Is it ethical to care more for those near one than for those more remote?" Aside from the fact that for reasons to be stated it is more usual to do so, the answer would seem to be 'Yes' and 'No'/'Yes' because first-hand contact with people is the only basis for personal experience with them and first-hand contact with personal experience is essential to the development of the elements in character, such as sympathy, understanding, willingness to share, readiness to serve and to cooperate, controlled emotion, directed intelligence, conscious team-work and others, which make up the complexes of ethical conduct. The fuller and richer the individual experience, the greater are the possibilities for fondness of those near at hand, for the transference of this 'caring' to the more remote, and for the expression of this 'caring' in conscious co-operative effort. Moreover, only through first-hand contact and personal experience can the projection come of the response to and the co-operation with a more remote group, a wider field of ideas, a larger vision and greater mutual helpfulness.

       The answer to the question asked will be 'No,' if the response becomes limited solely to the personal contact, if it excludes and hinders the expansion indicated, more still, if it results in an alien attitude of mind and action towards those groups, ideas and visions which lie outside the close contact and personal experience.

       We Americans have a peculiar and unique privilege and responsibility with regard to both the close contact and the larger vision. The immigration question is preeminently our problem. Nowhere else is there such a medley of peoples welded into one whole. To make this whole, not homogeneous altogether, but organically unified, so as to produce the type most to be desired, while encouraging variations which will preserve and perpetuate all valuable ingredients, is the supreme ethical problem. Much has been done by the public school in the assimilation of this heterogeneous material; more needs to be done. At the same time, however, that our ideals, purposes, customs and practices are transmitted to the newcomer and conditions are provided so that he may normally react and make them his own, another aspect heretofore greatly neglected needs to be emphasized, if family life is not to be seriously endangered, and if much of the rich social inheritance is not to be irredeemably lost. The point is this: If the children are thoroughly assimilated and the parents remain foreign in thought and action, there arises an unavoidable tension and friction between the two generations which is as disintegrating to the children and the group as a whole, as it is tragic for the older generation. There are two ways of avoiding this result, both of which are equally imperative: (1) The parents, too, must become imbued with the ideals, purposes, customs and practices of their new country. (2) The ideals, purposes, customs and lore of the groups to which the parents belonged must take their legitimate place in the home and school life of the children, and bring to them and to their companions the special contribution each of them has to give. If properly utilized this contribution may become in school a strong socializing agent and the stepping stone by means of which the children will make the transition in thought and action from the first-hand contact of home, school and community to the larger vision of appreciation of and cooperation with all human groups. To do this is the function of geography and history teaching.

       It is obvious that in the higher grades of the elementary school the study of geography, history, literature, art, music, if presented on the basis of universal appreciation, of worthy achievement, will have a share in the developing of this larger consciousness to the extent to which it demands and fosters it as a habitual attitude of mind. The possibilities are great indeed. What, however, has this discussion to do with early childhood? The following incident may make clear the connection: A group of college students in child lore were sent to a 'Baby welfare exhibit,' representing the needs of children below the age of two years. The suggestion was made that they render a critical constructive report of the significance of the exhibit. They returned enthusiastically praising the exhibit on the side of physical hygiene. "But," was the question asked, "Why was there nothing to indicate the importance of caring for the mental hygiene of little children? It is clear to every observer of children even under the age of two, that many of their 'mind sets' are initiated and many 'habits' formed as soon as the children become conscious of their social contacts. The waste involved in breaking wrong habits and establishing correct ones later on is great; also, the chances for non-elimination and non-modifiability of early established habits must always be reckoned with. May we make posters which will attract the attention of and carry conviction to the public mind, showing the importance of educating for early attitudes and habits of mind?" These students had grasped the psychological and pedagogical bearings of this question and the posters produced were simple, direct, dramatic, and carried conviction to the observer. Good mental attitudes and habits must be provided for from the very beginning, if we would reap the best possible results and avoid friction and waste of effort through the necessity of breaking bonds which should never have been established.

       There are three main points to be emphasized in the working out of the problem set in these pages. 

1. The desirable attitude of mind and habits of response must be developed early, the earlier the better, and must be grounded in daily conduct for which conditions must be provided in the social and physical environment of the children. 
2. The material used in school to establish a closer bond between parents and children on the one hand and between children and the larger human groups on the other, must be appreciated and acknowledged as coming from respective human groups, and may consist of folk games, folk dances, folk stories and poetry, folk music and art; also of a well planned course in history and geography, in which the interest centers about child life in communities remote from the home group, as well as in home geography. In these groups life must be relatively simple so as to come within the interpretive ability of little children, and so as to enlarge their personal experience by thinking and living as members of the group studied. For example, taking as point of departure our most severe winter weather with its snow and ice and its discomforts as well as its pleasures, the life of Eskimo boys and girls may be approached through this home experience, and interpreted in terms of longer periods of time, more extreme conditions, greater isolation and increased distance from the comforts available to us. The question, "What would you do if you were in this boy's or girl's place?" if properly provided with the determining background, and to a large extent with the means of execution will lead our children to intelligent thinking, sympathetic appreciation of handicaps as well as of achievement, and reasonable adjustments and responses to existing conditions.
3. The proper and ethical use of the material suggested will lead to the ability of living in close contact with others on a basis of mutual regard and helpfulness; to the growing respect for personality and its legitimate demands; to the appreciation of worthy achievement in whatever human group it has been produced; to the desire to add a contribution of one's own to the general fund of valuable inheritance to be used for the good of all.

with keen appreciation of Stevenson's charm and insight it may be pointed out that his:

"Of speckled eggs the birdie sings

And nests among the trees;

The sailor sings of ropes and things

In ships upon the seas."

"The children sing in far Japan,

The children sing in Spain.

The organ with the organ man,

Is singing in the rain."

with its touch of universal comradeship and common ideals represents more adequately the hoped-for permanent 'mind set' than his:

"Little Indian Sioux or Crow,

Little frosty Eskimo,

Little Turk or Japanee,

O, don't you wish that you were me!"

       The exuberance and physical exaltation which prompts the latter expression is, of course, normal, legitimate and innocent if it stands for a temporary ebullition of joy rather than for a dominant attitude of thought.

       Little children must, of course, be largely unconscious of these ethical aims and purposes which are carried constantly in mind by the teacher. The responsibility of bringing about the desired results rests with her; it is her task tactfully and skillfully to provide the proper conditions which will insure in the children the responses necessary for continued growth along the lines indicated.

To summarize:--

1. The teacher must be able to illustrate by demonstration that everywhere human groups have produced achievements worthy of being included in the social inheritance.
2. She must in dealing with little children place the emphasis upon similarities among human groups common needs, ideals, thoughts and so on rather than upon differences.
3. She must know in how large a degree differences in human groups are due to variations in environment, and lead others to see this.
4. She must be able to trace the relation between environment and opportunity, and show its expression in the general life of different human groups.
5. She must have the knowledge and insight to interpret conduct in various human groups in terms of growth, of conquest, of environment, of contribution to human achievement.
6. She must herself understand and creatively react to the human group in which she is working in order to develop in the little children the same ability. (Read: Angelo Patri's, The Schoolmaster of a Great City, Macmillan Co.) She must herself have faith in the larger vision and in the integrity and possibility of growth in the various human groups. She must through her own life and through that of the little children carry the conviction that cooperation, 'teamwork' is not merely possible, but the universal end greatly to be desired among individuals and among human groups alike.

       It is not necessary here to enumerate at length projects which little children will want to carry out in working for these results. The children's social experience provides for a number; the 'safety first' movement; the policeman's function as 'helper'; the letter carrier bringing us into touch with home and foreign lands; the festivals Christmas, Easter, Harvest, Thanksgiving in which all do their share; the life of other little children in other lands, all of these projects are part of the children's lives and furnish the possibilities needed for growth.

       During this period of international stress and reconstruction the principles involved which are constructive and which are valuable at all times are the ones to be emphasized with our children by means of concrete projects. In conservation of all kinds, in Red Cross work, in the thrift saving movement, in the spirit of general helpfulness and service are found the tasks which are within the strength and comprehension of little children, and which will fill their minds with the thoughts that establish the bonds of good fellowship and brotherhood. Happiness and joy are the birthright of the children. They make for mental health and vigor and those qualities of character which are needed most in a social world.

"But there is neither East nor "West, Border nor

Breed nor Birth,

When two strong men stand face and face, tho' they

come from the ends of the earth!"

by Kipling.

Draw old-fashioned dolls, step-by-step

 
       You can try drawing four little old-fashioned dolls, step-by-step. Each doll drawing starts with simple shapes and lines. Each little girl doll is dressed with ruffles and bows. After you've drawn your doll, color it with any color that you think would look nice. Now try it again. The more your practice, the better your drawings will get!

• Find more dolls and toys to color at Crayon Palace
• Visit our collection here at the Doll Coloring Book

How to draw a doll and color her in.

Cut, Color and Paste Paper Doll Furniture

       Paper dolls are sold in every toy-store ; the dresses and furniture being printed on thick paper, which will bear a good deal of handling, ready for cutting out. In the country, where it may not be easy to buy them ready-made, a doll can be cut from the fashion-plate of a magazine, and a pattern made, from which the dresses and hats may be cut. If you have only plain white paper, it can be colored from the paints in your color-box ; and it is really more interesting to plan a doll's wardrobe in this way than to have it all ready-made. 

• Craft paper dolls, paper dolls and additional furnishings from Thrifty Scissors
• Craft paper dolls from Easter Egg Crafts

       Diagrams for bed, chair, table, and sofa, are given below; and the furniture can be cut from bristol-board, and colored, or from thin, smooth cardboard.
       In cutting out this furniture, patterns of it may first be taken by laying a piece of thin paper over each diagram, and carefully copying every line. These can be laid on the cardboard, and a pencil-line drawn around them. There are three sorts of lines, each one meaning different treatment, as you will see in the description of how to cut out the rocking-chair. If you have only white cardboard to use, you will have to paint your furniture, - either dark-brown, like walnut; or in colors, like the enameled sets.

       First of all, cut round the outside of the rocking-chair ; and, if you begin by cutting off the greater part of the waste cardboard, you can turn your scissors more easily. Now lay it down; take a flat ruler, or something with a straight edge, and mark over all the parts which are to be turned down with the point of your scissors, or with a penknife, but not deep enough to cut through: these parts are indicated in little dots; thus, (as seen in the lines from A to A). Now the lines marked thus are to be  marked in the same manner; but, as those parts are to be turned up you must mark them on the reverse side. As there are no lines on that side, make a little hole with the point of a pin at the extreme end of these lines (B and B), to show you where to draw your knife when the rocking-chair is turned over. Next you must cut through the lines marked thus (as seen in lines from C to C): now bend the parts up or down, as the lines direct. You will find, when you have cut out and bent your furniture as  directed, little tabs, that are to go underneath, to gum or sew the other parts too.

Paper pattern for a paper doll's rocking chair and tiny ottomans.
Click directly on the images to download the largest available size.

Paper pattern for a paper doll's bed.

Paper dolls pattern for a bureau and mirror.

Paper patterns for a paper doll's dining room chairs.

Paper doll's pattern for a parlor table.

Paper doll's pattern for a paper sofa.

A paper doll's washstand pattern.

Social Experience and 'Purposeful Activities'

       It may be well to repeat here that the diversity of reaction by the children at different times will sometimes place the emphasis on constructive activities, at other times subordinate these to some other activity. It is this proposed change of emphasis which insures the flexibility of the program, makes possible a rational balance, and gives room on the one hand for the initiative of the children, on the other hand for the guiding purposes of the teacher. It is this change of emphasis which will make it essential at times to deal with social experience through the channels of oral language, representative play and the playing of social and folk games; also through the enriching influence of literature in the form of song, poetry and story. Reading, writing and number take their place as forms of expression used because of the demand of the situation, rather than because of external compulsion.

       In dealing with social experience much the same approach is made as in dealing with nature experience. The motive may be inherent in certain specific situations, or it may show itself in a desire consciously to take stock of, follow up, and investigate existing conditions heretofore taken for granted. In either case the nature and extent of the material used must depend upon the experience, maturity, and specific demand of the children; it must be subject to such a conscious purpose in the mind of the teacher as will lead to greater ability for cooperation, appreciation, and participation for service on the part of the children, including necessarily better understanding of mutual relationships and of the needs and expression of others as well as of ourselves.

       In connection with the study a few of the features often overlooked have been emphasized here; others have only been suggested. The main thoughts are concerned with:

1. The formation of good habits.
2. The necessity for cooperation, and the service of all.
3. Adequate knowledge for the best possible co-operation.
4. Provision for participation on the part of the children.
5. Complexity of modern life as compared with that of indigenous man and animal life.
6. General needs of all.
7. The joy of living.
8. Art appreciation in our life.

       So much has been said about community life in other courses of study, that it will not be enlarged upon here. Among the results to be obtained are a growing consciousness of interdependence and of the necessity for co-operation and service on the part of every individual, children included.

• The Home
• The Community
• The Farm
• Our School
• Features of Local Interest

Children's 'Purposeful Activities'

       Children's lives are full of activity. They are constantly carrying out projects and solving problems of their own. In the process of living they learn to think, because of the fact that in their activity they are most often carrying out a definite purpose; that in order to do so they must weigh and judge among ideas and material details, and select from among these the ones most pertinent to the fulfillment of their immediate end; that in working out their definite purpose, they meet difficulties which need to be overcome before the desired end can be obtained. (Read Dr. John Dewey 's Reasoning in Early Childhood, Teachers' College Record, Jan., 1914.)

       Since this is the method of procedure of a normal child or of any normal human being when under no constraint, the school should adopt it. ' Purposeful activity ' on the part of the children then becomes the aim of the school. The teacher's part is to guide towards such 'purposeful activities' as will prove of greatest benefit to the children, choosing among those directly available for first-hand experience.

       In attempting to discuss the relative values of these activities, we are frequently using the words 'problems' and 'projects' as common terms of understanding. Any 'purposeful activity' determined upon and carried to a successful conclusion becomes a project. There are various types of projects. One of these types involves mental processes alone, without manipulation of material and without the necessity of outward expression; this is the problem type. It goes without saying that while this type may exist by itself, it is not likely to do so in the child's world. On the other hand, all other types of projects include the problem type in so far as they are not merely unconscious responses. The process of carrying out projects and problems includes thoughts, suggestions and activities rejected as well as those finally selected as pertinent. If no steps are taken toward the attainment of a definite purpose, the mental problem may remain in the child's mind, but there is no solution of it and there is no project involved. This state of affairs is detrimental to the child and has existed too frequently in the process of formal education.

       The problem is the situation which demands the exercise of choice. In this lies its value for children, who must be taught to establish the habit of thinking clearly, relatedly, and to some definite purpose. Here also lies the responsibility of the teacher, who must provide conditions so that fruitful problems shall arise. Fruitful problems are such as will demand solution because of their appeal to children, and because of their opening up to them new and larger fields of action.

       The problem may be very simple and may be solved by means of a single project of short duration. It may be more complex and demand a longer period of time as well as necessitate a more complex project. The project itself may contain new problems to be solved by minor projects. Thus arises a linking of mental processes and physical activities all subsidiary to the main problem, all subordinate and yet indispensable to the essential project, working toward the solution of the main problem. We may think in this connection of the relation of the twigs to the branches, the branches to the trunk of the tree; all contributing their quota to the life of the complete tree; the sap coursing through all being the connecting thought (which is the main problem), by its permeating and vitalizing quality, giving vigor and growth to the whole.

       The following illustration is borrowed from Miss Grace Brown, of Teachers' College, in her talk on Dressing Dolls a project. She shows how little children will at first be content with wrapping the doll, putting on clothing regardless of arms and legs; -... 'how the problem arises of making provision for their freedom and the next project becomes the carrying out of this idea; how the problem of clothing 'to be put on and taken off' in permanent form arises next and gives opportunity for guidance by the teacher in the project of pattern making, the process of fitting, transferring to cloth and constructing the desired object; how the problem of making pretty clothing leads from selection of color to the project of decoration; how finally the making of doll's clothing suggests the problem of making clothes for one's self as 'mother does it,' and of the realization of this problem in the project of making a dress for one's self from the pattern fitted by the teacher. This illustration serves not only to make clear the place of the problem and the project in the daily life of the children, but also to show the possibility of starting on a very simple basis and leading to more complex activities by following the children's own interests and development.

       In the solution of a problem the end may be immediate, as is the case when the problem is very simple; it is, however, likely to be more or less remote. The ability to hold in mind and to work toward a more remote end should be one goal achieved by children through the education given them. In the working out of a project the end always consists in the fulfilling of a definite purpose. The achieving of the purpose may cover a long period of time and involve accessory problems and minor projects as has been pointed out.

• Illustration of the foregoing from the field of reading...

From worms to wall street: project based learning...

The Problem With Needing To Read

       Suppose the children have unconsciously absorbed the notion of the importance of reading in daily life by seeing their relatives read letters, the newspaper, magazines, cook books, advertisements, books, etc.; suppose reading material and picture books have formed part of their environment; suppose they have been read to or told stories which they know are to be found in books; suppose on street cars, walks, or elsewhere the desire has come to them to decipher for themselves the large print on brilliantly colored background accompanied by pictures they do not understand. The problem comes to them in their own feeling, "I want to learn to read." * Learning to read then, becomes the large project or definite purpose to be worked out in concrete terms. During the process, however, minor problems arise, felt rather than clearly thought out by the children. Among these are, "How can I get what I want without asking older people?" This problem shows a 'felt need' and a proper time for the introduction of phonics. Another problem felt rather than thought out is: "How can I share what I like unless I can interpret the meaning of the page in such a way as to make people wish to listen to my reading?" This introduces the most vital motive for class reading, the social motive. That it is a real one to children is evidenced by the little girl, who persistently followed her elders about with a book under her arm, begging to be permitted to read to them and rejoicing when given the privilege to do so.

       These minor problems arising out of the pursuit of the main project demand lesser projects for their solution. So the ramification goes on as has been suggested in the simile of the tree with its twigs and branches and the sap coursing through all. To carry the picture somewhat farther in illustration of the point to follow in the next paragraph concerning standards for the selection of problems and projects, it may be said, that the dead twigs and branches, through which the sap no longer courses, and the individual twigs at the foot of the trunk which take from the strength of the tree without contributing to its growth had better be chopped off so as to conserve and concentrate the life of the whole in it's integral parts.

       Problems and projects arise in connection with the daily experience of children. Not all problems or projects need or should receive attention at school. The basis for determining which shall be utilized and which rejected includes the following questions:

1. Does the problem or project appeal to the majority of the group?
2. Is it of sufficient value to the individual to enable him to make by means of it a distinct contribution to himself or to the group?
3. Does it open up to the individual or the group, consciously or unconsciously, visions of new problems to be solved and projects to be worked out in consequence?
4. Does it help illumine some phase of child experience or activity worth preserving and fixing even temporarily?
5. Does it help lengthen gradually the pupil's 'interest span,' his power of sustained attention?
6. May a solution of the problem by means of a certain project, by contrast possibly, point the way better than a seemingly more profitable project may do at a particular time? To illustrate: If a child has his heart set on solving a problem by means of a certain project, might the experience gained in doing this and finding the result unsatisfactory more than offset a safe direction towards his immediate goal? (This, of course, opens up the questions of 'trial and error'; the validity and extent of the use of this method ; the basis for measuring results and the weighing of values ; the economy of time; the elimination of waste.)

       A word as to the complexity of projects for young children. There are, of course, inherent in the experience of children many larger units which hold their attention for days and weeks intermittently or consecutively. Such are the making and using of the play house; the school-garden fair, depending for its success upon the spring gardening, the care in the summer and the fall harvesting; playing store; the various social functions growing out of the utilization of garden products and the observance of holidays; the camping, either as white campers or as Indians in the living of that gem for primary grades Hiawatha; the life of indigenous man as revealed in Miss Dopp's books; the farmer's activities I carried through the year in a rural community, and other activities growing out of local conditions.

       It is, however, not necessary or even desirable that all projects undertaken by small children shall be large ones. Their interests are varied, their interest 'spans' are short; many of their legitimate desires are very simple and of short duration ; many of them are still enjoyed and valued as ends in themselves; some of them form a connected series in a larger unit held in mind only by the teacher. Some may cover merely a recitation or a day or two in point of time.

      The problem or the project may precede in point of time. With little children frequently the project precedes the problem, because of the unconsciousness of their reaction and the immediacy of their purpose. Since this is true and little children solve a large number of their problems by means of projects involving manipulation of materials, a separate chapter has been devoted to constructive activities. Play is given first place because of its irrepressibility and because of its value in all child activity. It is implied throughout, though it need hardly be said, that a school which provides opportunity for purposeful activity does most to build up the health of the children. This question of the health of herself and her children should be one of the purposeful activities of the teacher.

Playful ways to teach reading through short games/projects...

Constructive Activities as 'Purposeful Activities'

       In determining what the constructive activities or projects of little children are, to be, the motive prompting the children in the doing of any special task is of greatest importance, also the fact that the activity shall wholesomely and naturally form an intrinsic part of the life of the child at any given time. The motive may vary considerably and yet be acceptable. It may be social and cultivate the growing and sharing spirit, as when gifts are made for different seasons of the year, or refreshments served for special occasions at school; it may be the expression of the love of beauty and show itself in a desire to decorate the schoolroom, or to make covers and portfolios for the preservation of school work; it may answer a special need, as when costumes, spears, helmets and other accessories are simply made in order to lend to dramatic expression an added sense of reality, or when material is needed for nature study; it may furnish a fitting climax to industrial studies, leading to an understanding of actual conditions, as when jelly or biscuits are made from the fruit and grain harvested. Insistence upon a genuine motive there should be; otherwise constructive activity loses its educational significance and becomes barren of its best results.

       The love of beauty being essential to all appreciation and adequate expression, it may be considered a dominant factor which permeates and accompanies all other motives in their attempts at realization. Hence the artistic training in design and color must be kept in mind.

       Crude results should be accepted and given due credit, providing only that they represent the best effort of the child at any given time, and that conditions exist for growth. The work should be that of the child, with only so much of the teacher in it as prevents discouragement through insurmountable obstacles, or standstill through lack of vision. The difficulties must be within the capacity of the growing child at any given time.

       The suggestions following have been carried out in various schools with little children. 

   A. Constructive activities growing out of roll play activity

• Activities and artifacts for children to act as parents to their doll infant here.

   B. Constructive activities growing out of the social motive

• On the left hand sidebar, I list those artifacts a child might use to construct an entire village where they and their doll may engage with one another socially. This is called "The Places to Visit in Dollville"

   C. Decoration of schoolroom and care of same

• Young ones may set up a classroom/school in order to teach their dolls here. I include may crafts, and even ideas for lessons under this page.

   D. Useful articles for preservation of classroom work

• Under "Dollplay that informs literacy and the arts" are many ideas for integrating the literary artifacts and arts/crafts according to three levels of increasingly difficult strategy.

   E. Useful articles and activities for class and home use

• All of our articles on the blog are written professionals who have designed literacy based in topics like natural history, science or biographies based in fact. So, your child will be learning while she is teaching her dolls at the same time!

   F. Constructive activities growing out of school-garden, excursion to a farm, dairy, trades etc...

• Build upon an intricate group of lessons using materials from our camps: "Little Blossoms" doll camp or a farming camp for dolls here.

   G. Constructive activities growing out of desire for dramatic expression and realistic representation - Make costumes and other simple accessories. 

• Under both our Halloween Artifacts and Mardi Gras Artifacts I list how to craft costumes for doll playtime as well.

The Role of Play in the Overly-Academic Classroom

Creation

Creation

by Edward P. Butler

God made a little garden

And hung it in the sky,

With a myriad lights around it

On a string He did not tie.

'Twas a wondrous little garden,

Full of tiny lakes and rills,

Tiny isles and tiny mainlands,

Tiny vales and tiny hills.

There were living things made also:

Tiny trees and tiny flowers-

I think God used a microscop

The make this world of ours.

There were swimming things and flying things

And things that crept or ran-

All these He made of nothing

And then-created man!

Man and woman, strong and beautiful,

By Satan were beguilded,

And so, to win them back again,

He made a simple Child.

Wake Up Birdie

Birdie with the folded wing,

Shall we never hear you sing?

Sleepy birdie, wake up quick!

Pretty birdie, are you sick?

Birdie, birdie! are you dead?

Birdie, birdie! lift your head!

Lift your head, and show your beak.

Naughty birdie! won't you speak?

Here is water for your cup;

Here is sugar-eat it up:

Here is sunshine warm and bright.-

New he sings with all his might!

Little Miss Limberkin

Little Miss Limberkin,

Dreadful to say,

Found a mouse in the cupboard

Sleeping away.

Little Miss Limberkin

Gave such a scream,

She frightened the little mouse

Out of its dream.

Play As Purposeful Activity

       A large amount of thought and time in any primary school program belongs legitimately to play. Play is the spontaneous expression of child life; it is child life. The teacher who does not weave play into her daily scheme, fails to grasp a central principle and to utilize one of the greatest assets in the education of the children under her guidance.

       Much has been written on the educational value of play. Five aspects of the question are especially vital to the success of the plan of work here presented. They are:

1. The play spirit
2. Representative play
3. Dramatic play
4. Play and games as determined by conditions of weather and other nature experiences
5. Social and folk games and play

       The play spirit. This is an attitude of mind, an outlook upon life present in the child, necessary as basis for a sound philosophy in later years; as much of an asset to the grown person as to the child. It is the element in character which defies failure; which insists upon playing the game fairly and joyfully, but playing the game always; which meets difficulties, obstacles, drudgeries, with vigor and a determination to win, but to win always by fair means; which does not minimize or ignore existing evil, but which has faith in its ultimate overcoming by positive measures; which adds the touch of artistry to otherwise commonplace lives, and illuminates them with a ray of sunlight convincing to others by its glow, its penetration, and its effects. This play spirit does not exclude seriousness, concentration, application, reverence, or any of the other stable and basic qualities which are among the ideals to be realized by children; it runs side by side with and through them all as does a delicate theme or melody in a piece of music with orchestral accompaniment, binding together the various harmonies into a unified whole. The play spirit then is an essential which should permeate the atmosphere of every primary school, constituting its moving and directive force.

       Representative play. This is the play indulged in by children when reproducing the activities of their environment in imitation of their elders ("Olympians," as Kenneth Grahame calls them), and of institutional life as they see it. This furnishes opportunity for much first-hand contact and for introduction to the values which are to be established in the field of social experiences. Playing house, store, fire department, letter carrier, etc., with fidelity and devotion to actual detail, does much to help children to an intelligent understanding and appreciation of their environment, and to initiate that spirit of co-operation which must work out through them if they are to be happy, intelligent, helpful members of school and society.

       Dramatic play. Dramatic play deals with reproduction of experience gathered in the field of the past (primitive life, history), in fields remote from personal contact (for instance, geography), and in the idealized realm of literature, be it fairy tale, folklore, myth or whatever form the gem may take. Though dealing with material different in point of time, space, or reality, dramatic play has many of the same values as representative play, which is also, of course, dramatic in its expression. It gives to the child free and full expression through the body and the voice; it enlarges his horizon, exercises his imagination, enriches his experience; it gives him another's point of view and enables him to project himself into the lives of others, thus developing understanding, sympathy, and appreciation; by 'being some one else' and realizing in conduct the admirable qualities of another person, it starts the process of carrying these over into the child's own life and establishing permanent habits and ideals. This latter, of course, is only the beginning of a development which the wise teacher must encourage by elsewhere presenting conditions which will provide for repeated reaction along the desired paths of conduct. In addition to the above values the material used in dramatic play lays the foundation for the tastes and appreciations of things beautiful and worth while, which are so necessary to the background of every human being.

       Play and games as determined by season, location and other geographic and physiographic conditions. These are important leads to follow as introduction to interpretation of nature experiences. Flying kites; sailing boats; playing with bonfires; coasting; snowballing; skating; playing marbles, tops, jump-rope, rolling hoops; chewing birch, sorel, and other plant materials ; making daisy and dandelion chains; gathering materials for decoration; skipping stones ; digging and planting gardens; collecting stones, leaves, and other treasures; popping corn and chestnuts; baking apples; gilding nuts; stringing cranberries for the Christmas tree; feeding birds; caring for pets indoors and out all these and many more spontaneous activities are directly dependent upon physiographic and geographic conditions. Why not relate them to their natural background, interpret natural phenomena through them, and lead on from these simple relations to further appreciation and understanding of the beauty, the wonder, and the significance of nature? Effect and cause, mutual interdependence, the influence of geographic conditions on the lives of people, the gradual, increasing control by man of his physical environment all of these touch the lives even of children. In the simplest way we can employ these early points of contact and convert them into more far-reaching, ever-deepening, increasingly significant permanent controls.

       Social and folk games and play. This phase of play needs to be given no special emphasis here, as it is one of the child 's natural expressions in reacting to his social environment. It furnishes a valuable means for making the school a part of the child's real life.

       Play enters vitally into all of the child's problems and projects, and must be taken into account throughout any and all projects designed to instigate playful interactions between children and also when they play by themselves. It is, in fact, one of the most important factors in building up the physical and mental health of children. Krackowizer